With the 2016 election upon us, its worth noting that back in 1928 one could go to the movies and be kept informed of election results! This, of course, was long before television, and while radio was still in its infancy.
The 1928 election, which took place on Tuesday, November 6th, pitted industrialist businessman and Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover (a Republican) against New York state governor Al Smith (a Democrat). Hoover won in a landslide; and within a year, the stock market crashed and the economy sank into a depression. But that's getting ahead of the story.
Wanting not to loose anxious patrons who might otherwise stay home to learn election results, movie theaters across the country promised to keep their patrons informed of the results "by wire." Over the years, I have found a number of newspaper advertisements which promised moviegoers the latest election results if they come to their theater. Simply look for the words "election night" on the following advertisements.
In the first ad below, featuring the Al Jolson film,
The Singing Fool, and the Louise Brooks film,
Beggars of Life, the election night announcements reads, "Get national, state, county returns while you enjoy a show in a comfortable seat. Come early -- stay late. Come to either theater for the news first."
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| Kansas City, Missouri |
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| Scranton, Pennsylvania |
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| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - with "Special Returns by Post-Gazette wire" |
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| St. Louis, Missouri |
NOW THAT YOU'VE READ THIS BLOG POST, GO OUT AND VOTE,
IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE SO!
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