Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1939)

November 25, 1939 S H O \V M EN'S T R A I) IL R E V T I-: W Pa(]e 13 Equipment Display Occasions Wide Public Comment Wide interest among patrons of the Fox W isconsin Theatre, in Milwaukee, uas occasioned by this lobby display in celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of Motion Pictures. The equipment was loaned by RCA Photophone, while the balance of the display was entirely the work of the theatre. The development of the projector and sound equipment is something not too well considered by your patrons. A display like this will create special interest in this phase of motion picture history. Cobb kills the factor leaving Brown's knife sticking in him. Brown is arrested antl Starrett, sergeant of the Mounties, impressed 1 with Iris, Brown's sister, tries to help him. j But it looks bad for Brown until the Mounties find out the truth and capture the crimi . nals. Brown becomes sheriff and Iris marries the sergeant. Credits: Although Charles Starrett can't sing, the Sons of the Pioneers can and that about makes up any deficiencies in this one. I It is not exactly a Western but it has all of a Western's elements so we'll class it as one. Starrett and the Sons of the Pioneers have been together a long time and they make admirable heroes. Iris Meredith, like many another girl, finds it easy to fall in love with a uniform. The villains are as villainous as could be desired. All in all, this is a first class action picture which should suit the followers of this type of film to perfection. Run a quiz about the Mounties through the schools. Have a ballyhoo of a mounted policeman garbed like the Roj^al Northwest. (FAMILY) Catchline: "The woods aren't big enough to hold any killer thev're after." AUDIENCE SLANT: THE ACTION FANS SHOULD GO FOR THIS IN A BIG WAY. YOU CAN ALMOST HEAR THE KIDS CHEERING WHEN THEY READ THE TITLE. BOX OFFICE SLANT: SWELL FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON ACTION FANS. Missing Evidence Univ. DRAMA 64 mins. (Nat'l Release, Dec. 13) Credits: Preston Foster, Irene Hervey, Inez Courtney, Chick Chandler, Noel Madison, Joseph Downing, Oscar O'Shea, Tom Dugan, Ray Walker, Cliff Clark. Original story by Dorrell and Stuart McGowan. Screenplay by Arthur T. Herman. Produced and directed by Phil Rosen. Plot: Irene Hervey, clerk at a cigar counter, distributes lottery tickets furnished to her by Chandler. Neither knows they are counterfeit, but when O'Shea thinks he wins and finding his ticket phony, kills himself, they go to Foster, F.B.I, head and help him catch the top men in the counterfeiting ring. All three of them get jobs with the counterfeiters and in the end the F.B.I, breaks up the ring and captures the ringleaders. Comment: Fast action, a good mystery and a pretty fair story will make this good rapid fire entertainment but its lack of names limits it to the dual bills. There's plenty of action with well-sustained suspense throughout. Some of the audience will squirm in their chairs until the end is worked out satisfactorily and the mystery is unusual because the crook turns out to be the man everybody thought it was all along. The acting is up to standard but the picture was undoubtedly meant for the dual bills because of its short running time and lack of marquee strength. Print up fake lottery tickets with selling copy. Contact local police for story on how your town is protected against fake lottery tickets. (FAMILY) Catchline: "Racketeers run riot until the G-men step in." AUDIENCE SLANT: ACTION AND SUSPENSE MAKE THIS AN ENJOYABLE PROGRAM ATTRACTION WHICH HOLDS THE INTEREST THROUGHOUT. BOX OFFICE SLANT: LACK OF NAMES LIMITS IT TO THE DOUBLE BILLS. Harvest French Cinema Center DRAMA 75 mins. Credits: Gabriel Gabrio, Edouard Delmont, Fernandel, Orane Demazis, Le Vignan and others. Screenplay by Gerry H. Saunders from the novel by Jean Giono. Directed by Marcel Pagnol. Produced in France. Plot: Fernandel, a scissors grinder, tramps through the country. Orane Demazis helps him tote his machine. They come upon a deserted village where Gabriel Gabrio is the sole remaining inhabitant. Orane decides to leave Fernandel and live with Gabrio. Together they harvest the fields and build a home. Some time later, Fernandel returns and claims compensation for the loss of his helper. Gabrio pays him with a donkey. Comment: This French import was denied a license by the New York censors but was later passed without changes and opened October 2 at the World Theatre, New York City to a fanfare of praise from newspaper reviewers. Its popularity indicates that there is an audience for this style of repressed symbolical drama sufficient to carry the picture over its handicaps judged from the standpoint of the average style of entertainment. The picture can probably do good business in those theatres catering to the "arty" type of audience. However, its French dialogue and lack of action prevent its becoming successful as a general thing. Artistically the picture is praised by critics of the lay press. In some spots it can be put over on the basis of its success in New York. Audiences expecting to find something sensational because it was at first banned by the cenors will be disap'^ointed because the sole basis for the banning was that the man and woman live together without being married. (ADULT) Catchline: "They took life from the Earth from whence all life comes." AUDIENCE SLANT: FOR THE "ARTY " HOUSES KNOWN AS "CINEMAS" THIS IS A FINE PICTURE; FOR GENERAL AUDIENCES IT WILL HAVE LESS APPEAL. BOX OFFICE SLANT: WILL DO A GOOD BUSINESS IN THE SMALL SEAT HOUSES IN THE BIG CITIES. Places Reviews Out in Front The reviews on "The Roaring Twenties" were so enthusiastic that Manager Hal Seidenberg of Warners' Fox Theatre, Philadelphia, made photostats and placed them out in front in full view of passersby. Buffalo High Schools, Colleges Assist in "What a Life" Campaign Heavy exploitation concentration among the local colleges, high and public schools was among the highlights of the campaign put on by Charles Taylor, publicity chief of Shea's theatres here for the opening of "What A Life" at the Buffalo Theatre, Buf¥alo. Days in advance of the opening all local papers gave the picture generous breaks with plenty of copy and art. A special screening, arranged for school principals, members of the board and Parent Teachers' officials, resulted in "What A Life" receiving plugs and assistance from all schools. Special window cards were placed on bulletin boards in all high and public schools. Special College Nights were arranged for the University of Buffalo and Canisius in which each school's student body literally took over the theatre. Huge banners from each college were placed out front and Glenn Miller, in person on the stage, offered special renditions of the various college songs. Ads were placed in college papers plugging special College Nights. Movie Guide Disfributed Among the other tieups which assisted the showing were the distribution of Movie Guide, 50,000 copies of which were handed out at all Shea theatres ; copies of Show Boat, having 100,000 circulation, were distributed throughout the city ; 3,000 Victor Record cards were circulated around the city plugging both the picture and Glenn Miller; all taxi cabs used tire covers and inside frame cards announcing the film's opening; Postal Telegraph distributed 3,000 miniature blanks; 4,000 heralds were distributed at the New York Central Railroad terminals plugging the film and special excursion rates to this city and 3,000 stocking bags were handed out at all A. S. Beck shoe stores. Special ads were run on the radio pages tying up "What A Life" with the popular Aldrich Family program. Special radio tieups were made with all local stations and fifty-word announcements telling about the Aldrich Family and "What A Life" were sniped to many important local programs.