Variety (Sep 1935)

Wednesday; S^pfembei^ 18, 1935 FILM REVIEWS VARIETY 15 Big Broadcast of 1936 Pnraniount relense of a Benjamin dozer BroduQtloh. Features Jack Ookle, Burns "and Allen. Lyda Robert), Wendy Barrle, Henry-Wttdaworth. Director, Norman Tnu- TOg, Story and adaptation, Walter DeLeon, FranelB Martin. Ralph SpeT<ce;- mualc and lyrics, Ralph Ralnger, Richard Whiting, Zieo Robin, Dorothy Parker, Mack Gordon, Harry Revel, .Boy Noble; danoes, LeRoy Irt'ln?; camera. Leo Tover. At JPnrnnjouD.t„ ■ N- t"yi&)V: •smf^HT'^Xi: "limning time, 07 mine. .. .Jack Oakle Oeorge Burns . .Oracle Allen .Iiyda RobertI Wendy Barrle pnry Wadaworth . "T'pnry Gordon Benny Baker ,Snmii.el 3. Hinds ..Akim Tamlroft .Wnrold Nlcholna' .Fdyard Nloholns Speclnlties by-: 'niri(;' CroBby, .■Kthel -Mer- ..Tnan^-^jnos-lB*- vAT'mlj'.vRivj' >robkc'« bHudi Ina Ray H utton 'p hwd. ,Marvl.JBfllai)idi. -CWrnre KUe<ilPR,"~mi~Tloi}lnpon, Willie, West and McGlnty, Vlenn/i Bovs« Choir, Sir Guv Standlnfr.: Gall Patrick, David Holt, VI Inia Weldler. Spud,.., agw«e..v,.,,,.,...,.>., GKiTcIe. < Countess Tsobol de Narglla Sue. .....v... Smiley..., -«T>nh>vrto~irt"".7/r.".-".".' Herman.'. •.«.•••«,.••■ Captain^.........,... Boris....,,... ..>.... Dot...i>.......... .i. DaEh. •Big roadcast of '36' la a film 1)roadcaster of plenty pf names and considerable €nterta:Inmeht. It hasn't much ' storvi biit the lack won't bother much. The names \vlll pet- tlje picture business and the pne- plttltles, dlalop -and screwy sltua- ■'tions wJlll take care -of the enter- tainment, end satlsfstctorJly with ' inpist any: audleTJce. ; Names are In and out as fast and as often as a firefly's tall llsht. There Just Isn't time for a 'plot' and probably best that none was attempted. .Tack Oakle, Burns and Allen, Lvda RobertI, Wendy Barrle, Henry Wadsworth, C. Henry Gor- don and l a fe\y others carry on whatever yarn there Is and thev play it llphtly, as required. Their <shlef mission seems to have been to fjnake the sneclalt'les stand out, and In dplngr that rather nicely they, manage to stand out themselves. The .customers will have to look quickly to see such nam^s Bine; Crosby, Ethel Merman, Rav Noble's band, Amos 'n' Andv, Boland and Ruegles and Bill Robinson. These and other snecialtv turns are worked Into the continuity via a crazy tele- vision gaR, Oakle. In a part that's i*: HetuT* for his style of comedins. Is the slightly bankrupt operator of a small time ^ station and doubles as the outlet's ^. ^grcat loyer.'. Oakle does the spiel- ing and -his nnrtncr, Henry Wnds- j worth, the croonlner, and together "they represent Ijochlnvar to the ladles of America. Burns and Allen come in with an Ingenious and .also nutty' television contraptio/i. Inr vented by Grade's uncle", which can pick up any eVent and also send. liVda RobertI as a punchv countess with lots of Jack, pnd Wendy Bar- rle as her sidekick, team un ro- mantically with Oakle and Wads- "worth, rospectlvely. It 'winds up with a funny farcical chase on the countess' Island, to which Oakle and Wadsworth have been shanghaied, and where they're due to get theirs from the countess' jealous guardian. C. Henry Gordon, To complicate the' burlesque finale chase. Oakle, in a runawav carriage, gives a play-by-play broadcast over the television apnar.itus and, believe It or no*, his running chatter wins a $250,000 broadf*asting competition prize for his station. The plot flows in between frequent television' specialties,, with the tele box the vltfil prop of the picture, biit the literary end- is never strong enough to be dlsconcertln.sr while the vaudeviUlans on. nor Is it so compelling f-it audiences will mlhd the Interruptions. Blng Crosbv gets an exterior Tog cabin set for his song. 'I Wished On the Moon.' with choral accompani- ment. It's just Crosby and Just singing, and that couldn't be bad Miss Merman has a Jungle set, a troupe of dariclnc. elephants tricked up with rornarkalile photography and a line of LeRov Prinz girls for her 'It's the Animal in Me* number, which was mado. for Par's 'We're Not Dressing' a couple of yoar.