The Bioscope (Jul-Sep 1931)

34 THE BIOSCOPE August 26, 1931 must be said of James Cagney who plays her lover, the two-faced gangster. Robert Elliott gives a clever performance as the detective. Production : There is elaborate and diverse staging including a big prison and military college. The death and funeral of the boy and a big meeting of gangsters are noteworthy scenes. Sound : Dialogue is finely recorded. “ Broadminded ” ( Vita phone Sound on Disc.) Offered by: F.X.P. Directed by: Mervyn le Roy. Length: 6,605 feet. Release Date: February 8, 1932. Certificate: A. Type: Farcical comedy. Cast : Joe E. Brown, William Collier , Junr., Ona Munson, Margaret Livingston, Marjorie White. IN BRIEF : The ludicrous escapades of two young flirts who are assumed to be avoiding the fair sex. Adenuate story value, but picture dominated by star’s eccentricities and antics. Good production and recording. Suitability : First rate light entertainment. Selling Angles : Joe E. Brown's irresistible comedy work, starting with his appearance as a baby in a pram, and the amusing chain of amatory adventures. Plot : Hackett, Senr., irritated when he hears his son Jack is infatuated with an adventuress, calls in Cousin Ossie. This unattractive youth is believed to be simple, steady and siren-proof. It is decided that Jack shall start on a tour, his cousin acting as guide, philosopher and friend. The choice is an unfortunate one for Ossie is a wild dog, seeking rather than avoiding temptation. This the couple soon encounter in the persons of Constance and Penelope, young and fascinating. Cupid smiles on them all, until the adventuress tracks Jack down. Ossie tries diplomacy but bungles the whole business by enlisting the services of a Mexican girl. Her lover proves a fire-eater and Ossie has to fly for his life. However in the end peace is, of course, restored. Comment : It is unnecessary to eulogise such a fun maker as Joe E. Brown, and it is doubtful if he has ever had better opportunities for displaying his talents than in the part of the apparently simple minded Ossie. The picture is full of good things but probably the best is when the knowing one arranges with the fiery Mexican’s girl to impersonate the boy’s Dew flame that his love letters may be recovered. Ossie’s instructions are gems of pure comedy certain to convulse any audience. His subsequent jeopardy and flight when half clad can be imagined by his admirers. Acting : Though the mercurial Brown has such a big part William Collier. Junr., is constantly in the limelight, for, of course, Jack’s affair with the adventuress is the pivot of the story. Needless to say he makes a good lover. The female parts are well filled, Margaret Livingston playing the adventuress, Thelma Todd the Mexican’s girl, and Ona Munson and Marjorie White the boy’s new conquests. Production : The picture is artistically staged but there is nothing of spectacular importance. Sound : The recording is excellent and the dialogue often smart. Ossie’s admonition “ Remember what your Father said,” always gets a laugh. “ Transatlantic ” (Western Electric on Film.) Offered by: Fox. Directed by: Wm. K. Howard. Length: 6,716 feet. Release Date : Not fixed. Certificate : A . Type : Crook drama. Cast : Edmund Lowe, Greta Nissen, Jean Hersholt, Jno. Halliday, Myrna Loy, Lois Moran. IN BRIEF : Somewhat involved, but cleverly told story of a master crook’s triumph over his rival aboard Atlantic liner and his generally gallant behaviour towards the wife of an erring financier and an old man accused of attempting the financier’s life. Brilliant portrayals and admirable direction lift the film from the level of mediocrity. Strong love interest and moving pathos in old man’s unhappy plight. Unconvincing finale. Suitability : A film which will meet with unstinted approval in almost any house. Selling Angles : Acting, story, strength of leading character, human appeal. Plot : Chief among the passengers aboard an Atlantic liner are Monty Greer, a crook escaping from the police, a financier escaping from impending disaster, Monty’s rival in crime, and an old man taking advantage of his life’s savings to show his daughter the sights of Europe. The suave Monty divides his attention in saving the financier from the wiles of an adventurous blonde and the old man’s sweet daughter. The mysterious shooting of the financier following the news of his failure is attributed to the old man, who loses his all in the crash, but Monty is aware of the party responsible, the crook who has come aboard to rob the now unconscious man. Unable to divert suspicion, Monty kills his rival in the engineroom, and the end of the journey finds him a prisoner, convicted of murder. He has, however, repaid a debt to the financier’s wife, whose happiness he preserves and becomes a hero to both the girl and her old father, now reimbursed through Monty’s dexterous trickery. Comment : It is in the irresistible character of Monty that chief interest lies rather than any outstanding story values. The superb direction of Wm. K. Howard and the deft interpretation by Edmund Lowe result in a film of more than average interest. One of its chief qualities is that though the action is restricted to the precincts of the vessel, it is always moving, contains some most diverting comedy from the glib-tongued Monty and poignant scenes in relation to the old man. The hero’s work in attempting to prove a case of attempted suicide is a clever piece of work, though it must be confessed that the whole of his actions are an exact contradiction of those expected from a breaker of the laws. It is in the closing scenes that the story enters upon the