Inside facts of stage and screen (Jan 11 1930)

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PAGE EIGHT SATURDAY, JAN. 11, 1930, INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN NAME-BY-NAME ESTIMATE OF PLA 1 ! This is the second install- ment of a list estimating the rating of all the players in talkie work to date. The first installment, including names from A to L, was printed last week. LANE, LOLA—A different per- sonality which pleases, backed Uj* by quite adequate acting abil- ity. “Speakeasy,” “Movietone Follies.” LYNN, SHARON—Okeh. “Speak- easy,” “Movietone Follies.” LUDEN, JACK—An asset to any cast. “The Wild Party,” “Dan- gerous Curves,” “Faro Nell.” LAUREL, STAN —Of the ace talkie comedy team of Laurel and Hardy. Funny, without a doubt. Hal Roach Comedies. LAW F O RD, BETTY — Very good. “Gentlemen of the Press.” LESLIE, LAURENCE — Good. “Gentlemen of the Press,” “Hints to Brides.” LEE, DIXIE—Adequate. “Imag- ine My Embarrassment.” LOVE, MONTAGU—An asset to any cast. “Charming Sinners,” “Bulldog Drummond,” “Her Private Life.” LAWLER, ANDERSON —Good casting. “Half Marriage.” LANE, CHARLES —Very good as sympathetic elderly gentle- man. “Saturday’s Children.” LOMBARD, CAROL —An in- triguing personality and the ability to make the audiences sympathize with her. “Big News.” LEBEDEFF, IVAN — Adequate Russian nobleman. “They Had to See Paris.” LEE, SYLVAN — So-so. “The Cocoanuts.” LEONARD, E D DI E — Presum- ably has the goods, but the poor vehicle U gave to him, to-wit “Melody Lane,” didn’t give him a fair chance to use it. LA VERNE, JANE—Clever and appealing youngster about six or seven years old. “Melody Lane.” LIGHTNER, WINNIE—A spon- taneous comedienne who tosses off the laughs like a live wire tosses off sparks. “Gold Dig- gers of Broadway.” LUCAS, NICK — As pleasing a singer of croony tunes as the screen has developed. He’ll build up any picture. “Gold Diggers, of Broadway.” LUGOSI, BELA—Capable, com- manding and a trouper who knows his stuff. “The Thir- teenth Chair.” LLOYD, DORIS —Very clever actress who takes full advan- tage of the opportunities as- signed her. “Disraeli.” LA ROQUE, ROD—As good in the talkies as in the silents, and that’s good. “The Man and the Moment.” LEE, DUKE R. ■— Good casting. “Young Nowheres.” LOFF, JEANETTE — Appealing type who accepts her talkie chances to' good advantage. “The Sophomore.” LITEL, JOHN B.—Both his per- . sonality and his ability are far above average. “The Flattering Word,” etc. LLOYD, HAROLD —We pre- ferred him in the silents. Others may not. “Welcome Danger.” LONERGRIN, LESTER — Re- markably good character per- formance in “Seven Faces,” and looks like an excellent casting when his type is needed. M MARCH, FREDRIC—One of the talkies’ leading men both in list- ing and ability. He’s consistent- ly A-l and his already big pres- tige should keep growing if properly handled. “The Dummy,” “The Wild Party,” “The Studio Murder Mystery,” “Jealousy,” “Paris Bound,” “Footlights and Fools.” MATIESON, OTTO —Tries to put too much into his work to be thoroughly convincing. Should considerably modify his acting. “Strange Cargo,” “Gen-. ci*cil Crack ^ MERCER, BERYL—Great in her little old lady characterizations, equally proficient in handling comedy and more serious mo- ments. “Three Live Ghosts.” MIDDLETON, CHARLES . B.