<! ago. clipped and resurrectod for 'Broad- cast.' It show.s ho signs of age and dresses Its spot nlcelv herein. Bill Robinson is practically lost In a combination barber shop and street dancing .scene, but he man- ages to get in some hot licks with the feet. He'a surrounded bv a flock o; people, wliercis Roblnsori's danc^ Inp would hrve looked better off by -Itself without the crowding. A">os ■n' Andy have a grocery store bit tr at's weak in laui;h llres but con- clud'-s with a co.ml.cal piece of nan- toiv.lme with aC'sh. register.. Panto ttiay be a : surprise to. the A. & A. ether following, but most of 'em will expect funnier dialog, M.arv. Bplhnd hhd eVi^irlle Ruggles have the longest and strongest of the coniedv scenes.' a. switch on 'Dr. Dlppy's Sanatorium.' Ordered ijy the doctor to. tahe a rest i.i lied. Ruggles Is tortured by Miss Bolaofl .as a wlCe too anxious to make him cornfortable. Band numbers are .by %\i<i Ra.\ Nobld and Ina Ray Hutton coinf inflr. tlons, both qu'.ckies. Noble, drt w a round of applause at the Broadway Paramount, and his music wnrriint- ed It. For the Hutton se'jurTi*' tli*. canie-ra' wisely keeps its glim on Miss Hiittoii. A throwback to the old llmi- dra- matic •skit; foT variety. piirr>o.si>3 Is attohipted in a serious item played by Sir Guy St.a,..ilng, Gall Patrick, David Holt an1 Virginia Weidli-r It's a blood transfusion aci'ne, with Stand'ng as tV.e doc, Miss Patrick as the nurse (move over), and the two Ulds doing tl-e dramaMcs. It or.'ishtf in rather bluntly In a sur- rounding atmosDhtre of hilarity, but seems to fit, Its Value Is mostly as a pocfe-changer; Vlerina.Boys Choir Is a remalhlogj..' one-shot specialty Item, neither hot ,.i?PJ^,£PJd-And.Q>ifec :ln.A.!^Jh^lt*.------ WIllie West, and McGlnty's old house wrecking turn is worked in as a running gag, split up beautifully and timed to TJerfeotipn. Ppsslbly the drily way these vaude vets could have been lisecl In a picture. "They lend a lot of value where neieded. The regular cajst members, play- ing the story, are iatrictly out for laughs and they get 'epi. Oakie and Miss Rpbevtl make a, strong pair, the latter- looking particularly well And»;Jj;lciiir'3i.,liv.w.5*h..a catchy soifl?* !Trying to Be T rue-lo_-TMoJLLaiid. generally cleaning up In a comedy manner. Henry Wadsworth looks like a comer. Nicholas Bros., pair of colored k!da from vaude,- also get into the yarn as Oakle's Station helpevs. be- sides their own specialties. They click. Benny Ba)ter, ex-stojge, lands In a radio scene.: Burns and Allen . are on too of ^he, story all the way and. In tWa last analydis; provide the hefty v.) /- edy punch. It's. no.longer a ma> -r of good or bad. Jokes wlth-thls ^eam, for they'.ye. hit upon a formula-thpt ai.pare'ntly :ellm.inates that, element of chance in'tjieir material,. Sltua- tfong aire tlieir new forte,-and. Burns tnd Allen now can not only curvy a story, but walk away with It, Leo Robin; Ralph RalngeH Rich- ard Wlillirig, Ray Ndblei Mack Gor- don, Harry Revel and Dorothy Parr ker are grouped for the musical credits and not Individually Identi- fied as writers of 'Moon,' 'True tb Two,' 'Animal In Me' and the film's other ^ong, 'Why Dream.' As their contributions to the pic-: ture. Producer Benjamin Glazer provided a lot of first rate material for the crew and cast to work with, and Director Norman Taurog man- aged to untangle thiei. maze of names and faces. The rest^of thei Job was It. the cutting room, anQ 'Broadcast' vas cut Into minutes of "sood entertainment, Bige, THE 39 STEPS 6(iumont-Brltlsh production and release Co-starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Story, John. BucUan; adaptation, Charles Bennett; camera, Bernard Knowles. At Roxy, N. Y.,' week Sept. 13, Running time, 83 mlns. Richard Hannay Robert Donat Pamela Madeleine Carroll MJ«s Smith................. Lucie Mannheim Professor Jordan. Godfrey Tearle Croftrr's Ife P6ggy Aahcroft Crofter.. .'