The Moving picture world (November 1923-December 1923)

November 17, 1923 MOVING PICTURE WORLD 311 I did. Book this one and no mistake can or will be made. William Noble, Criterion Theatre, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. BLUEBEARD'S EIGHTH WIFE. (5,960 feet). Star, Gloria Swanson. The best thing this star has turned out to date, opened good but fell off on the end of the week due to heat. Local censors passed without cuts. Has spicey moral tone and is suitable for Sunday. Had fair attendance. Draw high class in city of 75,000. Admission 28-40-55. W. H. Lusher, Strand Theatre (900 seats), Pasadena, California. BLUEBEARD'S EIGHTH WIFE. (5,960 feet). Star, Gloria Swanson. Personally, I consider this a conglomeration of nothing. T. H. Whittemore, Newcastle, California. BORDERLAND. (5,405 feet). Star, Agnes Ayres. Eight reels. Sorriest picture we have had for some time. Lay off this one. Many li e this one would kill a house. Used ones, threes. Suitable for Sunday. Had good attendance. Draw mixed class in town of 3,000. Admission 10-20. J. R. Long, Opera House (500 seats), Fort Payne, Alabama. BOUGHT AND PAID FOR. (5,601 feet). Star, Jack Holt. A very well Heed feature which was interesting all the way through. Film in good condition. Draw mixed class. Admission 15-25. Had full house. Jerry Wertin, Winter Theatre (250 seats), Albany, Minnesota. CHILDREN OF JAZZ. (6,800 feet). Star, Eileen Percy. Not at all li ce one would infer from the title. A fine little picture, entertaining throughout, with an honest-togoodness laugh supplied by Snitz Edwards. Had good attendance. Draw general class in town of 3,720. Admission varies. C. F. Krieghbaum, Paramount Theatre (294 seats), Rochester, Indiana. CHILDREN OF JAZZ. (6,080 feet). Star, Eileen Percy. Production is well done. Interesting and will please providing you get them in. Displays will not get them in as patrons do not demand this type of picture. Good print. Moral tone good. Suitable for Sunday. Draw better class and university students, city of 35,000. P. A. Wills, Park Theatre, Champaign, Illinois. COWBOY AND THE LADY. (4,918 feet). Star, Mary Miles Minter. A weak program picture for us. A fairly good comedy helped save the show and also our old reliable International News helped also. Regular advertising brought fair attendance. Draw better class in town of 4,500. Admission 15-10. C. A. Anglemire, "Y" Theatre (400 seats), Nazareth, Pennsylvania. GENTLEMAN OF LEISURE. (5,695 feet). Star, Jacx. Holt. An entertaining picture. Much better than Holt's "Tiger Claw." Holt, as usual, is good. So are Sigrid Holmquist and Frank Nelson. C. F. Krieghbaum, Paramount Theatre, Rochester, Indiana. HEART RAIDER. (5,075 feet). Star, Agnes Ayres. Good picture while it was an improbable story, it held the interest of my patrons, and pleased them all. Had fair attendance. Adolph Schutz, Liberty Theatre, Silver City, New Mexico. HOLLYWOOD. (8,100 feet). Star cast. Not a great picture but entertaining due to the fact that it's different from the usual run of pictures. Had good attendance. Draw general class in town of 3,720. Admission varies. C. F. Krieghbaum, Paramount Theatre (294 seats), Rochester, Indiana. HOLLYWOOD. (8,100 feet). Star cast. This is a big time production for the theatre that likes something different from the movie melodrama. It pokes fun at a little of everything including the exhibitor and the audience. Tells a smooth story that gets the sympathy of the audience. Introduces all the big time stars in a natural manner. Good business three days. Suitable for Sunday. Draw general class in city of 15,000. Admis How About You? "Please find enclosed my report on "Steelheart." I have been reading a long time at the expense of my Brother Exhibitor, and this is my first to report on." — E. R. Hacker, Colonial Theatre, Gorin, Missouri. sion 10-30. Ben L. Morris, Temple, Elk, Grand, Olympic Theatres, Bellaire, Ohio. HOLLYWOOD. (8,100 feet). Star cast. Not what it should be. Pleases fifty-fifty. They either like it or they don't like it. See it and get others' opinion before booking. Has a good story and plot and is better than the other "Star" production put out by other companies. Good print. Moral tone O. K. Suitable for Sunday. Poor attendance, city of 35,000. Draw university students and better class. P. A. Wills, Park Theatre, Champaign, Illinois. HUMORESQUE. (5,987 feet). Star, Alma Rubens. Put this on with violinist, pianist and cello and made an excellent program and made a little money for a change. Has excellent moral tone and is suitable for Sunday. Had good attendance. Lindrud & Guettinger, Cochrane Theatre, Cochrane, Wisconsin. KICK IN. (7,074 feet). Star cast. Without a doubt one of the finest pictures I have ever seen. It's a pleasure to show this kind. Business good both days. Used posters, heralds, mail. Good attendance of neighborhood patronage in town of 4,000. Admission 10-22. W. E. Elkin, Temple Theatre (500 seats), Aberdeen, Mississippi. LAW OF THE LAWLESS. (6,387 feet). Star, Dorothy Dalton. Miss Dalton was good in this one. William Noble, Criterion Theatre, Oklahoma City, O lahonia. LOVES OF PHARAOH. (7,352 feet). Star cast. A good