Picture Play Magazine (Jul - Dec 1929)

65 A Confidential Guide to Current Releases WHAT EVERY FAN SHOULD SEE "Letter, The" — Paramount. Entertaining eloquence and dramatic situations make this a milestone in all-dialogue films, and bring to the screen the gifted Jeanne Eagels. A civilized picture showing the wrecked lives of an English couple in Singapore. Stage cast devoid of cuties includes O. P. Heggie, Reginald Owen, and Herbert Marshall. "Iron Mask, The"— United Artists. A picturesque tapestry, sequel to "The Three Musketeers," superbly exploiting Douglas Fairbanks. Story from Dumas revolves around the throne of seventeenth-century France. Marguerite de la Motte, Dorothy Revier, William Bakewell, and Ulrich Haupt. "Canary Murder Case, The" — Paramount. The great "Philo Vance" screened by William Powell, unravels a mystery with fine suspense, and talks entertainingly. Louise Brooks seen, Margaret Livingston heard, as the murdered "Canary." James Hall, Jean Arthur, Eugene Pallette, Lawrence Grant. Powell takes the honors. "Broadway Melody, The" — Metro Goldwyn. An extraordinarily entertaining musical-comedy picture, human in its appealing story of stage life, with dialogue, song and spectacle. Concerning two sisters with ambitions to make Broadway, and a song-and-dance artist from their home town, and their careers and loves. Bessie Love, Anita Page, and Charles King top-notch. "Doctor's Secret, The" — Paramount. Talkie version of a stage play with Ruth Chatterton achieving distinction in her talking-celluloid debut. Oldfashioned story of bridge-building lover and frustrated elopement with dramatic situations. Excellent support by H. B. Warner, Robert Edeson, John Loder, Ethel Wales, Nanci Price. "Sins of the Fathers" — Paramount. Emil Jannings as devoted father, who falls into the clutches of a siren of the pavements and is led far astray, but retribution overtakes him. Characterization impressively genuine. Capital acting by Ruth Chatterton, Barry Norton, Zasu Pitts, Jack Luden, Mathew Betz, and Jean Arthur. "Redskin" — Paramount. Richard Dix in a dramatic role, pictured in color. Story of an Indian boy's yearning to find his place, and his disillusionment, but prospects of happiness in the end. Gladys Belmont effective as heroine; also Jane Novak, Larry Steers, Bernard Siegel, Noble Johnson, Tully Marshall. "Weary River" — First National. Richard Barthelmcss as a melodious convict, in a well-directed, well-acted ordinary story of a man who sings his way out of prison shadows, slips, and is saved by his old sweetheart. Betty Compson, Louis Xatheaux, George Stone, Gladden James. "In Old Arizona" — Fox. An all-dialogue picture, most of it occurring in the open, it is in a class by il^ili superlative. Story of a calico "Carnun," her passing love for a Portuguese cattle thief, and her betrayal of 1) i 111 to an American soldier. Gripping, picturesque, amusing, tragic; superb performances by Warner Baxter and Edmund Lowe, with interesting support from Dorothy Burgess, a newcomer. "Awakening, The" — United Artists. Vilma Banky's debut as individual star successful, but story not up to her artistic height. She is an Alsatian peasant who falls in love with a Prussian officer, is humiliated and disgraced by the villagers, and flees to a convent from which she is rescued by the soldier at the moment of her final vows. Beautifully produced. Walter Byron, as the soldier, handsome ; Louis Wolheim, a strong villain. "Shopworn Angel, The" — Paramount. Simple story of ingenuous soldier in love with sophisticated chorus girl who gradually responds to his idealistic worship, but hasn't courage to tell him truth about herself. Acted with rare feeling, delicacy and intelligence by Gary Cooper, Nancy Carroll, and Paul Lukas, with complete absence of the maudlin. Mr. Cooper heard for first time in talking sequence. He's there! "Barker, The" — First National. Exceptional picture of carnival life, moving, gripping, thrilling, with splendid dialogue sequences adding greatly to "punch" of the film. A veteran barker permits his innocent son to travel with the show, thus arousing the jealousy of the barker's girl, who bribes another girl to take the boy away from his father. Milton Sills, Betty Compson, Dorothy Mackaill, and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. "My Man" — Warner. The Vitaphone debut of Fannie Brice, the famous comedienne, is successfully accomplished in a sympathetic picture that enables her to sing long and often as a seamstress who rises to musical-comedy fame, and whose lover is annexed by her wayward sister. Deserted at the altar, she sings "My Man!" in bridal array, and how! Guinn Williams, Edna Murphy, and Ann Brody are fine. "Interference" — Paramount. The first all-dialogue picture produced by this company is more polished and believable than any of the other talking pictures though slow and only tolerably interesting. Story of a blackmailing adventuress and her tragic end at the hands of her former lover. F.velyn Brent, Willam Powell, Give Brook, and Doris Kenyon. "Show People" — Metro-Goldwyn. Gorgeously entertaining satire on Hollywood and the movies, or a slapstick comedy with sentimental trimmi ngs. Whichever way you accept it. it is riotously funny and is the best pic ture Marion Davies or William Haines has ever appeared in. Story of a goofy girl and what happens to her as a movie actress. Paul Ralli, Polly Moran, Harry Gribbon and numerous star-.. "Alias Jimmy Valentine" — MetroGpldwyn. Expertly played story of likable young crook who reforms for |o\ e, routs detective who tries to break down his alibi, then sacrifices it all to open safe in which child is smothering to death. Capital entertainment, brilliant performances by William Haines and Lionel Barrymore. Leila Hyams, Tully Marshall, Karl Dane. Don't miss this! "Four Devils, The"— Fox. The glamour and excitement of the circus superbly pictured. Film quite all it should be, and has moments of genius. Barry Norton, Nancy Drexel, Charles Morton, Janet Gay nor, with Mary Duncan in the siren role. "Wedding March, The" — Paramount. The long-awaited Frich von Stroheim story of the love of an Austrian prince and a peasant girl, told in the unique Von Stroheim style. Fay Wray plays with abandon and charm, Zasu Pitts has the tragic role of a lame her and "Von" acts himself. "Singing Fool, The"— Warner. Al Jolson as singing waiter, with "Sonny Boy" the theme song. Thin story, but the star's voice is excellently exploited. There are good speaking parts for Betty Bronson and Josephine Dunn. David Lee, a child newcomer, is nothing less than a sensation. "White Shadows in the South Seas" — Metro-Goldwyn. Filmed on authentic locations, and has much to offer in natural beauty and pictorial loveliness. Purports to show the corrupting influence of white men among the islanders. Monte Blue is capable in the lead, and Raquel Torres makes the native girl, "Fayaway." vital, naive and charming. FOR SECOND CHOICE "Dummy, The"— Paramount. All-dialogue film distinctive in suspense and dialogue running through to a pleasant ending. Mickey Bennett leading, and Zasu Pitts makes her verbal debut. About a kidnaping, and reconciliation of estranged couple. Capital performances by all the cast. Ruth (hatterton, Vondell Darr. Fredric March, "Noah's Ark" — Warner. A spectacle of more eye than ear interest, unsurpassed in its Deluge scene. Modern sequences culminating in a hop' tangle in the World War. which fades to the biblical sequences, where the same characters appear. <>■ O'Brien. Dolores Costello, Guinn Williams, Noah Beery. "Wolf Song"— Paramount. Love versus wanderlust in the heart of a trapper, played by Gary Cooper, and Lupe Veler, the siren who would have the roistering woodsman forsake the open spaces. Beautiful scenery: singing not quite that. [Continued on page ICC]