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We want to join in the official request made by the Kansas legislature herewith handed to you, that you hold the world premier of your production Dodge City in the city whose name it bears. All Kansas will be proudly grateful to you for this recognition. We sincerely hope that this petition, formally presented to you by a delegation of Kansas citizens and officials, on this 20th day of February, 1939, will be favorably acted upon. The scroll was "officially" signed by Governor Payne Ratner of Kansas, Lt. Governor Friend, members of the Kansas Supreme Court, all elected state officials, and thousands of Dodge City and area-wide businessmen and citizens, 15,000 in all. In addition to the impressive scroll, the invitation committee also took petitions from Kansas City and Topeka businessmen, Kansas legislators, Santa Fe officials, and Chambers of Commerce located in Newton, Wichita, Manhattan, Sauna, Hutchinson, Hays, and Dodge City. They also carried a resolution passed by the Kansas legislature requesting the premier be held in Dodge City. No avenue of potential persuasion was left untapped.
Before leaving Hollywood, members of the delegation visited the set of Dodge City where they met Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland in their first western film assignment, Ann Sheridan, Alan Hale, and others. Publicity photographs, taken of the Kansans on the set with mogul Warner and several stars from the picture, were brought back home as proof of the celebrity status the delegation's junket garnered. Many of those at Warner Brothers were impressed with Dodge City old-timers Bell and McCarty. In appreciation, some members of the Kansas committee, including the old-timers, were treated to an afternoon at Santa Anita race-track. As it would turn out, the premier date was only weeks away from its official announcement by Warner Brothers. In the meanwhile, Dodge City and the film studio geared up quickly for the upcoming event. Jack Warner promised the delegation before its departure from Hollywood that a "glamour train" of stars, all dressed in pioneer garb, would arrive in Dodge City for the premier. Included would be most of the film's cast along with other available Warner contract players. Accompanying the stars would be Warner Brothers' executives, photographers, cameramen, members of the publicity department, members of the national press corps, Santa Fe officials, in addition to horses, trick ropers, and stunt men. When the delegation returned to Dodge City, a premier celebration committee was quickly formed. The Chamber of Commerce was selected to coordinate the entire celebration. For several years, much lip service had been awarded the creation of an event to become known as the Boot Hill Roundup. As discussed, the celebration, featuring a rodeo and a parade, would focus generally on Dodge City's historic past. Once the premier showing of the film was cinched, the committee decided to press ahead with the Roundup. The film premier would serve as a prelude to the historic celebration. All of Dodge City, and much of Kansas to some degree, thrust itself into the planning and ferment of the upcoming affair. Warner Brothers communicated early in the planning that it wanted everything properly decorated; everyone dressed in western attire; a parade and a rodeo. Dodge City Mayor Arthur Nevins issued a proclamation, February 25, stating "...from March 1 until the date of the premier celebration, every male citizen of Dodge City over 14 years old, shall, as far as nature and intensive persuasion and cultivation permits, cause to be worn on the exposed parts of his anatomy, a hirsute adornment--whiskers to you. Dodge City businesses braced for anticipated retail sales. Most, in addition to featuring decorations depicting the town's history, displayed newly-arrived western-related articles and clothing. Marsh's Department Store advertised cowboy hats for $1.89, split skirts for $1.95-$4.95, leatherette and suede vests for $1.95, and brightly colored silk scarves for 49c. Ads from the Palace Drug Store offered Brownie cameras for $2.85. On March 9, 1939, just as moustaches and beards were beginning their second week's growth, Warner Brothers announced that the date of the premier would be April 1, April Fool's Day-just over three weeks away. A banner headline in the Dodge City Daily Globe heralded the official announcement. Since MOM and Paramount were soon to premier features away from Hollywood, Warners was determined to be the first to capitalize on a hinterland ballyhoo for their premier on wheels. The premier and Round-up committees were immediately thrown for a loop. How could a rodeo of desired proportions be organized in three short weeks? However, Jack Warner calmed the committees with the promise to include on the "glamour train" a wild west show of horses and rodeo stars. With that, the local organizing bodies went ahead with plans for a parade and street dance as special events offered the day of the premier. May 12-14 was chosen for the first Round-up, which was to become an annual event. The film premier would kick-off a six-week long build-up to the rodeo. Local enthusiasm for the film celebration continued to