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August 1927: Québec

Martin Koerber in his “Notes on the Restoration of Metropolis” stated that a subsequent release was either 2,337m (7,667') or 7,712' (2,351m), or about 79 minutes at 26fps. (See also “Notes on the Proliferation of Metropolis (1927).”) Martin was mostly correct. And I’m sure that his citation of 2,337m was correct, not his citation of 7,712'. The 7,667' edition was mounted onto eight reels, but it was not a subsequent release. It was the same release. The 8,039' edition was censored down to about 8,025' on 7 March 1927 and began to play at the Rialto at that reduced length the following day. It was the 8,025' edition, on 9 reels, that played at cinemas in July and the first half of August 1927, but thereafter Paramount began shipping out only 7,667' prints mounted onto 8 reels. The problem in Québec explains why.



As you can see, there was a switch:





The October issue of Photoplay must have had a street date of 21 September:



Newspapers everywhere picked that up, verbatim:



The film would later be cleared for exhibition in the Province of Québec when its alleged Communist tendencies were removed; specifically, the robot’s dance was excised in its entirety, as were a few moments of the burning of the witch. Congratulations! Now you know what Communism is!

This is what I think happened. Please ponder this carefully. I think you will find my conjecture quite plausible. Paramount Montréal alerted Paramount NYC to the situation, and so Paramount NYC trimmed the negative to match the Québec censor board’s requirements. This was done to prevent future censorship problems. Until this time, the US/Canadian edition of the film had been about 8,025'. Beginning on 13 August 1927, Paramount began to supply exclusively an edition of 7,667'. The earlier prints were already being shipped from town to town and they could not be withdrawn immediately. In the meantime, both the 8,025' 9-reel edition and the 7,667' 8-reel edition were being shown simultaneously. It was probably about six months before the Publix-Paramount staff were able to confiscate all the nine-reel prints and swap them out with the newer eight-reel prints.

By this time, Paramount had already shipped the 10,700+' export negative to Ufa to make prints for Wardour Films of London, and those two sequences were surely intact. It must have been now that Paramount cabled Ufa about the problem and suggested that those cuts be made in the export negative as well. We can now be certain, though, that those two sequences were more or less intact from March through about October. After that, further prints arrived from Ufa, and they were greatly abridged. Indeed, when the movie opened in Australia in April 1928, there was no dance act (or fever scene which was intercut with it) and the immolation scene was noticeably shorter.

So, for the sake of clarity, we can summarize the history of the US negative by means of a table:

DATE FOOTAGE REELS CINEMA @24FPS @26FPS @28FPS
Feb 1926 10,400 12 [not released] 116 min 107 min 99 min
05 Mar 1927 8,039 9 Rialto, NYC 89 min 82 min 77 min
08 Mar 1927 8,025 9 Rialto, NYC 89 min 82 min 77 min
13 Aug 1927 7,667 8 (various) 85 min 78 min 73 min

The eight-reel edition made its first appearance in Columbus, New Orleans, Winnipeg, and maybe Long Beach on Saturday, 13 August 1927 (see Enno Patalas, Metropolis in/aus Trümmern, Berlin: Dieter Bertz Verlag, 2001, p. 174). It could not open in Montréal quite that soon, surely because of tight scheduling.

Prior to the days of Newspapers.com and NewspaperArchive.com and GenealogyBank.com, it would not have been possible to piece this puzzle together.

For the immolation scene, Bradford’s cue 50 would still fit, but there is a problem with the Robot Maria’s dance act at Yoshiwara. That, with its intercutting of Freder/Eric’s fever scene, was cue 35 (В ауле, Dans l’ aloule, In the Village, Кавказские эскизы, Caucasian Sketches, Suite No. 1, 1894, by Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov). So, with the new deletion, cue 35 needed to be scratched out. It would be most interesting to find a copy of Bradford’s cues with the corresponding cancelation.

Now let us continue with the US/Canadian bookings, or, rather, the few that I can find, and you will notice that the nine-reel edition still pops up once in a while, even as late as the end of 1927. Of course, cinema owners were often careless in their comments and they frequently got reel counts wrong. That is why some owners reported that the film was seven reels rather than eight or nine. So, we need to take these reports with a grain of salt.

OPENING CITY CINEMA RUN
Mon 01 Aug 1927 Richmond, VA LYRIC 6 days
Thu 04 Aug 1927 Los Ángeles, CA METROPOLITAN 7 days
Fri 05 Aug 1927 Atlantic City, NJ Stanley 4 days
Sun 07 Aug 1927 Atlanta, GA RIALTO 7 days
Sun 07 Aug 1927 Davenport, IA Garden 4 days
Mon 08 Aug 1927 Macon, GA Capitol (review, comment) 2 days
Wed 10 Aug 1927 Bakersfield, CA California 2 days

In response to the censor problems in Québec, Paramount chopped the negative even more, reducing it from 8,039' to 7,667'. The film was now 8 reels rather than 9, and this newer, shorter edition was first seen on 13 August. Since several 9-reel prints were already circulating, it would be rather a while, probably the end of the year, before Paramount and Publix were able to trace them all down, confiscate them, and replace them with 8-reel prints.

Sat 13 Aug 1927 Columbus, OH JAMES’ GRAND 7 days
Sat 13 Aug 1927 New Orleans, LA STRAND 14 days
Sat 13 Aug 1927 Long Beach, CA IMPERIAL 7 days
Sat 13 Aug 1927 Winnipeg, MB METROPOLITAN 7 days
Sun 14 Aug 1927 Allentown, PA Strand 7 days
Mon 15 Aug 1927 Norfolk, VA GRANBY 6 days
Mon 15 Aug 1927 Ocean Park, CA Rosemary 2 days
Wed 17 Aug 1927 Little Rock, AR Royal 2 days
Wed 17 Aug 1927 Tulsa, OK Ritz 4 days
Thu 18 Aug 1927 Boston, MA Lancaster 2 days
Thu 18 Aug 1927 Boston, MA University 3 days
Fri 19 Aug 1927 Portland, OR COLUMBIA 14 days
Sat 20 Aug 1927 Oakland, CA American 6 days
Sun 21 Aug 1927 Harrisburg, PA VICTORIA 7 days
Sun 21 Aug 1927 Philadelphia, PA ARCADIA 14 days
Sun 21 Aug 1927 Pittsburgh, PA Grand 7 days
Sun 21 Aug 1927 Pittsburgh, PA Liberty 7 days
Sun 21 Aug 1927 Akron, OH STRAND 7 days
Mon 22 Aug 1927 Reading, PA State 6 days
Mon 22 Aug 1927 Atlanta, GA Howard — CANCELED —
Mon 22 Aug 1927 Palo Alto, CA New Stanford 3 days
Wed 24 Aug 1927 Fresno, CA Liberty 1 day
Wed 24 Aug 1927 Glendora, CA Mission 2 days
Wed 24 Aug 1927 San José, CA Mission 4 days
Sat 27 Aug 1927 Santa Mónica, CA Criterion 2 days
Sat 27 Aug 1927 Salt Lake, UT PARAMOUNT-EMPRESS 4 days


