Pathe Sun (October 19, 1929)

THE PATHE SUN 4 BOX-OFFICE? OH, YEAH! Previews Prove That Pathe Has the Season’s Sensational Ticket Twister “Oh, Yeah?” is away to a flying start. Three Branches have sent us the story of the Twentieth Century of the screen on its first runs. Branch Manager Oscar Ruby, Cleveland, says the preview was a “huge success, attended by approximately fourteen hundred persons and going over with a bang. It was a riot from start to finish and they’re still talking about it.” Jennie Krumm, Correspondent at Kansas City, says Pathe pictures are so popular that everytime the Branch announces a screening they are besieged with telephone calls for extra tickets. “The ‘Oh, Yeah?’ preview was unusually well attended and the unanimous opinion of ex- hibitors and exchange personnel was that it was GREAT.” “Indianapolis had a preview of ‘Oh, Yeah?’ ” says Dorothy Wright, Indianapolis. “Chic Calloway proved to be a remarkable press agent for the occasion. The Indianapolis Board of Endorsers were present one hundred percent, newspaper men, leading exhibitors of Indiana and the entire personnel of the Branch, an estimated crowd of seven hundred. The endorsers endorsed the picture highly. The exhibitors unanimously agreed that the picture had a tremendous box-office value. Mr. Cullen Espey, General Manager of the Skouras-Publix was present, also Mr. George Tyson of the Skouras Publix pubilicity department, Louis Golden of the Fountain Square, Earl Johnson of the Universal Theatres, Jake Eriedman of the Roosevelt and all opposition exchange managers and their wives. Nick Humm greeted the guests as they arrived. Branch Manager Harry Graham had the showmen corralled after the screening, contracts and pencil in action, and they signed on the dotted line.” ;r | CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER Three Sparkle J in “Oh, YeahT j a New ComedyX BY W. WARD MARSH. / h ATIIE EXCHANGE sentl out nice printed invita- tions earlier in the week for exhibitors and some others [jto meet in the Palace for a mid- light screening of “Oh. Yeah 1” Three players stand out sharply in Bthis pi?ce. They are Robert Arm- Lotrong. James Gleason and ZaSu ■Pitts. Armstrong and Gleason appear aas a couple of “boomers.'’ (I am not Svery well acquainted with railroad Hsiang, but as I understand it, a I*‘boomer” is a itinerant railroad ■worker—a hobo who takes a job only Ilong enough to permit him later on [to continue his aimless wanderings.) J There is a strong affection between ■these two fellows, very nearly like §the love Sergt. Flagg has for Sefgt. j^Qulrt in “The Cock-Eyed World/* Armstrong and Gleason bicker con-j gfsiderably, and in lieu of repeating! “Says you,” and “Yeah, SAYS they shout, ironically at each other,! “OH, Ye-e-ah!” * # * This pair wind up at a division head where Armstrong falls in love with the timekeeper of Patricia Caron, who cuts no figure as an actress, and Gleason teams up with Miss Pitts, a waitress and an ex-| ellent actress. The boys decide fb settle down marry, but the first pay day sees 1 them rolling the bones and cleaned. There is tragedy in Armstrong’s eyes whefi he realizes what his sweetheart will say, and there is tragedy in the camp when ’ another worker is found, murdered. The hero is suspected; even his girl turns against him, but his buddy sticks to him when he “blows” the camp. There is a terrific thrill for the climax, a gang fight in a run- away gondola. The ending, of course* is a happy There are some tremendously amus- ing moments in th,is picture. The banter between Armstrong and Glea- son is good to the. last word. I thought the love scenes between Gleason and Miss Caron were over long, but the courtship scenes for Gleason and Miss Pitts were far too short to satisfy. Here ir? a hardened gent, who has fallen in love wiu* the essence of a dumbbell, who is not so dumb when it comes to under- I standing the language of love but vLwho is pretty feeble witted when /events come as fa3t and as furious they do at the finish. Five Out of Five Just another bit of evidence piling up that proves Pathe comedies lead the opposition like the Athletics led the Cubs. Five Stanley houses, first-run, down-town Philadelphia houses, are playing the Rooster brand this week. Paste this on the showmen’s desks— Aldine — “After the Show” (Extended run with “Four Feathers” at $2 top) Mastbaum — “The Smooth Guy” Stanley — “Turkey for Two” (2 week’s run) Karlton—“Fancy That” Victoria—“Beach Babies” Poster Neglect Is Industry’s Menace “Neglect of poster advertising is a men- ace to the film industry,” according to Glenn Cravath, poster artist responsible for many of the pictorial posters used by Pathe and M-G-M, who addressed his fellow members of the Associated Motion Picture Advertisers at the meeting held at the Hotel Paramount. Cravath graphically portrayed the ad- vantages that are being