Exhibitors Herald (1927)

December 31, 1927 EXHIBITORS HERALD 47 COLUMBUS, KAN., December 14, 1927. DEAR HERALD: Marie and I passed a flock of Canadian geese going south this morning at Nevada, Mo., and they didn’t catch up with us until we got to Columbus, Kan., where we stopped over night. Presume we will overtake ’em again somewhere down in Oklahoma tomorrow. We could tell the minute we crossed over the Missouri line into Kansas. We broke right out into sunshine, the first we have seen in four weeks. It’s a glorious feeling to realie that you have gotten back into a country where the scintillating ray of a glorious midday sun permeates, penetrates, pulsates, percolates and pulmonates, etc., et cetera and several other things (as Joe Mayer of Hamilton, O., would say) every fiber of your being, and to know that you have entered a state made famous by reason of her close proximity to Nebraska, and, but — that isn’t what I started to say. Did you ever meet N. W. Huston of the Liberty theatre here in Columbus? You haven’t? Well, that’s just too bad for both of you. We went over to the Liberty this evening to call on N. W. and when we handed him our card he said, “Well I’ll be damned,” or something like that. Maybe that wasn’t just what he said. Anyhow, he squeezed our right paddy until we’ll have rheumatism for the next month. He was playing “BEN HUR” and asked us to walk in and see the picture, but to try and behave ourself, which we did, but at the door we met a Swedish boy by the name of Sam Naster who was the checker for M-G-M and Sam said, “Ticket please,” and we looked Sam right in the eye and said, “Kid, do you think we are sucker enough to pay good money to see this onehorse show?” when just then N. W. came up and said to Sam, “This is grandpa Jenkins who writes that bull for the EXHIBITORS HERALD,” and Sam stuck out his hand and said, “Shake, I've been following you all over the country but didn’t expect I’d ever meet you, sit down and see the best production on earth and after the show is over you can have the film if you want it,” and we replied, “No, thanks, we have only seen this picture eleven times and don’t want to be hoggish, so you keep it and give others a chance to see it, but you are right about it being the best production on earth.” If N. W. had something to keep him busy he impressed us with the thought that he might become quite a man. All he has at present to occupy his attention is the management of two theatres, two garages, Chamber of Commerce, City Council, Fair Board, Park Board, the W. C. T. U., Ladies’ Aid Society and Woman’s Relief Corps, besides handing out mail to Tom, Dick and Harry and their wives as Uncle Sam’s postmaster. Outside of that he doesn’t have a thing to do but edit a newspaper, give lectures on “Why Kansas Should Go Democratic” (when he knows doggone well she’ll go Republican) and carry T-bone steaks home to the bulldog. N. W. says he reads every line in the HERALD, and we replied, “That’s a mark of excellent judgment on your part, and you probably copy the most of it in your paper don’t you?” but he denied that. Anyhow, he’s a regular fellow and we are mighty pleased that we stopped here and called on him, and this goes for Sam Naster also. The Herald Fills a Want None Others Can Do TULSA, OKLA., December 15. We caught up with that flock of geese just as we were driving down Eleventh street here in Tulsa. They were still heading for the Rio Grande and should they settle near Tucson it will be too bad for some of them, for they will never come back North in the spring. We have an ingrowing appetite for Canadian geese, and when we slant our goose eye over a gun barrel there is hut one result. If you don’t believe it ask Henry B. Walthall. Yesterday we stopped in Claremore, Okla., Will Rogers’ home town, but Bill wasn’t there to receive us, but we read in the press this morning that Bill is down in Mexico City fooling around with “Lindy” and President Calles and some more of the boys and getting lined up for a big celebration Christmas. Funny why Bill always turns a cold shoulder to Jake Volstead at Holiday time, did you ever notice that? He seems to have a faculty of getting in on all the big feeds. Presume that’s because he was once mayor of the invisible government of Beverly Hills. We wish Bill would let us know how things are down in Mexico, for we will probably be in Nogales before long and Nogales is right on the border. Jay Shreck threw a chill into us when he made a remark in a letter we received from him recently that something was going to happen soon that would lift the hat right off our head, but he didn’t say what it was. He probably wanted to break the news gently and in installments to us so we could stand the shock, like the boys did in the boiler works when Maloney was killed. They wanted someone who ( Continued on following page ) Green, Gem theatre, Greenriver, Utah. — -General patronage. THE FLAMING FOREST: Special cast— 75%. A good picture of the Northwest mounted police. Gave general satisfaction. — K. R. Smith, Rialto theatre, Stromberg, Neb. — Small town patronage. BEN HUR: Special cast — Excellent. The biggest, the cleanest, the best and most wonderful picture made, bar none. The settings and the chariot race are great, the acting of Novarro, Bu6hman and McAvoy is fine. I have been an exhibitor for the last 12 years and I can truthfully say this is the greatest of all pictures. It is a pleasure to show a picture like this. — P. G. Held, Strand theatre, Griswold, la. — General patronage. BEN HUR: Special cast — The best yet in the way of