Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Oct-Dec 1928)

64 EXHIBITORS HERALD and MOVING PICTURE WORLD November 3, 1928 piece of directing I've ever seen. The master showmen who make the lion roar must have been on a vacation the afternoon they ground out this piece of cheese This pair have never made a picture since "Rookies." (Sun theatre, Kansas City. Mo., General patronage.) 40%. Very poor. In fact, the weakest of any pictures these boys have made. (Postville theatre, Postville, la.. General patronage.) July 2223. Slightly better than other pictures from this pair. Will satisfy the majority of the patrons. With a good stoiy this team would be a knockout. (Ellinwood theatre, Ellinwood, Kan., General patronage.) DIAMOND HANDCUFFS, MGM, Eleanor Boardman, Conrad Nagel, Lawrence Gray, Sam Hardy, Lena Malena, Owen Lee, John Roche, George Cooper, Lew Harvey, E. Allyn Warren, Charles Stevens, 6. — June 10-11. A fine picture with a little change in it and am very glad to see. (Midget theatre, Hillsboro, Wis., General patronage.) June 20-21. Better not get your hopes up too high on this one. (Texas theatre. Grand Prairie, Tex., Small town patronage.) One of thoee pictures in three acts. A different cast in each act. Would consider it a good program picture. It travels from South African diamond mines to the underworld of New York and winds up with a big gun battle. (Sun theatre, Kansas City, Mo., General patronage.) Would rate this as a fair program picture. Not big. yet good entertainment. (Postville theatre, Postville, la.. General patronage.) DOMESTIC TROUBLE, WB, Clyde Cook, Louise Fazenda, Betty Blythe, Jean Laverty, Arthur Rankin, 7. — A domestic comedy with some suggestive bedroom scenes. Not suitable for the whole family. (Majestic theatre. Homer, Mich., Small town patronage.) 60%. August 20. A fine show with a poor title. Promise anything to fill the house. Everybody will go out happy. It's very pleasing. (Dewey theatre. White Salmon, Wash., General patronage.) DOOMSDAY, Par., Florence Vidor, Gary Cooper, Lawrence Grant, Charles A. Stevenson, 6. — This is just an ordinary star picture. Nothing to object to if you have it bought and can run it at so much a foot. It is an argument against block booking, but that has nothing to do with the Brookhart bill which it looks to me is going to go by the boards as we have too much intelligence in Washington to give the baby strychnine to cure growing pains. (Grand theatre, Pierre, S. D., General patronage.) Here is a clever little picture, a good evening's entertainment. (Orpheum theatre, Lancaster, Wis., General patronage.) May 10-11. Very ordinary and "Doomsday" at the box office. (Selma theatre, Selma, Cal., General patronage.) 25%. June 22. A very good program picture. Good story, star and cast fine. (Silver Family theatre, Greenville, Mich., General patronage.) 52%. June 25-26. Another one of those pictures there is no excuse for making as they have no entertainment value, no comedy or anything else for that matter. A dull, sordid picture that one third of our patrons walked out on. (Ingram's theatre, Ashland. Ala.. Small town patronage.) This will get by but not suited for Miss Vidor. Not enough class. (Dixie theatre, Russellville, Ky., General patronage.) August 5-6. A fine little program picture. Just the thing for Sunday. Clean and entertaining. (Strand theatre, Griswold, la.. General patronage.) DOVE, The, UA, Norma Talmadge, Noah Beery, Gilbert Roland, Eddie Borden, Harry Myers, Michael Vavitch, Brindslcy Shaw, Kalla Pasha, Charles Darvan, Michael Dark, Walter Daniels, 8. — 50%. July 22-23. This is a big picture. Beautiful scenery. The star too good an actress for the story. Noah Beery stole the picture. He certainly was great. The picture satisfied about 50 per cent here. At box office it was a failure, a flop. (Silver Family theatre, Greenville, Mich., General patronage.) July 15-16. A good enough picture, but many were disappointed as they don't like Norma in this type of picture. Much too rough for Norma's fans. Business satisfactory, but expected Norma would draw more. (Princess theatre, Chilton, Wis., Small town patronage.) July 9-10. Noah Beery sure did steal the picture but we think that's all that saved it from being a complete flop. Pretty good picture thoucrh and business fair. (Midway theatre, Martinsville, Va., General patronage.) Not so good. Fa'led to draw. (Star theatre, Malad City, Idaho, General patronage.) 