Box Office Record - 6
The Motion Picture Almanac (1929)
An authoritative compilation of reports on picture values, written by
theatre owners, and published weekly in the "What the Picture Did for Me"
department of "Exhibitors Herald-World" (Dates are those on which the
picture was played at the individual theatre.)
Take Me Home | Taxie 13
| Telling the World | Tempest | Tenderloin
| The Terror | Terror Mountain |
Three Week Ends | Tyrant of Red Gluch
| Uncle Tom's Cabin | United States Smith
| The Vanishing Pioneer | Varsity
| Walking Back | Warming Up | Waterfront
| The Water Hole | The Wedding March
| West of Zanzibar | The Wheel of Chance
| While the City Sleeps | White Shadows
in the South Seas | The Wind | Win
That Girl | Wings | A Woman of Affairs
| Women They Talk About | The Wright
Idea
Take Me Home
Paramount. Bebe Daniels, Neil Hamilton, 6 reels.
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November 15. The name of this picture is a good drawing card, but the same
style of acting as we always get from this star, Neil Hamilton, her boy
friend, who plays with her in this picture, is well liked here by my patrons.
Well, I have said all I can say about this one so, hurry up, boys, let's
make a fortune so we can put in the "talkies" and then we little, small
town theatre folks can hear and see what will become of us. (Dixie theatre,
Durant, Miss.-General patronage.)
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December 16. Nothing to write home about or to cause any particular complaint,
but hardly up to Bebe's capacity. Held audience's interest. (Empress theatre,
Arma, Kan.-General patronage.)
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December 16-17. Just a fair program picture. Bebe slipping here as a drawing
card. (Auditorium theatre, Laurel, Neb.-General patronage.)
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December 3-4. A good, smart, clean picture that everybody liked. Bebe is
one of our best bets. (Crescent theatre, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.-Small
town patronage.)
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December 31-January 1. Just fair, not up to Bebe's standard. (Perkins theatre,
Holton, Kan.-Small town patronage.)
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Read some poor reports on this one, but it certainly pleased here. Can
see nothing wrong with it. (Plainview theatre, Plainview Neb.-General patronage.)
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Not as good as others I have run of Bebe. (Sun theatre, Plainwell, Mich.-General
patronage.)
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A good one for Bebe. Not big but good. (Cozy theatre, Wagner, S.D.-General
patronage.)
Taxie 13
RKO. Chester Conklin, Martha Sleeper, Hugh Trevor, Gustav Von Seyffertitz,
Ethel Wales, Lee Moran, Jerry Miley, Charles Byer, 7 reels.
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November 23. Advertised as RKO's "Howling Laugh Special." Pity the poor
ones, then. Too slow to hold any interest. Our patrons had nothing good
to offer on it. Disappointment to the management. And to think they hiked
the rental on this one! (Ne-Go theatre, Toronto, Kan.-General patronage.)
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October 29-30. This might make a good picture with sound, but the silent
version was a failure from the way our crowd took it in. Surely no special.
(Sun theatre, Sargent, Neb.-General patronage.)
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Just fair. (Charkarohen theatre, Lincoln, N. H.-Small town patronage.)
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Not a special. Spoiled good two-reel comedy when they inflated this one.
I don't seem to get 'em in on RKO's new product, yet after reading their
press and sales talk, one feels he could go right out and sell ice to the
Eskimos. (Aristo theatre, Lemmon, S. D.-General patronage.)
Telling the World
MGM. William Haines, Anita Page, Bert Roach, Eileen Percy, Frank Currier,
Polly Moran, Matthew Betz, William V. Mong, 6 reels.
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October 21. I consider this the best of this year's Haines pictures. Work
of Anita Page very good and expect to see more of her in pictures. Satisfied
a general audience very well and many favorable comments. (Greenhalgh theatre,
Ferron, Utah.-Small town patronage.)
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One sweet show! MGM, you're on the right track. Pictures don't have to
be directed by the big boys nor are high priced sets necessary. Just give
us good consistent pictures like all the Bill Haines pictures have been
and you'll click in small communities as well as the cities. (Postville
theatre, Postville, Ia.-General patronage.)