screen entertainment. Bad weather — result, poor business. Nevertheless the picture is all there. Should be seen by every man, woman and child in every community. — A. G. Miller, Lyric theatre, Atkinson, Neb. — General patronage. BEN HUR: Ramon Novarro — We will only add to the praise of the other exhibitors and say that it is the most wonderful picture of its kind ever produced. Don’t ever expect to see anything that will excel it. Acting and sets wonderful and it will bring people in your theatre that never come otherwise. We did about 50 per cent more business on this than we did on “The Big Parade” and made little money for ourselves, but Mero-Goldwyn took the Lion’s share of the receipts. Twelve reels. — Crosby & Schwierske, Rex theatre, Colby, Wis. — Small town patronage. THE CALLAHANS AND MURPHYS: Sally O’Neil — October 10-11. We showed this to very good business and not a kick. In fact, had numerous comments on it being very good. Personally thought it as good as any we have run the past year, and they have been forced to withdraw this picture from distribution on account of the holler that a few Irish stai*ted over the insults to the Irish that was supposed to have been in this, which goes to show what concerted action will do, even if they are wrong. If they are going to start this on all of the pictures of its kind what is going to happen to “Abie’s Irish Rose” and numerous other pictures that are in the making. and already in distribution. This company is part Irish and we thought the Irish acted very natural in this, only the director sure slipped on the beer party. He didn’t know his Irish so well at that. It’s a good comedy and if you can 6till get it, do so. Seven reels. — Crosby & Schwierske, Rex theatre, Colby, Wis. — Small town patronage. TWELVE MILES OUT: John Gilbert— July 31. Have seen some adverse reports on thie but it went over fine for us and although the ending is a little rough, it is a gripping story and acting is very good. It’s a 6tory of the bootleg game which ends disastrously for all those participating in the game and which is a better moral lesson than most of this sex and immoral trash that is being jammed down the necks of the theatregoing public most of the time. We for one absolutely refuse to show it to our public, and although there are a few flappers and sheiks that may think we don’t run enough hot stuff to suit them we believe we are doing more for the community by not showing them. “Twelve Miles Out” is o. k. and Gilbert is fine as well as Ernest Torrence. It’s a gripping story that will hold them until the last fadeout, even the W. C. T. U. that might be in your house. Eight reels. — Crosby & Schwierske, Rex theatre, Colby, Wis. — Small town patronage. TWELVE MILES OUT: Special cast— Personally thought this good, but the ending sort of killed it. A little rough in places. — J. C. Wilkham. Select theatre, Scbenevus, N. Y. — Small town patronage. TILLIE THE TOILER: Marion Davies— Not so hot. Not as good as her older ones. In fact, the last 12 Metro pictures I bought were not so good. — J. C. Wilkham, Select theatre, Schenevus, N. Y.— Small town patronage. THE BIG PARADE: Special cast — November 11-14. The greatest war picture ever made. It’s too bad that we couldn’t all of us have seen “The Big Parade” before we were all fed up on would-be, and try-to-be war pictures like we have been the last couple of years. It would have made a greater impression on the public than it did. At least, that is our opinion in our town. We did not do much on it although the weather gave us a terrible licking. Rain and mud (like there was in the picture) three days out of the four. We played it on a percentage as guess all you poor suckei-6 did, and the Metro checker took back the magnificent sum of $8.50 for their share of the split. We are glad we played it though, only wish more of our people could have seen it. Thirteen reels. — Crosby & Schwierske, Rex theatre, Colby, Wis. — Small town patronage. AFTER MIDNIGHT: Norma Shearer— Poor Norma, they sure handed her a terrible thing to work on in this thing. It just about killed Norma in our town. A year ago we had our people all pepped up about Norma after we ran “His Secretary” and “The Waning Sex” but then the “Demi Bride” hurt her a little, but “After Midnight” nearly killed her. She does good work in thi6 but the story is less than nothing. We are for you, Norma, but make them give you something better to work with than this. Seven reels. — Crosby & Schwiereke, Rex theatre, Colby, Wis. — Small town patronage. ADAM AND EVIL: Lew Cody — December 4-5. A very clever, somewhat spicy, sophisticated comedy drama that got a number of laughs and apparently pleased. If "Tea for Three” is as good I will be satisfied. Seven reels. — P. G. Vaughan, Sun theatre, Kansas City, Mo. — Neighborhood patronage. ROOKIES: Special cast — Absolutely the best comedy ever shown in our house. We showed it the first run in the state early in the spring for the benefit of the Boy Scouts, not knowing what it was and then booked it the second time for showing in October and did big business. It’s a knockout. If Beery and Hatton ever did anything half as good Paramount would be roadshowing it yet. Seven reels. — Crosby & Schwierske, Rex theatre, Colby, Wis. — Small town patronage. ROOKIES: Special oast — One of the most pleasing we have had. They are still talking of it. — J. C. Wilkham, Select theatre, Schenevus, N. Y. — Small town patronage. FRISCO SALLY LEVY: Sally O’Neil— December 10. A very good Jew and Irish picture but no drawing card. It fell flat at the box