incredulous with a prolonged running fight between rival crooks in the liner’s vast enginerooms. It is certainly not without its thrills, the fight between the steamenshrouded figures intent on each other’s lives, though the situation is in itself rather ludicrous. The final parting between the man and the girl whose regard he has won is perhaps among the most affecting fade-outs yet seen on the screen. Acting : Edmund Lowe’s interpretation of the effervescent Monty must rank as his best performance ever, and it is due almost entirely to him that the film makes such enjoyable entertainment. Second only to him is Jean Hersholt, who is superb as the broken old man unable to stand the consequences of the financial failure nor the financier’s callous behaviour. John Halliday is excellent in this role, and Myrna Loy does splendidly in the role of the long-suffering wife. Greta Nissen is an accomplished vamp and Lois Moran perfectly charming as the unsophisticated young lover. Production : The various boat decks and cabins are all admirably mounted, conveying just that atmosphere necessary to the story. There are no exteriors beyond the briefest of scenes when the passengers embark. Sound : Both dialogue and effects are splendidly recorded. “The Lawyer’s Secret” (Western Electric on Film.) Offered by : Paramount. Directed by : Louis Gasnier and Max Marcin. Length : 5,626 feet.. Release Date : Not fixed. Certificate: A. Type: Melodrama. Cast : Clive Brook, Charles Rogers, Richard Arlen, Fay Wray, Jean Arthur, Francis McDonald. IN BRIEF : A strong story, on rather familiar lines, in which a lawyer is called upon to keep a client’s secret of his implication in a murder for which an innocent man is to pay the penalty. Polished portrayals and general excellence of production make for conviction. Big suspense values and strong human interest. Suitability : Excellent general booking. Selling Angles : Cast, story, emotional situations, strong suspense values. Plot : Laurie, a well-to-do youth and frequenter of the dice-tables, is involved in the murder of a gaming house proprietor, and in his fear of the consequences confides in his sister’s fiance, a well-known lawyer. Evidence of guilt for the murder is strongly against a sailor home on short leave. He is arrested and subsequently sentenced to death. Aware of the true facts, the lawyer is confronted with the position of seeing an innocent man hanged or of being guilty of a breach of his client’s confidence. Though unable, by force of circumstances, to take up the sailor’s case, he interests himself in the efforts of the man’s pals to find the real murderer. His wise counsel has the effect, eventually, of making a man of Laurie, whose assistance to the police gains for him a nominal sentence and a conscience relieved of anxiety in the release, at the eleventh hour, of the unfortunate sailor. Comment : The bare facts of this story have frequently presented themselves on the screen before, though never have they been put over with better effect or by a more polished cast. The situation of the lawyer is an undeniably powerful one, enhanced here, from the popular viewpoint, by the pleadings of the sailor’s sweetheart, and the equally strong case of his fiancee, terrified at the thought cf her brother’s conviction. This woman’s change of front after hearing of her brother’s implication, from that of a stickler for justice to one prepared to go to any lengths to hide the truth, is a weak point in a story which otherwise carries a certain conviction. This is due chiefly to the very able joint direction of Gasnier and Marcin, resulting in a smoothly told story, with due regard paid to the strong suspense possibilities, and the strength or weakness of the characters involved. Acting : Clive Brook acts with admirable restraint as the perplexed lawyer. Buddy Rogers acquits himself well in what is to him a new type of role, that of the nerve-shattered, cowardly youth without a suspicion of love-making from start to finish. Richard Arlen is seen in one of his best performances as the convicted sailor, one resigned to his fate until, all hope gone, he attacks his accusers in a violent outburst. The unenviable part of the sister is played by Fay Wray, while Jean Arthur’s performance of the more sympathetic role of the sailor’s sweetheart is marred only by her rather harsh voice. Production : The settings of the boy’s home are mounted on the most magnificent lines. Other interiors include offices, the gambling den, the court house and prison. Exterior shots are few, chief among which is the landing of the sailors at the dockside. Sound : Recording is first-class. “The Lightning Flyer” (Western Electric Sound on Film) Offered by : W. and F. Directed by : William Nigh. Length : 5,587 feet. Release Date : Not fixed. Certificate : U . Type : Romantic drama. Cast: James Hall, Dorothy Sebastian, Walter Merrill, Robert Homans, Ethan Allan. IN BRIEF : Story of prodigal son’s reformation inspired by his love for a girl. Somewhat conventional story, well directed and introducing several railroad thrills. Suitability : Good second feature booking or could feature at popular halls. Selling Angles : Superb railway thrills, some rough-and-tumble fighting and charming love interest. Plot : Jimmy Nelson (James Hall) is a ne’er-do-well with a splash of audacity and daring in his make-up. Disowned by his father (Robert Homans), a railway director, he decides to make a career for himself and leaves home to commence work as an engine greaser, under an assumed name. A passing courtesy to Rose Rogers (Dorothy Sebastian), daughter of the railroad foreman (Ethan Allan), earns for him a regular