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December 14-15. Not so bad and not so good. Several flaws in the picture
which were hard for the cash customers to follow. Haines has never beat
West Point yet. Business off a little. (Opera House, Louisville.
Neb.-Small town patronage.)
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Consider this the best Haines we have shown so far. Comedy and a good story
with it. Haines really does something worth while. Clean picture and film
good. (Sun theatre, Sargent, Neb.-Small town patronage.)
Tempest
United Artists. John Barrymore, Camilla Horn, 9 reels.
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A wonderful picture. Sound effects are very effective. A strong picture
without sound effects. Made money for us. (Avalon theatre, Bellingham,
Wash.-General patronage.)
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November 25-26. This is a fine picture. Story good. Stars and cast fine.
Over the head of small towns. Terrible flop second night. Those who appreciate
Barrymore's acting liked it. Fifty-fifty satisfaction here. (Silver Family
theatre, Greenville, Mich.-Small town patronage.)
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December 11. Big production to poor business. Satisfied Barrymore fans,
which are few in this town. (New theatre, DeWitt, Ark.-General patronage.)
Tenderloin
Warner Bros. Dolores Costello, Conrad Nagel, 7 reels.
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October 16-17. Pleased and drew. (Savoy theatre, Louisville, Ky.-General
patronage.)
The Terror
Warner Bros. May McAvoy, Edward Everett Horton, Louise Fazenda, Alec B.
Francis, Matthew Betz, 8 reels.
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Very good picture. Showed this picture midnight matinee Halloween night
to almost capacity business. Opened the window at 11 and the people crowded
into the lobby so that they broke my display framer down. (Roxy theatre,
Munday, Tex.-General patronage.)
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Well, old "Terror," I showed you two nights on my screen and they got enough
of you the first night and the second night you failed to bring them back.
The only two things in this play that interested me was this lady star,
Miss McAvoy, who is always good in all of her plays, and this Big Bull
Frog, who stars in this one. Old "Terror" had him seared almost to death,
and he was doing the jumping act, bucking and kicking like a Texas pony,
and this act saved the show, so they all claimed they got their money's
worth. (Dixie theatre, Durant, Miss.-General patronage.)
Terror Mountain
RKO. Tom Tyler, 5 reels.
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January 2-3. Tried to prove that movie actors are he-men. (Auditorium theatre,
Laurel, Neb.-General patronage.)
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While this is not a Western, it's very good entertainment, worked out from
an angle different from that of any picture I remember having seen. Plenty
of action and comedy and some good snow scenes. (Sun theatre, Kansas City,
Mo.-General patronage.)
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December 18-19. It's hard to tell whether to call this a Western or not.
Shots inside the studio don't make a good story, but this seemed to go
over about average. (Opera House, Louisville, Neb.-Small town patronage.)
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December 1. A very good Western. Beautiful scenery. Pleased very well.
Many good comments from my patrons. (Ideal theatre, Stanwood, Wash.-Small
town patronage.)
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October 20. This picture pleased the crowd. Long time since we saw Tyler.
Many favorable comments. (Gem theatre, Winthrop, Maine.General patronage.)
Three Week Ends
Paramount. Clara Bow, Neil Hamilton. Harrison Ford, Lucille Powers, Julia
Swayne Gordon, Jack Raymond, Edythe Chapman, Guy Oliver, William Holden,
6 reels.
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November 27-28. Positively the best from Clara to date, pleased those who
saw it. A real tonic for Old Man Box Office. Book it and boost it. (Victoria
theatre, Mount Olive, N. C.Small town patronage.)
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After a period of dullness in December, this helped cheer up the box office
a bit the latter part of Christmas week. A clever actress with a clever
story well handled, a combination carrying a good audience appeal. (Isis
theatre, Ashland, Neb.-General patronage.)
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December 20-21. Patrons said good. Nary a walkout. Give us some more. (Palace
theatre, Malta, Mont.-General patronage.)
