The Film Daily (1927)

Harold Lloyd in "The Kid Brother" Paramount Lengths 7654 ft. r>£~£ OF THE SEASON'S BROOD OF HEALTHY BOX OFFICE CHILDREN. ANOTHER LLOYD LAUGH MAKER IS ALL THE EXHIBITOR NEED KNOW. Cast. .Corned} comes easy and natural to Lloyd. He does his tricks with enough assurance and no bunk bravado. He aims to keep his audience amused and" succeeds with no apparent effort. Jobvna Ralston cute. Others in support: Walter James, Leo Willis, Olin Francis Constantme Romanoff, Eddie Boland, Frank Lanning, Ralph Yearsley. Story and Production Comedy. The Lloyd comedies are always dependably original. That is the outstanding quality of each succeeding release. Lloyd and his gag-men again have devised a corking set of comedy situations that fit consistently into a well joined plot and the laughs keep building from little chuckles to hilarious roars. This increasing comedy tempo is decidedly good business and makes for a splendidly sustained interest. How Harold, as the shy son of a county sheriff, retrieves the stolen bag of money intrusted to his father's care, makes for some of the funniest gags yet originated. Towing the culprit home is but one of the big laughs. Direction . . . .' Ted Wilde; first rate. Authors John Grey, Ted Wilde, Tom Crizer. Scenario John Grey, Lez Neal, Howard Green. Photography Walter Lundin; good. "The Night of Love" United Artists Length: 7238 ft. FIRST RATE BOX OFFICE. HIGHLY COLORFUL ATMOSPHERE AND ROMANCE OF GYPSYLAND CERTAIN TO PROVE TRHILLING. Cast.. Ronald Colman the very daring gypsy leader. Splendid in the part but you know he never means any harm to "our Nell," played by the beautiful Vilma Banky. Montagu Love the scallawag feudal lord. Others Natalie Kingston, Laska Winter, Sally Rand. Story and Production Dramatic romance. Samuel Goldwyn is the sponsor of this very definite box office attraction, another of those passionate love affairs that are making a reputation for Colman and Banky as the screen's greatest pair of lovers. "The Night of Love," though not quite a worthy title, fully implies the type of story and tells the legion of romance lovers the world over that there are thrills galore in store for them in the picture. The gypsy life background is done in Fitzmaurice's best style, colorful, artistic and always a pictorial treat. The story is based on the alleged old law permitting the feudal lord to take a vassal's bride on her wedding night. It provides for great romance, drama, anc' developes into an elaborate revenge, ultimately ending in the love of the lord's bride and the gypsy leader. Photography is splendid. Direction George Fitzmaurice; excellent. Author Lenore Coffee Scenario Lenore Coffee Photography Geo. Barnes Thos. E. Brannigan; excellent. Richard Dix in "Paradise For Two" Paramount Length: 6187 ft. FAIR COMEDY. STORY NOT AS GOOD AS THOSE OF RECENT DIX PICTURES BUT THE FACT DIDN'T APPEAR TO DETRACT GREATLY FROM THE ENJOYMENT OF THE AUDIENCE. Cast.. Dix good, as always, although he hasn't as many chances to score his own clever line. Betty Bronson winsome and pretty. Andre Beranger in another of his temperamental poses. Gets in some first rate laughs. Edmund Breese good as Dix's uncle. Story and Production. ... Comedyromance. The story is a rather frail affair depending a trifle too strenuously upon incident for laughs and stretching its one main situation a bit beyond the power of its endurance. "Paradise for Two" is not as good as some of the previous Dix releases, the more to be wondered at since La Cava handled the megaphone for "Let's Get Married," "Say It Again" and "Womanhandled." He didn't have the where-with-all this time but even at that he hasn't brought the material through as well as he might have. There are long periods of repetition, shy on laughs and below the standard set by Dix and La Cava. Direction Gregory La Cava; fair. Author. .Howard Emmett Rogers Adaptation Ray HarrisTom J. Crizer. Scenario J. Clarkson Miller Photography. . . Edward Cronjager; good. Sandoiv in "Call of the Wilderness" Pathe Length: 4218 ft ANOTHER CANINE WONDER IN SEARCH OF FILM LAURELS. A CLEVER DOG IS ALWAYS INTERESTING BUT THIS TIME THE STORY IS POOR. Cast. . . .Sandow a well trained dog but not especially alert. Leslie Sargent. Sandow's master. Edna Marion the girl he falls in love with. Al Smith the usual villain. Max Asher strives to inject the essential comedy strain. Story and Production. . . .Romance. "Call of the Wilderness" presents another of the dog stars in a story that doesn't really star the dog but presents him as the devoted pal of the hero who goes West after being ousted by his father following some parties disapproved of by the irate father. Not especially good • entertainment. Story slow and conventional and comedy angle not strong enough to get it over. The introduction of a new dog star may "bring them in. Too bad Sandow didn't have a better vehicle with ■which to get acquainted. There is always somethjng sympathetic about a dog's