Exhibitors Herald World (Jan-Mar 1929)

February 23, 1929 EXHIBITORS H ERALD -WORLD 51 THE THEATRE fg^i ^cjygtggg^M Blind Patron Tells How Sound KEYESTpD OUT EVIDENCE, BERMAN CHARGES Ram And Snow Bfeak Fog Blanket Oiler Chico for Week 'SJ^ z ; '■ . Shadows ~r SUP N ATONAL =r=rr=Pel 2Sc-BUt«MMlBS«ll«T230-2Sc f> KiVJr, iF STOCKS This "front page handbill'' teas used by t/te National theatre at Chico, Cal., for MGM's "White Shadows in the South Seas." George M. Knowles, manager writes this postscript to the department: "Yes, business teas great and so teas the picture." Publix Gold Pass Given To Bay State Governor Governor Frank G. Allen of Massachusetts was presented with a gold seal engraved annual pass to all of the Publix theatres, presen . tation being made by J. T. Fitzgibbons, eastern divisional general manager for Publix. In return, the Governor presented Fitzgibbons with a stickpin bearing the gold seal of the Commonwealth. "You people will be the losers," the Gov ■ ernor told Fitzgibbons, "for I am a great •movie fan." "China Nights" Initiated; Children's Contests Win The Tower theatre of Salt Lake City, a neighborhood picture house owned by Earl D. Smith, now conducts a "China Night" each week, at which pieces of china making up an artistic set of dishes are presented to each woman patron. Each Saturday, for the present, a contest is conducted for the children at the matinee at the Tower theatre, with awards being offered. The results are noticeable at the box office. Allison Heads Publicity Of Texas at San Antonio Ray Allison, formerly theatrical manager and advertising man of the midwest, operating out of Denver, is now the new publicity director of the Texas theatre, Publix de luxe house in San Antonio. Allison handled campaigns on many roadshow attractions in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska and other states, before joinine with Publix. Solved All Episodes of Picture (Special to the Herald-World) DES MOINES. Feb. 19. — When Lionel Wasson, manager of the Des Moines theatre, extended the courtesy of his house to the blind of the city at a special showing of "The Wolf of Wall Street," he little realized that he was putting over an unusual tieup with the news reel on his bill or that a review, written by one of his sightless guests, would broadcast so much favorable publicity for the audiens in general, and for his feature picture in particular. Gordon Lathrop, one of the blind who ac attached in my mind to the voice of young cepted the invitation, is a cultured gentleman. For a time he had charge of the radio department on a local newspaper. He was often seen at the theatre when roadshows or stock companies were available and seemed to get much joy out of the stage. Here is what he said after his first experience with the audiens, and important to the entire industry are the reactions recorded: "'To the blind, the talking movie opens wide a new and precious channel through which rich contacts may be made again with the outside world. Compensation for Blind "I say 'be made again,' having in mind the sort of blind person I am, with a background of visual impressions formed in the years before eyesight failed and whose memory, holding these impressions, needs only to be stimulated a little bit to enable him to reform many pictures in his mind. "The talking movie to such a one comes as compensation for what he will miss when television arrives. "On my maiden voyage to a talkie I picked 'The Wolf of Wall Street' and met an old friend. My companion told me about the news reel which preceded the feature picture. I heard the roar of the transcontinental plane of the aviator, Hawks, who broke all records. I heard the young man's voice, and also the noise of the crowd which cheered him as he alighted from his plane. "Something in the voice brought back memories of almost ten years ago. I was instructor of international telegraph code in the Marconi institute, teaching aspiring army aviators, signal corps and navy electricians. Recognizes Hawks as Student "One of my favorite pupils was tall, loose jointed youngster who answered to the name of Hawks. He had a wide smile, an irrepressible sense of humor and an unswerving confidence in himself. "He knew he had the feel of the air and was going to be a good aviator if he could only learn the foolish things such as the code, the charts and the mathematics required of him before Uncle Sam would take him as an air lieutenant. "I described the lad as I remembered him. My companion said the description fitted. "So there we were, Hawks and I. neither knowing what had become of the other since armistice broke up the school, face to face, yet he not seeing me and I not able even to see his pictured likeness. But I heard his voice and got the first thrill of my first trip to the talkies. "Had it not been for the special interest Hawks I should have placed the work of George Bancroft in 'The Wolf of Wall Street' as the high point of interest for me. His voice so clearly reveals the character of the part he portrayed that I had an easy and quick visualization of the plunger, Jim Bradford. "The supporting cast, notably the Russian emotional actress and former prima donna, Baclanova, the delightful Nancy Carroll and the finished performer, Paul Lukas, carried the drama to swift and certain climax and left no unsolved dramatic episodes in my mind. All Episodes Solved "It is a triangle play with Wall street as a background ; an interesting drama and a clever character study of the gambling type of heman who somehow wants so hard to be and so often fails to be also a she-man. "The plot will please the majority of theatregoers. The work of the actors should please all and no doubt the scenes are stimulating, even exciting. It is said the Russian actress, Baclanova, is exciting enough merely to see. She sang interestingly, though not, I thought, in a voice particularly well adapted to the recording apparatus. Bancroft's voice was better and Nancy Carroll's extremely effective in her spoken lines. "The roar of the elevated and other sounds accompanying the piece were adequate to set the scenes clearly in my mind. I have heard the roar of the stock exchange and have seen the bulls and bears in action. I have worked in brokers' offices. I did not approve of the telegraph unreadable Morse. To the layman, however, it probably sounded bona fide. Strange, Crackling Sound "But who am I to quibble about sounds when so much else is given to me by the talking movie. As a matter of fact, I am not so well up in important noises as I might be. "I had to ask my companion what caused the peculiar racket in the scene in Jim Bradford's house when the villain and the faithless wife were preparing to be wicked. "It was a strange crackling sound such as is caused by some types of outside interference or occasionally by static. The noise, I was informed, was caused by the impact of cracked ice against the metal sides of a cocktail shaker. "Many delectable vistas of auditory experiences should be opened to the blind by the perfection of the all talking movie. "The drama, vaudeville, comic and grand opera, comedy skits and news events may become a part of the blind person's experiences much more clearly and understandably now than a few years ago. "This means much to the sightless. I expect to be a talkie fan from this dav on."