The blue-ink rubber stamp is difficult to read, but it says
“AT NEW THEATRE, SUN & MON, AUG 28&29.”
New was a common name for cinemas.
So, where precisely was this New Theatre?
Sun 28 Aug 1927 Paterson, NJ Rivoli 7 days
Sun 28 Aug 1927 Pittsburgh, PA Stahl 4 days
Sun 28 Aug 1927 San Diego, CA West Coast Balboa 5 days
Mon 29 Aug 1927 Brandon, MB Capitol 3 days
Mon 29 Aug 1927 Burlington, VT Majestic 2 days
Mon 29 Aug 1927 Wilkinsburg, PA Rowland 3 days
Mon 29 Aug 1927 Scranton, PA Poli’s 6 days
Mon 29 Aug 1927 Hutchinson, KS Royal 3 days
Wed 31 Aug 1927 Las Vegas, NV Majestic Airdome 1 day
Thu 01 Sep 1927 Binghamton, NY Binghamton 4 days
Thu 01 Sep 1927 Newburgh, NY Broadway 3 days
Thu 01 Sep 1927 Lebanon, PA Academy of Music 3 days
Fri 02 Sep 1927 Key West, FL Monroe 2 days
Fri 02 Sep 1927 Pensacola, FL Saenger 2 days
Fri 02 Sep 1927 Hollywood, CA GRAUMAN’S EGYPTIAN 7 days
Fri 02 Sep 1927 Pasadena, CA Colorado 8 days
Sat 03 Sep 1927 Ottawa, ON Regent 7 days
Sun 04 Sep 1927 Buffalo, NY SHEA’S HIPPODROME 7 days
Sun 04 Sep 1927 Nashville, TN Knickerbocker 7 days
Mon 05 Sep 1927 Covington, VA Strand 2 days
Mon 05 Sep 1927 Columbia, SC Ideal 2 days
Mon 05 Sep 1927 Biloxi, MS (comment) Saenger’s Strand 4 days
Mon 05 Sep 1927 Wichita, KS Miller 3 days

Charcoal: Lionel S. Reiss.
Mon 05 Sep 1927 North Hollywood, CA El Portal 2 days
Mon 05 Sep 1927 San Anselmo, CA Tamalpais 2 days
Tue 06 Sep 1927 Saskatoon, SK Daylight 2 days
Tue 06 Sep 1927 Council Bluffs, IA Broadway 2 days
Tue 06 Sep 1927 Austin, TX Queen 2 days

This is adapted (by whom?) from Lionel S. Reiss’s charcoal of 5 March.
Tue 06 Sep 1927 La Habra, CA Garden 2 days
Wed 07 Sep 1927 Chambersburg, PA Capitol 2 days
Wed 07 Sep 1927 Spartanburg, SC Rex 2 days
Wed 07 Sep 1927 Tipton, IN Martz 2 days
Wed 07 Sep 1927 Bozeman, MT Ellen 2 days
Wed 07 Sep 1927 Chickasha, OK Rialto 2 days
Wed 07 Sep 1927 Berkeley, CA UC 4 days
Wed 07 Sep 1927 Redondo Beach, CA Capitol 2 days
Thu 08 Sep 1927 Pittsfield, MA Capitol 7 days
Thu 08 Sep 1927 Washington, DC Tivoli 2 days
Thu 08 Sep 1927 Sumter, SC Rex 1 day
Thu 08 Sep 1927 Santa Bárbara, CA Granada 3 days
Fri 09 Sep 1927 Augusta, ME Johnson Opera House 1 day
Fri 09 Sep 1927 Rockville, MD Soco 2 days
Sat 10 Sep 1927 Balboa, CA Balboa 1 day
Sun 11 Sep 1927 Cincinnati, OH WALNUT 7 days
Sun 11 Sep 1927 Washington, IN Liberty 2 days
Sun 11 Sep 1927 Arvada, CO Arvada 1 day
Mon 12 Sep 1927 Pittsburgh, PA Garden 3 days
Mon 12 Sep 1927 Pittsburgh, PA Schenley 2 days
Mon 12 Sep 1927 Wilkes-Barre, PA Poli’s 6 days
Mon 12 Sep 1927 Cocoa, FL Aladdin 1 day
Mon 12 Sep 1927 Emporia, KS Royal 2 days
Mon 12 Sep 1927 San Pedro, CA Cabrillo 3 days
Tue 13 Sep 1927 Oxnard, CA Victory 2 days
Wed 14 Sep 1927 Buffalo, NY Shea’s Kensington 2 days
Wed 14 Sep 1927 Paoli, IN Strand 2 days
Wed 14 Sep 1927 South Bend, IN New Blackstone 4 days
Thu 15 Sep 1927 Passaic, NJ Capitol 4 days
Thu 15 Sep 1927 White Plains, NY Loew’s State 3 days
Thu 15 Sep 1927 Columbus, OH Eastern 2 days
Fri 16 Sep 1927 New Rochelle, NY Loew’s New Rochelle 2 days
Fri 16 Sep 1927 Mount Vernon, NY Loew’s Mt. Vernon 2 days
Fri 16 Sep 1927 Indiana, PA Ritz 2 days
Sat 17 Sep 1927 Galveston, TX Queen 3 days
Sat 17 Sep 1927 San Luis Obispo, CA Elmo 1 day
Sun 18 Sep 1927 Hartford, CT Poli’s Capitol 4 days
Sun 18 Sep 1927 Philadelphia, PA Victoria 5 days
Sun 18 Sep 1927 Washington, DC Crandall’s Apollo 2 days
Sun 18 Sep 1927 Detroit, MI Regent 7 days
Sun 18 Sep 1927 Kansas City, MO Warwick 2 days
Sun 18 Sep 1927 McCook, NE Temple 3 days
Sun 18 Sep 1927 El Paso, TX Ellanay 4 days
Mon 19 Sep 1927 Winnipeg, MB Bijou 6 days
Mon 19 Sep 1927 Rutland, VT Grand 1 day
Mon 19 Sep 1927 Lancaster, PA Capitol 6 days
Mon 19 Sep 1927 Latrobe, PA Olympic 2 days
Mon 19 Sep 1927 Wilmington, DE Aldine 5 days
Mon 19 Sep 1927 Huntington, IN Jefferson 2 days
Mon 19 Sep 1927 West Hollywood, CA Carmel 2 days
Tue 20 Sep 1927 Washington, DC Crandall’s Avenue Grand 2 days
Tue 20 Sep 1927 Montgomery, AL Strand 2 days
Tue 20 Sep 1927 Columbus, OH Vernon 2 days
Tue 20 Sep 1927 Martinez, CA Novelty 2 days
Wed 21 Sep 1927 New Britain, CT Capitol 3 days
Wed 21 Sep 1927 Yonkers, NY Strand 3 days
Wed 21 Sep 1927 Buffalo, NY Shea’s North Park 2 days
Wed 21 Sep 1927 Pittsburgh, PA Triangle 2 days
Wed 21 Sep 1927 Jackson, MS Majestic 2 days
Wed 21 Sep 1927 Kansas City, MO Linwood 2 days
Wed 21 Sep 1927 Los Ángeles, CA Highland 3 days
Thu 22 Sep 1927 Kitchener, ON Capitol 2 days
Thu 22 Sep 1927 Fitchburg, MA Shea’s 3 days
Thu 22 Sep 1927 Port Chester, NY Capitol 3 days
Thu 22 Sep 1927 Lehighton, PA Greater Park 1 day
Thu 22 Sep 1927 Kansas City, MO Isis 3 days
Sun 20 Nov 1927 Spokane, WA Rialto 3 days
Sun 25 Sep 1927 Washington, DC Crandall’s Chevy Chase 1 day
Sun 25 Sep 1927 Washington, DC Crandall’s Home 1 day
Sun 25 Sep 1927 Louisville, KY MAJESTIC 7 days
Mon 26 Sep 1927 Calgary, AB Palace (review) 6 days
Mon 26 Sep 1927 Winnipeg, MB Osborne 3 days
Mon 26 Sep 1927 Allentown, PA Lotus 2 days
Mon 26 Sep 1927 Chester, PA Stanley 1 day
Mon 26 Sep 1927 Derry, PA Gem 2 days
Mon 26 Sep 1927 Pittsburgh, PA Plaza 2 days
Mon 26 Sep 1927 Uniontown, PA State 2 days
Mon 26 Sep 1927 Richmond, IN Tivoli 2 days
Mon 26 Sep 1927 Racine, WI Rialto 3 days
Tue 27 Sep 1927 Washington, DC Crandall’s Central 2 days
Tue 27 Sep 1927 Owosso, MI Strand 2 days
Tue 27 Sep 1927 Kansas City, MO Benton 2 days
Tue 27 Sep 1927 Kansas City, MO Rockhill 1 day
Wed 28 Sep 1927 Bangor, ME Opera House 2 days
Wed 28 Sep 1927 Detroit, MI Annex 2 days
Thu 29 Sep 1927 Hollywood, CA Paramount 1 day?
Fri 30 Sep 1927 Myerstown, PA Majestic 2 days
Sun 02 Oct 1927 Los Ángeles, CA York 2 days
Mon 03 Oct 1927 Owen Sound, ON Classic 2 days
Mon 03 Oct 1927 Knoxville, TN Strand 3 days
Mon 03 Oct 1927 Enid, OK Criterion 2 days
Mon 03 Oct 1927 Hollywood, CA Vista 2 days
Tue 04 Oct 1927 Washington, DC York 1 day
Tue 04 Oct 1927 Oshkosh, WI Oshkosh 3 days
Tue 04 Oct 1927 Kansas City, MO Ocaso 2 days
Wed 05 Oct 1927 Buffalo, NY Commodore 2 days
Wed 05 Oct 1927 Perkasie, PA Plaza 1 day
Wed 05 Oct 1927 Columbus, GA Grand (review) 2 days
Wed 05 Oct 1927 Mason City, IA Palace 2 days
Wed 05 Oct 1927 Los Ángeles, CA Royal 2 days
Thu 06 Oct 1927 Greensboro, NC National 2 days
Thu 06 Oct 1927 Kansas City, MO Bagdad 1 day
Thu 06 Oct 1927 Seattle, WA Columbia 8 days
Fri 07 Oct 1927 Dothan, AL Alcazar 2 days
Oct 1927? Shenandoah, PA Lyric ???
Fri 07 Oct 1927 Coshocton, OH Sixth Street 2 days
Sat 08 Oct 1927 Sioux City, IA Princess 4 days
Sun 09 Oct 1927 Adrian, MI Croswell 3 days
Sun 09 Oct 1927 Ann Arbor, MI Arcade 4 days
Mon 10 Oct 1927 Montréal, PQ PALACE (reviews) 6 days