build. Miss Gussie Mootz, principal of a Dodge City grade school, announced the production of a school operetta, entitled The Dodge City Cowboys, a trilogy with the sweeping scope of subject matter to include a history of Dodge City, a recreation of the invitation committee's journey to Hollywood, and the actual premier showing of the film--all with a grade school cast. One premier-minded citizen suggested to the local newspaper that false store fronts be erected on buildings along the city's historic Front Street to replicate the street's old west look and flavor. Although the suggestion was not acted upon, a Front Street replica was built some twenty years later and is the largest tourist attraction in Kansas. The day after Warner's official announcement of the April 1 premier date, Frank Heacock, assistant director of publicity at the studio, came east to Dodge City and stayed through the premier. Heacock would work with the local premier committee, coordinating plans for the celebration and releasing, through Warner Brothers' channels, publicity generated in Dodge City. Accompanying Heacock was Elmer Freyer, Warners still photographer and his assistant Lloyd MacLean, who began taking publicity shots around town. A note in the local newspaper bragged that the men would have with them "a marvelous new camera for the taking of color photographs." A publicity office was set up in Dodge City's ornate Lora-Locke Hotel where ambitious operations briskly began and would continue through the premier. As days passed, more densely grown beards, moustaches, and sideburns were in evidence throughout the city. $200 was contributed to the Junior Chamber of Commerce from local businessmen for a beard and costume contest. Winners would be named at the Roundup. Those men caught clean shaven were publicly dunked in horse tanks scattered over town. In 1939, Dodge City bore little resemblance in look or manner to her former self. Contemporary attire was the dress of the day. Regrettably, few authentic cowboys remained. However, as the premier neared, more and more citizens were seen wearing western garb to work or around town. Many, who had purchased new boots and began wearing them were "...noticeably limping by the second day," according to the Dodge City Journal. Dudes, it would seem, were as proportionately prevalent in Dodge City as in New York City or Los Angeles.
Only weeks before the premier trip, the Warner Brothers publicity department had labeled Ann Sheridan the "Oomph Girl." Interestingly, a mayoral primary was to be held in Dodge City, March 28. The week previous, an anonymous faction took out an ad in the local newspaper, the Daily Globe, announcing Ann Sheridan's hat being tossed into the mayoral ring. The ad read: "What Dodge City Needs is Oomph! A Vote for Ann Sheridan is a Vote for Oomph!"' This, like so many premier-related gimmicks, was undoubtedly the inspiration of the Warner Brothers publicity office. After the election, it was noted in the newspaper that Ann Sheridan's name had been writ-ten in on a number of ballots. As the premier event remained only days away, people and horses began flooding the city. Since hotel space was nonexistent, the Chamber of Commerce urged all residents go open their homes to out-of town guests. Mayor Art Nevins put up army cots in his home and set a good example by offering lodging to more than 20 people. In response to another problem, the Chamber of Commerce warned of the hazards of mixing horses, wagons, and cars on city streets. Riders were cautioned against riding on the sidewalks and into places of business. As the flurry preceding the biggest migration of Hollywood royalty to the plains reached a fevered pitch, the "Gay Lady Saloon" opened across the street from the Fox-Dodge Theater. According to a local newspaper article, the "Gay Lady", named fot the fictional dancehall in the film, boasted luxuries such as soft drinks, a heated main room, and a telephone. Another gathering spot would be H.B. "Ham" Bell's Place. "Ham", an old-timer, had accompanied the invitation committee to Hollywood. Bell's Place would serve as a hangout for pioneers like himself who wanted a place to sit and swap yarns about Dodge City's early days. Congratulations from well wishers and regrets from some invited guests and dignitaries began arriving by the sackful the final week. Among the countless letters received was one from Mrs. Josephine Earp, widow of Dodge City's famous peace officer. In a reply from her home in Los Angeles, Mrs. Earp not only expressed her regrets in being unable to attend the premier, but also noted that had Wyatt Earp lived, he would have been 91 years old. The Warner Brothers Special, consisting of a dozen passenger cars, left California, Friday, March 31. The train and all its personnel, it may be noted, was donated by the Santa Fe railroad as much for its own publicity as for Warner Brothers. A special baggage car was included containing a replica of the "Gay Lady Saloon". The "saloon" was open to all guests until the train crossed the border into "dry" Kansas. Before the train traveled any distance, Olivia de Havilland received a film call at a stop in Pasadena, and had to depart the party just getting under way. As the Warner