devotion tVjat gives even a •weak story a good audience appeal. Direction Jack Nelson ; fair. Authors Earl W. Johnson Lon Young Scenario Same Photography Allyn Breslau; good. Tom Tyler in "Lightning Lariats" F B O. Length : 4536 ft. FIRST RATE WESTERN THAT HAS A NEW ANGLE IN AN OLD PLOT AND CONTAINS SOME THOROUGHLY DELIGHTFUL KID COMEDY PLEASING AND AMUSING. Cast. . . .Tom Tyler passes most of the honors to Frankie Darrow, his pup, and Gus, the colored boy. Dorothy Dunbar the girl in the case and Ruby Blaine supplies the new twist as the villainess. Story and Production. .. Western. Tom Tyler a-id his pals offer a truly delightful entertainment for the youngsters in "Lightning Lariats." It can be recommended as wholesome and amusing and certain tc please boys especially. Frankie Darrow, his dog and his colored buddy are a great trio and their sequence of "playing Indian" is a corker. The picture has a lot of good laughs and enough action and thrills to satisfy the adult audience as well. There is a novel twist to the western plot in that instead of the usual double crossing villain, there is a girl who supplies the trickery, jealousy being her motive. The story works out very interestingly and brings the usual happy clinch. Direction Robt. De Lacy; good. Author. . Geo. W., Yates, Jr. Scenario F. A. E. Pine Photography Nick Musuraca; good. Reed Howes in "The Night Owl" Rayart-S. R. Length: 5080 ft. SOME FIRST RATE ACTION AND HOWES ADDING CONSIDERABLY TO THE SUCCESS OF THE VENTURE IN A DUAL ROLE THAT HE DOES WELL. Cast.. If Howes did all the stunts of the picture himself,— and it looks as though he did — he can hit it up with the best of them. Gladys Hulette the cigarette girl who loves him and the crew that is out to best hero is composed of Joseph Girrard, Dave Kirby, James Mason. Story and Production Melodrama. "The Night Owl" is the type of picture the exhibitor can book and feel confident that it will please at least the majority of his audience providing, of course, that he plays to the average neighborhood clientele. For the crowd that still enjoys the good old fashioned thrill of having the hero outwit a bold band of professional yegg men there is a grand kick to the manouvers of the millionaire kid played by Reed Howes. He wields a mean fist and his amateur status is no handicap when it comes to tipping over the boys with Sing Sing records hired by his Dad to cure sonny of the night club habit. Harry J. Brown, using good judgment, made no attempt to hide the fact that he had a regulation hero yarn whose mission was to supply action and thrills without specializing in logic. Direction Harrv J. Brown good. Author . . Henry Robert Symonds Scenario Same Photography Wm. Tuers; satisfactory. Hoot Gibson in "The Silent Rider" Universal Length: 5808 ft. TYPE WESTERN. GIBSON RUNNING AMUCK ON GOOD STORY MATERIAL. LAST FEW VEHICLES HAVE LACKED THE ORIGINALITY IN PLOT AND ACTION THAT FORMERLY STAMPED HIS PICTURES 4S UNUSUALLY GOOD> WESTERN ENTERTAINMENT. Cast.. Gibson has too much mooning to do and too little chance to show his mettle. Ethan Laidlaw the villain. Blanche Mehaffev pretty. Others Otis Harlan and Wendel Phillips Franklin. Story and Production. ... Western; adapted from "The Red Headed Husband," by Katherine Newlin Burt. For a time Gibson appeared in a series of westerns that were in a class by themselves. They consisted of unusually original stories, particularly for westerns, fast action and rapid fire stunts and thrills that kept Hoot on the move and served a succession of fast moving incidents to his admirers. The Gibson-Edward Sedgwick combine worked splendidly together. Hoot's recent offerings have fallen into the rut like most of the western output. Direction Lynn Reynolds; average. Author Katherine Newlin Burt Continuity and Titles Jos. F.Poland Photography Edward Newman; good. Buffalo Bill, Jr., in "Bad Man's Bluff" Pathe Length: 4441 ft. TRITE WESTERN STORY BUT WELL STOCKED WITH ACTION AND THERE IS THE USUAL ROMANTIC TOUCH SO MUCH A PART OF THE COWBOY HERO'S LIFE. Cast.... Star rides well and performs all the feats of the hero in good style. Molly Malone the pretty heroine. Story and Production. ... Western. "Bad Man's Bluff" offers the usuai amount of western business with the old hero*villain-girl trio filling their well known places in a conventional plot. The development brings a satisfactory array of action and Buffalo Bill, Jr., is a real live hero who keeps villain on the move and thereby supplies his audience with a succession of exciting moments. Director Neitz provides a brand new touch for a cinema. After hero chases villain to the well known precipice and overpowers him he does not do the usual thing. Villain is not seen hurdling to the rocks below. No, sir. Hero carries him back down the mountainside and deposits him at the feet of the sheriff for the law to take its course. Direction Alvin J. Neitz; fair. Author Paul Bryan Scenario . . . Betty Burbridge Photography Unknown; good.