The top half is an August ad, but the bottom half is a March/April ad.
Clearly, someone on the cinema staff did a cut-and-paste.
Mon 10 Oct 1927 Windsor, ON Capitol 3 days
Mon 10 Oct 1927 Augusta, ME Colonial 2 days
Mon 10 Oct 1927 Oneonta, NY Palace 2 days
Mon 10 Oct 1927 Milton, PA Bijou 2 days
Mon 10 Oct 1927 Fort Collins, CO America 2 days
Tue 11 Oct 1927 Washington, DC Crandall’s Colony 1 day
Tue 11 Oct 1927 Staunton, VA New 2 days
Tue 11 Oct 1927 Tampa, FL Strand 3 days
Tue 11 Oct 1927 Pomona, CA Holmes Hall 2 days
Wed 12 Oct 1927 Kansas City, MO Central 1 day
Wed 12 Oct 1927 Kansas City, MO Colonial 1 day
Wed 12 Oct 1927 Kansas City, MO Tivoli 1 day
Wed 12 Oct 1927 Kansas City, MO Vista 1 day
Wed 12 Oct 1927 Webster Groves, MO Ozark 2 days
Thu 13 Oct 1927 Richmond, VA Brookland 2 days
Fri 14 Oct 1927 Williamsport, PA Majestic 3 days
Fri 14 Oct 1927 Spokane, WA CLEMMER 8 days

The graphic is from March/April, but the logo is from August.
Once again, someone on the cinema staff did a cut-and-paste.
Sun 16 Oct 1927 North Adams, MA Atlas 2 days
Sun 16 Oct 1927 Rochester, NY EASTMAN 7 days