Brothers Special was leaving California for Dodge City, a second train, also arranged for by the Santa Fe, was leaving New York for the same destination. Aboard the New York train were members of the east coast press corps, including, among others, Ed Sullivan, New York Daily News, Ivan Dimitri, Saturday Evening Post, photographer Kay Mulvey, Ladies Home Journal, Jean Herrick, Look, Paul Peters and Helen Morgan, Life, Quentin Reynolds, Collier's, Frank Nugent, New York Times, Howard Barnes, New York Herald Tribune. The New York train made stops in both Chicago and Kansas City to add members of the media, officials, dignitaries, and Dodge City actor, Bruce Cabot. The westbound train arrived in Kansas first but passed on through Dodge City in the early morning hours. As planned, it continued west until it encountered the Warner Brothers Special. At the point of meeting the two trains joined as one and continued on to Dodge City. In the dawning hours of Saturday morning, as the two trains were linking up, a crowd was already gathering near the tracks in Dodge City. Anticipating large numbers of people on the streets, car parking was officially banned for the day in the downtown area and along the parade route. As the hours slowly passed, a throng, whose estimated number was set between 20,000 and 50,000, gathered near the depot. Craning their necks and squinting their eyes down the diver-gent rails to the west, all waited eagerly the arrival of the more than 30 stars, hundreds of press representatives, cameramen, politicians, dignitaries, and film executives, including Hal Wallis from Warner Brothers. Of the train emanating from New York, Walter Winchell's column, "Man About Town," April 12, 1939, tattled that the press corps "...consumed 114 cases of scotch" on the trip. At each railroad stop on the Santa Fe line, the much ballyhooed train, complete with banners marking it as the Warner Brothers Special, came to a stop, and one by one, each of the stars was introduced. Large crowds were treated to a glimpse of their Warner movie favorite as each spoke a few words consisting of variations of, "Hello. It's so nice to be here. We wish you could all come with us. " In Cimarron, Kansas, 12 miles west of Dodge City, former light heavy weight champion of the world-turned actor, Slapsie Maxie Rosen-bloom stepped up to the mike and enthused, "Ladies and gentlemen, it is nice to be here in Cimarron, from the picture of the same name." After being met with a high plains stoney silence, Rosenbloom retreated to the car's interior muttering defensively, "They don't get my type of comedy here." Also on the train were governors John Miles from New Mexico and Ralph L. Carr from Colorado. The stop in Cimarron was of special significance for the wife of Governor Miles as she was a native of the town. (It is interesting to note that the film Cimarron, the 1931 classic, was the only western ever to win an Oscar as Best Picture). In addition to the Warner Brothers Special and the New York press train, a third train, the Kansas City Special, arriving ahead of the California train, transported additional officials from Kansas City and the state capital, dignitaries, and governor of Kansas and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Payne Ratner. All passengers remained on their train in the depot until the arrival of the Warner Brothers Special. Saturday dawned a beautiful, clear Kansas blue. It was plain the weather had cooperated. At 10:15 a.m., the long awaited train slid into the Dodge City station amidst a cheering, waving mass that lined the tracks west almost to Cimarron. A fleet of 30 planes owned by Trans-world Airlines provided an impressive aerial escort the last miles of the train's journey. As faces, pressed to the windows inside the passenger coaches, observed the huge bewhiskered and costumed throng, it was undoubtedly a toss-up as to who was most impressed. The Special came to a full stop as strains of "Oh, Susanna", went up from the Santa Fe Band. The crowd pushed forward against the train as one by one, officials were introduced from the platform alongside one of the passenger cars. Thousands suffered through the announcement of politicians, Santa Fe officials, dignitaries, waiting impatiently with newly purchased Brownie cameras ready, for the sight of the first star. Suddenly, clicking shutters announced the appearance of the first Hollywood royalty--Humphrey Bogart and his wife, Mayo Methot. Soon to follow were popular favorites Rose-mary, Lola and Priscilla Lane, Gilbert Roland, Ann Sheridan, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Jean Parker, Frances Robinson, Claire Windsor, Eddie Foy, Jr., Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom, John Garfield, Wayne Morris and his wife, the former Bubbles Schinasi, the cigarette heiress who gave up a mansion on New York's Riverside Drive to become the wife of a movie star. Following were Gloria Dickson, Bruce Cabot, Leo Carrillo, Frank McHugh, Buck Jones, Jane Wyman, Alan Hale, John Payne, Hoot Gibson, Lya Lys, Allan Jones and his wife actress Frene Hervey (parents of singer Jack Jones), Anita Louise, Marie Wilson, Mary Brian, Dodge City director Michael Curtiz, and Franklin Roosevelt, Jr. As the list of stars, some