. .John Laurie Mrs. Jordan...... ...Helen Haye The SherlB... Frank Celller Memory ..Wylle Watson Mimature Reviews •Bi roadcast of 1936' (Par.) Celluloid variety show strong on names and highly enter- taining. moving romantic :' melodrama from.Engiiand, starring Robert Dohat and MadelSIne' tafroli. Should do very well over here, 'Goose and the Gander' (WB). Weil played' littlei -farce with too much story for its own good. Kay Francis, (3eorge Brent, but Just a faiif picture. 'Jalna' (Radio). Nice produc- ' t!i>«"'E*<ti-not yei*jei€!6r<?a"adu;i)tat« -jjxm .of4>9St-8eU< 'Thunder in the Nighf (Pox). Edmund Lowe' as a sartorial d6tectly« In a murder mysteiy that tops average. 'Girl Who Came Ba<ik' (Ches). Crook society , driama ^ for the duals. Sldniey Blackmer, Shir- ley Grey, Noel Madison, Mat- them Betz top cast. 'Two Sinners' (Repub). Misses being up to good programmer standard. Better than average rosses unlikely; destined, for big busirieas. It was one of tlie best-sustained sellcrti oi Its season and the fifth stpry In the Jalna scries is even now cling- ing persistently to the best seller lists. With a highly co.-npetent.casl and skilled direction and photog- raphy it v.'ould seeiii^ to have evory- thnig, but it has farcil badly p„ut.^pf.. "tvrSTtr'aficC 'is iibt 'gbih"' i6*'db"''weiP at the Palace. in some comiiient It has been contonddd that this Is purely a cliiss story with limited appeal. That doesn't jseem to be true. The White- oaks appeal to practically all litw - ate classifications wlien their , his- tories aire related by Miss de la Roche's pen, but. because the charm lles .sd much in the author's styia, any .screen, transcrlptlpn V;duld Short Subjects MARCH OF TIME Newsreel No. 6 20 Mins. -Bp^ioctAeer-fi^tun • ~ ■ RKO Radi This release of March of Time (No. 6) was caiight in a projection ' room because the Radio City Music Hall, now getting the reel flrst run, usually cuts it to meet tijrnover re- qulrenierits, ■ Sixth issue of March tackles three subjectii of vital interest to Amer- ica, ably covering each and creating. . ... - . .,- a ■ comi>relietrslvte picture' of. the P'^'?*t^y:fiftXS..tofei"^ .ro.f»^-f .tharWhieventV of current concern involved 'nieiodlama^ about, some interesting « ... .. . ; ... -peiople;—— breeze carries all before It. cism Is cancelled In pleasure. Miss Carroll^ an able and attrac- tive foil, should also do herself plenty of benefit on this showing. In fact it's, a bow-taking production for- everyone. Land, Qoose and the Gander ' Warner production and release. Stars Kay 'Francis and features George Brent, Genevieve Tobln, Ralph Forbes.-. Directed by Alfred E. Green. Story - and screenplay^ George Xenyon; camera, Sid Hlckox. At Strand. N. Y., week Sept; 11, 1035. Run- ning time, 66 mlns. Georglanna ...Kay Trancla Dob .MoXear. George Brent Betty .Genevieve Tobln Lav^rence. ....».John . Bldredge Connie. .Claire Dodd Ralph Summers ..;Ralph Forbes Aunt Julia .......Helen Lowell Wlnkelstelnberger. Spencer Charters Arthui*. , ..William Austin Gaumont has a zippy, punchy, ro- mantic melodrama in 'The 39 Steps,' which should dp'very well over here. Good story-telling ought to be good box office anywhere; and while the stars are only semi-familiar to America and the supporting players not at a,ll, it seems likely that 'Steps' should riso above any limitations and deliver satisfaction to proprie- tor and patron alike. It Is not 'Eng- lish' in any .stylized sense. Story Is by John Suchan. Recently elevated to the peerage as Baron Tweedsmulr, he is now Goverrior^ General of the Dominion of Canada; Which suggests considerable versa- tility aa his yarn suggests basic plot craftsmanship plus imagination. It's melodrama and at times far-fetched and Improbable, but the story twists and spins artfully from one highr powered ■ sequence to another vvhile the entertainment holds like, steel cable from start to finish. Robert Donat, who bobbed up as an exciting personality for the femmes in his 'Count of Monte Oristo' last winter,' should have b.o. voltage after this one. While he is the best .name asset the picture pos- sesses, he derives as much from the production as he gives to it. It's a creamy role and his per- formance, ranging from humor to horror, reveals acting ability behind that good-looking facade. 