The Bioscope (Jul-Sep 1931)

July 15, 1931 THE i BIOSCOPE 25 Warner Baxter in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s new Cecil B. de Mille subject, “ The Squaw Man,” for presentation to the trade at the Palace Theatre on Tuesday next, at 8.45 p.m. Two British Offerings Ideal Trade Shows Next Week Two British films are scheduled for trade show for next week, “ The Sky Raiders ” on Thursday (July 23rd) at the Astoria at 10.45, and " The Man They Couldn't Arrest ” on Friday at the Phoenix at 3. “ The Sky Raiders ” is a story of the attempt of a discredited young “ ace ” to land a bunch of flying crooks, and to procure his own reinstatement. That means bloodcurdling battles above the clouds, tail-spins, parachute jumps and all the perils and excitements involved in attempts to raid an aerial express. Lloyd Hughes and Marceline Day are the two principals engaged, and the picture promises an hour of sheer breathless enjoyment. " The Man They Couldn't Arrest ” is virile drama, with only one feminine role. Its story turns round a single-handed effort to bag a bunch of crooks. The atmosphere is thoroughly British, scenes in Kingsway, London, striking a pleasantly familiar note. A brilliant cast enacts the various roles — Hugh Wakefield, as the monocled and slightly stammering hero who holds the police at bay ; Gordon Harker, in a characteristically rich interpretation of the Cockney type ; Nicholas Hannen, Garry Marsh and Robert Farquharson as a full-blooded villain. Renee Clama, the solitary woman in the play, supplies the love romance. T. Hayes Hunter directed the picture, which was made at the Gainsborough studios. Royal Visitors at Plaza On Sunday, Too The views of the killjoy opponents of Sunday opening evidently do not coincide with those of leading members of Society, as evinced by attendances at the Plaza over the week-end. The house has been playing to capacity with Paramount’s “ Honour Among Lovers.” On Sunday evening Prince George was one of a party who bought seats at the last house, and in the same party was Lady Louis Mountbatten, who reserved twelve more seats on leaving the theatre. “ Wheelsey ” Wheeler and Woolsey, the American wisecracking film comedians, who have come to England on a holiday trip, held a Press reception at the Dorchester Hotel on Monday, prior to making personal appearances at the Leicester Square Theatre on the same evening and at the Commodore, Hammersmith, last night (Tuesday). They are to make further personal appearances at Dublin and Glasgow before leaving for the Continent. Asked whether they were going to work separately in the future, instead of as a team, both stated that they thought they would only appear together, and intimated that they would prefer it that way. Both were enthusiastic about their last joint picture, “ Caught Plastered,” which they completed shortly before sailing, and on their return to America are to go into production on a new comedy of Reno divorce. Sunday Opening Bill ( Continued from page 18) THURSDAY’S SITTING At Thursday’s sitting of the Committee, the desirability of selecting films without sex appeal for showing on Sundays was urged. The first amendment under consideration was to add ‘ ‘ of a religious or instructive character,” after the words “ cinematograph entertainments,” in Clause 1 (b) of the Bill, the proposer being Lieut. -Col. Arthur Heneage (Con., Lindsey, Louth). He said that the object of the amendment was to place some limitation on the powers of cinema magnates, with respect to unsatisfactory films. If the Minister should accept the amendment or modify it, then there would be the necessity of defining what was an " instructive character ” if they took the question of religious films. Speaking against the amendment. Lord Eustace Percy (Con., Hastings) said the proposer seemed to be making a very insidious mistake, which had more damaged the idea of Sunday observance than anything else. He appealed to the Sabbatarian mind that they could not possibly limit the liberty of the individual as to what he did on Sunday. The Rev. R. M. Kedward (Lib., Ashford) agreed that to ask the whole of the film proprietors to produce films of Biblical history was not desirable. But he had looked at a great crowd of about 200 going into a cinema the previous Sunday, the film being called “ Murder.” When he read the synopsis of the film, he wondered what was going to happen to the generation of younger people who had been seeing that kind of film once or twice a week, week after week. Mr. Strauss said that the last speaker had put forward a new method for the censorship of films, as altogether the present censorship was not satisfactory. He was a member of the L.C.C. Theatres Committee, and they had had numerous cases before them. It was extremely difficult to decide whether a film was of a religious or instructional character. He saw a film the other day which was very instructional — '* Trader Horn ” — and dealt with animal life, but there was a certain amount of sex appeal which had been put in very foolishly. The Attorney-General (Sir William Jowitt) said that no one wanted to see a lot of sensational sex appeal films, particularly when children were present. He thought, however, that they would find that Sunday was a day when fewest children went to the cinemas. The licensing authorities under this Bill were entitled to attach such conditions about the nature of the film to be shown, and they could attach certain conditions as to films shown on Sundays. The Rev. Gordon Lang (Lab., Oldham) supported the amendment. At present they left it to the proprietor or manager of the cinema to select, and he selected the film that would attract, and sex appeal films drew people to the box office. After some further discussion, Col. Heneage agreed to withdraw the amendment, remarking that the amendment was drawn to make some limitation in the Clause. Two further amendments on Clause 1, to delete “ exhibitions of animals or of inanimate objects ” from the scope of the Bill, and “ Debate,” were both negatived, one by 28 votes to 9 and the latter by 21 votes to 12.