Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1929)

April 7, 1928 EXHIBITORS HERALD and MOVING PICTURE WORLD 41 ^^^ NEW PICTURES In "New Pictures" the EXHIBITORS HERALD and MOVING PICTURE WORLD presents in concise form information on current and forthcoming attractions. The facts as presented will serve exhibitors in booking and in the preparation of their advertising campaign. ACROSS TO SINGAPORE: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer melodrama, with Ramon Navarro, Joan Crawford, Ernest Torrence, Frank Currier, Dan Wolheim, Duke Martin, Edward Connelly, and James Mason. Directed by William Nigh. Released Length _ TYPE AND THEME: This one takes you off to British Malay. Joel in charge of his father's ship, is in love with Priscilla, who is engaged to his older brother, Ma/rk. Mark is inclined to dissipate, and when Joel tries to stop him, they quarrel. Mark is bitter over the condition of his own life and the good fortune of his brother. To vent his feelings, he stirs up the Chinese. Joel arrives with aid, but Mark is gone. Believing him safe, Joel returns to his ship. There he is put in chains, and the ship is started homeward. But he returns, taking PrisciUa along, to find Mark. She falls in love with Joel, and when they find Mark and take him to the ship, Mark starts a mutiny. In the fight, Mark is killed. * * * CHINATOWN CHARLIE: First National comedy, with John'ny Hines, Louise Lorraine, Harry Gril>bon, Scooter Lowry, Sojin, Anna May Wong, George Kuwa, Fred Kohler, and Jack Burdette. Directed by Charles Hines. Released. Length 6,365. TYPE AND THEME: This one was adapted from the stage fa/rce. As barker on a New York Chinatown sightseeing bus, Hines is interested in one of his feminine passengers who is taken prisoner by a ga/ng leader in the section because she possesses a ring said to have remarkable powers. The comic action proceeds around Hines' efforts to wrest the girl from the dastard's talons, and while there are scenes that might do well in a melodra/ma, they are enacted with the levity demamded in a Hines vehicle. * * * CIRCUS ROOKIES: Mero-Goldyn-Mayer, with Karl Dane, George K. Arthur, Louise Lorraine, Sydney Jarvifl, and Fred Himes Humes. Directed by Edward Sedgwick. Released — Length TYPE AND THEME: Fun in a circus, with Dame and Arthur rookies again. Dane becomes trainer of the gorilla. Arthur is a reporter on a small town pa/per. And in the circus is Belle, aerial gymnast, whom Dane loves. Dane chases Arthur in front of the knife-thrower and the latter's trousers are fastened to the board. Arthur shows he can dimb to the aerial trapezes. Belle kisses him aloft. The shock sends him falling . into the net. Enroute to the next town, the gorilla escapes and causes a bad time of it for all concerned. But Arthur brings the sittiation back to normalcy, while Dane flees the enraged gorilla. FOOLS FOR LUCK: Paramount comedy, with W. C. Fields, Chester Conklin, Sally Blane, Jack Luden, Mary Alden, Arthur Housman, Robert Dudley, and Martha Mattox. Directed by Charlce Reisner. Released _ Length TYPE AND THEME: Something for the comic firm of Fields and Conklin. But they are enemies in this one. Fields is a promoter of falce oil property. Meeting Duden, a young chap, he makes him manager. Conklin mistrusts Fields, but he has to keep quiet because Lmden, who is innocent of wrong-doing, is engaged to his daughter. Conklin huys up the fake oil land, then gets a rumor started that there is really oil under the soil. Fields hastily buys the land back and justice thus is done. * * * HORSEMAN OF THE PLAINS: Fox Western, with Tom Mix, Sally Blane, Heinie Conklin, Charles Byers, Lew Harvey, Grace Marvin, and William Ryno. Released _ _ Length..— TYPE AND THEME: Tom Mix as Tom Mix, not forgetting Tony. Tom (though his last name is Swift in this one) is to represent the O'Day ranch in an obstacle race. On his way to the ranch, he "saves" a girl from, a "runaway," only to be rebuked for spoiling her fun. She proves to be Dawn O'Day, who is trying to get the ranch on its feet during the illness of her father. The ranch is heavily mortgaged, and Tom wants to help her. Slie misunderstands and sends him on his way. But he loves her — and enters the race, knowing the prize money would let her pay her debts. A money-lender, who wants to marry Dawn, tries to prevent him, but to no avail. And Tom, winning the race, tvins Dawn as weU. * * * LITTLE SHEPHERD OF KINGDOM COME, THE: First National drama, with Richard Barthelmese, Molly O'Day, Doris Dawson, Gardner James, Claude Gillingwater, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Martha Mattox, David Torrence, and Eulalie Jensen. Directed by Alfred Santell. Released Length 7.700. TYPE AND THEME: This one recoils "Tol'able David" — and perhaps the exploitation wiU not overlook it. It was adapted from the novel so famous in our nation these many years. Chad, a waif in the hills of Kentucky, does not know who his father is. Following the death of the man who has brought him up, he goes to live imth the Turners. Later he is adopted by Colonel Buford. But that relationship ends when he joins the Union army in the Civil war. After the war, Buford discovers that Chad is his grandson, but Chad, who loves the daughter of the Turners, chooses her and the mountains. (.The war scenes are brief and figure little in the telling of the tale.) * • • MASKED ANGEL, THE: First Division drama, with Betty Compeon, Erick Arnold, Wheeler Oakman, Jocelyn Lee. Grace Cunard, Lincoln Plumer, Robert