Tyrant of Red Gluch
RKO. Tom Tyler, Frankie Darro, Josephine Bario, Harry Woods, Serge Temoff,
Barney Fury, 6 reels.
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An excellent picture of its type; the girl registered, action and is not
as namby-pamby as some. Fine Saturday fare. (Glades Amusement Company,
Moorehaven, Fla.-General patronage.)
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A great Western that pleased 100 per cent with my crowd. Tyler is always
good. (Miers theatre, Schoharie, N.Y.-General patronage.)
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January 10. An out of the ordinary Western that should have general appeal.
A supposed idiot furnishes good comedy throughout the picture. Yes, Frankie
Darro is in this picture, too. (Aiken Mills theatre, Rath, S.C.-Small town
patronage.)
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Universal. Marguerita Fischer, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Lucien Littlefield,
James Lowe, Virginia Grey, George Seigmann, Adolph Milar, Vivien Oakland,
Lassie Lou Ahern, Mona Ray, Aileen Manning, 11 reels.
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September 2-7-8. A very good production that failed to click as it should
have at the box office. Really one of the best pictures I have ever played.
(Empress theatre, Akron, Ia.-General patronage.)
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The biggest attraction of the year. The picture is there, so step plenty.
This picture played three days in the rain to business far above the average
on big productions. Be sure to use a school tie-up on it. (K.P. theatre,
Pittsfield, Ill.-General patronage.)
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October 27-29. A picture that draws. Did better than I expected. Audience
pleased. (Lark theatre, McMinnville, Ore.-General patronage.)
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A wonderful picture but did not do the business it should have. Everyone
who saw the picture was well pleased but we couldn't get them in. It seemed
to draw the older people. The young folks would not come. (Ideal theatre,
Bloomer, Wis.-General patronage.)
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October 22-23-24. A wonderful drawing card and a really big picture for
the small town. It drew in people that I had never seen in town before
and where they came from is a mystery to me. Seigmann steals the picture
from Lowe, and it seems that Simon Legree gets a bigger play than Uncle
Tom. Surely put on in a big way and follows the book until the closing
scenes. I believe that the small town has a natural in this picture. (Princess
theatre, Lincoln, Kan.-Small town patronage.)
United States Smith
Gotham. Eddie Gribbon, Lila Lee, Kenneth Harlan, Earle Marsh, 7 reels.
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November 21. A very good picture, but not a special by any means. (Star
theatre, Villa Grove, Ill.-General patronage.)
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December 9. This picture surely pleased my people. Many comments and everyone
pleased. Play it and step on the advertising. It will make good. (Ideal
theatre, Stanwood, Wash.-Small town patronage.)
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Here is another picture full of action, and it pleased all who saw it.
In our town the more fights in the picture the better it pleases. However,
this picture isn't all blood, and we would rate it as a darn good show.
(Charkarohen Hall, Lincoln, N. H.-Small town patronage.)
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Good picture, good print, and the paper was attractive. (Theatorium theatre,
Columbia Falls, Mont.-General patronage.)
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Good comedy drama with action. It pleased. (Selma theatre, Selma, Cal.-General
patronage.)
The Vanishing Pioneer
Paramount. Jack Holt, Sally Blane, William Powell, Fred Kohler, Guy Oliver,
Roscoe Karns, Tom Holt, Marcia Maroon, 6 reels.
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October 9-10. Just an ordinary Zane Grey Western. Did not draw much better
than the average Western. (Strand theatre, Griswold, Ia.-General patronage.)
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About the same as the other Paramount Zane Grey pictures, about 1 per cent
better than the average Western, and without any more drawing power, but
you pay more for them just the same, just because it is Paramount, no other
reason. (Paramount theatre, Wyoming, Ill.-General patronage.)
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October 12. An extra good Western that pleased all. (Gem theatre, Pontotoc,
Miss.-General patronage.)
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October 19-20. Every Zane Grey draws for us. Just have to advertise name
"Zane Grey" and it is packed house for us. This is a real good Western.
