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

Record Details:

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52 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD May 10, 1930 Capital theatre, Raymond, Alta., Canada. — Small town patronage. WELCOME DANGER (AT) : Harold Lloyd — April 16-17-18-19. Good picture. Little too spooky for some. Did not draw so well here. Twelve reels. — Arvid G. Wiklund, State theatre. New England, N. D. — General patronage. THE WILD PARTY : Clara Bow — April 16. Title okay. Picture fair, just fair. — Frank Sabin, Majestic theatre, Eureka, Mont. — Small town patronage. THE WILD PARTY: Clara Bow— April 16. I’m fed up on Clara and her whoopee racket and so are my patrons. Guess she’s done around these parts. Six reels. — Frank Sabin, Majestic theatre. Eureka, Mont. — Small town patronage. ABIE’S IRISH ROSE: Special cast— April 5. I cannot praise this picture too highly. Think it one of the finest I have ever shown. If, perchance, you haven’t played it, do so without fail. — Frank Sabin, Majestic theatre, Eureka, Mont. — Small town patronage. FIRST KISS: Special cast — April 12. Fay Wray was lovely, so was the dream ship Gary built, but I can’t figure out why this said Gary should be cast as a lead. He should be doubling for Keaton. — Frank Sabin, Majestic theatre. Eureka, Mont. — Small town patronage. WINGS: Special cast — April 23. A great show. Fifteen spools is too long in upholstered chairs (mine are veneer). Should have advised them to bring cushions. Nevertheless, a wonderful story and production. Fifteen reels. — Frank Sabin, Majestic theatre, Eureka, Mont. — Small town patronage. REDSKIN : Richard Dix — March 29. Splendid picture but print was in bad shape, so you see where I got off. — Frank Sabin, Majestic theatre. Eureka, Mont. — Small town patronage. WHAT A NIGHT: Bebe Daniels— March 22. Newspaper story, comedy and thrills. Went over okay. — Frank Sabin, Majestic theatre. Eureka, Mont. — Small town patronage. Pathe OFFICER O’BRIEN (AT): William Boyd— April 2-3. Good picture. Ernest Torrence great. — H. R. Cromwell. Bedford theatre, Bedford, Pa. — Small town patronage. HIS FIRST COMMAND (AT) : William Boyd— This is a pleasure to run. However, it followed a picture that was out of sync (see report on "Jazz Heaven,” R K O) and business was rather light. Good picture, good recording, very pleasing. Seven reels. — E. N. Collins, Star theatre. Humble, Tex. — General patronage. HIS FIRST COMMAND (AT): William Boyd— April 11-12. Just a fair program picture with one reel of dumb technicolor. Recording on disc just fair. Eight reels. — Orris F. Collins, Palace theatre. Rector, Ark. — Small town patronage. THIS THING CALLED LOVE (AT): Special cast — April 16-17. Good sophisticated comedy-drama in which ZaSu Pitts cries her way through with many laughs. — H. R. Cromwell, Bedford theatre, Bedford, Pa. — Small town patronage. OH YEAH (AT) : Special cast — A picture that is different and it brought many favorable comments from our patrons. Recording on disc good. Eight reels. — Parkside theatre, Clinton, la. — General patronage. RKO THE VAGABOND LOVER (AT): Rudy Vallee— Oh, boy, how the women turned out to see this one ! But their husbands stayed at home. So when the show was over everybody had a cackling good time. They all seemed to enjoy it and remarked that he (Rudy) was marvelous. Disc recording was nothing to write home about. Eight reels. — Parkside theatre, Clinton, la. — General patronage. THE VAGABOND LOVER (AT): Rudy Vallee— April 20. — Picture only fair. Rudy no actor but he sings well. Marie Dressier holds picture up. Disc recording fair. Eight reels. — G. G. Mitchell, Imperial theatre, Newton, N. C. — Small town patronage. THE VAGABOND LOVER (AT): Rudy Valee— April 21-22. This is one of R K O’s socalled big ones. This star can sing but he can’t act. Your patrons will not pay to hear him sing when they can stay at home and hear him sing over the radio. There is nothing to the story. Marie Dressier was the whole show. The girl is plenty good but even she couldn’t put this over. — Cozy theatre. Prairie Grove, Ark. — General patronage. THE VAGABOND LOVER (AT): Rudy Vallee— Not much entertainment in this one. Recording good on disc, and in sync, but we had an RKO Mickey comedy on the same program that wouldn’t talk with the film. RKO claims to have a machine in Dallas that tells whether or not a film is out of sync. Maybe so, but if they have, it was out of order when they checked the last three pictures I have used from them— or else we cut a foot or two of film out of the picture, just for fun, as they intimate. Eight reels. — E. N. Collins, Star theatre. Humble, Tex.