— One of the strong and able talkie personalities drafted from the stage. Always good and with the ability to put his parts across in a manner which steals scenes in which he par- ticipates. “Bellamy Trial,” “Welcome Danger.” MOORE, COLLEEN—Her claim to fame in the silents was her mugging, which some people' thought cute. The talkies made that a drug on the market, and that’s that. “Smiling Irish Eyes,” “Footlights and Fools.” MARSHALL, TULLY —Lacks the poise and consistency which makes for pleasant watching. By no means the best in his field of endeavor. “Alias Jimmy Valentine,” “Conquest,” “Thun- derbolt,” “Tiger Rose.” MOORE, CHARLES (colored)— Usual style of negro comedy, fairly done. “The Trial of Mary Dugan.” MACK, BABY (colored) — Okeh as a cute colored girl. “The Ghost Talks,” “Close Har- mony.” MYERS, CARMEL—Okeh. “The Ghost Talks,” “Careers,” “He Did His Best.” MacGREGOR, MALCOLM—His early offering, “Girl on the Barge,” just so-so. MORRIS, CHESTER —Has the ability and the technique. A very good casting. “Alibi,” “Fast Life.” MURRAY, JAMES—His pleasing personality in the silents is even more so in the talkies, and he delivers his lines with real abil- ity. This boy, with the proper break, should be way up among the big ones. “The Shake- down.” MUSE, CLARENCE (colored)— Otherwise very able acting marred by a trifle too much staginess. “Hearts in Dixie.” McDonald, francis—a good personality backed up by plenty of ability. Good casting. “The Carnation Kid.” MILJAN, JOHN—An assignment in his hands is sure to get de- velopment that makes it an as- set to the picture. Suave and certain in delivery. “Queen of the Night Clubs,” “The Desert Song,” “Innocents of Paris,” “Fashions in Love,” “Voice of the City,” “Untamed.” McHUGH, JACK—Boy of about 14 who delivers. “Chinatown Nights.” MURRAY, JOHN T. — Good comedian who brightens his moments on the screen. “Sonny Boy.” MacDONALD, WALLACE— Great bet for any picture where his type can be used, and has a thorough grasp of talkie tech- nique. “Fancy Baggage,” “Sweetie,” “Hit the Deck.” MORRIS, JOHNNY —Had a good comedy bit as a one-man band in “Innocents of Paris.” MARTINDEL, E D W A R D—A polished actor who' graces his parts. “The Desert Song,” “Footlights and Fools.” MARSHALL, HERBERT—Very good. “The Letter.” MACKAILL, DOROTHY—Gains by the talkies, her voice being right in line with her silent day ability, and her allure being in- tensified thereby, and it was plenty big then. “The Barker,” “Two Weeks Off,” “His Cap- tive Woman,” “Hard to Get.” MEEK, DONALD — Average goofy characterization in “The Hole in the Wall.” McQUARRIE, GEORGE —Also- just average in “The Hole in the Wall.” McLAGLEN, VICTOR—Puts on a bit too much tough to be wholly convincing. Roles more after the nature of those given George Bancroft by Paramount would be better for him, as evi- denced by “The Black Watch.” Others, “The Cockeyed World,” “Hot for Paris.” MORAN, LEE—As a hard-boiled wisecracker in small parts, he scores. “On With the Show,” Gold Diggers of Broadway.” MUNI, PAUL—Has the elements to make himself one of the screen’s greatest dramatic ac- tors—if Fox doesn’t go haywire in selecting, his vehicles with an over-stressment of this possi- bility. “The Valiant,” “Seven Faces. * MACKENZIE, DONALD—Okeh. “Studio Murder Mystery.” MORTON, CHARLES—All right. ‘“Thru Different Eyes.” McGRAIL, WALTER —Just so- ; so. -“River .of Romance.” MORENO, ANTONIO —A real talkie bet, and in his latest, a Mexican caballero role, he rated himself only second to Warner Baxter for proficiency in Latin parts. “Careers,” “Romance of the Rio Grande.” MORAN, LOIS —Weak, getting across to quite