This graphic seems to have been sketched by someone on Eastman payroll.
Sun 16 Oct 1927 Saginaw, MI Franklin 4 days
Sun 16 Oct 1927 Flint, MI REGENT 7 days
Sun 16 Oct 1927 Le Mars, IA Royal 3 days
Sun 16 Oct 1927 San Pedro, CA Strand 2 days
Mon 17 Oct 1927 Montclair, NJ WellMont (Stanley) 3 days
Mon 17 Oct 1927 Cumberland, MD Strand 3 days
Mon 17 Oct 1927 Marysville, KS Liberty 2 days
Tue 18 Oct 1927 Hackensack, NJ Oritani 2 days
Tue 18 Oct 1927 Oneonta, NY Sidney 1 day?
Tue 18 Oct 1927 Harrison, NY Biltmore 3 days
Wed 19 Oct 1927 Raleigh, NC State 2 days
Wed 19 Oct 1927 Fayetteville, TN Princess 2 days
Wed 19 Oct 1927 St. Helena, CA Liberty 2 days
Thu 20 Oct 1927 Weston, ON Oakwood 3 days
Ah! An artist’s signature!!!!! The name seems to be McNab. Underneath is “1927.” Was this McNab person the graphic artist who created all the ads in the press book(s)? I doubt it. I bet this McNab person was on staff at the Oakwood, and that s/he did a collage of two ads from the press book and then added the the wavy circle and the new logo.
Fri 21 Oct 1927 Vero Beach, FL Vero Beach 1 day
Fri 21 Oct 1927 Kansas City, MO Prospect 1 day
Fri 21 Oct 1927 Lompoc, CA Lompoc 2 days
Sat 22 Oct 1927 Washington, DC Circle 1 day
Sat 22 Oct 1927 Minneapolis, MN STRAND 7 days
Sat 22 Oct 1927 Kansas City, MO Gillham 1 day
Sat 22 Oct 1927 Palo Alto, CA California 1 day
Sun 23 Oct 1927 Kansas City, MO Ellsworth 2 days
Mon 24 Oct 1927 Camden, NJ Princess (Stanley) 2 days
Mon 24 Oct 1927 Morristown, NJ Jersey 3 days
Mon 24 Oct 1927 Titusville, PA Orpheum 2 days
Mon 24 Oct 1927 Kansas City, MO South Troost 1 day
Mon 24 Oct 1927 Lawrence, MO Bowersock 3 days
Mon 24 Oct 1927 San Bernardino, CA West Coast 2 days
Mon 24 Oct 1927 Ridgewood, NJ Playhouse (Stanley) 3 days
Tue 25 Oct 1927 Washington, DC Dumbarton 1 day
Tue 25 Oct 1927 Kansas City, MO Ritz 1 day
Tue 25 Oct 1927 Pawhuska, OK Kihekah
Wed 26 Oct 1927 Waterville, ME Opera House 2 days
Wed 26 Oct 1927 Buffalo, NY Riverside 2 days
Wed 26 Oct 1927 Buffalo, NY Colonial 2 days
Wed 26 Oct 1927 St. Petersburg, FL Pheil 2 days
Thu 27 Oct 1927 Little Rock, AR Prospect 1 day
CANCELED St. Johnsbury, VT Cray’s ★ —
Fri 28 Oct 1927 Washington, DC Ambassador 1 day
Fri 28 Oct 1927 Kansas City, MO Murray 1 day
Fri 28 Oct 1927 Little Rock, AR New 1 day
Fri 28 Oct 1927 Austin, TX Texas 2 days
La Grande, OR Arcade 2 days
Fri 28 Oct 1927 Portland, OR Hollywood 2 days
Sat 29 Oct 1927 Cleveland, OH CAMEO 15 days
Sun 30 Oct 1927 Dubuque, IA Strand 4 days
Sun 30 Oct 1927 Dallas, TX OLD MILL 4 days
Mon 31 Oct 1927 Vancouver, BC Strand (review) 5 days
Mon 31 Oct 1927 Collingswood, NJ Crescent 2 days
Mon 31 Oct 1927 Plainfield, NJ Oxford 3 days
Mon 31 Oct 1927 Westmont, NJ Westmont 2 days
Mon 31 Oct 1927 Baltimore, MD LOEW’S CENTURY 7 days
Mon 31 Oct 1927 Bayonne, NJ DeWitt (Stanley) 3 days
Mon 31 Oct 1927 Danville, VA Capitol 2 days
Tue 01 Nov 1927 Hinton, WV Temple 2 days
Tue 01 Nov 1927 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine 2 days
Tue 01 Nov 1927 Hollywood, CA Larchmont 2 days
Wed 02 Nov 1927 Montclair, NJ Bellevue 2 days
Wed 02 Nov 1927 Washington, DC Crandall’s Savoy 1 day
Wed 02 Nov 1927 New Iberia, LA Elks 2 days
Thu 03 Nov 1927 Manhattan, NY American 2 days
Thu 03 Nov 1927 Charleston, WV Virginian 3 days
Thu 03 Nov 1927 Bradenton, FL Palace 1 day
Thu 03 Nov 1927 Murphysboro, IL Hippo 2 days
Fri 04 Nov 1927 Atlantic City, NJ Colonial 1 day
Fri 04 Nov 1927 Cincinnati, OH Orpheum 1 day
Sat 05 Nov 1927 Kenmore, NY Kenmore 1 day
Sat 05 Nov 1927 Cincinnati, OH Freeman 1 day
Sat 05 Nov 1927 Cincinnati, OH National 1 day
Sat 05 Nov 1927 Kansas City, MO Sun 1 day
Nov 1927? Monticello, WI Karlen ???
Nov 1927? Knox, IN Fairy 2 days
Nov 1927? Lafayette, AL City ???
Sat 05 Nov 1927 Fort Worth, TX Hippodrome 4 days
Sun 06 Nov 1927 Schenectady, NY Proctor’s 4 days
Sun 06 Nov 1927 Washington, DC American 1 day
Sun 06 Nov 1927 St. Joseph, MO Electric 4 days
Sun 06 Nov 1927 Lincoln, CA Strand 2 days
Mon 07 Nov 1927 Victoria, BC Capitol 6 days
Mon 07 Nov 1927 Frederick, MD Tivoli 2 days
Mon 07 Nov 1927 Portsmouth, VA Tivoli 3 days
Mon 07 Nov 1927 Cincinnati, OH Park 2 days
Mon 07 Nov 1927 Mattoon, IL Mattoon 1 day
Mon 07 Nov 1927 Big Spring, TX R and R Lyric 2 days
Tue 08 Nov 1927 Cincinnati, OH Nordland 2 days
Tue 08 Nov 1927 Seminole, OK Ritz 2 days
Tue 08 Nov 1927 Los Ángeles, CA Rampart 2 days
Tue 08 Nov 1927 Petaluma, CA Mystic 2 days
Wed 09 Nov 1927 Monongahela, PA Anton 2 days
Thu 10 Nov 1927 Buffalo, NY Roosevelt 3 days
Thu 10 Nov 1927? Macon, GA Criterion 1 day
Thu 10 Nov 1927 Sarasota, FL Sarasota 1 day
Nov 1927? Anderson, IN Riviera ???
Sat 12 Nov 1927 Montréal, PQ Français 3 days
Sat 12 Nov 1927 Albany, NY PROCTOR’S GRAND 5 days
Sat 12 Nov 1927 Denver, CO Ogden 3 days
Sat 12 Nov 1927 Hanford, CA Golden State 1 day
Sun 13 Nov 1927 Cincinnati, OH Columbia 1 day
Sun 13 Nov 1927 Kansas City, MO Belmont 2 days
Mon 14 Nov 1927 North Vancouver, BC Lonsdale 3 days
Mon 14 Nov 1927 Westwood, NJ Westwood 3 days
Mon 14 Nov 1927 Altoona, PA Strand 6 days
Mon 14 Nov 1927 Blackwell, OK Palace
Wed 16 Nov 1927 Buffalo, NY Victoria 2 days
Wed 16 Nov 1927 Washington, DC Jesse 1 day
Wed 16 Nov 1927 Rapid City, SD Elks 2 days
Wed 16 Nov 1927 Grand Junction, CO Avalon 3 days
Thu 17 Nov 1927 Bronxville, NY Bronxville 2 days
Fri 17 Nov 1927 Newport News, VA Rialto 2 days
Thu 17 Nov 1927 Kansas City, MO Circle 1 day
Thu 17 Nov 1927 Kansas City, MO Highland 1 day
Sat 19 Nov 1927 Montréal, PQ Regent 2 days
Sat 19 Nov 1927 Visalia, CA Visalia 1 day
Sun 20 Nov 1927 Los Ángeles, CA Moon 3 days
Sun 20 Nov 1927 Pomona, CA West Coast California 3 days
Mon 21 Nov 1927 Macleod, AB Empress 2 days
Mon 21 Nov 1927 Canonsburg, PA Beedle’s Alhambra 2 days
Mon 21 Nov 1927 Freeland, PA Refowich 2 days
Mon 21 Nov 1927 Stuart, FL New Lyric 1 day
Mon 21 Nov 1927 McComb, MS State 2 days
Mon 21 Nov 1927 Menard, TX Mission 1 day
Mon 21 Nov 1927 San Francisco, CA Alexandria 5 days
Wed 23 Nov 1927 Buffalo, NY Granada 3 days
Wed 23 Nov 1927 Franklin, KY Victor 1 day
Thu 24 Nov 1927 Montréal, PQ Amherst 3 days
Thu 24 Nov 1927 Washington, DC Sidney Lust’s Hippodrome 1 day
Thu 24 Nov 1927 Sebastopol, CA Royal 2 days
Sat 26 Nov 1927 Kansas City, MO Waldo 1 day
Sun 27 Nov 1927 Reno, NV Majestic 3 days
Mon 28 Nov 1927 Stamford, CT Palace 3 days
Mon 28 Nov 1927 New Orleans, LA Capitol 2 days
Mon 28 Nov 1927 Tracy, CA Grand 2 days
Mon 28 Nov 1927 Tulare, CA Tulare 2 days
Tue 29 Nov 1927 Blaine, BC Ivan-L 3 days
Tue 29 Nov 1927 Columbus, GA Lyric 1 day
Tue 29 Nov 1927 New Orleans, LA Escorial 2 days
Tue 29 Nov 1927 New Orleans, LA Fine Arts 2 days
Wed 30 Nov 1927 Montréal, PQ Papineau 2 days
Wed 30 Nov 1927 Lewiston, ME Empire 2 days
Thu 01 Dec 1927 Kingston, ON Capitol 3 days
Thu 01 Dec 1927 Condon, OR Liberty 1 day
Thu 01 Dec 1927 New Orleans, LA Piety 2 days
Thu 01 Dec 1927 Roseville, CA Roseville 2 days
Fri 02 Dec 1927 Montréal, PQ Belmont 2 days
Fri 02 Dec 1927 Silver Spring, MD Seco 1 day
Sat 03 Dec 1927 Minneapolis, MN Grand 7 days
Sat 03 Dec 1927 Oakland, CA Broadway 1 day
Sun 04 Dec 1927 Washington, DC Leader 1 day
Sun 04 Dec 1927 Bakersfield, CA Rex 2 days
Mon 05 Dec 1927 Washington, DC Elite 1 day
Mon 05 Dec 1927 Baltimore, MD Aurora 2 days
Mon 05 Dec 1927 Baltimore, MD Boulevard 2 days
Mon 05 Dec 1927 Charleston, SC Garden 2 days
Mon 05 Dec 1927 Cincinnati, OH Fairview 1 day
Mon 05 Dec 1927 New Orleans, LA Fern 2 days
Mon 05 Dec 1927 New Orleans, LA Isis 2 days
Tue 06 Dec 1927 Minneapolis, MN Rialto 2 days
Tue 06 Dec 1927 Kansas City, MO Westport 1 day
Wed 07 Dec 1927 New Orleans, LA Mecca 2 days
Wed 07 Dec 1927 New Orleans, LA Carrollton 2 days
Thu 08 Dec 1927 Boise, ID Pinney 2 days
Thu 08 Dec 1927 Twin Falls, ID Idaho 2 days
Fri 09 Dec 1927 Minneapolis, MN Loring 2 days
Fri 09 Dec 1927 New Orleans, LA Washington 1 day
Sun 11 Dec 1927 Mansfield, OH Majestic 4 days
Mon 12 Dec 1927 Winnipeg, MB Tivoli 3 days
Mon 12 Dec 1927 Edmonton, AB Monarch 3 days
Mon 12 Dec 1927 Schenectady, NY Pearl 2 days
Mon 12 Dec 1927 Schenectady, NY Rivoli 1 day
Mon 12 Dec 1927 Freeport, IL Lindo 3 days
Mon 12 Dec 1927 Otoe, NE Palace 2 days
Mon 12 Dec 1927 New Orleans, LA Granada 2 days
Mon 12 Dec 1927 New Orleans, LA Rivoli 2 days
Mon 12 Dec 1927 Dunsmuir, CA California 2 days
Mon 12 Dec 1927 Selma, CA Selma 2 days
Tue 13 Dec 1927 Cincinnati, OH Fairview 1 day
Tue 13 Dec 1927 Minneapolis, MN Lagoon 3 days
Tue 13 Dec 1927 Havre, MT Orpheum
Tue 13 Dec 1927 Kansas City, MO Baltis 1 day
Tue 13 Dec 1927 Eagle Rock, CA Sugar’s Eagle Rock 2 days
Wed 14 Dec 1927 Montréal, PQ Rosemont 2 days
Wed 14 Dec 1927 Baltimore, MD Ritz 2 days
Wed 14 Dec 1927 Minneapolis, MN American 1 day
Wed 14 Dec 1927 Kansas City, MO St. John 1 day
Thu 15 Dec 1927 Baltimore, MD Walbrook 1 day
Thu 15 Dec 1927 Kansas City, MO Maple 1 day
Thu 15 Dec 1927 Muskogee, OK Palace 3 days
Sun 18 Dec 1927 Montréal, PQ Lord Nelson & Napoléon Palace 3 days
Sun 18 Dec 1927 Rochester, NY Victoria 5 days
Sun 18 Dec 1927 Schenectady, NY Barcli 1 day
Sun 18 Dec 1927 Aberdeen, SD Capitol 3 days
Sun 18 Dec 1927 Waterloo, IA Strand 4 days
CANCELED Portland, ME Empire ——
Mon 19 Dec 1927 Cincinnati, OH Clifton 1 day
Mon 19 Dec 1927 New Orleans, LA Arcade 2 days
Mon 19 Dec 1927 San Francisco, CA Washington 2 days
Mon 19 Dec 1927 Chehalis, WA St. Helens 3 days
Mon 19 Dec 1927 Schenectady, NY Lincoln 2 days
Tue 20 Dec 1927 Columbus, OH Hollywood 2 days
Thu 21 Dec 1927 Summit, NJ Roth-Strand 2 days
Wed 21 Dec 1927 Buffalo, NY Elmwood 3 days
Wed 21 Dec 1927 San Francisco, CA Plaza 2 days
Wed 21 Dec 1927 Bellingham, WA Mt. Baker 2 days
Thu 22 Dec 1927 Elmira, NY Strand 3 days
Thu 22 Dec 1927 Hamilton, OH Palace 3 days
Fri 23 Dec 1927 Schenectady, NY American 1 day
Sun 25 Dec 1927 Stamford, CT Springdale 1 day
Sun 25 Dec 1927 Washington, DC New Stanton 1 day
Sun 25 Dec 1927 Casper, WY Rialto 2 days
Mon 26 Dec 1927 Madison, NJ Lyon’s Madison 2 days
Sun 25 Dec 1927 Portland, OR Bob White 1 day
Mon 26 Dec 1927 Metropolis, IL Illinois 1 day

