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

62 THE BUYERS INDEX SECTION OF April 28, 1928 Neillsville, Wis.) 40%. January 6-7. A real good Western and pleased my patrons. Cueter is a very popular star here. Played two nights and made some of the long green. (Cozy theatre. Lament, Okla.) The Western whirlwind at his fighting best. Give Khattar's enough Custers and we'll play them once a week. (Khattar's theatre, Sydney, Nova Scotia, Can.) 30%. This is a fair Western of the cheaper type. If Bob would only spend the money to make first-class Westerns he could be among the first rate stars. His acting always good but cheapness of production spoile everything. (Rialto theatre, Knoxville, Tenn.) Bob should stick to the horse and quit trying to be a gambler. He looks good but picture very poor. (Salina theatre, Salina, Okla.) BURNING DAYLIGHT, FN, Milton Sills, Doris Kenyon, Arthur Stone, Big Boy Williams, Lawford Davidson, Jane Winton, Stuart Holmes, 7. — 70%. March 11. Good Milton Sills picture. Men like this one, a little hard for the ladies. (Mermac theatre. West Bend, Wis.) 50%. March 16. A dandy story of the far North, then back to the States, with good comedy and action. It pleased for me. (Adair theatre, Adair, la.) The best that Sills has made in many moons. More like this and he may be able to stage a comeback. (K. P. theatre, Pittsfield, III.) BUSH LEAGUER, The, W. Monte Blue, Clyde Cook, Leila Hyams, William Demarest, Richard Tucker, Bud Marshall, Tom Dempscy, Wilfred North, William Wilson, Violet Palmer, Rodney Hildebrand, 6. — 61%. October 1. A fair baseball picture. Most people will like it. (Indiana theatre, Washington, Ind.) 100%. October 4. Played this on my 10-cent night and it sure pleased to a "T." Very good picture for a mixed crowd. Good comedy with some action. Of course I always have a full house on 10-cent night. (Sun theatre, Walthill, Neb.) 55%. December 26. A good comedy drama of baseball life. (Princess theatre, Chilton, Wis.) 40%. January 23. A mighty good melodrama for any house. Monte sure does his stuff in this. (Joyland theatre, Booneville. Ark.) This was a good program picture. (Majestic theatre. Eureka, Mont.) BUTTONS, MGM, Jackie Coogan, Lars Hanson, Gertrude Olmstead, Paul Hurst, Roy D'Arcy, Polly Moran, Jack McDonald, 6. — Pleased 100 per cent, S. R. O. sign out all night. Record crowd on program picture. Boys, Jackie is right there when it comes to acting and drawing crowds to your little play-house. My opinion is that this is the best one he has ever made. (Plainview theatre, Plainview, Tex.) February 24-25. Very good. Jackie always draws well. Had plenty of good compliments on this one. (Fairy theatre, Nappanee, Ind.) February 5-6. A very good Coogan picture. Not his best but good just the same. (Star theatre, Nashville, Mich.) Fine Coogan picture. Pleased 100 per cent. (Lyric theatre, Hartington, Neb.) Jackie certainly gets a hand from us. He always makes us money. This picture is very good and I think it has about the beet shipwreck I have ever seen on the screen. (Liberty theatre, Amhertsburg, Ont., Canada.) A rather good picture. Like Jackie better since he has grown up. (Auditorium theatre, Nehawka, Neb.) 80%. A very good picture that will please your patrons. Jackie end Lars Hanson at their best. Business was very good with it. (Dayton theatre, Dayton, O.) Good comments. Good business. Lots of kids out. (Colonial theatre, Moulton, la.) Better than "The Bugle Call." Better drawing power than the ordinary program picture. Jackie is not the drawing card he wafi several years ago. (Paramount theatre, Wyoming, 111.) Very good, Jackie. I wish you made more pictures each year. Most everybody likes you here. (Postville theatre, Postville, la.) Not up to the Coogan standard, a little too much of a man's story. Run a kid matinee and a gang comedy for 5c. Guess ■we had all the kids in town. (Dunlap theatre, Hawarden, la.) BY WHOSE HAND, Col, Ricardo Cortez, Eugenia Gilbert, J. Thornton Baston, Tom Dugan, Edgar Washingrton Blue, DeSacia Mooers, 5. — A good picture that will keep them guessing. (Opera House, Raymond, Minn.) January 30. A clever little crook story, suitable for a program picture. Comments were divided, some liked it, and some did not. (Pastime theatre, Kurthwood, La.) CAMILLE, FN, Norma Talmadge, Gilbert Roland, Alec B. Francis, 9. — Norma Talmadge, if I may say BO, never looked more wonderful than she does in this piece. But don't be misled afi to the value of this picture from box office standpoint. A wonderful picture, but few followers for this class of