Moving Picture World (Nov-Dec 1927)

34 One of the best pictures I have played for a long time. Pleased ninety-five percent. Ira Stonebraker, Allen Theatre, Allen. Kansas. Fox COLLEEN. Star. Madge Bellamy. Starts in Ireland and winds up in America. Race horse story that was better than usual run of this type as there was a rich sprinkling of humor. The spontaneous Irish kind that kept the seat fillers in an uproar. McNamara and Cohen supplied most of the fun. Good photography. Tone. okay. Sunday, yes, here. Not a special. Good appeal. General class town of 1,000. Admission 10-25. H. H. Hedberg, Amuse-U Theatre, Melville, Louisiana. DESERT VALLEY. Star, Buck Jones. Fine Western that was almost ruined by a couple of poor cuts in the film. Good humor and lots of action. Tone, okay. Sunday, okay. Not a special. Plenty of appeal. General class town of 1,000. Admission 10-25. H. H. Hedberg, Amuse-U Theatre, Melville, Louisiana. MONKEY TALKS, THE. Featured cast. Pretty good. Supposed to have been taken in French settings with American actors except one and he was good as the monkey. Tone, good. Sunday, yes. Not a special. Fair appeal. Small town class and farmers town of 600. Admission 10-30. H. W. Batchelder, Galt Theatre (175 seats), Galt, California. Previous reports: good 1 (no draw). WHAT PRICE GLORY. Featured cast. Only superlatives can describe this. Has comedy, action, heart interest, love, in fact everything. Did capacity business with everyone pleased. A picture everyone should run. A. M. Rosenbloom, Palace Theatre (850 seats), Rankin, Pennsylvania. WHISPERING SAGE. Star, Buck Jones. The usual run of Western ; better than some, but not his best. Tone and appeal, good. Sunday, yes. Not a special. Small town class and farmers town of 600. Admission 10-30. H. N. Batchelder, Galt Theatre (175 seats), Galt, California. Previous report: good 1. Metro-Goldwyn ANNIE LAURIE. Stars. Lillian Gish and Norman Kerry. It’s different, and a dandy picture. Raised prices and made some money. Tone, okay. Sunday and special, yes. Appeal, ninety per cent. Farming class town of 800. Admission 15-25, special 20-35. Ray P. Murphy, Old Trail Theatre (300 seats), Hebron, Ohio. BEN HUR. Star, Ramon Novarro. This is without question one of the greatest of them all and truly MOVING PICTURE WORLD LET’S build up this department. It is growing now, but it ought to grow still faster. Lots of you say, here and there in the letters we get, “We want more dependable Straight From the Shoulder tips.” Well, folks, if you’ll send along your own box office estimates, so will the other fellow, and everybody will be better equipped to pick the good ones and dodge the weak sisters. Come on! OUR GANG. deserves all the exploitation that any exhibitor can give it. It did an excellent business with me and as it is sold on a fifty-fifty basis Metro got most of it, but I did not feel bad about this for it is such a masterful picture that they deserve a big return on such productions. Go the limit and you will never regret it on this one. Tone, fine. Sunday and special, yes. Appeal, one hundred per cent. L. O. Davis, Virginia Theatre, Hazard, Kentucky. Previous reports, good 2. BEN HUR. Star, Ramon Novarro. I ran this picture for three days. If I had paid half the rental and only had it two days would have made money. No more accommodations or collections for the companies unless I get paid for it. Back your experience and judgment of your own town against all others. Tone, okay. Sunday and special, yes. Appeal, seventy-five percent. College town of 2,145. Admission 10-25. R. X. Williams, Lyric Theatre, Oxford, Mississipi. CALIFORNIA. Star, Tim McCoy. Here is a fine picture. Metro sure put the stuff in their pictures. “California” has plenty of action and McCoy did some fine work. Tone, very good. Sunday, okay. Not a special. Appeal, eighty per cent. Farming class town of 800. Admission 15-25, special 20-35. Ray P. Murphy, Old Trail Theatre (300 seats), Hebron, Ohio. Previous reports : good 5. CAPTAIN SALVATION. Featured cast. This is an elaborate sea picture. Some rough scenes and a lot of good acting, but far from a picture for the small towns when the audience is strongly shot with children. Tone, not so good. Sunday and special, no. Fair appeal. Small town class and farmers town of 600. Admission 10-30. H. W. Batchelder, Galt Theatre (175 seats), Galt, California. Previous reports, good 4, fair 1. CAPTAIN SALVATION. Featured cast. Stay away from it. Not a small town picture. Didn’t like it here. Did only a fair business on it as did not push it. Tone, fair. Sunday and special, no. Appeal, fifty per cent. Farming class town of 800. Admission December 24, 1927 15-25, special, 2035. Ray P. Murphy, Old Trail Theatre -(300 seats), Hebron, Ohio. Previous reports: good 4, fair 1. FAIR CO-ED. Star, Marion Davies. A great little picture pleased one hundred percent here as this is a college town. Lots of fun and comedy all the way through. Should please any audience. Will stand a small advance in admission and please them. Tone, good. Sunday, yes. Small special. Appeal, one hundred percent. College town of 2,145. Admission 10-25. R. X. Williams, Lyric Theatre, Oxford, Mississippi. FOREIGN DEVILS. Star, Tim McCoy. This is a good picture with plenty of action. Tim McCoy is one of the best of the action stars in the business, but he would be better for me in straight westerns. He is not much at the box-office, but his pictures are all good. L. O. Davis, Virginia Theatre, Hazard, Kentucky. FRISCO SALLY LEVL. Star, Sally O’Neil. Above the average for good entertainment. Some beautiful scenes. Great appeal for our patrons. Acting is very good. All classes. Admission 10-20. George Lodge, Green Lantern Theatre, Claymont, Delaware. IN OLD KENTUCKY. Featured Cast. This is an excellent race track picture with lots of hokum and an excellent negro comic that puts the show over big. Will go over in any town and appeals to high and low alike. Worth stepping on. Special, yes. Appeal, ninety-five percent. L. O. Davis, Virginia Theatre, Hazard, Kentucky. SLIDE, KELLY, SLIDE. Star. William Haines. Good comedy drama. Oil field class town of 300. Admission 10-25. W. H. Clower, Liberty Theatre (350 seats), Wirt, Oklahoma. Previous reports, good 7. SPOILERS OF THE WEST. Star, Tim McCoy. One of the best Westerns. Plenty of action, fast riding, and excitement. Brand new print. Book it and advertise. K. W. Brady, Town Hall Theatre (200 seats), Bakersfield, Vermont. SPRING FEVER. Star, William Haines. This picture went over good. William Haines a little silly at times, but a good audience picture. Clean and entertaining. Just a good program picture. Will not stand advance in admission. Tone, good. Sunday, yes. Not a special. Appeal, ninety-five percent. College town of 2.145. Admission 10-25. R. X. Williams, Lyric Theatre, Oxford, Mississippi. THE UNKNOWN. Star, Lon Chaney. Played this to a large Saturday night house. Chaney is slipping here. There is no question that his acting and his make up is good, but a little too realistic. When the women folk start to tell you they don't like him, better let him alone. This is mostly Lon’s show all the way. Good prints. Tone fair, won’t do for Sunday. C. G. Brothers, Grand Theatre, Grand River, Iowa. (More on Page 49) Tear out Fill in Send along Straight From the Shoulder Reports To Moving Picture World, 516 Fifth Avenue, New York: Van, here is a report to help other exhibitors judge values by what the picture accomplished at my theatre. Send me blanks for other help. Title of picture Star Producer My report Signature of Exhibitor Theatre Seating Capacity City State