Motion Picture News (Mar-Apr 1923)

1678 Motion Picture News WHAT SHOWMEN THINK OF CURRENT RELEASES Exhibitors' Box-Off ice Reports E A R LY RETURNS FROM WEEK RUN THEATRES FAMOUS PLAYERS The White F loner — A very fine and unusual picture. Business verv good. ( Middle West.) South Sea picture with average appeal. Average hox office picture. (Middle West.) Adam and Eva — Lavish production but story too light. Business only fair. (East.) " Marion Davie* always brings in the women folks. In conjunction with a fashion show put on with one of the department stores, the picture did a consistent business for us." (Middle West.) The Leopardess — Picture poor, business bad. (East.) Mr. Billings Spends His Dime — Fair picture, poor business. (Middle West.) Picture fairly well-liked; business average. (West.) Adam's Rib — Came within a few dollars of reaching the house record. Packed all week. (East.) Wonderful photography and was well liked, though the story dragged at times. Very good business. (East.) Bad weather alone prevented it setting new house records. Went across with a bang. Everyone praised it. (Middle West.) The usual DeMille picture; drew well ; held for second week. W hen Knighthood Was in Flower — Too long and too dry for patrons of this house. Business off. especially because it was shown all over town. (East.) Racing Hearts — Not so good, and not so bad. Average picture of the program variety. (Middle West.) Making a Man — Business good ; picture well liked. (West.) The World's A pplause — Picture took very well here; business excellent. (West.) FIRST NATIONAL Mighty Lak' a Rose — A very fine and unusual picture. Business very good. (Middle West.) White Shoidders — One of Katherine MacDonald's best pictures. It pulled them in to the tune of S. R. O. for a six day run. Strong supplementary bill helped. (East.) Oliver Twist — Too high-brow for modern audiences in picture houses. Opening big on Sunday but fell way off rest of week. (East.) Fools First — Business excellent for the six days' run. Patrons liked this one in which there is something doing every minute. (East.) What a Wife Learned — The week's attendance with this one was good. (Middle West.) Bellboy 13— A scream. Wonderful attraction that drew the crowds like a magnet. We find that the public wants to laugh. Thev ate up this show. (Middle West.) Fast moving, laugh-gettuig comedy, in which McLean does good work. Business good. (Middle West.) Nobody's Bride — Just what it implies — melodrama — so it attracted only melodrama seekers, and therefore pleased the audiences which expected just what they got. Good business, which was consistently satisfactory all week. (Middle West.) Dark Secrets — Dorothy Dalton's popularity here drew them in for this feature, but folks were not enthusiastic over story (East.) " Dorothy Dalton in a typical Dalton picture. While her name doesn't draw extra well with our patrons, all are :>atisfied with the picture. Used along with ' Thorns and Orange Blossoms ' on a double feature bill we did an average business." (Middle West.) Nobody's Money — Tack Holt is popular here and usually draws well. This one was no exception. (Middle West.) UNIVERSAL Driven — One of the best nictures shown this season at this house, with the public responding to b:g advertising campaign in gratifying manner. (East.) Picture good ; business very satisfactory. (West.) Elaborate production with improbable story. Mae Murray's dancing shown to advantage. Business fair. (Middle West.) The Prisoner — Fairly entertaining and receipts for the week satisfactory. (East.) The Flame of Lift Good thriller. They liked it. They came to see it. (Middle West.) Intensely human, and has everything a picture should have. Proved strong drawing card. (Middle West.) The Flirt— " Business for us on Sunday night was good with 'The Flirt' as the feature but it dropped off. GOLDWYN Broken Chains — Attendance held up well for a week's run. Played with " The Pilgrim," held over for a second week's run. (Middle West.) Mad Love — Didn't go as well as we expected. Pola Negri appreciated as a great dramatic actress, but the play did not fit the times. Moderately successful engagement, but nothing startling. (Middle West.) The Christian — Did good business on second run. (East.) The Stranger's BanquetSplendid picture and good drawing card. (East.) FOX Youth to Youth — Picture and business not so good. (Middle West.) The Buster — A mighty interesting picture. If your people like Dustin Farnum they will like this one. Excellent business. (East.) Lights of New York — Fair picture, fair business. (East.) Took well and made a lot of talk. (East.) My Friend the Devil — A stirring nicture that caught the crowd. (East.) They Like 'Em Rough — Bad picture. Business wav off. (East.) METRO Your Friend and Mine — Carries plenty of punches and thrills and went over big here. Great audience picture. Excellent business. (East.) Hearts Aflame — Unusual picture with plenty of thrills. House filler. (East.) Jazzmania — Divided opinions. Some thought this the best picture Mae Murray ever made. Others thought it very poor. Box-office shows that more people thought it good than otherwise, because it did well here for two weeks. (Middle West.) Peg o' My Heart — Nice little picture. Went over very well. (East.) A real picture. That's what those who saw it said. Good criticism in press. Drew well. (Middle West.) Toll of the Sea — Best picture of its special sort yet shown. Did not do well as a feature, however. (East.) UNITED ARTISTS The Girl I Love — Regarded as too long by many of Ray's admirers and did not take very well. (East.) Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood — Business held up well on seventh week. (East.) Tess of the Storm Country — This is a fine Pickford offering and pleased our patrons. Business good. (Middle West.) ALLIED P. & D. Suzanna— Picture went over fairly well : business nothing extra. (West.) WARNER BROTHERS The Beautiful and Damned — Went over well, with Marie Prevost drawing them in. (East.) Only an average picture, but a good box-office attraction. (Middle West.) AL LICHTMAN Shadows — Lon Chaney's admirers increased considerably after seeing him in this. A picture well liked by the public. (Middle West.) STATE RIGHTS The World's a Stage— This one drew some favorable newspaper comment and consequentlv plaved to good crowds all week." (Middle West.) Disappointed some, but measures up very well. Fair receipts. (Middle West.) Only a Shop Girl — Picture of poor quality. Got fair business on strength of title alone at house used for melodrama. (East.)