35%. The poorest one Norma has made for some time. It might get over in Lower California and Mexico but Arkansas people prefer the English type. (Allied theatre. Dermot, Ark., Neighborhood patronage ) 35%. This type of picture does well with our crowd. Acting very good but consider Noah Beery stole the picture from Norma. United Artists say they have all specials but this one fell down. (Crescent theatre. Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, General patronage.) DRAG NET, The, Par., George Bancroft. Evelyn Brent, William Powell, Fred Kohler, Leslie Fenton, Allan Garcia, Harry Scmels, Syd Marks, Ge'-rge Irving, Alfred Allen, 8. — Good acting and considerable intereot but it is the kind of a picture it is well In some towns to run once for if glorifying a kept woman is uplifting and ennobling then we give up. Our best patrons said that this is what is the matter with the picture business. Too much Colleen Moore teaching of the young folks things they should not be shown, that it is bad enough to get this stuff in the press without having it rammed down their throats and willing eyes in an age that it takes a boulevard stop to hold the young people without the aid of this kind of pictures. (Crystal theatre. Tombstone, Ariz., General patronage.) Good picture but failed to get business. They all failed to get business this summer. (Postville theatre, Postville, la.. General patronage.) Good underworld story— well directed and acted, but guess they are getting fed up on underworld stuff for they did not fall for this one. (Strand theatre, Robinson; HI., General patronage.) A good program picture. (Orpheum theatre, Lancaster, Wis., General patronage.) 85%. August 2-3. Another underworld picture, but a good one. Was on the set when some of it was shot and enjoyed seeing the finished product. Do not consider it as good as "Underworld," although some said better. (Ingram's theatre, Ashland, Ala., Small town patronage.) August 6-7. One of the very best. (Texas theatre. Grand Prairie, Tex., Small town patronage.) I consider this a better picture than "Underworld" and has practically the same cast. Bancroft and the entire cast do excellent work. It has been expertly directed. It is not a good picture for children. They know too much. (Sun theatre, Kansas City, Mo., Neighborhood patronage.) Underworld story with too much killing for small towns. (Selma theatre, Selma, Cal., General patronage.) 35%. September 13-14. Very good picture but Bancroft has no drawing power here, and, therefore, it was a flop at the box office, which is the main thing in a theatre. (Midway theatre, Martinsville, Va., Small town patronage.) DRESSED TO KILL, F, Edmund Lowe, Mary Astor, Ben Bard, Charles Morton, R. O. Pcnnell, Robert Perry, Joe Brown, Tom Dugan, John Kelly, Robert E. O'Connor, 7. — August 1. Good crook story and holds attention, yet a flop as to quarters rolling in. The stars don't draw here. Most all scenes supposed to be at night, and film dark. (Auditorium theatre, Laurel, Neb., General patronage.) 47%. July 20-21. Good crook picture (Pastime theatre. Mason, Mich., General patronage.) Outside of some very poor lighting in the first reel or so, this picture is one of the best underworld pictures released this season and there are no machine gun battles either. It's plenty hard boiled in spots, but they will like it, if they like this type of picture. (Sun theatre, Kansas City, Mo., Neighborhood patronage.) DRIFTIN' SANDS, FBO, Bob Steele, Gladys Qnartaro, William H. Turner. Gladden James, 5. — 90%. Bob. you are fine. I made some money on this picture, and it went over fine. I hope you stay in our class. (Gem theatre, Pontotoc, Miss.. General patronage.) September 11-12. Sorry, Bob Steele is not staying in Westerns. He pleases 100 per cent and believe he could be as great a drawing card as Hoot Gibson. (Midget theatre, Hillsboro, Wis., General patronage.) E EAST SIDE, WEST SIDE, F, George O'Brien, Virginia Valli, J. Farrcll MacDonald, Dore Davidson, Sonia Nodalsky, June Collyer, John Miltem, 8. — If you can get them in, here is one that will more than please. As good a picture as I ever had. but I couldn't interest my patrons. Prizefight advertising got the men', but where were the women and children that have followed "The Collegians ?" Search me. (Cozy theatre, Villisca, la.. General patronage.) Good entertainment which pleased the majority. Not much of a drawing card but if you will spend some time in putting it over, it will please. (Crystal theatre,. Many, la.. General patronage.) 30%. Fortunately, it rained. Eight thousand feet of the crudest melodrama ever perpetrated on an exhibitor and an unsuspecting public. Continuity is of the 1914 vintage and we paid for a special. The dramatic scenes evoked laughter. George O'Brien's emotional scenes are similar to a burlesque we once saw on "Madame X." (Princess theatre. West Union, la.. General patronage.) 