Putnam patriot., 1930-12-24
Curtain Rung Down
 On Silent Pictures
Victory Theatre Closed Saturday Night As Pictures Without Sound Surrrnder to TsIkies Only
 Few See Last Performance

Down at the Victory Theatre last Saturday night a small gathering of faithful followers of the silent drama gathered for the last time. The pie ture was "Mexicali Rose" . stirring dramatic thriller of the type which made the house popular in the old days. 4 Patriot representative want ed to be in at the final curtain. When he took his seat in the back row short ly before six o'clock one man and wom- an were seated nearby and several chil dren were romping among the seats. As the picture progressed few more dropped in. Possibly at the second show. for there were two on Saturday nights, there were more people ln the audience. After the last showing the reel of eelluloid was packed in it's case and by this time has been sent back to the distributor. Hereafter the | Victory Theatre will remain in dark ness. Saturday night was the last showing of silent" pictures in this city.
 1t became more and more difficult | for the management to get reels of silent pictures. As matter of fact none have been produced in quite some time. Finally it became impos- sible to get any more. The "talkies' had put the 'silients" to route and. at least as far as Putnam Is concerned, the surrender has been complete. Early Days Recalled
 The passing Of the Victory and the | pictures without sound brings back ! the early days of the movies in Put nam. At one time there was a Nickel odian on Pomfret street. In the Labby block. where the Observer is new To- cated, was another movie house. Ten cents was the admission charge at this theatre. The Bradley Theatre was later opened to pictures as was the Victory. The old time pictures, the ! slap stick and custard pie comedies, were the features. They would not go over now but nevertheless both of | the little picture houses did good business. The smell in the Nickel | odian. for there were no windows. is still recalled. But people were pic ture crazy" and would go from ono place to another until they saw every l showing offered by what B. F. Keith in his chain of houses at that time ad- vertised as the "cinemetograph."
 When the 'talkies" appeared, not very long ago. many thought that this was but passing fad; that II was ephemeral and that it would soon be discarded as impractical and un- attractive. But 1t was q step forward and there has been no turning back.
 Lip Reading
 In the Victory last Saturday night, to one who for months had not looked upon a silent picture. 1t was hardly understandable. Before long we were trying lip reading as we did in the old days Before the picture was over We were brought back to where we started as movie fan and were real | ly enjoying the unfolding of the start ling drama of the yellow-hack type 1t was hard not to feel that some thing had gone wrong and that Il would soon be righted and the char aeters would be heard. But on anC on went the silent picture with it. interspersions of titles and phrases and clauses to tell the audience wha
 1t was all about; wha: the character were saying.
 Those who di,i and did not see tn, last of the silent pictures in Putnam may never see another. There ma, still be few small communities wher, the movies without sound may be seer but gradually everyone of them vii give up the ghost just as they have done m Putnam. The Victory Thea Ire has been indefinitely closed.