'Teamed with Madeleine .Carroll, who. enters the footage Importantly only toward the latter quarter section of the film, the I'omance Is given a light touch which nicely colors ah International spy chase. * Palnstaldng care in casting, me- ticulous attention tp detail in direc- tion Is manifest throughput. John Laurie as a grim, grasping, siuspi- cious Scotsman gives a gem charac- terization. Little of that sort of thin^ is attempted In Hollywood or where done is apt to go overboard' and degenerate into hokum. Numer- ous other bit pa;rt3 also pile up en- vironmental authenticity. Story places a Canadian rancher (Donat) in the centre of an English military secrets plot. He Is simul- taneously flying fi'om a false accu- sation, of murder and hunting down the leader of the-spies, of whom he has learned from a lady who be- conies a corpse .early In the story. In the course of his wanderings, through Scotland's hills and moors lie has a series of spectacular es- capes and encounters. If the story were, less ably written, dlri&cted and acted the hero's facility of extrication from tight spots would be absurd, but the whole tempo and Kay Francis is starred in this, but It's really an ensemble farce with tha nominal star having to give rather more than an equal.share to Genevieve Tobln and Claire Dodd. Plot, basically mistaken Identity, Is too Involved to get quickly Into action and stalls along with a slow opening pace. Action quickens later and runs at fair speed with a num- ber of laughs, but not quite enough for a hit comedy. Should do well lower down. Miss Francis has been divorced from Ralph Forbes, who has remar- ried. She hears the second wife (Miss Tobln) planning a trip into the mountains with George Brent while Forbes Is away. She runs Into Forbes and Vamps him into coming to her own mountain cabin the next day, bribes a filling station to take the gas from Brent's car and to shunt him to her lodge. She also gets, unexpectedly, a visit from a iSair of Jejivel thieves, who have, stolen Miss Tobln's car for a get- away. Not knowing which car the elopers would use, she hag given the filling station man both numbers, so the second car follows the first. None of the quartet knows her, but she knows Brent and his companion and can .guess that the other pah- must be crooks. However, they pass themselves off as Forbes and his wife to the aniazement the others. Forbes comes the next afternoon, but Miss Tobln has man- aged to get away, and instead of putting through her planned re- venge. Miss Francis covers up for the errant .wife. It all makes i^for plenty of mls- unlderstandingSi with Brent falling for Miss Francis and trying to He out of the. scrape the other woman gets him Into, Miss Francis Is pleasant, but not outstanding as the first wife with Brent, who seems to be copying E. E. Horton, a good feeder. Misses Tobln and Dodd share the honors, with Spencer Charters turning In a new version of the blundering cop that Is quite refreshing. Play has been fairly well dia- logued,' and has competent; direc- tion. But it all doesn't add up to tops. Chic. JALNA Radio rplease of a Kenneth MacGowan l>roducUon. Fcaturca Kay Johnson, Ian Hunter, C. Aubrey Smith, Nigel Bruce, l;avid Manners, Peggy Wood, Jcse1<' .itallih, Molly Lament. Director. John Cr(»mwell. From novel by Mazo de In i<uche; Mcreenplay. Anthony VelUer; adaji- tatlon, Garrett Fort. Larry Bachmann, c.smcra. Edward CronJaRer.: At Palace. N. Y.. week Sept. I'i, '36. Running time, 70 mlns. .Mnyne U;hn.v ,. .