A Hip Wiggler? The hip wiggling was only in the nine-reel edition.
Tue 27 Dec 1927 Plainville, CT Strand 1 day?
Tue 27 Dec 1927 Seattle, WA Strand 7 days
Wed 28 Dec 1927 Orlando, FL Grand 2 days
Wed 28 Dec 1927 New Orleans, LA New Lyceum 1 day
Thu 29 Dec 1927 Clarksdale, MS Marion 1 day
Fri 30 Dec 1927 Burlington, VT Richmond 1 day
Fri 30 Dec 1927 Bayonne, NJ Strand 2 days
Sun 01 Jan 1928 King City, CA Reel Joy 1 day
Mon 02 Jan 1928 Brantford, ON Temple (PR) 3 days
Mon 02 Jan 1928 Manhattan, KS Wareham 3 days
Mon 02 Jan 1928 Needles, CA Liberty 2 days
Wed 04 Jan 1928 East Moline, IL Majestic 2 days
Wed 04 Jan 1928 Miami, OK Glory B 2 days
Wed 04 Jan 1928 Sacramento, CA CAPITOL 4 days
Wed 04 Jan 1928 Seattle, WA Capitol 3 days
Thu 05 Jan 1928 Logan, UT Capitol 3 days
Thu 05 Jan 1928 Corvallis, OR Whiteside 2 days
Thu 05 Jan 1928 Klamath Falls, OR Pine Tree 2 days
Sun 08 Jan 1928 Phoenix, AZ COLUMBIA 4 days
Mon 09 Jan 1928 Pottsville, PA Hippodrome 3 days
Mon 09 Jan 1928 Baltimore, MD Red Wing 2 days
Mon 09 Jan 1928 Lexington, NC Youngs 2 days
Wed 11 Jan 1928 Bucyrus, OH Southern 2 days
Wed 11 Jan 1928 Monticello, IN Strand 2 days
Thu 12 Jan 1928 Princeton, IN Noble 2 days
Fri 13 Jan 1928 Santa Cruz, CA Santa Cruz 3 days
Mon 15 Jan 1928 Elk City, OK Rex 2 days
Tue 17 Jan 1928 Winnipeg, MB Rose (Allied) 3 days
Thu 19 Jan 1928 Washington, DC Carolina 1 day
Fri 20 Jan 1928 Washington, DC Circle 1 day
Fri 20 Jan 1928 San Francisco, CA Riviera 1 day
Mon 23 Jan 1928 Winnipeg, MB Plaza (Allied) 3 days
Thu 26 Jan 1928 Vernon, BC Empress 2 days
Fri 27 Jan 1928 Bennington, VT Opera House 2 days
Sat 28 Jan 1928 Regina, SK Rex 4 days
Mon 30 Jan 1928 Valdosta, GA Strand 1 day
Mon 30 Jan 1928 Green Bay, WI SAXE’S STRAND 5 days
Wed 01 Feb 1928 Barre, VT Park 1 day
Wed 01 Feb 1928 Kane, PA Temple 2 days
Wed 01 Feb 1928 Baltimore, MD Capitol 1 day
Sun 05 Feb 1928 Stockton, CA State 3 days
Note the curtain times. The movie was no more than 75 minutes, projected at at least 103'/min., or a tad over 27fps. Most likely it was projected at 105'/min., 28fps, for a running time of just over 73 minutes. The extra minute was devoted to the curtain closing and the first vaud act setting up behind that curtain. The movie was reduced from a towering epic to a toss-away quickie that served only to introduce five acts of vaudeville.
Mon 06 Feb 1928 Lubbock, TX Lindsey 2 days
Tue 07 Feb 1928 Lexington, KY Kentucky 5 days
Wed 08 Feb 1928 Atlanta, GA Palace 1 day
Wed 08 Feb 1928 Atlanta, GA West End 1 day
Thu 09 Feb 1928 Lexington, KY Kentucky 3 days
Thu 09 Feb 1928 Seattle, WA Gala 2 days
Fri 10 Feb 1928 San Francisco, CA Roosevelt 1 day
Sun 12 Feb 1928 Ithaca, NY Crescent (review) 2 days
Mon 13 Feb 1928 Sault St. Marie, ON Algoma 3 days
Mon 13 Feb 1928 Springfield, VT Ideal 1 day