picture. (Cozy theatre, Winchester, Ind.) 75%. Excellent picture, but failed at the box office. Did not gross enough to pay rental. (Vine theatre. Mount Vernon, O.) A very pleasing picture. Had several comments. Only objection was it did not end right. Not worth the money First National asks for it. Key to A bhreviations Columbia (Col) FBO (FBO) First National (FN) Fox (Fox) Gotham (G) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Paramount (Par) Pathe (P) Rayart (Ray) Tififany-Stahl (T) United Artists (UA) Universal (U) Warner Brothers (W) Numerals indicate length of picture in reels. The dates are those on which pictures were played, while the percentages represent gross business as compared with the record gross of the house. (Arrow theatre. Broken Bow, Okla.) January 25-26. This picture wae one of the very best of its kind. It drew out the upper class of people, but did not do the business that I expected. (Comique theatre. Camden, Me.) For the women folks. Wonderful acting. Will go good where high-class pictures are appreciated. (Lyric theatre, Atkinson, Neb.) CAT AND CANARY, The, U, Laura LaPlante, Creighton Hale, Forrest Stanley, TuUy Marshall, Gertrude Astor, Flora Finch, Arthur Edmund Carew, Martha Mattox, George Siegmann, Lucicn Littlefield, Joe Murphy, Billie Eagle, 8.-85%. October 20-21. This picture is all Universal claims for it. Boost it strong, fix up your theatre spooky, have weird music and stand at the door and watch them come out. The reaction will surprise you. Fine business for Thursday and Friday. (Grand theatre. Story City, la.) December 18. Fair mystery drama, slightly better than the program type. Not a special, nor is it worth special price. (Liberty theatre, Condon, Ore.) October 26-27. More comments on this than any picture we ever ran. Step on it, it's a knockout. (Odeon theatre, Cottonwood Falls, Kan.) Another box office winner plus the best in entertainment. Played it on a rainy day and night and did fairly well considering the weather. Promise plenty of mystery and thrills when you advertise this and they'll surely get everything and then s«me. Pleased all classes from the sixes to the sixties. Let's have some more like this (but a big cut In the price). New Kentucky theatre, Madisonville, Ky.)— 75%. November 8-9-10. Not another "Phantom of the Opera" by a long ways, but a satisfying audience picture. Some of the chills and thrills failed to get over on account of too much comedy in many of the scenes. (Opera House, Salisbury, Md.) October 31. Played Hallowe'en, right where it belongs and it went over like a house afire. Good all the way and the best of its type yet made, in our opinion. (Mission theatre, Menard, Tex.) Another box office knockout. Played midnight show on this Xmas week with advance ticket sale, 50 cents. Results surprising. (Liberty theatre, Eunice, La.) A real natural, no joking. Uncle Carl really did give a Jewel in this production. Nice mystery picture, and liked it, and they came in big numbers. (Strand theatre, Robinson, 111.) January 2-3. Step on this one, it is good and will stand an increase in admission. (Cozy theatre. Wagoner, Okla.) January 22-23. Mystery, thrills and chills galore, with enough comedy and spooks to enable the kids to help you put it over. Lots of good comments on this picture. (Aristo theatre, Lemmon, S. D.) A good mystery picture, but not a special. Many of my patrons expressed themselves that it was too spooky. My little boy, eight years old, had nightmares all night, and heard others say the same thing. It's O. K. if you like that kind of stuff. (Diamond theatre. Lake Odessa, Mich.) 75%. Good. (Palace theatre, Rensselaer, Ind.) To my surprise this did not pay film rental. Fine weather and no competition, but it did not pull. (Playhouse theatre, Fairhope, Ala.) Very good picture. Business poor, due, I think, to very cold weather. (Orpheum theatre, Mellen, Wis.) 90%. October 27-28. In this picture you will find in combination the two essentials we are all looking for — ^good drawing power and the ability to please. Much the best mystery thriller I have ever run. (Princess theatre, Buchanan, Mich.) A clever and entertaining mystery picture that certainly hit with the audiences that saw it. Pictures such as this are a tonic for the box office. (Columbia theatre, Columbia City, Ind.) This is a great picture of the spooky type and should go over anywhere. (Ideal theatre. Bloomer, Wis.) 30%. This picture is absolutely zero at the box office. It does not do even as good as a program offering. Universal robs you on rental and with no drawing power