moderate returns. “Behind That Curtain,” “Words and Music.” MENJOU, ADOLPHE—Smooth, polished and engaging, and his removal to Europe was a dis- tinct loss to Hollywood. “Fash- ions of Love.” MURRAY, KEN—-Puts over his comedy on the screen for sure- fire returns. “Haly Marriage.” MILAR, ADOLPH—Okeh. “Bull- dog Drummond.” MARTELL, MART IE — Attrac- tive, cute and able. “Hints to Brides.” MACK, WILLARD — Brought a good stage delivery to the screen in its early talkie days. “Voice of the City.” MARSHALL, CLARK — Excel- lent characterization of an un- derworld hophead in “Voice of the City,” making it one of the outstanding portrayals of the film. McGUIRE, TOM — Imposing white-haired gentleman who de- livers for good value. “V oiCe of the City.” MOE, -ALICE-—Excellent goofy comedy in “Voice of the City.” MANN, HANK — Handles his comedy with a sincerity and lack of pretentiousness which makes it excellent. “The Donovan Af- - fair.” McKEE, RAYMOND —Likeable personality and comedy ability. “Look Out Below.” MARX BROTHERS —Screen’s foremost exponents to date of lowbrow hoke comedy which makes ’em laugh whether they want to or not. “The Cocoa- nuts.” MULHALL, JACK — Makes an averagely good leading man for the talkies. “Twin Beds.” MILLER, PATSY RUTH—Noth- ing to distinguish her from the rest of Hollywood’s aspirants for screen fame.P “Twin Beds.” MOORE, MATT — One of the likeable and capable Moore boys. “Coquette,” “Side Street.” MOORE, TOM —Ditto. “Side Street.” MOORE, OWEN —Ditto. “Side Street.” MORAN AND MACK —Their stuff is good screen product and they have a sincerity in portrayal which is engaging. “Two Black Crows.” McKINNEY, NINA MAE (col- ored)—Singing and dancing en- tertainer with dash, and addition- ally a very good actress who knows how to get sympathy. “Hallelujah.” MAYER, HYMAN —Very good. “The Saturday Night Kid.” MANN, MARGARET—Makes up well as Queen Victoria but didn’t have anything other than her looks to do in “Disraeli.” McFARLANE, GEORGE —Good both as to type and abiltiy. “The Painted Angel.” MONTGOMERY, ROBERT— Has the makings of one of the leading juveniles of the screen, but there is an unpleasant his- trionic forcedness in a good deal of his conversation and ac- tion which detracts from his merits considerably. “So This Is College?” “Untamed,” “Three Live Ghosts.” MORAN, POLLY-—Puts across broad laughs broadly, but, un- less held down, is apt to be an unauthentic note in authentic dramas. Excellent slapstick comedienne for the two-reelers. “So This Is College?” “Hot For Paris.” MURRAY, MAE — To date no more than a moderately good talkie actress. “Peacock Alley.” McNAUGHTON, CHARLES— Only picture in which caught to date is “Three Live Ghosts,” and he just about stole that one in collaboration with Beryl Mercer. Did a cockney and was great as to type and to charac- terization. MURPHY, EDNA —Weak both as to voice and acting qualities. “Little Johnny Jones.” N NAGEL, CONRAD — His niche in the talkies is - well declared, and he is consistent in it. “The Redeeming Sin,” “ T h e Idle Rich,” “Dynamite,”: “The 13th Chair,” “Glorious. Betsy,” et‘ al. NIXON, , MARI AN—Monstrously cute little girl who' know.s, her talkie angles for full appeal. “Geraldine,”- “ The Rain b o w Man.” “hi the ' Headlines,” “Say It With Songs,’” “Young No-' wheres,”. ■" '■ - . ADD RATINGS—See former NASH, JUNE — Pretty and ade- quate. “Strange Cargo,” “Dyna- mite.” NUGENT, EDWARD —Good- looking and adequate. “The Bellamy Trial,” “The Vagabond