We know it was at the Isis in Lockney, which is not listed at CinemaTreasures.
We know it was a Monday/Tuesday, but we don’s which Monday/Tuesday.
Tue 14 Feb 1928 Lone Wolf, OK Liberty 2 days
Tue 14 Feb 1928 Seattle, WA State 1 day
Wed 15 Feb 1928 Randolph, VT Strand 1 day
Wed 15 Feb 1928 White River Jct, VT Lyric 1 day
Wed 15 Feb 1928 Atlanta, GA Tenth Street 1 day
Thu 16 Feb 1928 Bangor, ME Strand 1 day
Thu 16 Feb 1928 Indianapolis, IN Ohio 1 day
Mon 20 Feb 1928 Sacramento, CA Sequoia 1 day
Tue 21 Feb 1928 Glens Falls, NY Rialto 2 days
Tue 28 Feb 1928 Reno, NV Nevada (134 E 2nd St) 1 day
Tue 28 Feb 1928 San Pedro, CA Barton 2 days
Thu 01 Mar 1928 Green River, UT Gem 1 day
Thu 01 Mar 1928 St. Albans, VT Empire 1 day
Mon 05 Mar 1928 Winnipeg, MB Garden (Allied) 3 days
Wed 07 Mar 1928 Baltimore, MD Columbia 1 day
Thu 08 Mar 1928 Washington, DC Sidney Lust’s Hippodrome 1 day
Thu 08 Mar 1928 Champlain, IL Rialto 1 day
Mon 12 Mar 1928 Atlanta, GA Madison 1 day
Mon 12 Mar 1928 Atlanta, GA Madison 1 day
Tue 13 Mar 1928 Ludington, MI Lyric 2 days
Wed 14 Mar 1928 Wallingford, CT Wilkinson 1 day
Wed 14 Mar 1928 Bismarck, ND Eltinge 2 days
Thu 15 Mar 1928 Endicott, NY Elvin 1 day
Thu 15 Mar 1928 West Palm Beach, FL Flamingo 2 days
Mon 19 Mar 1928 Owensboro, KY Empress 2 days
Mon 19 Mar 1928 Warsaw, IN Centennial 2 days
Thu 22 Mar 1928 Greenwood, MS Saenger’s Greenwood 1 day
Thu 22 Mar 1928 Tucson, AZ Opera House 3 days
Mon 28 May 1928 Halifax, NS Majestic 3 days
Wed 28 Mar 1928 Glens Falls, NY Strand 1 day
Wed 28 Mar 1928 Hanford, CA Royal 2 days
Fri 30 Mar 1928 Springfield, OH MAJESTIC 7 days
Mon 02 Apr 1928 Jackson, MS Istrione 1 day
Tue 03 Apr 1928 Springfield, VT Star 1 day
Wed 04 Apr 1928 Biddeford, ME City 2 days
Fri 06 Apr 1928 Decatur, IL Lincoln Square 2 days
Thu 12 Apr 1928 Pensacola, FL Isis 1 day
Mon 23 Apr 1928 York, PA Hippodrome 3 days
Mon 30 Apr 1928 Selma, AL Academy 1 day
Fri 04 May 1928 Trumansburg, NY Star 2 days
Sun 06 May 1928 Honolulu, HI Hawaii (review) 4 days
Wed 09 May 1928 Pocatello, ID ORPHEUM 7 days?
I saw this on eBay, from a vendor called themoviewizard. The price was way too steep for me, but at least I could capture the information. By this time, the movie was a leftover, and so the rental was a paltry $50, which I think was about double the price of a third-run film. For all I know, that may have been a flat rate rather than a guarantee versus a percentage of net. I wish I knew.
Sat 17 May 1928 Antigo, WI Palace 2 days
Found this on eBay. It’s a document that is worthless to anybody on the planet except for me. And I admit: I cheated. A penciled strike-through obscured the top half of the “5” and so I partially erased it to reveal the number. The movie is by now in rural third-run, and so I would guess that these are flat-rate rentals, without percentages. It is astonishing that Metropolis was so much higher than the average rates. Remember, this was the day of block booking. Mom-and-pop cow-town cinemas got whatever flicks the distributors wanted to ship over. They had little choice, unless they were to decide not to renew their Paramount contract, which would mean, of course, that they would get no more Paramount movies at all. This was a squeeze, and a deliberate one. Paramount was squeezing blood out of a stone, and the mom-and-pop cow-town cinemas were squeezed dry. Why? What good did this do for anybody? It was stupidity, but I wonder if it was only stupidity. Was this part of an influence campaign designed to turn cinema owners against foreign films?
Let’s ponder for a moment. I suppose that doors opened at 11:00 in the morning and shut at 11:00 in the evening, or something like that. I suppose tickets were 10¢ for kiddies and 25¢ for grownups. I suppose that with the previews and slides and newsreels and shorts and cartoons, the program was about two hours. So, I suppose that the full program ran through the machines about six times each day, on a continuous basis, with the house lights always out and no pauses ever. The Palace in Antigo had 1,000 seats. Costs: owner, manager, concessions, ticket takers, ushers, organists, projectionists, electricity, coal, carbons, oil, mortgage, insurances, maintenance. How much did that total? Heck if I know. Add to the cost $50 to show the movie for two days. No kiddies are going to show up for this boring thing that doesn’t even have Hoot Gibson in it. So only grownups will queue up at the window. At 25¢ a ticket, the Palace needs to sell 200 tickets just to make its $50 back, but I guarantee you that the Palace did not sell even 30 tickets on these two days. No Hoot Gibson? No Bill Hart? No Constance Talmadge? No Doug Fairbanks? No Mary Pickford? No Rod LaRocque? Why would anybody want to see it, then? Almost nobody showed up. The few who did show up just because they couldn’t think of anything else to do, well, how did they react? They all walked out within five minutes. Customers who walk out don’t buy concessions. (Yes, despite what you’ve heard, there were concessions in those days.) The film lost most of its $50 and the overhead was entirely unpaid. Two days of purest red on the ledger sheets. Yet no cinema dared to cancel its Paramount contract, because most other Paramount pictures were surefire sellers.