you come out in red ink. (Rialto theatre, Knoxville, Tenn.) A great thriller. Spiffy camera angles and everything. Even the operator got nervous. The best of its kind. (Texline theatre, Texline, Tex.) 80%. Good picture with a great title. It drew a good crowd in face of bad weather and roads. Patrons were divided on opinions. Not as good as "The Bat" but a box office attraction nevertheless. (Postville theatre, Postville, la.) March 4-5. This is a very good picture and it pleased most of my patrons. Many came back to see it the second night and we had a full house. (Lyceum theatre, Manchester, Mo.) CHAIN LIGHTNING, Fox, Buck Jones, 5 58%. February 9. Good. Best Jones yet. The more the l)etter. Everyone complimented the picture. (Crystal theatre, Oakman, Ala.) As good a Western as Jones ever made. Gene Cameron furnishes some good comedy. (Elite theatre, Greenleaf, Kan.) February 18. My first one of this star, but think that he is okay. This one seemed to go fair. Good Saturday program where they like Westerns. (Sterling theatre, Fairmont, Neb.) It's good. One of the better Westerns on next year's product, and full of action. (B. B. theatre, Ashland, Neb.) 27%. December 23. Very good Western. Pleased the fans. (Grand theatre. Rainier, Ore.) 44%. January 6-7. I haven't played this boy in a long time, but they had not forgotten him, and turned out well to see him. This is a good Western. (Pastime theatre. Mason. Mich.) CHANG, Par, 8.-55%. January 16-17-18. A mighty good picture of its kind. Very educational, an ideal picture to tie up with schools. The fellow "Kru," who takes the lead, is a Presbyterian elder, his picture appeared on one of the foreign mission booklets, telling about his playing in "Chang." A wonderful tieup with churches. (Tivoli theatre, Knoxville, 111.) 65%. September 11-12-13. An unusually excellent production pleasing nearly everyone, but due to the amount of faking in most of these the true value of this was lost to many of the public. (Royal theatre, Le Mars, la.) 66%, October 26-27. Give Paramount credit for bringing something very unusual to the screen. It's wonderful. Every school child in our country should see this. Did not click very strong at the box office, after a stiff advertising campaign. Can't understand why it failed. (Strand theatre. Paoli, Ind.) October 17-18. Marvelous production that reflects much credit to its producers. Something different from the ordinary run of pictures. (Amuse-U theatre, Monticello, Ark.) A wonderful animal picture. Did not do the business it should have. (Majestic theatre. Homer, Mich.) 82%. January 14. For days after playing this picture I received many favorable comments on it. It will bring people to your theatre you never had before. (Community theatre. Watertown, C!onn.) A great show but a flop in this small town. (Postville theatre, Postville, la.) Pictures of this type are very rare and should prove it record breaker if given the proper publicity. (New Eagle theatre, Baltimore, Md.) 35%. January 21. Jungle life in India, well done in every way. Hardly appreciated by those not having knowledge of the efforts required in its making. Played to average house at a slight loss. (Community theatre. Ridgeway, la.) January 16-17-18. Very good picture of its kind. Somehow it did not draw, or build up for a three-day run. I call it an outstanding picture, and one that every town should run. Buy it right and couple up with schools if possible. (Rich theatre, Montpelier, Idaho.) 40%. November 28. This is very good if you can get them in. I couldn't. Some said good, some punk. Personally think it very good. (City theatre, Lafayette, Ala.) 23%. December 5-6. An excellent attraction. Something entirely different than other motion pictures. (Princess theatre, Chilton, Wis.) 25%. A good educational picture that did not draw. (O. H. theatre. Smithland, la.) We had more favorable reports from our customers on this picture than any we had in a long time. It did not pull as it might because the title did not mean anything to them and they had been stung before on this type of picture. But this one is different and is certainly worth running. (Wiley theatre, Wiley, Col.) November 23-24. Wonderful. One of those kind you would not miss for anything and still would not care to see only once. (Richmond theatre, Richmond, Vt.) Marvelous animal jungle picture. Not to be compared with other African jungle pictures. In a class by itself, but failed to draw for me. (Sun theatre, Kansas CJity, Mo.) 88%. September 27-28-29. Thrilling, wonderful, marvelous, that was the comment from cua