Lover,” “Untamed.” NATHEAUX, LOUIS—Standard type sauve underworlder who develops the roles for full value. “Weary River,” “Broadway Babies.” NORWORTH, JACK — Just there. “Queen of the Night Clubs.” NEILL, JAMES — Type okeh. “The Idle Rich,” NOLAN, MARY—Just fair, with a voice not so good. “Charm- ing Sinners.” NORMAN, GERTRUDE — As fault-finding old lady very gdod in “The Greene Murder Case.” NUGENT, ELLIOTT —A real find for the talkies. Has a per- sonality which Clicks mightily and aids it by clever acting and a good voice, “So This Is Col- lege?” 0 OAKIE, JACK—The best natural comedian the talkies have as yet developed, and rounds it out With a nice ability in other de- partments, His boxoffice value should be a long time in wan- ing. “Fast Company,” “Sweetie,” “Chinatown Night s,” “Close Harmony,” “The Wild Party,” “The Matt I Love,” “Hit the Deck.” O’NEILL, SALLY—Has a voice like a squeaky slate-pencil and her only other recommenadtion is the fact that her mugging went out of style when the talkies came in, but she hasn’t found it out yet. “Girl on the Barga,e” “On With the Show,” “The Sophomore.” OAKMAN, WHEELER — This boy is a sure deliverer in suave menace parts, and a good casting. “ T h e Shakedown,” “The Donovan Affair,” “The Girl From Woolworth’s,” “On With the Show,” “Little Johnny Jones.” OLAND, WARNER —Spotty in delivery, but when he’s cast in congenial roles he delivers ex- cellently. “Chinatown Nights,” “The Studio Murder Mystery,” “The Mighty,” “The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu.” OLMSTEAD, GERTRUDE— Fair enough. “Sonny Boy.” O’HARA, SHIRLEY —Adequate. “The Wild Party.” OWEN, REGINALD —An able and polished performer. “The Letter.” OBER, ROBERT — Delivers and with a good personality. “The Idle Rich,” “In the Headlines.” O’MALLEY, PAT—Good, clean- cut performer who aids any cast. “The Man I Love.” O’BRIEN, GEORG E—Talking personality sufficient but not startling. “Saluate.” ORLAMOND, WILLIAM—Okeh. “House of Horror,” “Words and Music,” “Girl From Wool- worth’s,” “Her Private Affair.” OAKLAND, VIVIAN—Okeh. “In the Headlines.” O’NEIL, NANCE—Her trouper- ship makes her parts stand out, no matter their length. “His Glorious Night.” OLIVER, EDNA MAY—Has to her credit one of the talkies’ ex- ceptionally well handled comedy scenes, that of director of store personnel in “The Saturday Night Kid.” O’KEEFE, WALTER —Good voice and a presence which holds attention. “The Sopho- more.” P POWELL, WILLIAM — Certain to deliver a smooth, polished and pleasing performance for his role’s full value, plus. “The Canary Murder Case,” “Charm- ing Sinner s,” “Interference,” “The Greene Murder Case.” PALLETTE, EUGENE—In cer- tain types, great; in others ade- quate. His dumb dick in “The Canary Murder Case” was his best to date. “The Canary Mur- der Case,” “The Studio Murder Mystery,” “The Greene Murder Case,” , “The Virginian.” PRICE, NANCY—Very good as a cockney-speaking slavey in “The Doctor’s Secret.” PAGE, ANITA — Just another voluptuous blonde. “Broadway Melody.” PROUTY, JED — A consistent trouper whose presence is any cast’s gain. “Broadway Mel- ody,” “Sonny Boy,” “Two Weeks Off,” “It’s a Great Life.” PREER, EVELYN (colored)— Adequate but pictures can be stolen from her. . “The Melan- choly Dame.” PRATT, PURNELL—Good troup- er who knows how to make his part stand out. “Alibi,” “Thru Different Eyes,” “On With the Show,” “The Trespasser.” PILOT, BERNICE (colored)— Up to standard as Stephin Fetchit’s first wife in “Hearts in