— General patronage. THE DELIGHTFUL ROGUE (AT): Rod La Rocque — April 18. A very good picture. Star and cast fine. Gave good satisfaction. — Bert Silver. Silver Family theatre, Greenville, Mich. — General patronage. LOVE COMES ALONG (AT) : Bebe Daniels— Bebe Daniels is the only one of any note in this picture. Her songs and voice register fine, but there is too much French brogue in the other parts that does not go in my house successfully. The recording of music is fine in this picture. — Walter Odom & Sons, Dixie theatre. Durant, Miss. — General patronage. DANCE HALL (AT) : Special cast— April 9-10-11. Story of a dance hall hostess who is not as hot as the name would make you believe. Olive Borden is too affected for a hostess in a dance hall. Arthur Lake as the love-sick swain is good. Poor business. Good recording on film. — S. B. Kennedy, Central theatre. Selkirk. Man., Canada. — General patronage. HIT THE DECK (AT): Special cast— April 7. We put this one over big. Played it a week. Did a good business. Picture good, we used plenty of advertising on this one. Disc recording good. Twelve reels. — G. G. Mitchell, Imperial theatre, Newton, N. C. — Small town patronage. THE VERY IDEA (AT) : Special cast— April 19. I cannot say much for this. Pictures of this kind are inviting censorship. The acting is good but the story is too risque. — Bert Silver, Silver Family theatre, Greenville, Mich. — General patronage. SIDE STREET (AT) : Special cast— February 28. A nice little program picture that seemed to have pleased. Played one day to a very good house. Recording on disc fair. — Walker and Donnell, Leroy theatre. Lampasas, Tex. — Small town patronage. JAZZ HEAVEN (AT) : Special cast — Because reels from two to five were badly out of sync, I had to take it off and close down. Carried the film into Houston and screened it at a theatre there before returning it to Dallas exchange. Not a change was made in the film of any kind, yet when the exchange got it, they advised it was in perfect condition when it left them. Houston equipment found five reels out of sync, same as mine. _ Some places as much as four feet of film were missing. This kind of thing is going to close my theatre if it keeps up. Seven reels. — E. N. Collins, Star theatre, Humble, Tex. — General patronage. NIGHT PARADE (AT) : Special cast— April 21-22. A dandy program picture, with absolutely perfect recording on disc. Every word clear, and I don’t mean maybe. If R K O recording is like this on all their pictures. I’ll be tickled pink. This picture has a good prize fight and a dance sequence by Ann Pennington. Eight reels. — E. F. Ingram, Ingram’s theatre, Ashland. Ala. — Small town patronage. STREET GIRL (AT): Betty Compson— April 7-8. We were late playing this one and we must have got the first print made. Half of it was gone and had blank places in to replace it. Betty Compson can play a violin, and how ! But the music was .all there was to it and our patrons want something more than that. While they enjoy good music, they also want a story.— Cozy theatre. Prairie Grove. Ark. — General patronage. SECOND WIFE (AT): Conrad Nagel— March 8. Just a fair picture. Material not good enough for Nagel. Recording on disc extra good. Drew fairly good. — Walker and Donnell, Leroy theatre, Lampasas, Tex. — Small town patronage. United Artists THE LUMMOX (AT) : Special cast— April 20-2122. This picture is certainly different. We never had as many walkouts on a special. I call it a big-town picture, and the bigger the better. The . acting of Miss Westover is great, also that of Janis. Not a grin, no comedy or music relief in it, and those, who stayed to see it said it was fine. I am not a judge of this kind of entertainment. One thing sure, it did not draw after the first show or give general satisfaction here. Too artistic. — Bert Silver, Silver Family theatre, Greenville, Mich. — Genera! patronage. TRESPASSER (AT) : Gloria Swanson — April 14-15. A good picture, but the recording is bad on disc. Wish United Artists would record better on disc. Ten reels. — Orris F. Collins, Palace theatre. Rector, Ark. — Small town patronage. BE YOURSELF (AT) : Fanny Brice— March 31April 1-2. A very good production. Recording good on disc. But picture failed to do its duty to the box office, as you would expect from this widely known star. Buy it right (if possible) and play it. Pleased all who saw it. Six reels. — W. F. Roth, Jr., New Palace theatre, Gallatin, Tenn. — General patronage. COQUETTE (AT) : Mary Piekford— April 9-10. A good picture ruined by poor recording. I wonder if this is a sample of United Artists recording. If it is, I for one just can’t use these pictures. Print and photography good. — P. G. Held, New Strand theatre, Griswold, Iowa. — General patronage. Universal SHANNONS OF BROADWAY: Special cast— Bought this for a special, advertised it as 6uch, hid from our patrons as they went out. It would barely get by as program picture. — H. F. Nokes, Elite theatre, Nixa, Mo. — Small town patronage. SHANNONS OF BROADWAY (AT) : The Gleasons — April 4-5. Nothing to it. Not even a fair program picture. Print and recording