\'loliol:i3 , .Maurice . "^den ■ .. Meg Or,in Plro-isaiit Pleirt .... Rrncet .. llicrs .... "i-lnch W.nk(> ,.. ., .Kay Johnson ..........Ian Hunter ..... '. Aubrey Smith .Nigel Rruce .Uavid Manner!) Peggy Wood .Jessie -Ralph ., Mnll.v Ijtmnrit .Thco<lnre Newton ,....HnIUweIl Hobhe? Forrester 'Harvey i Oeorge Offerman, Jr. Clifford Severn On surface indications this story of Mazo de la Roche's wotjid soph But this adaptation lacks much in spots. The adapter seems to have captured' certain physical as- pects without hiving been able to retalri the poignant, appeal of the book. It gets off to a slow opening, there la a dull episode of Eden in New York, and a waste, of time as ■Wake, tlie ■youngest in the. family. Is permitted to roam from room to room playing. his irifahtlle jokes. This all combines to get the' yarn off to a bad start, arid It never re- cbyers. It doesn't iqiiite capture the spirit of the, author, falls lb make the tangled llv^s iifiportant in audi-- ence interest. In the last analysis there Is pot much of a screen story for a base.. It all translates as rath- er casual and ordinary. Few books do manage to carry their flavor to the screen and without the author's cunning 'Jalna' goes fiat In. spots. It becomes too pattern with the striving for local color 'to bolster the uneventful story. The result Is that an admirable cast has trouble in being convinc- ing. They are all excellent types for their parts, but even • good bid Gran, the tentury-old head of the house, loses rmuch In her transition from the book, though Jessie Ralph works hard arid often convincingly. Per-, haps the character of Gran is too unreal to be given the reality b£ the .screen. Also, since 'Jalna'- came out In 1927 there has been an over- plus of determined old ladles on the screen; so the character no lon.ger enjoys the a;ppeal of novelty. Kay Jphnson Is miscast as Alayne. She i.s not the American girl sud- denly brought Into this ritish fam- ily. She is more English than most of the Whifebaks and she seldom is able to bring conviction, Jhe Renny of Ian Hunter is accentable, if not outstandng, and the character, bits 'ret oyer best. Halllwell Hobbes and C. Aubrey Smith as the uncles. Nigel Bruce as Mp.urlce. and Pe.ggv Wood as Meg, with Molly Lament, the Pheasant as the most real of the women, '.Talria' is Ju<jt one of those screen plays that failed tn lell. Chic. Thunder in the Night Fox release of 'Jotin .Stone production. Features Edmund Lowe. Karen Morlpy and Paul .CavaRagh. Directed .by Georotc Aroh- alnband. From piny. 'A''\Vomsn, Ijles,'. by T^adlslaus Fodor; adaptation. Frances Hy- Isnd. and Rii-'ene Ffolow; camir'i, Hert GIpti- non. At Globe, N. V., week Sept. 10, '83. Running time. 00 mlns. > Captain .Torek.; 'Rdmund T.owe Madala're. Knren Morlev Co'T.t A)v'. Prul Cnvnnngh .Tulle.... Tina O'Connor Gnbbr ,....Ge^'e Lo'^kh'irl Porter .John Oii,ni?n Police Pro'ect.. R'i<>f«U 'Hioks T'rofe.T'sor Omiega..'....,. .Arth"r F. Ct.r»w Til.<in Bo-'H Po«tn«: Kath^-'no .''^i.bo f lorin ""n" Paul Szegedy. Cornelius Kcofe Market has- been glutted with mystery picture.^, but there's nlentv room for 'Thunder in the Night.' An ab.sorhin.r murder item which has received the benefit of good produc- tion and easting, it deserves to do fairly well where played. Edmuhd Lowe's na"mo I.s tb" neare.st ;t,rt lure in the cast, but it'll entertain the avera.'^e .ludlehce. In brinrring the sfory to th" screen, John Storie has given It smooth treatment .arid set the ac- tion in backgrounds of an Impres- 'sive rhara^ter, Locale la Budapest, and the tone of settings ranges from the ordinary to the Inxir-lou"". one scene being a state, ball. There has been no effort to Inject anv weird, fantastic or ominous action; Direction is aq eniboth and even as the eontlnuity, ClCorge Arehnln- baud moves his players nlong at a steady pace and avoids any stalls. Char.ioter developmf-nt is rapid nnd comedv rel'ef riatural, one of the appealing things about the picture being its touch of light humor. Edmund I.o'.ve plays a police con- tain of the suave. Uko-the-ladles type, but he la left entlrelv out of the love interest. Thif falls to n count, friend of Lowe's; who has Ju.st been elected president of the cabinet end 1« about to bctonie the victim of .1. blnckmni'er, AVhIle the picture cTeverly point" the flnTer of .ausplcU»n in a half dozen directions, after the black- mailer ha.M been found shot to d^nth. Its pi'lnrln."! purpose Is proof by Lowe tliat his count friend arid the latter'.s wife hf>d nothing to do with, it. Tie ."uceeeda; ;i 'Tiiunder' 1h a very plotty Atory RiinjilMg hut 0(1 minutc.M. It is meat nil the \vfiy to its conclusion.' An- other" point in the yarn's favor is. the fact that it is made u)v of gitu- (Cotitlnued on page 32) . -Qiic-of..