Dixie.” PREVOST, MARIE — A nifty little talkie queen before she lert the screen for wedded bliss. “The Godless Girl,” “The Ply- ing FoOl;” PRICE, KATE — Good buxom hiother type who delivers. “Co- tierts and Kellys in Atlantic City,” “Two Weeks Off.” PAGE, PAUL—Very good aho good appearance. “SpeakeaSy.” BICKFORD, MARY—Proved her ample talkie ability in “Coquette” and did neatly With Katherine ih “Taming of the Shrew,” blit Was somewhat handicapped by beiilg not the general concep- tion of Shakespeare’s ' violent lady. PRATT, JACK—Quite adequate as the Pasha in “The Desert Song.” PERCY, DAVID—No screen find. “The Black Watch,” “Words and Music.” I’ADDON, SARAH—A neat addi- tion to any cast when her type is needed. “Wonder of Women,” “‘The Sophomore.” PIDGEON, WALTER—Just aver- age. “Her Private Life.” PERRY, KATHRYN — Appeal and average ability. “Side Street.” PENNINGTON, ANN —Always does the same thing and the lack of variation is getting mo- notonous to the regular picture fans. “Is Everybody Happy?” “Gold Diggers of Broadway,” “Night Parade.” PRINGLE, AILEENf—A person- ality which holds attention, fur- ther enhanced by good ability and a very pleasing voice. Good casting. “Night Parade.” PITTS, ZASL Always the same but good for laughs when used moderately. Somewhat different and better in a fatter role in “This Thing Called Love.’’ Other pictures, “Dynamite,” “Twin Beds,” “Her Private Life.” QUILLAN, EDDIE—This boy's pleasing personality and ability to develop comedy gives him a high rating despite a weakness in the majority of stories Which have been assigned him to date. “Geraldine,” “Noisy Neighbors,” “The Gociless Gir 1,” “The Sophottiofe.” QUARTERO, N'KNA — Good exotic type who fills spots call- ing for such well, and also lends appeal in other roles. “The Re- deeming Sin,” “One Stoletl Night,” “The Big Squawk.” QUIMBY, MARGARET—Just an- other leading girl. “Lucky Boy.” R ROGERS, CHARLES “BUDDY ’ —About the same in the talkies as in the silents, with more required from the good-looking boys in the talkies. “Close Har- mony,” “River of Romance,” “Illusion.” RUGGLES, CHARLES — Has been assigned drunk roles to date, and he’s starred in them. His “Gentlemen of the Press” assignment was a classic. Other pictures, “The Lady Lies.” ROBARDS, JASON—A strong leading man type who is a good casting. “Peacock Alley,” “Isle of Los Ships,” “The Gamblers.” ROGERS, WILL—He gained sev- eral hundred per cent by the ability to talk, and he’s a nat- ural laugh riot now. “They Had to See Paris.” RICH, IRENE—Pleasant talking screen presence backed by abil- ity. “They Had to See Paris.” RICHMOND, WARNER—A very distinctive type, somewhat lim- ited by that fact. “The Re- deeming Sin,” “Strange Cargo,” “Big News.” ROSANOVA, ROSA—Average as a Jewish Momma. “Lucky Boy.” RANKIN, ARTHUR—Adequate. “Wolf of Wall Street.” REICHER, FRANK—Always de- livers in a quiet, strong way. “Strange Cargo,” “Black Wat- ers,” “His Captive Woman,” “Her Private Affair.” ROLLINS, DAVID —Too much inclined to overact to be con- vincing. “The Black Watch,” “Cradle Snatchers.” RO'SING, BODIL—Striking type. “Broadway Babies.” RALSTON, ESTHER —Big ap- peal and handles everything as- signed her with dexterity. “Wheel of Life,” “The Mighty.” RANDOLF, ANDERS — Strong and able and a good casting. “Dangerous Curves,” “Young Nowheres.” RATHBONE, BASIL — Good trouper but not of the type to create a big popular reaction. “The Last of Mrs. Cheyney.” REICHER, HEDWIGA — Ade- quate. “Lucky Star.”