on their way up the ladder, some on their way down, continued, skepticism built as to whether Errol Flynn had in fact made the trip. Flynn, however, the final star to emerge, swept away with a single flashing smile any and all doubts. As the handsome rascal posed in the buckskin shirt he had worn in the film, female hearts fluttered in unison. Brownie cameras captured Flynn's dashing presence from 10,000 breathless viewpoints. As the last, and certainly most revered of those to be introduced, Errol Flynn accepted the key to the city in behalf of all celebrities and dignitaries. After introductions from the Santa Fe depot concluded, police from Hutchinson, Great Bend, Dodge City, Garden City, the Highway Patrol, and National Guard held back the crowds along a path for stars and fellow travelers to make their way to premier headquarters at the Lora Locke Hotel. Inside, a limited number of citizens partook of a star-studded luncheon. The menu featured ice cream molds in the shape of horses for dessert. There is something about the welcome of a westerner that exudes good friendship and unstinted pleasure at being host to a newcomer. To extend a friendly token of Dodge City hospitality to Rosemary Lane who was celebrating her.. birthday, a homemade birthday cake was presented her by the wife of the mayor. A front page picture in the Dodge City Daily Globe showed Mrs. Nevins mixing up the batter. After the luncheon, stars made ready for the parade. By that time, horses, bands, wagons, floats, and other entries clogged arteries feeding the main parade route. Chairman of the affair was John Pressney, and parade manager was the well-known rodeo roping star, Sam Garrett. The Santa Fe Band led the two mile long ride. A news article following the event noted that Jean Parker, "...rode like a noted veteran, which was more than can be said for some of the others (stars)." Many of the celebrities rode on wagons, in cars, or on floats, thus keeping their dude status secret from their adoring public. The three governors rode in a convertible, but the throngs displayed little interest. They were there to see stars. As the parade wound around the streets of Dodge City, Technicolor footage of the passing attractions was shot by Warners and other services for newsreel release. Many spectators, after viewing several stars both from the distance and at close range, remarked about the celebrities' heavy make-up. From the distance the stars looked as they did on the screen, but at close range they appeared overdone. Perc Westmore, famed Warner Brothers make-up artist and husband of Gloria Dickson, was on hand to insure that the stars looked their best for the news-reels. A delegation from Cawker City, Kansas, journeyed 300 miles to greet its special touch with Hollywood, CJaire Windsor, who had been their former Olga Cronk. The hand tooled black saddle with silver trimmings used by Errol Flynn in the parade was specially commissioned. The leather carving on the saddle depicted the importance of rail transportation to the west. The Santa Fe railroad purchased the saddle for $25,000 and later displayed it at the New York World's Fair. It may be interesting to note that the public got its first glimpse of television at the 1939 Expo, "The World of Tomorrow." As the parade reached its terminal point in Wright Park, the next offering of the event-packed day, Warner Brothers "Performers and Wild West Show of the World's Elite Performers, Trick Riders and Entertainers, "readied itself' in McCarty Stadium on the Park's southwest corner. The stadium, named in honor of pioneer Dr. Claud E. McCarty, the first white child born in Dodge City, was slated for dedication at the May 12-14 Round-up. Although the stadium lacked a roof, no one seemed to care since the weather was on its best behavior. Leo Carrillo served as master of ceremonies for the wild west show. In addition to an exciting display of bucking bronco riding, trick riding and roping, a local couple got married. On a small raised platform in front of the grandstand, Byron Carpenter, 23, took as his bride, Gladys Bell, 20. To add prestige to the occasion, Errol Flynn served as best man and Ann Sheridan, maid of honor. Judge Richard Evans conducted the civil ceremony. At the close of the wild west show, the crowd dispersed; many returned to the Lora-Locke Hotel where long tables had been set up for an old fashioned barbeque. Continuing throughout the late afternoon and evening, the lines of people hungered more for a close-up glimpse of a star than a 40 cent chuckwagon sandwich. Prior to 7:00 p.m., crowds gathered at the Wright Park bandshell for the forthcoming national half-hour NBC radio broadcast. Onlookers either sat on park benches or stood while the stars were once again introduced. A week before the premier, Warner Brothers' radio correspondent Irving Rubine was in Dodge City coordinating the NBC Blue Network's presentation. Norman Barry, NBC announcer, emceed the bandshell broadcast featuring the Dodge City Cowboy Band, the Santa Fe Band, short speeches from the three governors, Santa Fe officials, and celebrities. Among the old-timers interviewed by several of the stars during the broadcast were 'Ham" Bell, early sheriff, W.B. Rhoads, deputy marshal