The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

304 *■ — The Educational Screen THE FILM ESTIMATES Being the Combined Judgments of a National Committee on Current Theatrical Films (The film Estimates, in tvhole or in part, may be reprinted only by special arrangement with The Educational Screen) Titles of Films (Actors^ (Producers) Bad Man. The (Walter Huston )(1 at Natl) Bluntly sophisticated Mexican thriller with little to redeem it save Huston's engaging acting as Robin Hood bandit who settles Bummarily both morals and finances by shooting rich husband to save ranch and let wife go to man she loves. Largely false and feeble story, with Heggie painfully overacting the burlesque uncle. BlUy the Kid (John MacK Brown) (MGM) Pretentious western — double width screen — based supposedly on life of famous outlaw of the "sixties." slow-moving and unconvineingly acted. Aside from fine scenery, merely an endless succession of gunplay and killings, bo long drawn out as to be tiresome, with "rube" eonietiy sprinkled thickly. Dancers, The (Lois Moran and Phillips Holmes) (Fox) Artificial love-story of wholesome little cabaret girl in Canada, an unwholesome little girl in England, and one fine boy. In parts wistful and charming, in parts cheap and sexy, showing that whooi)ee is the only cure for troubles. Lois Moran utterly inadequate. Mae Clarke and Holmes good. Danger Lights (Louis Wolhelm and Robert Armstrong) (RKO) First showing, by new apparatus, of double width picture in third dimension. Crude railroad melodrama, poor voice reproduction and dialog, sluggish, movements and slow tempo ■ — faults easily corrected when they learn to handle new camera. Pictvvial values and effects splendid, worth seeing for their own sake. Derelict, The (George Bancroft) (Para) More tough sailor life. Two rival First Mates are promoted and demoted in command of ships because of a cabaret girl who seeks free passage from Cuba to Rio. Struggle based on nautical rivalry rather than sex. Fist-fights, violent storm, with usual Bancroft heroics and hard-boiled dialog throughout. Feet First (Harold Lloyd) (Paramount) Excellent farce-comedy, clean, lively, wholesome, in best Lloyd manner. Old gags welcome, new ones delightful, such as the "two spoons" motif. More character comedy than usual, hence called "slow" by newspaper critics. Dizzy mid-air stuff at end almost too thrilling for sensitive nerves. Heads Up (Charles Rogers) (Para) Light social comedy, with seme fair singing. Young ensign from Annapolis gets first assignment to trace rum-running being carried on secretly by captain of yacht belonging to his sweetheart's mother. After amusing complications, hero solvea problem and wine girl. Rogers' role fits him exactly. Helen Kane's also. For Intelligent Adults Mediocre For Yooth (15 to 20) Better not Hardly Doubtful For Children (nnder 15) No Interesting Interesting Hardly Passable Not the best Exc^ent Amusing Interesting No Excellent if not too thrilling Amusing Titles of Films (Actors) (Producers) Hell's Angels (Ben Lyon and Jean Harlow) (U.A.) Magnificent air photography, breath-taking and beautiful, giving an irresistibly thrilling and realistic picture of air fighting in the great war. So much for the reported $4,000,000 costs. Rest is cheap sex stuff, the heroine an offensive wanton, and drunken necking scenes shown as the normal reward for war heroes. Just Imagine (El Brendel) (Fox) Industry^ naive imagination tries to sliow the highly mechanized world of 1980 saturated with El Brendel's elementary humor. Much novelty in photographic efforts and fantastic sets, but little else. Mixture of futuristic love affairs, scant clothing, uninspired wisecracking dialog, pseudo-science, and the inevitable songs. Rocket trip, and grotesque sounds and scenes on Mars, for climax. Lailips in Love (Alice Day and Johnnie WaJker) ^Chesterfield) Trite and ordinary story, but with much human appeal, of the country boy come to city to seek fortune in songs but finds girl of his dreams. His gold-digging village sweetheart, and the city girl's rich, city-man admirer, fail to thwart true love, etc. Life of the Party (Winnie Lightner) (Warner) Slapstick farcecomedy near apex of bad taste. Two brazen gold-diggers steal gorgeous gowns from burlesque Frenchman modiste in New York, and start for Havana to win rich husbands. Cheap slang, wise-cracking, furniture smashing, and general vulgarity at their best (or worst) and all in Technicolor. Man to Man (Grant Mitchell and Phillips Holmes) (Warner) Wholesome and thoroughly human comedy, appealingly played, of a charming boy yielding to a disgracecomplex because his humble but worthy father 8erve<l prison term for more or less excusable murder. Chief flaw is that son's coldness and antipathy toward his lovable dad is somewhat overdone. Min and Bill (Marie Dressier and Wallace Beery) (MGM) Strong comedy, full of hilarity, vice, and violence, with Marie Dressier inimitable as keeper of sordid waterfront dive, tough and crusty, but convincingly devoted to her little ward (well played by Dorothy Jordan) formerly abaadoued by dissolute mother. Slapstick, pathos. vulgarity, and choice pantomime. Oh, Sailor Behave (Olsen and Johnson) (Warner) Cheap and stupid hash, poorly acted and directed, about wavering wives and fickle fiancees — songs absurdly inserted. and the largely vulgar buffoonery of Olsen and Johnson scattered throughout regardless of plot. For Intelligent Adults Fine in spots Hardly Tawdry Good Enter tftining Stupid For Youth (IS to 20) For ChOdrni (under 15) Pernicious Pernicious Perhaps Hardly Fair Hardly Better not No Very Good Good Amusing, but sordid theme Better not Unwhole No some