The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

February, 19)0 53 Titles of Films (Actors) {Producers) Lone StAF Ranger. The (George O'Brien) (Fox) One of the very beet Westeme — with all typical elements and extraordinary frun-play — well acted by O'Brien and Htwton but Sue Carol is quite inadequate to her small role. Unusual for its human quality and touches of historical interest. Locked Door, The (Rod La Roeqne) (U.A.) Sophisticated melodnuna of supposed society in which heroine risks her own reputation to save a sister from a roue'. tSee Review No. 258.) Lost Zeppelin. The i Conway Tearle) (Tiffany) The triansrle tlieme of "Conquest" done over aerain — and rather better — with a Eeppelin instead of an airplane for wrecking the husband and the rival among Antarctic icebert^. Some unusual photof^raphy. L«ve Comes Along (Bebe Paniels) ( RKO ) Mediocre story of how a cheap heroine was saved Ly an uninteresting American sailor from the evil attempts of a licentious Spanish governor of Fome hazy • town in the Indies. Excellent example of bad taste in pictore-mak . ing — with hardly a single redeeming feature. Love Racket. The (Dorothy Mackaill) (First Nat'I.) Dorothy Mackaill good in a thoroughly unwholesome story of two k>ve-nest8--in one of them the girl's mother lives complacently with the pair. "Then murder— trial — and the heroine nobly secures acquittal of the other girl by ov«--senti mental and unsound evidence. One judge says, "Proves that the wages of ein is acquittal." Lncfcy in Love (Morton Downey) (Pathe) Sentimental story of Ireland and America, of very uneven interest, coincidence greatly overworked, with tenor ballads helping the Irish hero win his Mary. Navy Bines (William Haines) (M-G-M) Feeble story of the philanderings of William Haines as a sailor. His usual Rmart-aleck, wisecracking stuff in talking form is more tiresome than ever. Painted Angel. The (Billie Dove) (First Nat'I.) Glorification of nightclub life, jazz, whooi>ee. nudity and sex — though heroine is carefully shown to be innocent throughout her checkered cabaretcareer past and present. She has "it" and needs it, but does not overstep. Flbn contains one of most pernlcl009 spoken lines that have yet been heard in the talkies. (See Review No. 255.) ^ris (Irene Bordoni ) ( First Nat'I.) Lightweight but lively farce-comedy, with some mere slapstick, of Puritan mother who goes to Paris to save her son from wiles of a French actress, but falls in with the gay life and outdoes even Parisian ways. Louise Closser Hale very amusinf? as the mother. Ratiier sophisticated. (See Revlew Nc 258.) For Intelligent Adults Very good of its kind Hardly Fair Good example of bad taste For Youth (15 to 20) Very good Unwholesome Perhaps Unwholesome Might be well to see it and think Ordinary Mediocre See it and think Hardly Unwholesome For Children (under 15) Good but very thrilling No Hardly No Harmless and amusing Unwholesome Pernicious Doubtful Harmless and amusing No No Doubtful Titles of Films (Actors) (Producers) Playing Around (Alice White) (First Nat'I.) Fine example of bad taste and distorted ideals of life. Hero made absurd, even to the end. Villain, a brazen, bluffing, cheap, wisecracking stick-up man, has all the charm and holds audience sympathy throughout. Heroine's playing around with the villain shown to be merely interesting, not dangerous— and the story is largely preposterous. Sacred Flame. The ( Pauline Frederick-Conrad Nagel) (Warner) Strong picturization of Somerset Maugham's play, excellently done by Pauline Frederick and an able cast. Gripping, thought-provoking and interesting, rather than amusing. Decidedly for adult audiences. Seven Days' Leave (Gary CooperBeryl Mercer) (Paramount) Excellent picturization of Barrie's "The Old Lady Shows Her Medals," with notable roles by Beryl Mer^ cer as the old lady and Gary <>x)per as the adopted soldier-son. Delightful and intelligent entertainment. Seven Keys to BaldpaU (Richard Dix) (RKO) Thrilling picture with trick plot, made from the familiar stage play, of the author who undertook to write a novel in 24 hours in the spooky surroundings of a lonely mountain inn in the dead of winter. Show of Shows (All Star) (Warner ) Elaborate spectacle, all in gorgeous cok>r, with sound, dialog and song, and crowded with scores of "screen stars" of very uneven brilliance. A conglomeration of isolated vaudeville acts, monologues, and countless chorus girls in endless gyrations. Some very striking effects impossible to the stage. Though cheap and inane in spots, it is practically unobjectionable throughout, always eye-filling, and about as intelligent as musical comedy usually is. This Thing Called Love (Constance Bennett-Edmund Lowe) ( Pathe) Sophisticated story, thoroughly suggestive but avoiding coarseness and vulgarity, tending to show that marriage is a failure if love comes into it. Much impertinence and absurdity. Virginian. The (Gary Cooper) (Paramount) A picture of western frontier life far above average — stem, convincing, and true to spirit of the book. Notably acted by Mary Brian and Gary Cooper. Strong and very thrilling in spot^ but not overdone. Wail Street (Ralph Ince) (Columbia) More or less convincing story of rough steel worker who rises to power in Wall Street, drives a rival to suicide, and seeks hand of his widow. But she proceeds to ruin him — then learns his true quality and marries him. For Intelligent Adults Cheap Wortli seeing Excellent Amusing Fine of its kind Hardly For Youth (15 to 20) Unwholesome Too mature Very good Good fan Bnterlaininsr For Children (under 15) No Beyond them Good but partly beyond them Very exciting but too complicated Harmless but not very Buitablt; Better not Interesting Doubtful Better not No Very doubtful No NOTE — The Film Estimates will hereafter omit the notations, "talking" and '^silent," unless required in particular eases, PracUeaiiy all flmt are made avaUabU hs both versions and the **sonnd** version will generally he shown wherever the thosMro eqtUpment permits.