good. Seven reels. — P. G. Held, New Strand theatre, Griswold, Iowa. — General patronage. MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER (AT) : Joseph Schildkraut — April 23. Schildkraut and Bennett great in this picture. You will enjoy this. The recording is hardly up to standard. Seven reels. — L. P. Charles, Grand theatre, Chetek, Wis. — General patronage. SHOW BOAT: Special cast — March 15. Extra good. Played with non-synchronized music, and some who had seen it. in sound said they enjoyed it best in our house. — H. F. Nokes, Elite theatre, Nixa, Mo. — Small town patronage. SHOW BOAT (AT) : Laura La Plante — April 2324-25. For some reason I had never seen this picture until we played it, but I want to tell you right here it is without a doubt one of the finest pictures the screen has ever seen. Although the running time is two hours, our patrons kicked because the picture was so short, and when they like a picture that much it must be good. Good recording on disc. By all means, play this one if you have not already done so. Thirteen reels.— E. F. Ingram, Ingram’s theatre, Ashland, Ala. — Small town patronage. TRAILING TROUBLE (AT) : Hoot Gibson— A few more like the last two Gibsons and Hoot will be through. This has no story and is not a Western, and that’s what the exhibitors buy when they buy Gibson, not Chinatown stories. Universal has no reason to be proud of this year’s product. We have played nothing outstanding in their product that made any money at all. Such pictures as “Shanghai Lady,” “Undertow,” “Last Performance,” “Shannons of Broadway,” “Climax” — what a line of nothing for the public ! We have not played either “Undertow” or “Climax,” but have seen them and they don’t mean a thing at our box office. I’ll be glad when this contract of Universal’s is through. They were bought too high for the quality they don’t contain and I think that Carl Laemmle, if he reviewed this year’s product, would soft-pedal his weekly effusions about his aid to exhibitors. His stuff this year has not kept our wolf from the door. It has lifted the latch for him. — Columbia theatre. Columbia City, Ind. — General patronage. SENOR AMERICANO (AT) : Ken Maynard — April 11-12. A pretty good Western. Ken Maynard pictures went over better in silent than in talking, for me. They don’t seem to click at the box office. His talking is not plain enough. Print good, recording only fair. Six reels. — P. G. Held, New Strand theatre, Griswold, Iowa. — General patronage. LONG, LONG TRAIL (AT): Hoot Gibson— April 10-11-12. Good talking Western. Not a special, however. Did a good business on thi6 Universal, which is more than we can say for the other stuff. Seven reels. — Arvid G. Wiklund, State theatre. New England, N. D. — General patronage. LONG. LONG TRAIL: Hoot Gibson— March 29. Good Western. Hoot always makes us money. Six reels. — H. F. Nokes, Elite theatre, Nixa, Mo. — Small town patronage. LONG, LONG TRAIL (AT): Hoot Gibson— April 12. Just an ordinary Western spoiled with cheap music throughout. Hoot has a good voice but it is drowned out. — S. B. Kennedy, Central theatre, Selkirk, Man., Canada. — General patronage. THE CLIMAX (AT) : Special cast — April 18-19. Only fair, with no drawing power. Music and recording poor. Seven reels. — P. G. Held, New Strand theatre. Griswold, Iowa. — General patronage. HOLD YOUR MAN: Laura LaPlante— March 22. Good picture. Six reels. — H. F. Nokes, Elite theatre, Nixa, Mo. — Small town patronage. BARNUM WAS RIGHT: Special cast — April 5. Fairly good little picture. Five reels. — H. F. Nokes. Elite theatre, Nixa, Mo. — Small town patronage. Warner Bros. SHOW OF SHOWS (AT): Special cast— April 1415-16. Really wonderful production, but recording not so hot for Vitaphone. It seems to be slipping. Fifteen reels. — Lee Brewerton, Capitol theatre, Raymond, Alta., Canada. — Small town patronage. HONKY TONK (AT): Sophie Tucker— February 26-27. One of the best program offerings we had this year. A1 Jolson has not got much on Sophie Tucker when it comes to singing. Very good story and recording excellent. But this picture fell flat at the box office, and as usual Vitaphone took all our profit for the score. — Walker and Donnell, Leroy theatre, Lampasas, Texas. — Small town patronage. IS EVERYBODY HAPPY? (AT): Ted Lewis— April 13-14-15. Very good picture for all that like jazz and music. Print and recording good. Seven reels — P. G. Held, New Strand theatre. Griswold, Iowa. — General patronage. DISRAELI (AT) : George Arliss — April 14-15-16. A good picture for school teachers, preachers and old Englishmen, but there is not enough of them to pay the rental of the film, never mind other expense. Recording on disc just terrible. I still think that Vita THE POPULAR RADIOTONE TALKIE $ EQUIPMENT 1200 PAYABLE $100 MONTHLY No extra down payment — just pay $100 each month while using. 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