50%. July 4-5. A splendid picture. Satisfied them all. (Silver Family theatre, Greenville, Mich., General patronage.) July 6-7. Another Fox picture that pleased all that saw it. (Opera House, Neepawa, Man., Canada, General patronage.) 34%. July 16-17. Good, but didn't get the business. Guess they thought this was one of the old ones and they wouldn't turn out. (Princess theatre^ Lincoln, Neb., Small town patronage.) 80%. July 6-7. A very good picture. A little better than some specials. Everybody pleased. (Grand theatre, Orrin, N. D., General patronage.) September 11-12-13. Some of them liked this, others didn't. The drunk sceneswere objectionable. So many patrons don't like these drunk scenes in pictures, why use such scenes T (Strand theatre, Griswold, la.. General patronage.) Biggest flop in years. Why is Fox advertising a prize fight picture, all papers and photos full of fights T Public does not call for them, so they stay out. Picture is very good. (Globe theatre. Globe, Ariz.,. General patronage.) 8%. August 21. Good show but no one to see it, so that's that. (Royal theatre, Kimball, S. D., General patronage.) EASY COME, EASY GO, Par., Richard Dix, Nancr Carroll, Charles Sellon, Frank Currier, Arnold Kent,. Christian J. Frank, Joseph J. Franz, Guy Oliver, 6, — ^April 29-30. Dix as a crook gets over in good style. Not as good as "Sporting Goods," but will please. (Ellinwood theatre, Ellinwood, Kan., General patronage.) June 13-14. Good light comedy drama. Dix well liked and can get away with these light stories, although he is entitled to better. (S. T. theatre, Parker, S. D., Small town patronage.) Just a program picture and very ordinary at that. (Selma theatre, Selma, Cal., General patronage.) 68%. June 21-22. Absolutely nothing to this one. Dix is slipping fast with our patrons. Has had only one fair picture in four. (Ingram's theatre, Ashland, Ala., Small town patronage.) Very light story, which seemed to please, but Paramount will have to dig up more story material for this fellow or it won't be long till he will be in Thomas Meighan's class. (Sun theatre, Kansas City, Mo., Neigborhood patronage.) 90%. August 4. Pleased everyone. (Y.M.C.A. theatre, Morenci, Ariz., General patronage.) Doggone it, Dix, why don't they do better by you ? Once you were the best drawing card I had but now you're just another star gone wrong. Come on. Paramount, give us more like "The Lucky Devil,"' "The Quarterback," and "Knockout Riley." (Postville theatre, Postville, la.. General patronage.) Not much to this. About as light as Richard Dix has. been in, according to our way of thinking. It is light and feathery, clean and musters through as entertainment, but would not stand criticism of a severe nature. Just one glance at one particular absurdity. A friend of the president of the railroad gives a note to him to hand to a conductor authorizing the conductor to stop at a certain small stop that is not regular for this particular train. The friend gets on the train and hands the note to the conductor who reads the note and HANDS IT BACK to the friend of the president. Now can anyone imagine that?" But that's not all. In the first place that litt'e thing would not be done that way on ANY RAILROAD IN THE WORLD, but what's the use of trying to get directors to do these things right, they just won't and that is what increases the number of punk pictures. (Crystal theatre. Tombstone, Ariz., General patronage.) ENEMY, The, MGM, Lillian Gish, Ralph Forbes, Ralph Emerson, Frank Currier, George Fawcett, Fritzi Ridireway, John S. Peters, Karl Dane, Pollys Moran. Rilly Kent Shcafcr, 8 — A splendid picture, but terrible flop at the box office. (Globe theatre. Globe, Ariz., Genera! patronage.) 45%. Sold as a special, just a fair program picture in my town worth ten dollars, paid thirty dollars. Does not draw. Metro stuck me on this one. (Gem theatre, Ryan, Okla., General patronage.) 60%. May 2-3-4. Fair picture but poor drawing power. Too much the same thing over and over. (Colonial theatre. Alma, Kan., General patronage.) 30%. April 25-26. Very poor drawing card, did not even pay the film rental. One of Metro's specials, but those specials that are a flop. If you want to lose money, play this as we lost over $35 on it. (Ritz theatre, Correctionville. la.. General patronage.) 75%. August 9. Previous comment made us doubtful, but we were agreeably surprised. Somewhat sombre but most excellently staged and directed with a cast that measured un to the job. Avidience reaction verygood. (Y.M.C.A. theatre, Morenci, Ariz., Gen