(Community theatre, Ozawkie, Kan.-Small town patronage.)
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November 17. Another Zane Grey picture that drew well. Cold weather kept
a lot away. (Gem theatre, Greenriver, Utah.-General patronage.)
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January 4-5. Good Zane Grey Western with the likable Jack Holt. A little
more action than usual Zane Grey story and therefore gave better satisfaction
to our Saturday crowd. (Midway theatre, Martinsville, Va.-General patronage.)
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December 8. Not much of a picture and no drawing power on a Saturday night.
Not up to the usual Paramount Western. (Legion theatre, Holyrood, Kan.Small
town patronage.)
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January 11-12. About the same as the rest. They all draw fairly well, but
never get any extra business. (Rialto theatre, Hebron, N.D.-General patronage.)
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November 28-29. Very dull affair. (Texas theatre, Grand Prairie, Tex.-Small
town patronsize.)
Varsity
Paramount. Mary Brian, Charles (Buddy) Rogers, Chester Conklin, Phillips
R. Holmes, Robert Ellis, John Westwood, Princeton University undergraduates,
8 reels.
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Very good entertainment. Conklin stole the picture and did not know it.
(Gay theatre, Wayne, Neb.-Small town patronage.)
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December 31-January 1. Inside dope on speakeasy joints and carnival life,
with a smearing of Princeton university and Chester Conklin. Drew pretty
good, but wasn't what our patrons expected from Buddy Rogers and Mary Brian.
(Midway theatre, Martinsville, Va.-General patronage.)
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It's a big time college picture and very pleasing from start to finish.
Charles (Buddy) Rogers looks only to be just a young grown up kid or boy
in this picture, but oh, my, how the girls did rave over his good looks!
And Mary Brian, who plays with him in this one, is quite a favorite here,
but some said she looked just a bit older in this picture than Buddy did.
Was the only complaint I heard. (Dixie theatre, Durant, Miss.- General
patronage.)
Walking Back
Pathe. Sue Carol, 5 reels.
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It is unique. Has some weird situations. The auto fight is unusual of late,
at least. We did a fine business. (Avalon theatre, Bellingham, Wash.-General
patronage.)
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October 18. Very good jazzy program picture. (Star theatre, Villa Grove,
Ill.-General patronage.)
Warming Up
Paramount. Richard Dix, Jean Arthur, Claude King, Philo McCullough, Roscoe
Karns, Wade Boteler, Billy Kent Schaefer, James Dugan, Mike Donlin, 7 reels.
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October 12-13. A good picture of baseball that carries a nice kick for
the audience whether they are fans or not. (Opera House, Ashland, O.-General
patronage.)
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October 24. A baseball story that is good. In fact, most all Dix pictures
go over good for us. The ballplayer that played the smart alec and high
hatter sure played his part well. (Cozy theatre, Duchesne, Utah.-General
patronage.)
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November 12-13. Good picture. (Texas theatre, Grand Prairie, Tex.-Small
town patronage.)
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November 27. Our patrons received more enjoyment out of this picture than
any we have shown in a long time. The baseball scenes are great and the
director certainly knew his baseball, as the fans ate it up. People who
never saw a baseball game will like this too. (Star theatre, Willow Springs,
Mo.-Small town patronage)
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November 29-30. A good baseball story and Dix' best picture in a long time.
George Marion, Jr., sure knows his titles. (Midway theatre, Martinsville,
Va.-Small town patronage.)
Waterfront
First National. Dorothy Mackaill, Jack Mulhall, James Bradbury, Jr., Knute
Erickson, Ben Hendricks, Jr., Wiliam Norton Bailey, Pat Harmon, 7 reels.
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A fairly good comedy drama spoiled by poor photography. Why do they do
it? We had better photography twenty years ago. (Fairy theatre, Knox, Ind.-Small
town patronage.)
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December 23-24. Fair program picture but not up to the standard you expect
from these two. A few walkouts on this. (Palace theatre, Malta, Mont.-General
patronage.)
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October 30. A good comedy, with wiscracks. (Adair theatre, Adair, Ia.-General
patronage.)