picture, but following on the order of "The Sheik"; too many Egyptian and desert pictures having been shown, spoils this one as a box-office money getter. William Noble, Majestic Theatre, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOBODY'S MONEY. (5,584 feet). Star, Jack Holt. Fair program picture but not one to be played during the warm weather as it does not move quickly enough to hold one's interest under this condition. Wanda Hawley appears very attractive. T. H. Whittemore, Newcastle. California. NTH COMMANDMENT. (7,339 feet). Star, Colleen Moore. No sign of the genius that marked that other Hurst-Borzage-Cosmopolitan hit, "Humoresque" is visible in this ridiculous conglomeration. Pleased about forty per cent. Moral tone fair only. Not suitable for Sunday. Average attendance. Draw all classes in city of 14,000. Admission 10-25. E. W. Collins, Grand Theatre (750 seats), Jonesboro, Arkansas. NE'ER-DO-WELL. (7,414 feet). Star, Thomas Meighan. An excellent picture in every respect, and should draw well. William Noble, Rialto Theatre, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. OLD HOMESTEAD. (7,606 feet). Star cast. Old for us but very good business with this one. One of the very finest pictures ; tell me one who does not like Theodore Roberts. Just put in your program that he is the star and that is O. K. Had big attendance for hot night. Draw good class. Victor D. Stamitis, Throop Theatre, Brooklyn, New York. ONLY 38. (6,175 feet). Star cast. To begin with, in fairness to the picture, I will say that it is entertaining, well acted, ably directed and flawlessly staged. As a rule those words would indicate that it is a decidedly superior attraction but I most emphatically do not consider it so. Here is a good picture that is likely to do inestimable damage to the small town theatre showing it. It preaches a moral that will widen the breach existing already between the church and the screen. There is not an immoral or suggestive scene or word in it, but the lesson it teaches is vicious. I am not in the least narrow, but in the smaller cities, under twenty-five thousand, we have somewhat bridged the chasm between our theatres and our churches. By strict living, ourselves, and a vigorous elimination of all vulgar, obscene and offensive matter in the pictures, we have developed a following amongst men and women who are generally called "church people." We even succeed in bringing the ministers into our houses occasionally and the habit of preaching against the picture theatre has almost disappeared. Imagine, then, what damage this picture, with its glorifying of dancing and holding up to ridicule those devout church lovers who oppose it, may do in a community where the two great Protestant churches that oppose and forbid dancing, predominate. No matter what my own opinion of dancing may be, the majority of my church going patrons oppose it. Call them narrow if you will, but I must have their patronage if I am to live. If the cause of dancing and "jazz" in general must be championed let someone in a safer refuge than the screen ta'^e up the cudgel for it. No producer has the right to use my screen to preach such a doctrine. Mr. Exhibitor in a small city, see this one before you buy it. li your patrons have no objection to seeing a dead minister's wife indulging in extreme gaiety, against the wishes of her strictly reared children, if you play to few churchgoers or if you do not care for the opinion of church going people, this picture is good, but it is dangerous in a community where the exhibitor has, by hard work and strict care, earned the friendship of the churches. E. W. Collins, Jonesboro Amusement Co.. Jonesboro, Arkansas. ON THE HIGH SEAS. (5,050 feet). Star, Jack Holt. Very good picture and received many comments on this one. Will please one hundred percent. Used ones, slide. Had good attendance. Draw better class in town of 800. Admission 10-30. F. G. Leal. Leal Theatre (246 seats), Irvington, California. PINK GODS. (7,062 feet). Star, Bebe Daniels. Didn't think very much of this one. The pink gods were too pink. Some li ed the picture and some d'd not. William Noble, Rialto Theatre, Oklahoma City, O lahoma. PRIDE OF PALOMAR. (7,494 feet). Star cast. Bad title. Frightened people off, but the show itself was passable. Al C. Werner, Royal Theatre, Reading, Pennsylvania. PRODIGAL DAUGHTERS. (6,216 feet). Stars, Gloria Swanson, Theodore Roberts. Very good picture with fine cast. Modern jazz drama but suitable for Sunday. Good attendance, drawing middle and lower class of residential district in big city. Admission 15 matinee, 25 evenings. J. F. Enos, New Lyceum Theatre (1,260 seats), San Francisco, California. PURPLE HIGHWAY. (6,574 feet). Star, Madge Kennedy. From stage play "Dear Me." Just fair picture. Business just fair. Moral tone o. k. and is suitable for Sunday. Had fair attendance. Draw wealthy nd medium class in city of 75,000. W. H. Lusher, Strand Theatre (900 seats), Pasadena, California. PURPLE HIGHWAY. (6,754 feet). Star, Monte Blue. A program picture that has good points and will please the audience. Has good moral tone and is suitable for Sunday. Had fair attendance. Draw uni