New-York tribune., 1922-11-08
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IribuneRet1lrrls
|Relishes Films
Comedy Pictures and Noted
Humorists Stir Emotions
More Deeply Than the
Likenesses Of Politicians
Miller and Smith Cheered
Three Telephone Operators
Work at Furious Pace to
Answer Many Inquiries

If any statesman, candidate, poll
tician, diplomat, Cabinet officer or
other public person thinks he can COM
pete with a good motion picture, or
Don Marquis, or Grantland Rice, or
Jimmy Montague, in the estimation Of
holiday crowd, even on an election
night, he should have stroIled along
Park Row any time after sundown yes
terday and taken the temperature of
the horn tooters and other enthusiasts
watching the Tribune election service in
action. They had friendly hand for
the great men and cheer fer returns
that were to their liking, but it was
the films that took all the sternness
out of the Election Day duty.
Cheers hailed the showing of Gov
ernor Miller's kindly face, and cries Of
"Al Smit', Al Smit' yah-ah-ahl" rent
the foggy atmosphere of Printing
House Square when that famous mans
features were limned on the screen, and
handclapping greeted such public ia.
vorites as George Washington and
Abraham Lincoln, but it took Dick
Barthelmess and Jackie Coogan. the
child wonder, to stir the deep emotions
Of the crowd"
Early in the evening, when the crowd
was young in numbers and non-com-
initial in attitude, it gazed with quiet
respect on long succession of Sena-
tors, judges, Cabinet officers and others
as they took their turns upon the big
white sheet. 1t did look like quiet
election" even unto the finish. No stir
was caused when the dignified features
of the doughty District Attorney of
Kings County were suddenly marred by
cracks and jagged lines as the heat or
the fog or something spoiled the slide.
On the contrary, when the first comedy
reel arrived, and it was announced that
the Pabst family, heroes of home
brew drama, lived in peace and snored
in harmony" Mommer, Pepper, the
Kiddie, the cat and the dog, pandemo-
mum broke loose.
gram that filled in the gaps between
the arrival of election returns, was
Richard Barthelmess in Sonny"
Jackie Coogan in "My Boy" Buster
Keaton in "The Boat" Ben Turpin in
"Love and Doughnuts ;" seven-reeler
called "The Song of Life" and some
comedies.
City Hall Park Crowded
BY 8 o'clock the eastern portion of
City Hall Park had become vast
open-air theater, symphony hall and
public forum combined, what with the
films, the horns and cowbells, the sea-
soning of political news and the witty
sayings and cartoons of the newspaper
specialists. The crowd kept yelling,
footing, changing and exulting as one
thing followed another.
All the returns showed steady lead
for Smith for several hours. The bell
and horn exercise began to tire the
crowd after while and they settled
down to the enjoyment Of Jackie
Coogan's adventures finding his grand
mother. Smith news got to be a rou-
tine matter after a while. until the
man running the show woke the folks
up again. He had been waiting for the
right moment.
This came on the dot of $3.50. Gov
ernor Smiths picture was thrown on
the screen and an instant later a big.
roar, that drowned out all the bells
and whistles, made it's acknowledge
ment. DR.. Copeland, the new Senator
followed, and drew second salute. By
that time 1T was pretty we'll established
that Smith had won.
"You can't beat AL Smith," cried a
grlnning, ambulatory citizen, who had
NV q pooeieBBeT ana was glad OF 1t,
as he passed through the crowd and
melted happily into the dark toward
Broadway.
A thousand urchins made the night
hectic with horns. impromptu parades
and unceasing scrambling from point
to point along the crowds front, cheer
ing Justify and without discrimination
whatever the screen showed. George
Washington was the favoritc, but Hard
ing and Lincoln, and Sims and Pershing
received their just dues.
Three telephone operators at The
Tribune, speaking as fast as the human
tongue can wag, kept telephone in
quirers informed Of the returns from
early in the evening until late at night.
Three Tire special wires were provided for
this purpose, and it was a case of Cline
forms on the right" and take your
turn. The operators had special bull
letins and election tables before them
and could tell at a glance how Senator
Calder was making out In Yonkers or
Governor Miller in Cohoes.