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December 17, 1921
MOVING PICTURE WORLD
801
Booming Christie Comedies
New Playing i
By Epes W. Sargent
Length alone does not make a feature, and more and more the managers are coming to realize that sometimes a two-reel comedy will pull far more business than an average five-reel story, and sometimes pleases even more than a costly superfeature in seven to twelve parts. Instead of adding "and a comedy" to his announcement the wise manager now is more specific when he has something he knows will draw. The Portola Theatre, San Francisco, one of the important Roth and Partington houses, gets out special in sert cards for all Christie comedies, and finds that it pulls in the business of many who may not not be appealed to by the main title, for discriminating playgoers know that the Christie comedies stand for real entertainment, clean, sprightly and with ideas replacing the old slapstick.
The two pictures on the top row show how the Strand Theatre, Pasadena, handled the first production of "Oh, Buddy," the window cards in black and white being generously distributed about town, while the electric sign gave both producer and title.
Below is the Ocean Park Theatre with the sign split between a super-feature and the comedy, in this instance, "Petticoats and Pants."
The exhibitor who puts in a comedy merely to fill in his bill is wasting opportunity. The wise manager puts in something that will add to the attraction of his program and pull in extra money on its own account. The Educational-Christie releases have a box-office value of their own. They can sell tickets to people who do not want heavy entertainment, but are sure of a good laugh from the Christie brand.
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