Homana, Jane Keckley. Directed by Frank O'Connor. Released Length _ TYPE AND THEME: Cactus Kate runs a night club. But this tale is not much about that. Betty Carlisle, one of the entertainers, takes the story into a more wholesome enrironmcnt. She is the favorite of the men patrons, which fact catiscs another en tertainer to "frame" her in a robbery. Betty gets away, hiding in the apartment of Spence. He tries to attack her. She flees into a crowd visiting a war veterans' hospital. There she meets Jimmy, blind and crippled. She marries him, and by her faith and love, has him seeing again. She works in a laundry. Soon they have a little cottage. But Spence still pursues, threatening to disclose her past. At last, she bravely tells Jimmy of her life. He doesn't care — he loves her. "Walk to me, Jimmy," she bodes him. And he does. • • • MATINEE IDOL, THE: Columbia comedy-drama, with Bessie Love, Johnnie Walker, Lionel Belmore, Ernest Billiard, Sidney D'Albrook, and David Mir. Directed by Frank Capra. Released -' Length TYPE AND THEME: Wingate needs a novety act for his New York show. Motoring up-state icith his star comiedian, Don he g/ets stalled in a little town, where some natives are trying to get jobs in a "ham." mdodrama about the civH war. Don accidentally gets in line and is hired by the daughter of the manager. Ginger. Wingate gets the idea that this shotv would get 'em laughing on Broadway. Over Don's protests — for Don's keen about the girl — Wingate takes the show intact to. put into his production. The audience roars at the serious efforts of the yokels. Ginger realizes the deception, and the show quits to return to its native fields. Don goes with it, for Ginger's sake. • • • PATSY, THE Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer comedy-drama, with Marion Davies, Or\'ille Caldwell, Marie Dressier, Del Henderson, Lawrence Gray, and Jane Winton. Directed by King Vidor. Released — Length 7,289. TYPE AND THEME: This one was adapted from the musical comedy by the same title and affords a vehicle for Miss Davies. As Patricia, or Patsy, she is secretly in love with Tony, who courts Grace, her sister. Grace, however, discovers that she can fascinate Billy, son of an old matmate. Tony, in rage, endeavors to bury his grief and rage in his real estate business. Patty goes to work for him and proves to be quite sharp in the business. Ultimately Tony notes his reactions to the charm of Patsy, and deciding that it is she he loves, tells her so, much, much to Patsy's joy. • • • THREE SINNERS: Paramount drama, with Pola Negri, Warner Baxter, Paul Lukas, Anders Randolph, Tullio Carminati, Anton Vaverka. Ivy Harris, William von Hardenberg, and Olga Baclan ova. Directed by Roland V. Lee. Released Length TYPE AND THEME: The thoughtless indifference of her husband. Count Wallentin, piquta Gerda, and when the count insists that she vimt her sister in Vienna, in order that he may pursue his political ambitions, Gcrda goes. She falls in love with Stanislaw, a musician, and leaves the train before arriving at Vienna, to go moforino with him. The train is rpreckrd and she is reported killed. She lets the report stand. Three years later, the count finds her ht^.ftrss of a French gambling resort. She tells him what the had done, and he refuses to take her back. Gcrda marries an American ntUlionaire to recoup her lost happiness. This Week's Press Sheet HORSEMAN OF THE PLAINS (Fox Western): If there is a real estate development of a new section going on in your community, arrange for a rodeo, amateur horse race, stagecoach race, or other contests of speed where no extraordinary risk of life is incurred. The event is to be planned for the day in advance of your opening, and the name of the star, picture and theatre should be coupled with real estate copy in all publicity and advertising. Public vehicles carrying the people to the event should carry signs advertising the picture as well as the real estate. ... In many western cities there are shoe stores which carry the ornamented boots that cowboys regard so highly. A display featuring these and including photos from the production should be obtainable where the merchant carries this type of boot. A placard can be placed in the merchant's window with the followmg: "For warmer weather, we offer the latest in new Spring modes. In every weather you will find excellent entertainmnt in seeing Tom Mix in 'Horseman of the Plains' at the -. theatre (Date)." . . . Run an auto tire contest. See how fast a man can put a new tire on. Tie up with an accessory dealer to give you a display in his windows. Suggested copy: "If you want speed in putting on a new tire be sure that you get (Name Dealers Tires). Come in and ask us about demountable rims, etc. If you like a picture with dash and speed, go to see Tom Mix in 'Horseman of the Plains' at the (Date)." . . . Secure a stereopticon and use it in your window or lobby of the theatre, using slides advertising the production. Show regular slides, with every few minutes one advertising the picture. See your local photographer if you have any problems about the slides. . . . Posters like the following should be distributed about the town: "Climb on a horse, or grab a taxi, but hurry to see Tom Mix in 'Horseman of the Plains' at the theatre " You can make a shadowbox for your ticket booth, lobby or window display. A photograph may be slid in front of the box, and an electric light with flasher placed at the back. Consult your electrician for information.