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November 23-24. A fine little entertaining number from those most refreshing
young artists, Mackaill and Mulhall. A waterfront story that is clean throughout.
(Central theatre, Selkirk, Man. General patronage.)
The Water Hole
Paramount. Jack Holt, Nancy Carroll, John Boles, Ann Christy, Montague
Shaw, Lydia Yeamens Titus, Jack Perrin, Jack Mower, Paul Ralli, Tex Young,
Bob Miles, Greg Whitespear, 7 reels.
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October 5-6. A very good Grey Western, but very much oversold. Supposed
to be in technicolor and had about 50 feet or so in color. (Empress theatre,
Akron, Ia.-General patronage.)
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October 31. I suppose most exhibitors were led to believe that this picture
was most all in color. I would think there is a little over one reel that
is colored, but it is a good picture anyway and was good for a small raise
in price for me, and most all were satisfied. (Cozy theatre, Duchesne,
Utah. -General patronage.)
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November 11-12. A good picture. Story good. Star and cast fine. Gave good
satisfaction. (Silver Family theatre, Greenville, Mich.- General patronage.)
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Read lots of adverse comments on this. These comments I presume were from
some exhibitors who were oversold on it. I bought it right and did a nice
business. People here liked it. (Postville theatre, Postville, Ia.-General
patronage.)
The Wedding March
Paramount. Erich von Stroheim, Fay Wray, Matthew Betz, Dale Fuller, George
Fawcett, Maude George, George Nichols, Hughie Mack, Cesare Gravina, 14
reels.
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December 12-13. Well, the agony is over. I am a glutton for punishment,
but this picture sure made me run up the white flag as the people came
out. I thought perhaps I might be mistaken, so I asked numerous ones what
they thought of the picture and two of them said they guessed it was all
right (notice they just guessed) and what some of the others said you would
not print so I won't tell you. (Perkins theatre, Holton, Kan.-Small town
patronage.)
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It's a 14-reel messed-up picture. We had it booked for three nights, but
we didn't have the nerve to offer to show it the second night. In London
or in some foreign country, in a big city where there are all classes of
nationalities, it might be understood and called a big picture. I tell
you, in my opinion pictures like this one will sure cause your patrons
to almost get mad at you and say things to you that are not pleasant to
take. You see, this picture was sold to us as a special and we had to advance
the price of admission for them to come out on it. Even if it had gone
ever big, our loss on it would have been heavy, but my three sons have
all kinds of confidence in Paramount and they feel confident that this
company will make it satisfactory. (Dixie theatre, Durant, Miss.-General
patronage.)
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November 28-29. The poorest Paramount picture I have played this year,
not much of a story and has the poorest photography imaginable. There is
about 200 feet of technicolor that is very foggy, makes you think your
projectors are out of focus. I advertised this very highly and raised the
price of admission. Only a few came and I was glad of it. Any program picture
that I have run this year is better entertainment than this one. (Cozy
theatre, Duchesne, Utah.-General patronage.)
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Fourteen reels of wasted film. Too bad the exhibitors are compelled to
show those high priced flops. (Harvard theatre, Harvard, Neb.-General patronage.)
West of Zanzibar
MGM. Lon Chaney, Lionel Barrymore, Warner Baxter, Mary Nolan, Jane Daly,
Roscoe Ward, Kalla Pasha, Curtis Nero, 7 reels.
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December 28-29. This picture is well made and holds you, but my, how gruesome!
Quite a number said, "Nothing like his last one. " This picture will not
help "good pictures," nor Lon Chaney. Not a desirable story. (Majestic
theatre, Washington, Kan.-General patronage.)
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An average Chaney, though why he has to make some sort of human freak out
of himself is a mystery, as he is a good enough actor to draw without resorting
to this kind of stuff. (Theatorium, Columbia Falls, Mont.-Small town patronage.)
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December 18-19. This is a show that is extra good. Some of the ladies did
not think so, as it was too gruesome. Fine acting by Chaney. (Adair theatre,
Adair, Ia.-General patronage.)
