Harrison's Reports (1931)

HARRISON’S REPORTS 63 April 18, 1931 “A Tailor Made Man” — with William Haines (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer ; March 28; running time, 80 in.) Good ! Once made as a silent, it is far better as a talker. William Haines is excellent as the trouser presser who attained greatness. The picture will give entertainment to every type of audience. It spreads a message of optimism in this period of depression. It comes at a particularly good time. Filled with comedy, it should satisfy : — The hero, a trouser presser, in love with the daughter of his tailor-employer, has dreams of greatness and success. To secure an audience with a prominent department store owner, he borrows one of the dress suits sent to the shop for pressing, attends a fashionable reception at which the executive he wishes to meet will be present, and accomplishes his desire. The department store owner is impressed with his views on deteating pessimism and depression and gives him an important position. The heroine, daughter of the tailor, is in love with the hero ; but to satisfy her father she becomes engaged to a philosopher. When a financial crisis in the department store ensues, the hero, without permission, and to secure the good will and best efforts of the employees, reinstates all those discharged because of bad business, gives everyone a raise and makes them co-operative partners. The directors, enraged, say his plan will be a failure. And when the heroine’s fiance, jealous of the hero and heroine’s regard for him, threatens to expose his “pants pressing” past, the hero himself releases the story of his imposter-role, and resigns. He returns to the tailor shop, as a “pants” presser. But the department store chief finds him, tells him his plan is a success, and that he wants him back at his post at a bigger salary. The hero accepts, and the story ends happily when the heroine, who had broken her engagement with the philosopher, signifies her willingness to marry him. Sam Woods directed the story from the famous play of the same name. Dorothy Jordan is the heroine, Joseph Cawthorne, Hedda Hopper, Ian Keith, Henry Armetta, Hale Hamilton, Martha Sleeper. Marjorie Rambeau and others are in the cast. (Out-of-town review. Not a substitution.) Good for all audiences. Good for Sundays in small towns. “Quick Millions” — with Spencer Tracy (Fox, released May 3; running time, 81 min.) One of the best pictures of its kind released lately. It is different from other racketeering stories in that it includes the milk and building trades racketeering, as practiced in New York and Chicago, which exacts millions of dollars a year for protection. The methods used in the picture are the methods used by the racketeers in real life — they dynamite buildings and destroy other property, committing even murder. One of the murders committed in it is just as coldblooded as the murders committed by racketeers we read in the newspapers about. There are, of course, thrills for those who like this sort of picture. From the moral point of view, it is extremely demoralizing, in that the arch-criminal is presented as a hero. In fact, an attempt is made by the producer to present him with fine human traits. This is done where he refuses to accept from one of his confederates a suggestion to graft on milk by forcing the milk dealers to increase the price of it a fraction of a cent to pay them for protection. In a previous scene, he is shown in company with newsboys selling newspapers to pedestrians, keeping the change, no matter what the size of the bill, informing the buyers that the money will go to a fund for building a home for newsboys. The closing scenes show the leader being taken for a ride and murdered. One of his men had revolted and won the others away from him and he plans the murder, which he carries out quietly while they were ostensibly following him (the leader) in his plan to carry away from the church the heroine, who was being married that day to the man she loved. He, that is, the leader, had met her and fallen in love with her ; but when he proposed marriage to her she told him she was in love with some one else. The plot has been founded on a story by Roland Brown and Courtney Terrett. It was directed by Rowland Brown. Spencer Tracy is the gang leader. Marguerite Churchill, Sally Eilers, Robert Burns, John Wray, Warner Richmond and others are in the cast. The talk is clear. Substitution Facts : The production number is 227. On the contract, this number was attached to “This Modern World.” But "This Modern World” was to have been founded on a story by Eleanor Mercin Kelly ; and since the finished product has been founded on a different story, and by a different author, it is a substitution and you are not obligated to accept it. PICTURE TIEUPS WITH COMMERCIAL FIRMS In a recent article in this paper you were told that RKO did not receive any money from the Texas Oil Company for the “Texaco” advertisement that appeared in the oil field scenes. But it received service accommodation ; that is, while the picture was “shot,” the Texas Oil Company placed at the disposal of the RKO director its properties and cooperated closely in the filming. In return for this accommodation an agreement was made whereby there was to be a tieup between RKO and the thousands of oil stations the Texas Oil Company owns in the different parts of the country at the time the picture is to be shown in the theatres. In accordance with the RKO press-book on “Cimarron,” a tieup arrangement was made not only with the Texas Oil Company but also with five other concerns — Underwood Typewriter Company, the National Hairdresser Association, and the manufacturers of the Buick and the Cadillac automobiles, of Lee Unionalls, and of the Stetson hat. With reference to the tieup with the Texas Oil Company, the press sheet states the following: “Texas Oil Company, one of the largest oil companies distributing from coast to coast, loaned thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment for the production of ‘Cimarron.’ They are proud of the part they played and eager to aid whenever possible in the merchandising of the show to the general public. Forty-eight thousand dealers from coast to coast are ready to lend their energy to your campaign. The whole story of Texaco is told in ‘Cimarron.’ ” The press-sheet discloses the fact that there was a similar tieup with the manufacturers of Unionalls also in “Danger Lights.” This proves that RKO has been making such tieups right along. A similar tieup has been made by Columbia with the manufacturers of the nationally known articles that appear in "Subway Express.” Is the policy of such tieups wise? There is no question that the exhibitors derive a certain amount of benefit by such tieups. But at what cost? As said repeatedly in these columns, the public today is advertisement-conscious ; they resent anything that looks like an advertisement, put over them without their knowledge. This may be proved by the remarks made when the advertisement, “Texaco,” appeared in the oil scenes in “Cimarron” ; also when the “A & P” trade mark was flashed on the screen at the end of “On the Slopes of the Andes,” made to advertise the coffee handled by the Atlantic and Pacific stores. A man near me said: “See? It’s an ad for A. & P. ! They get paid for this advertisement and then we have to pay to come to look at it. Who is interested in coffee, anyway?” Perhaps such tieups proved beneficial in the past. But that was in the days when Paramount and Warner Bros, were not in the advertising business. Today the public is hostile as a result of it. And tieups such as these do more harm than good. And the harm would be greater if the newspapers decided to cut out all picture advertisements from their columns, as they might do if the motion picture industry persisted in being a competitor to the newspapers. TAKE THIS PAPER INTO YOUR CONFIDENCE Frequently the distributors make special proposals to you, or notify you about some new ruling, or some new system or provision. When you receive such an offer, or notice, inform this office so that it may investigate the matter for you, and send you the proper advice. No matter what question may arise in your relations with one or more distributors; inform me about it so that I may carry on a little research work, with a view to getting the data you need. Do not wait for the other exhibitor to notify this office; do so yourself, and at once, for the other exhibitor may feel as you feel. This causes a delay. And such a delay often means the loss of considerable money on your part.