Photoplay (Jan - Jun 1931)

Brief Reviews of Current Pictures | COM IM ED I f:m\i rv. i ID | LOTTERY BRIDE. THE United VrtistS.— The tlinii ol tin one i i. i lonald, who foi hlstrionii i in .i inn way. Ami the muii< h grand. LOVE AMONG THE MILLIONAIRES mount. — Clan Umi' gets nun b too I UtC In tins luke mrn mu d< (Sept.) LOVE IN THE RING -Term Productions. Mai Schmellng's made-ln-Germany movie, before he won the title. As an actor, he a i good tighter. (( I LOVE IN THE ROUGH— M-G-M.— Golf, ro manri'. slap-stick and music You'll like it if you don't take it too seriously. ((hi.) LOVE RACKET. THE— Fir* National. The depressing sped icle of pretty Dorothy Mackaill burled aUve under .1 heavy dramatic rile. (Oct.) LOVE TRADER. THE— Tiffany Productions.— Leatrice Joy, blonde and beautiful, in a seductive Hawaiian locale. See it for Leatrice. (Dec.) • MADAM SATAN— M-G-M.— Another lavish DeMiiie spectacle. A dull wife acquires a French accent and risque clothes to win hack her hush. mil. You'll enjoy Kay Johnson and Reginald Denny. (Ucl.) MAN FROM WYOMING, THE— Paramount.— Gary Cooper and June Collyer. both splendid in a war picture with a Western title. (.1 ug.) • MANSLAUGHTER— Paramount.— The silent version was great in its day. but the talkie is a boost for vocalized films. Fine emotional drama played by Fredric March and Claudette Colbert. (Sept.) MAN TO MAN— Warners.— (Reviewed under the title "Barber John's Boy.") A father returns to face in alter eighteen years in prison. Grant Mitchell and Phillips Holmes are good, but the picture isn t always convincing. (Dec.) MAN TROUBLE— Fox.— Underworld stuff, but not loo depressing. Milton Sills sensational as a gangster and Dorothy Mackaill plays appealingly. (Sept.) MATRIMONIAL BED, THE — Warners. — A good cast, wasted on a poor picture. (July) MAYBE IT'S LOVE— Warners.— Maybe it's love, but it isn't college. Gridiron scenes arc good. Joan Bennett and James Hall provide the love. (Oct.) MEDICINE MAN, THE— Tiffany ProductionsPretty good hokum, but you could afford to miss it. (Sept.) MEN OF THE NORTH— M-G-M.— (Reviewed under the title "Monsieur Lc Fox.") Just another story of the Northwest. (Oct.) MIDNIGHT MYSTERY— Radio PicturesA practical joker starts something he cant finish. Betty Compson and Lowell Sherman. (Aug.) MIN AND BILL— M-G-M.— A tragic story stupidly pigged up with slapstick. However. Marie Dressier and Marjorie Ratnbeau are grand actresses. (Dec.) MISBEHAVING LADIES— First National.— The cms have whiskers, but you'll laugh at them, and Louise Fazenda is the reason. (Nov.) • MOBY DICK — Warners. —Captain Ahab's vengeful search for the white whale. Moby Dick, is full of thrills. John Barry more plays the same r6Ie as in the silent "Sea Beast." Don't miss this. (Oct.) • MONTE CARLO— Paramount. — Witty, piquant operetta in the best Lubitsch manner. Jeanette MacDonald sings gloriously. (Ocl.) • MOROCCO — -Paramount. — The new German enchantress. Marlene Dietrich, will stir up a storm. And Gary Cooper is a gorgeous Foreign Legionnaire. Hot stuff, this. (Dec.) MOTHERS CRY;— First NationaL— A best seller turned into a good picture, chiefly by the superb acting of Dorothj Peterson as the mother. (Dec.) NVUGHTY FLIRT, THE— First National.— Alice W lite as an heiress pursued by fortune-hunters. Speedy action,j)eppy dialogue, gorgeous clothes. Firstrate entertainment. (Oct.) NIGHT WORK— Pathe.— Eddie Quillan stars in a nice comedy drama that goes a bit melodramatic. (Aug.) NOT DAMAGED— Fox.— Sounds like, melodrama, but it's supposed to be comedy. (July) NUMBERED MEN— First National.— Fair entertainment. From the stage play, "Jailbreak." (A ug.) • OFFICE WIFE, THE — Warners. — Dorothy Mackaill is the girl who starts out to vamp her employer, played by Lewis Stone, and ends by falling in love with him. A sophisticated, but human and convincing story. (Ocl.) 1)11 SMI. OK BEHAVE ..w.-M Sher man Is s swell comedy print e. < M dramatically •■> musically, (Sept.) OLD wi> Nl w hi... Powerful, I munism propaganda film, i o-direi ted by Eisensti In "t "Potemkin' fame. Silent. (J *<)l.l) ENGLISH '.'■ re. Don't m t Seoi t. Ii \ mi hk.-d "Dia i.ieii"||yi.u II rave about tins one, <Srpt.) ONCE \<.i N I'I.EM V\ Sono 'm | — High comedy, with s touch of pathos. Eddie Horton is elegant. (July) ONE MAD KISS — Fox. — Don Jose Mojic a. young operatic tenor, and Mona Maris afford entertainment for a satisfactory evening. (I I ONE NIGHT AT SUSIE'S— First National.