The Wheel of Chance
First National. Richard Barthelmess, Margaret Livingston, Bodil Rosing,
Warner Oland, Lina Basquette, Ann Schaeffer, Sidney Franklin, Martha Franklin.
7 reels.
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November 2. One of the best Barthelmess pictures that I have played in
years. (Grand theatre, Williamsburg, Ky.-General patronage.)
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December 15. Heavy drama. Good picture of its type, but didn't go over
very well here. (Rose theatre, Surnas, Wash.-Small town patronage.)
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Not as good as The Noose but brought them in. (Elberta theatre,
Brigham, Utah.-General patronage.)
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January 1-2. Fine picture. Dick seems to be coming back in pictures like
the late ones, Noose, Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come and this one.
Very satisfactory. That's the kind of pictures that please most of the
patrons. (Royal theatre, Kimball, S. D.-General patronage.)
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October 21-22. After a rather draggy start, this picks up after the fourth
reel and provides some real entertainment. Dick in a dual role does a splendid
piece of work. This boy is rapidly coming to the fore as a better B.O.
star than he ever was. (Central theatre, Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada.General
patronage.)
While the City Sleeps
MGM. Lon Chaney, Anita Page, Carroll Nye, Wheeler Oakman, Mae Busch, Polly
Moran, 9 reels.
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I think this is the best I ever played and I have played them all. (Star
theatre, Villa Grove, Ill.-General patronage.)
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December 10-11-12. Here is a thriller. Chaney plays the part of a New York
plain clothes man and gives another good performance. Anita Page is in
it but does not stand out as she did in Our Dancing Daughters. Good
entertainment. (Central theatre, Selkirk, Man., Canada.-Small town patronage.)
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October 12. I had come very good comments on this picture. Everybody seemed
to be well pleased with it. Why can't they let Lonney have the girl some
times. That is the only thing a few of my patrons hold against his picture.
They should know better by now. (Institute theatre, Oak Ridge, N.C.-General
patronage.)
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Very good picture that pulled and pleased. Lon Chaney looked like himself
and it seems good to see him that way. Not extra for Sunday in the small
towns. Too much gun play. (Crystal theatre, Wayne, Neb.-General patronage.)
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October 19-20. This is a 1929 picture and a good feature worth showing.
Very different from Chaney's previous pictures as he is a foe to the crooks
of the big city. Plays his part well and pleased a good crowd for two nights
during Tri-State Fair which was only a short distance away. Box office
receipts second to best I have ever had. Drawn out a little longer than
necessary. Better than the usual underworld picture. (Parkview theatre,
Collierville, Tenn.-Small town patronage.)
White Shadows in the South Seas
MGM. Monte Blue, Raquel Torres, Robert Anderson, 9 reels.
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Best south sea so far for us. Unusual and interesting. Business very good.
(Majestic theatre, Washington, Kan.-General patronage.)
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A very good picture that is entertaining as well as educational. It deals
with the native islanders and their activities, principally pearl diving,
the advent of the white man and his influence. Monte Blue gives a very
good performance as the derelict and the ending is quite a big surprise.
It is well worth showing and will get you some extra business, but buy
it right, if you can. (Princess theatre, Lincoln, Kan.-Small town patronage.)
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December 11. Very interesting and held audience in nice shape. Those not
liking this class of picture advised they had no complaint to make, as
acting pleased them so well. Made good entertainment. (Ne-Go theatre, Toronto,
Kan.-General patronage.)
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Dandy picture, but didn't draw. Will stand a raise in price. (Pastime theatre,
Medicine Lodge, Kan.-Small town patronage.)
The Wind
MGM. Lillian Gish, Lars Hanson, Montagu Love, Dorothy Cummings, Edward
Earle, William Orlamond, Laon Ramon, Carmencita Johnson, Billy Kent Schaefer,
8 reels.