under Wyatt Earp, Sam Stubbs, John Martin, E.J. Riney, and Doc Barton of Ingalls, Kansas, the recipient of a Warner Brothers trophy for being the outstanding pioneer attending the premier. At the conclusion of the live broadcast, the stars were taken back to the train where several of the women tossed a mink coat over their western attire to ward off the night's chill. Aboard the Warner Brothers Special at 8:15 p.m., the Mutual Broadcasting System presented "Hollywood Whispers", led by nationally prominent commentator, George Fisher. Fisher interviewed a half dozen stars and reviewed the day's events for listeners. Columnists representing the nation's major newspapers and magazines were invited to sit in on the live airing. Mary Agnes Butterfield, the young lady who had won the once-in-a-girl's lifetime chance to entertain Errol Flynn in 'her parents' home, saw her dream vanish when her little brother came down with measles the week before the premier. Mary Agnes, in a last ditch move to make something of her fleeting fortune, sold her 25c ticket for $25 to June Brody, a 22-year-old Lora-Locke Hotel waitress. Ms. Brody, like Ms. Butterfield, was single and lived under her parents' roof. Since the whole affair was simply a scheme hatched by the Warner Brothers' publicity office, Errol Flynn never did drop in to meet June's parents. However, June was allowed to go aboard the Hollywood train and meet with Flynn. After June's brief visit with the star, the press was eager to record her reaction. Evidently, Ms. Brody realized the whole thing had been a come-on since she claimed what little time she spent with the handsome Flynn "...wasn't $25 worth." At this time, Errol Flynn was married to Lili Damita and would remain married to her until 1942, which was also the year of his sensational rape trial. As the time for the premier showing of the film neared, busses ferried stars through a sea of onlookers the two blocks from the train to the Fox-Dodge Theater for the 9:00 p.m. showing. The street in front of the theater was crammed with the curious awaiting the stars' entrance. Klieg lights bathed the street and beamed galvanizing crisscrosses into the night sky in the best Hollywood fashion. Two newsreel cameras, each perched atop a car parked on either side of the theater's entrance, ground out more Technicolor footage as the climax came to the day's activities. Police and National Guard, holding back the multitude, cleared the way for stars entering the theaters main doors. Flash-bulbs exploded and autograph books by the hundreds poked through the human barricade in the direction of the passing celebrities. Errol Flynn avoided the crunch of the crowd outside the Dodge by sneaking into the theater through an alley exit door. The Fox-Dodge Theater, a brick structure with terra cotta and red tiled roof in an Italian Renaissance style, opened October 18, 1929, with The Love Doctor, starring Richard Dix and June Collyen The theater has been in continuous operation since its opening. As one last token of hoopla, a radio microphone had been set up on the stage of the Dodge, and before the showing of the film, stars, some for the fourth or fifth time that day, were introduced and asked to say a few words. Not until the celebrities took their turns at the mike did many realize that Olivia de Havilland had been unable to attend. In addition to the Fox-Dodge, two other Dodge City movie theaters, the Crown and the Cozy, were provided with a print of the film. Throughout the night, the films ran concurrently. Showings were highlighted by the appearances of stars at all three theaters. The streets in front of the theaters remained jammed with people most of the night as locals were determined to mingle with the stars just as long as possible. Some migrated back and forth between the theaters and the street dance being held on historic Front Street, a block south of the Fox-Dodge. As Easter Sunday dawned, the greatest event in Dodge City's vivid history drew to a weary but reluctant close. Of the entire affair, the police blotter listed only three cases of drunk driving and one rear end collision. Only one injury was reported. On her way home from the parade, a young girl had fallen and broken her leg. The Warner Brothers Special left Dodge City for California early Sunday morning. "Big Boy" Williams, who was found passed out among the fake tombstones on Boot Hill, missed the train and had to be flown to Wichita where he caught a flight for Los Angeles. What the event had meant to much of Kansas may be summed up by this quote from the Leader, the newspaper of Ellinwood located 125 miles from Dodge City, "It would be easier to run a list of names of everyone who was at home Saturday than it would be to list everyone who went to Dodge City for the big movie premier." Not only was the day crammed with more excitement than one could possibly absorb in 24 hours, but it had been a record day for retail sales. The premier day alone netted Dodge City businesses an estimated half million dollars. The experiment of "bringing Hollywood to the people" had paid off in spades. Although it was not the very first major studio film to be premiered away from a major metropolitan center, Dodge City certainly garnered