— One night at Susie's is enough of this sort of thing. Billie Dove plays a chorine. (Sept.) • ON YOUR BACK— Fox— Irene Rich in gorgeous clothes, as a fashionable New Yotk modiste, is splendid in an interesting picture. (Sept.) Producer Announcements of j\ew Pictures and Stars While all good advertising is news, we consider producer advertising of particular interest to our read' ers. With this directory you easily can locate each announcement: Caddo Company .... Page 18 First National Pictures . . Page 1 1 Fox Film Page 9 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer..Page 14 Paramount Pictures . . . Page 4 Warner Brothers .... Page 7 OTHER TOMORROW, THE— First National — Gorgeous Billie Dove in the usual love triangle. Just so-so. (.1 u g.) • OUR BLUSHING BRIDES— M-G-M— You must see Joan Crawford in those lace step-ins! Swell box-office picture, with Anita Page. Robert Montgomery and some more popular youngsters. (Sept.) OUTSIDE THE LAW— Universal.— Too much dialogue and too little action. (Oct.) • OUTWARD BOUND— Warners— A ship sets sail. Eight characters are on board. All are dead — bound for the Hereafter. A daring picture, finely produced and acted by Doug Fairbanks. Jr.. Helen Chandler, Leslie Howard. For adults. PARADISE ISLAND— Tiffany Productions.— This struggles along in a South Sea Island setting. (Sept.) PARDON MY GUN— Pathe.— A Western comedy with not a dull moment. Two champion juvenile trick riders and ropers outdo Will Rogers. (Sept.) PAY OFF. THE— Radio Pictures.— Lowell Sherman as a dress-suit crook in a smart, sophisticated crook drama. It's a pip. (Nov.) PLAYBOY OF PARIS— Paramount— Chevalier deserves better than this light farce, which is amusing only in spots. And only two songs from Maurice! (Nov.) QUEEN HIGH — Paramount. — An' ace musical comedv with laughs, lilting tunes and pretty girls. (Aug.) • QUEEN OF SCANDAL— United Artists.— A musical, but a hit. England's Evelyn Lave is charming and Texas' John Boles in grand voice. (Dee. i *k\i i i i 8—1 Ronald! ■■■■ i English gentleman-tl while , A talkie that entertainingly ! (Sept.) run OS shine Columbia. I d.'-but. a. with a punch finish. [OeL) RECAPTURED LOVE— Warners— A little put lire. \ ou'll probably like it. (Aug.) REM MI'I l()\ talkie, made befon "H I ght," but shelved and now largrl) i • : that proves Join. R] Mill I CON1 It'll M-G-M . — Hilly H \ gr. at i hat they haven't been overlooked, (Die.) RENOSono Art World Wide. Ruth Roland's screen comeback. She I ful but her acting is hopelessly old-fashioned, if there was a story, it got lost iii the making. (Sept.) RETURN OF DR. FU MAN' III , THE mount. — Grand melodramatii hokum. v. (Hand is a swell Manchu. (J"lu) RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD, THE— M G-M.— Louis Mann as the dad of an ungrateful family, A good cast and happy ending. (July) RIGHT OF WAY. THE— First National.— Starts out well but toward the end you may wish you'd Stayed home. (Aug.) RIVER'S END — Warners.— A lusty Curwi story, with Charles Bickford in a dual role. ROAD TO PARADISE— First National.— Twin ire at it again, complicating movie plots, Loretta Young plays both girls, one a i rook, the other a wealthy and noble young lady. (Oct.) • ROMANCE— M-G-M.— Garbo personifies all the title implies in her second talkie. F'evens sakes, don't miss it! (Aug.) ROUGH WATERS— Warners.— Another personal success for Rin-Tin-Tin. The children will love it. (Oct.) SANTA FE TRAIL, THE— Paramount— Richard Arlen in his cowboy suit. Indians. Anil Mitzi Green! If you like Westerns, all right. (.Vor.) SAP FROM SYRACUSE, THE— Paramount.— Jack Oakie's bubbling personality puts this acro^-. Jack plays a good-natured boob who masquerades as a famous engineer. No panic, but good. (Oct.) SCARLET PAGES— First National.— Elsie Ferguson's talkie debut, from her stage play. Elsie is interesting as a woman attorney. ■Sepl.i SEA BAT, THE— M-G-M.— Just another talkie, ho-hum! By the way, its Nils Aether's first audible film. (Aug.) SEA GOD. THE— Paramount. — Wild adventure. pearl diving, cannibals — a real movie. Richard Arlen and Fay Wray provide the love inter, -t. (Not.) • SEA WOLF. THE— Fox— Again Jack London's famous Wolf Larscn takes with sound. Milton Sills played Wolf beautifully. His last picture, and a noble thrill SECOND FLOOR MYSTERY, THE— Warners. — Novel mystery-comedy, with Loretta Young and Grant Withers. (July) SHADOW OF THE LAW— Paramount.— The usual delightful William Powell performance, but the story could be better. (July) SHADOW RANCH— Columbia.— Buck Jones' new Western is a cracker jack. {JD SHE GOT WHAT SHE WANTED— Cruz -Tiffany.— An hourful of guffaws over old man Bori his philandering wife. Betty Compson's the wife and darn good's the pictur. SHE'S MY WEAKNESS— Radio Pictures.— Arthur Lake and Sue Carol in a story' of love's young dream. Rather nice. (.4ug.) SHOOTING STRAIGHT— Radio Pictures — \ deft mingling of under-world drama and comedy gives Richard Dix his best part in a long time. (Si SILENT ENEMY. THE— Paramount.— Beautifully photographed story of the Ojibway Indians' ■ for food in the far North, played by real Indians. Amazing animal scenes. Sound. (July) SILVER HORDE. THE— Ra i —Rex Beach's salmon-fishing thriller makes a tingling phonoplav and Evelyn Brent makes a brand new hit, (Dee.) [ PLEASE TURN" TO PAGE 124 ] 15