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November 25-26. Somewhat depressing picture of a none too interesting sequence
of events in a dreary semi-arid section of the West. Below average in drawing
power and entertainment value for us. Histrionic ability of Miss Gish and
Lars Hanson okay, but picture and story too dreary. First night crowd much
below average and second night didn't pay electricity. (Screenland theatre,
Nevada, O.-Small town patronage.)
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No entertainment to this one. Many told me it was rotten and I agree with
them. Lillian Gish too good an actress and too good-looking to be cast
in a picture with a bunch of rough necks. (Walnut theatre, Lawrenceburg,
Ind.-General patronage.)
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Just so much film. Did not go over at all. Showed to a good crowd, but
did not satisfy. (Sterling theatre, Fairmont, Neb. Small town patronage.)
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This picture did not please. And the drawing power is low. (Majestic theatre,
Washington. Kan.-General patronage.)
Win That Girl
Fox. Sue Carol, David Rollins, Tom Elliott, Roscoe Karns, Olin Francis,
Mack Fluker, Sidney Bracey, Janet McLeod, Maxine Shelly, Betty Recklaw,
6 reels.
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October 19. Just fair, but it fooled me as no football is played here.
Receipts best of any program picture played since last May. Pleased patrons
better than it did me. (Palace theatre, Golden City, Mo.-Small town patronage.)
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A very good feature. A clean story of young college life with a lot of
comedy relief. Football story that will take well where it is played especially.
(Royal theatre, Hopkins, Mo.-General patronage.)
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A fair comedy-drama which begins in 1880 and brings one up to the present
football era. Nothing to rave about. No comments. (Princess theatre, Parkersburg,
Ia.-General patronage.)
Wings
Paramount. Clara Bow, Charles (Buddy) Rogers, Richard Arlen, Gary Cooper,
James Hall, 15 reels.
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October 21-22-23. A great production. Satisfied very well and did a fair
business. Nothing sensational, however, as I had expected to break the
house record. (Empress theatre, Akron, Ia.-General patronage.)
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October 16-17. Of course, the greatest picture of aviation. Although the
percentage is low it was because of a sound equipped house 15 miles from
me playing it two weeks ahead of me. I estimate 75 per cent of my patrons
motored away to see it. It's great though. Have seen it three times and
I'd see it again. (Town Hall theatre, Carmel, Me.-Small town patronage.)
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Good entertainment, well directed and it pleased crowds on four nights.
Our only objection was that Paramount (figuratively speaking) met us at
the door with shotguns in the form of a coupla checkers who seemed willing
enough to extract the shirts from our backs in order to satisfy the insatiable
demands of the producers, after the split was reached. Exploitation expenses,
with overhead and too close a split caused us to record a poor showing
at the box office, hence our "net" wasn't much, and "prestige," that intangible
and illusive thing the film peddlers prate about, fails utterly to provide
beefsteak for our tables. (B.B. theatre, Ashland, Neb.-General patronage.)
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Although this picture drew very well I and was played on Armistice Day
and, of course, fit in well with the civic celebration of the day, yet
it did not create the interest we thought it would and, moreover, 15 reels
is too darn long for any picture. (Crystal theatre, Tombstone, Ariz.-General
patronage.)
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November 16-17-18. A big war picture that will appeal to the men more than
to women. A good story and the war scenes are the best I have ever seen
in any picture. The criticism that I have is that there is not enough comedy
relief and the picture is too long, otherwise it is a real one. (American
theatre, Wautoma, Wis.-Small town patronage.)
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October 27-28. Nothing like it has ever before been produced. Not a dull
second in the entire 15 reels. A number of people saw it both nights and
would have come the third time. When you get ready to play it give it more
publicity than any two pictures you specialed before. The only adverse
criticism was that the subtitles were too small type. (Pioneer theatre,
Amasa, Mich.-Small town patronage.)
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December 3-4-5. A wonderful picture. Paramount spent money on this one
and it goes over big. Business bad. We can't get 50 cent admission prices.
Maybe producers will wake up to the small town situation on high admission
prices some day. (Mazda Theatre Company, Aurora, Neb.-Small town patronage.)
