Exhibitors Herald (1927)

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December 31, 1927 EXHIBITORS HERALD 27 New Accounts Point to Big Year 22 Large Houses Converted To Comedies, Says Christie The large number of new accounts for short comedies in 1927, including the showing of such product this season by 22 large theatres which did not run them last year, and the adoption of an occasional all-comedy bill in hundreds of houses point to an even better year in 1928, according to Charles Christie. This optimistic view from the veteran comedy producer comes at a time when many changes have taken place and unfounded rumors have given erroneous impressions of the future in store for comedies. Short Feature Releases WEEK OF JANUARY 1 “Some Pels,” Snappy Comedy, Universal, one; “The Trail of the Tiger,” Adventure, Universal, two ; “The Winning Goal,” Junior Jewel, Universal, two ; “Newlywed’s Advice,” Junior Jewel, Universal, two ; “Horse Play,” Stern, Universal, two ; “Boss of the Rancho,” Western, Universal, two ; “Mickey’s Parade,” Mickey McGuire, F B O, two ; “There It is,” Bowers, Educational, two ; “New York’s Sweetheart,” Curiosities, Educational, one; “Fall In,” Cameo, Educational, one; “Dummies,” Semon, Educational, two. WEEK OF JANUARY 8 “Panting Papas,” No. 5 Standard, F B O, two; “Racing Mad,” Mermaid, Educational, two ; “Felix the Cat In The Smoke Screen,” Felix the Cat, Educational, one; “Recollections of a Rover,” Howe’s Hodge Podge, Educational, one; “Harem Scarem,” Snappy, Universal, one; “The Trail of the Tiger,” Adventure, Universal, two, “A Case of Scotch,” Special, Universal, two ; “Buster’s Big Chance,” Stern, Universal, two ; “Bare Fists,” Western Featurette, Universal, two. WEEK OF JANUARY 15 “Wedding Slips,” Cameo, Educational, one ; “Cutie,” Devore, Educational, two ; “So This Is Sapp Center?”, Snappy, Universal, one; “The Vanishing Rider,” Adventure, Universal, two ; “Sliding Home,” 2nd Collegians No. 10, Junior Jewel, Universal, two ; “Dates for Two,” Stern, Universal, two; “Riding Gold,” Western Featurette, Universal, two. WEEK OF JANUARY 22 “Jungle Round Up,” Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, one; “Felix the Cat in Draggin* the Dragon,” Felix the Cat, Educational, one; “Wildcat Valley,” Tuxedo, Educational, two. WEEK OF JANUARY 29 “Dog Days The Sun and the Rain,” Outdoor Sketches, Educational, one; “High Strung,” Mermaid, Educational, two ; “All Set,” Cameo, Educational, one. Jerry Drew Will Star in Educational Series Jerry Drew will be starred by Educational, following the signing of the comedian for three years of featuring in Mermaid productions. Drew was known as Clem Beauchamp when he played his first co-featured part less than two years ago. Pathe Review Offers Series on South Seas Pathe Review starts the new year with a series of four subjects on life in the South Seas under the title of “The Land of the Firewalkers.” The first of the four successive issues comes January 1. M-G-M Signs Agnes Ayres For Great Events Film Agnes Ayres was signed for a title role in “Napoleon and Josephine,” which now is in production as the third of the Great Events series of Metro-GoldwynMayer. “Heavy competition in the field of two-reel comedies during the last three years,” said Christie, “has brought all the leading comedy people to their toes in more consistent striving for outstanding product than ever before, with the result that the best two-reel brands are better than they used to be and even the poorer ones not as bad as they were formerly. This is partly due to increased sums of money put into the business and partly to the gradual working out of finer organizations developed over a long period of years. “The chief outstanding fact which spikes any rumor that comedy business was unsatisfactory is our own survey, which shows 1,754 additional theatres in the United States playing comedies this year from Paramount which were not using our product during the last several years. This list is not complete but is the actual number of “new accounts” for Christie comedies for this season checked on contracts up to November 1. We can only judge the 1928 comedy trend from our otvn end of the business, but it seems to us significant also, in addition to the new accounts in this country, that the new product is being distributed by Paramount in thirtythree foreign countries, which also is adding thousands of new theatres over last year. “There must be some reasons for these increases and we judge them to be partly due to the extra distribution effort of the big companies, and partly to the fact that exhibitors are gradually looking again with more interest on the popular lines of two-reelers, which have been ‘kicked around’ to some extent by theatre people during a few past seasons. One proof of this return to comedies is that we note 22 big theatres in large cities playing this season’s comedies, theatres which showed no two-reelers from any producer last year. “Another trend which helps is that hundreds of theatres, in playing feature productions which are mainly comedy in tone, are going to the policy of an all comedy-bill or at least a bill in which comedy predominates, by adding a tworeel comedy and giving their patrons a whole bill of humorous entertainment, with the exception of music, news, etc. The need for balancing the show is still taken care of in orchestra numbers, news, scenic and novelty reel numbers. “With these encouraging trends in mind, we can certainly look with great confidence to the still bigger improvement in the two-reel comedies themselves, and the still greater importance which will be attached to them on the part of the theatres.” NEWSPICTURES INTERNATIONAL NEWSREEL NO. 102 — Vim and dash revealed in Italian army exercises at Rome Big dynamite blasts open impressive new harbor at Miami, Fla.— — Lindy reaps new honors by thrilling 2,000 mile flight to Mexico City. INTERNATIONAL NEWSREEL NO. 103 — World records shattered in speedboat regatta at San Diego— National Guard prevents meeting of Legislature at Oklahoma City— Maine restores war-torn banners to Dixie. FOX NEWS NO. 24— Winter in Canada brings herds of Buffalo to cover— Geisha girls celebrate nation’s recovery from the earthquake at Tokyo— -Col. Lindbergh lands safe in Mexico City. PARAMOUNT NEWS NO. 41 — Natives of Dutch East Indies get holidays too Southern beauties hard at work on Georgia Tech annual chorus 6how— Loggers prepare to start winter work as snow covers mountains at Bangor, Maine. PARAMOUNT NEWS NO. 42 — A Great Dane at Yalesville, Conn., takes care of his little friends —“Miss California” captures national speedboat championship, at San Diego— Mexico, “We” are here. Nation welcomes Lindy. KINOGRAMS NO. 5354 Confederate flags come back to Dixie— Rush work to aid men trapped in submarine S-4 Break records in speedboat regatta. KINOGRAMS NO. 5355 — Rough seas defeat attempts to rescue men trapped in S-4— Heap honors on Lindy in Mexico^— Lindbergh’s mother flies to join her son. M-G-M NEWS NO. 36 Coast guard fights way through ice to rescue crews aboard imprisoned vessels in the Great Lakes — Big army of turtles for holiday soup, Key West — Lindy conquers again, reaches Mexico City in 2,000 mile flight. M-G-M NEWS NO. 37 — Speedboats flash to new records at San Diego— Civil war flags go back to Dixie^— Battle in vain to break ice blockade at West Neebish channel, Mich. M-G-M NEWS NO. 38 Cavalry in thrilling snow maneuvers at Fort Ethan Allen, VermontGallant crew of S-4 given up as lost— Mexicans acclaim Lindbergh as hero.