Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1930)

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20 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD May 3, 1930 Warner’s New Theatre THE Warners satisfied a thoroughly human ambition when they opened the new Hollywood theatre on Broadway the other evening. This is the first great theatre built by their own hands, so to speak, and it is the last word in construction from the point of view of seeing and hearing. Finally, it is a memorial to their departed brother, Sam, for whom these Warners have a profound respect and affection. The new theatre is most attractive, combining to a charming degree the new and the old. One could hardly imagine a theatre especially built for sound and sight to be in a style that had its heyday many years ago, and yet this new Hollywood theatre is in the departed rococo. The result, curiously enough, is not incongruous, but thoroughly pleasing. The opening was done in the best Warner manner. There was an amazing turnout of celebrities, thanks of course to the irrepressible Abe Waxman. Leaders from all walks of New York life were present to inspect the theatre, hear a tastefully short series *of speeches, and to watch a hilariously funny picture, “Hold Everything.” The Warners deserve congratulations. They have made quite extraordinary contributions to the advancement of motion pictures, and it is only right that they should have profited by their courage, their foresightedness, their boundless energy. The Warners, almost unaided and generally against the advice of volunteer well-wishers, gave motion picture entertainment music and speech and color. Nobody else, in these modern times, has done as much. The Sound I have attended a Hollywood premiere. Let the world quake, let the lightning strike, let the Reaper draw His Grimmest Curtains, I have Lived. Unforgettable, astounding, breath-taking — in a pig’ s ear ! The worst evening I’ve yet spent in Hollywood. Don’t believe the hooey you read about these tony premieres and orgies. Some pal (pal, as in pallbearer) dragged me to one of these super spectacles and the doctor says I’ll be able to sit up in bed about a week from now. / don’t exactly remember the name of the theatre— Turkish or Greek or something— <ind my nurse tells me I teas already con fined to my bed by the time they got around to the picture but I sort of faintly remember some of the things. I got to the theatre about five minutes before midnight in a cab that cost $2.40 for 35 minutes driving. The minute I stepped out of the cab I became blind. They have a bright custom out here of putting 40 arc lights on everyone who steps out of a car. ▲ A A Having neither a cane nor a dog to lead me I started stu nbling towards the traffic but a kind doorman put his fingers between my collar and neck and threw me towards the curb. In a few minutes I could make out the situation, which seemed to be broad daylight in a fog. All those lights kept up a steady smoke and millions of moths flew in my face. 1 began a simple statement to my* friend but being a vegetarian I had to keep my mouth shut. Dead ones keep falling on you. ▲ ▲ ▲ All you see around you are people in evening clothes, the men with swallowtails. Having only a dinner coat I kept my hat over my face. A beautiful gal came running over and threw her arms around me. “Oh, Mr. Geller,” she said, “you’re a dear, can I have a pencil?” I later found out this was a regulation gag. AAA While all those cameras are cranking some of these little-shot actresses try to be conspicuous by pulling that familiarity stunt with someone in the crowd. I didn’t know this , but / handed over my gold pencil , a present from the wife , and the actress started to autograph something that looked like a stick of gum. AAA She got halfway through making an X when all of a sudden the crowd jumped right on my neck. One of the crazy cops had chased a lyric writer or someone right up on the curb with his horse and when I came to I was a block from the theatre and minus my gold pencil. AAA Being a block from the theatre put me outside the circle of policemen and I had to show my tickets to forty million uniform* to get near the place again. After 20 minutes of off tackle plunges 1 get within seeing distance of the lobby and two tough babies in overalls grab hold of me and ask me if I want a good kick in the face for walking right into a shot they were taking of Supervisor Gooble. I say “No,” and two more guys come screaming over and say my talking spoiled their sound sequence. ▲ ▲ ▲ On the bottom of the chart that hangs on the foot of my bed I see something that reads, “Killed policeman and horse, shot manager of theatre, mangled two actresses and director, tore down first and second balconies of theatre and threw them at cashier.” Don’t believe it, why should I kill a horse? NORMAN KRASNA. “Paramount on Parade ” AN audience attending a performance of “Paramount on Parade” indicated a willingness to abandon the assumption that applause of a motion picture performance is futile, and therefore not to be considered. Such an attitude should be developed and diligently encouraged. Of course a house full of good hearty belly laughs is a most convincing indication of an audience’s reaction. But dramas and even most comedies are not of the type to draw forth or expect such manner of appreciation. So if an audience could be induced to applaud a picture, or the especially commendable performance of one of its characters, just as they do in legitimate theatres, the beneficial results would be far reaching. It is rather difficult at present for a critic to judge the reaction of an audience. He can only give his own opinion which may be far different, and no criterion as far as the exhibitor is concerned. There was a smattering of applause after the first few bits in “Paramount on Parade.” It grew in volume until Mitzie Green’s performance, when it became general. For the rest of the picture, there could be no question in anyone’s mind which of the performances pleased the audience most. They acted just as though they were attending a regular stage production, and even applauded at the close of the picture. The effect was that the aloofness of the screen performer was minimized, bringing that feeling of intimacy which is still the principal advantage the legitimate play has over the screen. —PETER VI SC HER.