the lion's share of publicity to that date. According to Douglas W. Churchill of the New York Times, (4-9-39), Warner Brothers' "accrued more publicity for Dodge City than for any production of a similar caliber." Ed Sullivan, who had attended the premier for his paper the New York Daily News, wrote in his April 3, 1939, column of "...a rip-roaring time..." spent in Dodge City. Life magazine, in its April 17, 1939, issue devoted several pages, mostly of photographs, to the premier. Harry Friedman, National Services Editor for Warner Brothers-Seven Artists, Inc., told the Dodge City Daily Globe in the late 1960's that "one of the very first movie junkets," the premier of Dodge City, had "become a legend among Hollywood "press and press agents." In late September, 1939, Ann Sheridan, traveling on the Santa Fe Chief, briefly stopped in Dodge City. Members of the local press boarded the train to talk momentarily with the actress who they noted "...was much prettier than on her previous visit as she wore natural make-up, rather than panchromatic." Of the premier, Sheridan exclaimed, "...let me tell you one thing. Dodge City can be proud of the crowds that were here. All the way home we raved about the grand reception given us. Everyone was so courteous, and no one mobbed us or tried to grab souvenirs...something we don't find when visiting big cities." Local talk continued for weeks and months about the premier; who had seen whom where and with whom and what they really looked like up close; how many freckles Ann Sheridan had; how drunk/sober some of the male celebrities were, etc. Today, Dodge Citizens who were part of the premier celebration remember it as the biggest and most glamorous event of their lives. Most can remember what they wore, where they stood at the depot and parade, where they sat to view the wild west show and radio broadcast, what they saw, who they were with. The premier of the film and everything that went with it remains as one of the most unforgettable events in the history of Dodge City, Kansas. As it turned out, Ann Sheridan didn't need to be elected mayor in order for the city to get "oomph. For the film-going public at large, the film Dodge City would not be one of critical note in a year that boasted classics like The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Stagecoach,
Dark Victory, Ninotchka, Beau Geste, and of course, Gone With The Wind.
The Dodge City premier would he totally eclipsed on December 15, 1939,
when the monumental Gone With The Wind premiered in Atlanta. This,
however, was of little concern for those tens of thousands who had
attended the special day in Dodge City. A spotlight had been turned on a
city and its people and when it was dimmed less than 24 hours later,
some of the starlight remained with those who so proudly told their
story to the world, April 1, 1939. A special acknowledgement is extended to Lois F. Bryson, retired librarian, Dodge City Public Library, for her invaluable assistance. Thanks to all those who lent their memories of the premier, and to Estin George, manager, Dodge Theater. |
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Movie House History - Classic
Theaters Of Kansas © 2007
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Soon, an invitation committee was
assembled. The committee members would travel to Hollywood and convince
Jack Warner that Dodge City, Kansas, was the only logical city in which
to premier the film. In the Kansas delegation were H. B. "Ham"
Bell and Dr. Claud E. McCarty, early pioneers; Lieutenant
Governor Carl Friend; Dodge City Daily Globe editor, Senator J. C.
Denious, chairman of the invitation committee; Harry Starks, President
of the Chamber of Commerce; Jay Wooten, theater manager; and
representatives of the Santa Fe railroad. Along with the Dodge Citizens,
railroad bigwigs saw in the premier an opportunity for favorable
publicity as the film stressed the importance of the Santa Fe railroad
to the development and livelihood of the west. The invitation committee
took with it a scroll commissioned by Dodge City Mayor Arthur Nevins to
be presented to Jack Warner by Lieutenant Governor Friend. The scroll,
printed on historic buffalo hide was embossed with the following: We,
the undersigned officials and citizens of Kansas are pleased to know
that your company, which has been responsible for so many valuable and
significant motion picture productions, has chosen Dodge City as the
locale for one of its most ambitious undertakings.
In Hollywood, the numerous
presentations were filmed by Warner Brothers for
their newsreels. Frank McHugh, who played the newspaper editor in Dodge
City, presided over an account of the proceeding sin a radio broadcast
over the West Coast network. Many print news agencies also covered the
event. At the close of the broadcast, Jack Warner announced, to the
delight of Kansas, that the premier of Dodge City would be held in that
city.
In the closing days, premier related
gimmicks were numerous. For example, Errol Flynn was raffled off to the
holder of a lucky 25c ticket. The winner, Mary Agnes Butterfield, won
the opportunity of entertaining Flynn at her home. The Dodge City Daily
Globe pointed out that Mary Agnes was single and lived with her parents.