Sun 20 May 1928 Caldwell, ID American 3 days
Sun 20 May 1928 Hilo, HI Baker’s New Palace 2 days
Wed 23 May 1928 Grass Valley, CA Strand 1 day
Fri 25 May 1928 Louisville, MS Louisville (benefit) 1 day
Mon 28 May 1928 Halifax, NS Majestic 3 days
Mon 28 May 1928 Nevada City, CA Nevada 2 days

We know it was one day only, and we know the day, but we do not know where.
Thu 31 May 1928 Altoona, PA Lyric 1 day?
Mon 11 Jun 1928 Chico, CA Senator 2 days
Wed 13 Jun 1928 Danville, KY Kentucky 1 day
Mon 18 Jun 1928 Winona, MS Dixie 2 days
Mon 18 Jun 1928 Honolulu, HI Kaimuki Playhouse 2 days
Wed 27 Jun 1928 Neosho, MO Orpheum (free) 1 show
Mon 30 Jun 1928 Corsicana, TX Palace (canceled)
Wed 04 Jul 1928 Haverstraw, NY Broadway 3 days
Tue 07 Aug 1928 Philipsburg, MT Wilma 2 days
Fri 17 Aug 1928 Kenosha, WI Vogue 2 days
Sun 19 Aug 1928 Kenosha, WI Roosevelt 2 days
Wed 22 Aug 1928 Kenosha, WI Butterfly 2 days
Wed 05 Sep 1928 Kingsport, TN Strand 1 day
Thu 06 Sep 1928 Wolf Point, MT Liberty 2 days
Mon 10 Sep 1928 Stanford, KY Southland 2 days
Tue 18 Sep 1928 Wilmington, OH Murphy 1 day
Wed 19 Sep 1928 North Bay, ON Royal 2 days
Fri 26 Oct 1928 Stockton, MO Stockton 2 days
Tue 30 Oct 1928 Sheboygan Falls, WI Falls 2 days
Wed 14 Nov 1928 Winnipeg, MB College 2 days
Thu 15 Nov 1928 Springfield, OH Lincoln 2 days
Thu 29 Nov 1928 Helena, MT Antlers 3 days
Tue 08 Jan 1929 Syracuse, NY Herald Cinema Critics Club special
Sat 26 Jan 1929 Napa, CA Hippodrome 1 day
Mon 28 Jan 1929 Halifax, NS Community 2 days
Sun 08 Sep 1929 Seward, AK Liberty 1 day
Wed 04 Dec 1929 Juneau, AK Liberty 1 day
Sat 30 Aug 1930 Detroit, MI Little 8 days

August/September 1930 was probably about the end of the line. I doubt there were bookings beyond that time.

The above table is not all-inclusive. It consists merely of listings I could find with some amount of ease by scouring the online newspapers and magazines. There were more bookings, plenty more. My best off-the-top-of-my-head (or pulled-out-of-a-hat) guesstimation is that the above table represents maybe more than half of the major openings and maybe a quarter of the minor US bookings. The most prints I find in use on any single day was fifteen, and that was on 22 September 1927. So, I assume there were fewer than 100 prints altogether. A typical release had about 150 prints and a major release had up to about 300. This was a very minor release. Paramount would never reissue the film, but just let it play out until there was no further demand. It was most likely in December 1936 or January 1937 that Paramount returned all the materials to Ufa.

Note that Metropolis played 42 days at its première booking in Manhattan. That is phenomenal. Even the finest films, the most popular films, the most sensational films played a week, or maybe two weeks, in their première NYC bookings. Metropolis played SIX WEEKS. This is a movie that, even in its mutilated form, could have broken records. It did well in the big cities, and it should have stayed in the big cities. It should have been trumpeted as a specialty item, and the cinemas should have been redecorated inside and out for the engagement. There should have been VIP’s, receptions, hors d’œuvres, discussions, recitals. It should have been cosponsored by arts groups and libraries and literary societies. It should never have played like just-another-movie, it should never have been made available to the neighborhood houses or subrun markets. Any profits earned in the big cities were squandered on the other bookings.

I just purchased Frederick W. Ott’s The Films of Fritz Lang (Secaucus: Citadel, 1979), and on page 8 is a remarkable quote from Willy Ley:

The first showing of a Fritz Lang film was something for which there was no equivalent anywhere as a social event. The audience — it was an unwritten but rigid rule that one had to wear full evening dress, not just a dinner jacket — comprised literally everybody of importance in the realm of arts and letters, with a heavy sprinkling of high government officials. It is not an exaggeration to say that a sudden collapse of the theater building during a Fritz Lang première would have deprived Germany of much of its intellectual leadership at one blow, leaving mostly those who for one reason or another had been unable to attend.