neglected through the lack of proper appreciation of the poster medium in advertising. His talk was illustrated by many three- sheet and other sized posters which he arranged among the tables. They were the work of several artists. He displayed them as examples of the selling value of the movie poster. The artists represented in this exhibition were: Held, Jr., Ireland, Vincentneti, Reiger, Ginsburg, Crawford, Saguso, Armand, Levy and Cravath. Mr. Cravath urged everyone concerned to become “Poster Minded” and pass along this enthusiasm for posters to the exhibitor, the man most benefited by them. He must be made to understand that posters are not sold for a profit but are made for his personal exploitations as much as if the artist worked for him in his office, and, as he pointed out, the 15c per sheet charge could be no obstacle in their way. EXHIBITORS DAILY REVIEW Batting 1000% at Box-Office From John H. Harris, Harris Amusement Co., Pittsburgh— CLOSED RUN LAST NIGHT HARRIS THEATRE PITTSBURGH OH YEAH STOP MORE LAUGHS IN THIS PIC- TURE THAN SOPHOMORE A RIOT CONGRATULATIONS STOP EX- CELLENT BUSINESS AUDIENCE REACTION GREAT STOP CRITICS COMPARE WITH COCKEYED WORLD. Audio Review Is Shown at Philadelphia’s Banquet to World’s Champion Athletics When the two thousand persons who were invited by the Mayor and citizens of Philadelphia to the banquet to the Ath- letics on the 17th gathered to give tribute to the men who have brought World’s Championship glory to that city, they were shown a featurette from the Pathe Audio Review which tested the memories and durability of the affections of the fans. In this picture is revealed the present whereabouts and occupations of many mighty baseball heroes of the past, to- gether with what is probably the first motion picture of the famous field at Cooperstown, N. Y., where Major Double- day first introduced the game which was to sweep the continent. The fan greeters will see George W. Bradley, who pitched a famous no-hit game in 1877 for the Philadelphia Athletics and who now is a cop in the same city. Sydney Farrar, father of Geraldine, is shown on his farm in Connecticut. He was second baseman on the Athletics in the eighties. Amose Rusie, the speedball king of the N. Y. Giants in the nineties, is shown on his chicken farm in the West; Hans Wagner, the fence buster of the Pirates, is disclosed .in his sporting goods store in Pittsburgh: Joe Harris, pitcher hero of the second longest major league game in history, twenty-four innings, is revealed as a stout fireman in Melrose, Mass. Others in the picture are Fred Tenny, now an insurance agent. Joe Tinker, a Chicago florist, Hank Gowdy, Johnny Evers, Ty Cobb and Mike Donlin. Play ball with this great number, which is the entire subject matter for Audio Review No. 28. The fans are going to eat it up and the sporting editors of every newspaper will give it more play than any feature ever made. Beverly Jones produced this unit for Terry Ramsaye and Beverly has done a great job. We are gonna make him Cap- tain of our All-American Box-Office team. Believe ’Em or Not George Pratt, Chicago Accessories Manager, is an expert showman and he keeps the street windows of the Exchange aglow with color, using the latest feature and comedy releases accessories. George had just completed a marvelous display on “Her Private Affair” recently and stepped out on the sidewalk to view his master- piece. A lady was gazing, spellbound, at the highly colored lobby cards, etc-, and she turned to George, saying: “Is the theatre open now?” George blushed as he told here that we were not a show house. The beauty of this story is that it is TRUE —I was there. Here’s another one that may sound like one of O. O. McIntyre’s—but it’s TRUE also. Gene Cour, ever alert for a novelty for the Pathe Sound News Reel, was approached by a seedy looking gink who claimed to be the world’s greatest stunt man. He wanted a job and he wanted it badly. Gene asked him what he could do and he replied, “Anything.” Gene has long had a yen to film and record in sound a guy on roller skates skimming along the edge of the cornice of a skyscraper. So Gene discretely asked the seedy applicant if he could perform this stunt before the camera. “Sure,” replied the willing victim, “but I ain’t got no skates.” Gene gave him the money to buy the skates and the man disappeared. Nothing was seen of him for three days when he came busting into the office and said he was ready for the stunt- Gene was wroth. “Where have you been for the last three days? We’ve been waiting for you,” said the irate Gene. The seedy boy calmly shrugged his shoulders, spat out a copious volume of amber colored fluid and meekly replied, “Well, you see, I had never tried to roller skate before so I had to try ’em out.” He delivered, though, as any one who saw his stunt in the Pathe Sound News No. 53 will testify. —DAN ROCHE