-tlie-6Ubjeet3-is-^f- ■ inltii iia- — tlonal importance, that on the Ital^ lan-Ethiopian crisis. Focusing its csameras arid attentiori on Ethiopia, the action opens on Lake Tana, ah important body of Water in north- eastern Africa,, because out of it flows the Blue Nile to'flood and fer- tilifce .the. fields of the British.Sudan and Egypt.' Reel takes the specta- tor over plans of Britain to build a dnm there for Halle Selassie and thien the emperoj's grant to the Standard Oil Co., \vhich was cari- cellied by the U. S.. JFievlew iricludes Mussdlini and troops; coriceritration of an army in: Ethiopia, ari'ival of newspapermen to cover develop- ments,' etc.". Messaige of the Time reel, after pointing to America's neutrality legislation, is emphasized by the fact that 3,000 nilles of water separates us from foreign trouble, and that; America is for peace,. Swell plug for the present ad- ministration and what it Is doing, via the Civilian Conservation Corps, by putting unemployed youth to work over'the land, meantime buUd-. Ihg morale and able bodies. Included In this issue It should get votes for Roosevelt in the next presiden- tial election. Bootlegging of coal In Pennsylva- nia, with riilners making a living by helping themselves to anthracite at mines that have been closed 10 years, trucking thei haul to markets themselves, is the other subject Done in detail and engrossing,, but was suflSciently well covered soma time ago by one of the regular newsreel companies, though not in as riiuch. detail. In toto, as ever, March of Tlirie, Is above par. in its detail arid pro- duction. Char. by by Rex Co- voice OF EXPERIENCE Mi Sayle Taylor 10 Mins; Roxy, N. Y. -Columbia Produced In New York Film company, distributed luriibia; the first of a contemplated series by the radio 'philosopher,^ brings up some questions. Taylor is a glib gent. One. step further and he could" turn playwrlght-^that's how talented he is at fiction. But the point Is: should theatres partici- pate in fostering a radio-created soothsayer who openly solicits (from the screen) letters from persons de- siring advice and guidance? It may bo acknowledged that 'The Voice of Experience' has a strong radio success story. He has survived where others have.flopped or been driven off the air.' He uses Intelli- gence and discretion in his work, and in bringing his routine to the screen he proceeds with caution and showmanship in clever combination. But still the question—should theatres make themselves parties to the extension of such an individual's patriarchy'^ Sample number one concierns a lame boy who loved his mongrel dog. That's sure-flre to start witii. Daddy got peeved at the dog for at- tacking him in tho dark when, for-' getting his k-eys orie . night, daddy came home, through the kitchen window. The 'Voice of Experience' brings softness to daddy's hard heart a.nd tho doggie Id allowed to re^ turii from exile. This dish of hokum is. done with - considerable skill. Nicely acted, directed , and written and In the non-sophisticated zones may get over. ; Taylor speaks but la seen on the screfen only In. silhouette. Land. DUNCAN dISTERS 'Surprise' 20 Mine. Strand, N. Y. Vltaphohe 1831'2 The. Duncans are coming home froni school,. 80 down south, on the bl' plantation, the neighbors have a costume surprise party for therii. The girls happen to have a couple of Mexican costumes in their suit case, so they don these. That's the surpri.se. Al.so the plot. After that they do their mixed Mfsx routine and revert to Topsy and Eva until the.bell rings at the end of the sec- ond reel. Some slight "buildup for minor characters Including dear old pad, a silly ass Englishman, mas- queradrig as Legree, and intelligent use la made of the chorus. Opens in a dormitory at.sciiool with the girl.s doing a couple of tuneful, If remlrilsccnt, bits, 'If the Vo'ga Ran Through Dixie' about the best of the numbers. Outstanding is an eccentric dance and show seeni.«'best suited to minor houses. Chiq.