It is this prestige and respect that Hollywood sought to knock down to size. Unfortunately, Hollywood succeeded in that endeavor.

What do we learn from the above? Because the ads for this film are so difficult to search and so difficult to find, it is difficult to learn much at all. Metropolis played first run in a handful of top-tier markets: Manhattan, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Ángeles, and probably a few others, too. It also played first run in Buffalo and Winnipeg and Cincinnati and a few other second-tier markets. There’s the odd case of Denver, where Metropolis bypassed downtown altogether and first opened at a second-run neighborhood house, with a microscopic ad in the paper. In Miami it premièred at the deluxe Coconut Grove, but only for a two-day run. Isn’t that strange? Where else did it play?

Basic Rule: If you’re preparing a gourmet meal, don’t advertise it as a hamburger. The customers who want a hamburger will hate it, and the people who want a gourmet meal won’t even know about it.

Reg Hartt of Toronto has a 16mm copy of the Paramount edition, certainly the eight-reel edition. Back in 1989 I think it was, he told me that it is a beautiful print, that it looks better than the Moroder prints. He was quite proud of it and, for the visual quality alone, he preferred it to the other copies on the market. I would love to see it someday, but, hey, it’s a long walk from here. It is curious that such a print would even exist. Paramount surrendered all its Metropolis materials sometime around 1936, when its license expired. My guess is that this 16mm print was printed in East Germany no earlier than 1972, probably directly from the 35mm camera negative. There must have been several such 16mm originals, and my guess is that they were sold only to collectors, but who knows?

Back in the 80’s/90’s, lower Yonge Street and vicinity in downtown Toronto was plastered with Reg’s little 8½"×11" handbills, and I remember this one for Metropolis. Reg now posts the identical text on his Facebook page. And no, I did not witness him kick nonbelievers out or slander anyone or hurl chairs at anybody. He was a perfect gentleman.


2018


2017

This film changed forever the way I looked at movies. I was 17 when I first saw it. I had bought an 8mm print from a man named John Griggs. I projected it on my bedroom wall. It has been the stuff of my dreams ever since. The film will be presented with my own score. Shirley Hughes (of The Toronto Silent Film Society) states that no one has a better feel for silent film music than myself. If you have not experienced this it is time you did. Shirley’s not alone in her appreciation of my work. More below.

From a letter to an out of Toronto cinema:

“Last week I finally got a chance to see a film I have been trying to see for literally years. That film is METROPOLIS, and I don’t mean Giorgio Moroder’s head-banger version. No, I’m talking about the most complete version of the film as it was meant to be seen in a l6mm print so clear, so clean you’d think the film was made a year ago. Wow. I mean I have been hearing stories about METROPOLIS for a long time, but I never thought my expectations would be met let alone far surpassed. And this without the ‘help’ of Mr. Moroder. Does this mean there wasn’t a soundtrack?
“Far from it. Accompanying the film was a brilliant (and I mean brilliant) soundtrack combining both modern music and classical pieces. This soundtrack suited the film when we all know Moroder’s didn’t. So who has this print of the film? Reg Hartt.... If you know anything about Reg Hartt you know his lectures are anything but boring. He’s thrown chairs at people, kicked non-believers out, slandered near everyone under the sun (who usually deserves it) and started near riots. In other words, a real entertaining guy. Honestly. Reg is a lot of fun, he knows more about film (and the politics of film) than all of my teachers combined. And his soundtracks!”

DOUGLAS ELIUK, education officer National Film Board of Canada; Canadian Cultural Attache to America:

“I have left so many cinemas looking like I’ve been smelling onions for two hours that it is a pleasure and a catharsis to alert you to a redeeming film experience I enjoyed recently. It was not exactly an epiphany, but when something brilliant comes along, it deserves comment beyond self congratulations on managing to stay awake.
“What I’m referring to is a recent screening of Fritz Lang’s METROPOLIS I attended at Reg Hartt’s Cineforum. I’ve seen the film with every sort of accompaniment except organ grinder and a monkey. When organ and even the now rare orchestral accompaniments have been attached to one of the ‘silent’ classics, it is still hard to avoid the giggle factor what with all the usual silent movie grand overwrought gestural school of acting methods. However, Reg Hartt has completely transcended the predictable approach and has presented a classic film with a brilliant multi-layered sound track that forgives the histrionic giggle factor. Hartt allows us to see a great film with a fresh perspective.
“I am not Mr. Hartt’s P. R. council but as someone who has been in the film industry for decades and who celebrates cinematic excellence, I hope you will take the opportunity to experience this superb revitalization of METROPOLIS with its innovative music track.”

(Memory is so dangerous. My memory for three+ decades until just today was wrong. Reg told me that his print was better than “the other prints” and even better than the Moroder edition. When he mentioned “the other prints” I interpreted that as “the Janus prints,” which were the only “other prints” I was aware of. That surprised me a bit, because my (unreliable) memory was that the Janus edition was gorgeous. It occurs to me now that he had never seen the Janus edition. He had seen the Griggs and maybe the Thunderbird editions, not Janus. We’ll get to Janus and Griggs and Thunderbird and Moroder below, by and by.)

(Oh. I remember something else now. It just now comes back to me. For years and years and years, I had all these tiny little fragmentary micromemories that I couldn’t piece together. Then, just now, it all came back. I remember now. Reg ran a double feature at a pub, and no, I do not remember which pub. I did not have time to stay for both movies, and so I saw only the first, The Golem. I had been expecting live accompaniment, but what Reg did instead was string together excerpts from orchestral pieces, I think on audiocassette tape. The result was timed quite well to the action. My friend and I left just as he began to run Metropolis and so all I saw was the opening Paramount logo, which, yes, was crystal clear, good as new. Oh how I wanted to stick around, but my schedule just wouldn’t allow it.)

Because information has been so fragmentary and scrambled, there has been nothing but confusion about Metropolis. Indeed, the only reason I began to write this essay was my desire to research what on earth I had seen. Some wrongly think that the edition circulated by MoMA in the 1940’s through the 1970’s was the Pollock edition. Others wrongly think that the edition shown in Australia was Pollock’s US edition. Pollock’s 10,400' 12-reel edition was chopped to an 8,039' 9-reel edition and then to about 8,025' and then a little later to 7,667' mounted onto 8 reels. Pollock’s 12-reel edition was never released. Paul Reno chopped the German version down to 10,633', resembling Pollock’s edition, but Reno’s edition was soon cut again to about 9,500' and then, under Nazi control, it was cut again to 8,307'.

“I love films and so I shall never go to America. Their experts have slashed my best film, Metropolis, so cruelly that I dare not see it while I am in England.”
— Remark made to British journalists in September 1927, quoted in Erich Kettelhut, Memoirs, unpublished typescript in the archive of the Filmmuseum Berlin — Deutsche Kinemathek p. 596,
referenced by Martin Koerber.

Continue to Chapter 4, Early 1927: Paramount Slashes the Export Negative, Too