-
December 9-10-11. The best picture we have shown for a long time but we
took an awful flop on it. Our patrons seem to be fed up on war pictures
and it is impossible to get them in when our advertising shows any war
scenes. We took in at the box office only a little more than film rental.
(Grand theatre, Princeton, Mo.-Small town patronage.)
-
October 28-29. Was not what we expected and no one raved about it. We charged
50c. Would have pleased at regular admission. (Plainview theatre, Plainview,
Neb.-General patronage.)
-
Indeed a very good picture and did real business on it in a snowstorm.
Enjoyed very much by all and yet they all say they are tired of war pictures!
(Zorn theatre, Binkelman, Neb.-General patronage.)
-
November 11-12-13. The first picture in a long time that brought nothing
but favorable comments. A story of the aeroplane and the world war, with
some wonderful aeroplane scenes in it. (Sterling theatre, Fairmont, Neb.-Small
town patronage.)
-
The best war picture yet, and regardless of many unfavorable conditions,
we did a good business for a small town. (Opera House, Paw Paw, Ill. -General
patronage.)
-
Great picture that pulled fair, but too long. The chickens were crowing
each morning when we got home. Let's kill the next guy that goes over 10
reels. (Crystal theatre, Wayne, Neb.-General patronage.)
-
January 1-2. Darn good picture, in fact excellent, but tell me, why don't
they make or enforce the law of holdups, burglary, etc. Paramount sure
knows bow to put the price on. Did fairly good business, but Paramount
got most of it. Some of the scenes are hard to beat, acting very good (especially
Rogers and Arlen) and the story good. (Rialto theatre, Bushnell, Ill.-General
patronage.)
-
December 10-11-12. This is a wonderful picture. Drew good business even
on the third day. Star theatre, Villa Grove, Ill.-General patronage.)
-
December 21-22. A very good picture and is as big as it is said to be,
but we didn't do so well with it. School doings first night, second night
a lot better, but not quite enough. (Gent theatre, Greenriver, Utah.-General
patronage.)
-
December 29. This is a good picture. We broke all house records and had
to put the S.R.O. out, the first we have had to put out for years. (Baldwin
theatre, Savage, Md.-General patronage.)
A Woman of Affairs
MGM. Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Hobart Bosworth,
Lewis Stone, Dorothy Sebastian, 8 reels.
-
January 8-9. Did not have many to see this one, a blizzard did the business
but it is a mighty good show, and those that came to see it said so. It
is a little long, but it is all show. (Adair theatre, Adair, Ia.-General
patronage.)
-
January 6-7. Interesting picture. Comments from patrons were that it was
a good picture. Some were slightly disappointed in the ending. However,
from a moral standpoint it could not end otherwise. (H. & S. theatre,
Chandler, Okla.-Small town patronage.)
-
A positive money getter, making you new friends and cementing the old ones.
The finest picture I have ever had the pleasure of playing. (Dayton theatre,
Dayton, O.-General patronage.)
Women They Talk About
Warner Bros. Irene Rich, Audrey Ferris, Claude Gillingwater, Buster Collier,
Jr., 6 reels.
-
A mighty nice comedy-drama, with Claude Gillingwater stealing the picture.
It's good for a lot of laughs. (Sun theatre, Kansas City, Mo.- General
patronage.)
-
Very good. No business. (Russell theatre, Somerset, O.-General patronage.)
The Wright Idea
First National. Johnny Hines, Louise Lorraine, Edmund Breese, Charles Giblyn,
Fred Kelsey, Henry Hebert, Walter James, Betty Egan, Blanche Craig, 6 reels.
-
Very clever comedy. Hines is good. (Bijou theatre, Conway, N. H. -General
patronage.)
-
December 18-19. Nothing to this. Story not much. (Majestic theatre, Washington,
Kan.-General patronage.)
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November 20. Clever and enjoyable comedy. (Pastime theatre, Mason, Mich.-General
patronage.)
"Box Office Record," The Motion Picture Almanac, (Chicago: Quigley Publishing
Company), 1929, pages 196-209.
© 1997, David Pierce, on editing and revisions (if any)
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