Exhibitors Herald World (Jan-Mar 1930)

March I, 1930 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 35 SERVICE ON PICTURES HELL HARBOR VERY, VERY GOOD. Produced and distributed by United Artists. Directed by Henry King. Adapted by Fred de Garesac from the novel by Rida Johnson Young. Continuity and dialog by Clarke Silvernail. Photography by John Fulton and Mack Stengler, Release date, March 22. Length, 8,354 feet. With Lupe Velez, Jean Hersholt, John Holland, Givson Cowland, Al St. John, Harry Allen, Paul E. Burns and George Book-Asta, M ARK this down in red; not in your ledger but in your date book as something that shouldn't be missed. This is an old surefire plot about the Caribbean, a drunk of a father and his beautiful daughter, and an American trader who marries the girl. Somebody, somewhere, is going to say the action is far fetched, but this is a misconception. A large part of the film is given over to a whimsical, ingenuous treatment where Lupe Velez and an old sailor and a small boy play at being kiUers. There isn't enough of the Peter Pannish trait to make the actual story nonsense but enough to make it appealing. Lupe Velez sings here, and a thousand times better than is expected. The photography is nothing short of genius and the direction inspired. The supporting cast was born expressly for this picture, Jean Hersholt especially. If you get the impression that this is a review of a thoroughly enjoyable picture, all right, that's intended.— N. K. THE VAGABOND KING AND TO HELL WITH BURGUNDY: Produced and distributed by Paramount. From the operetta of the same name which, in turn, was from the book, "If I Were King," by fustin Huntly McCarthy. Music and lyrics by Rudolf Friml. Dialog and adaptation, Herman J. Mankieu:icz. Direction, Ludvoig Berger. Photography, Henry Gerrard and Ray Lenihan. Cast: Dennis King, Jeanette MacDonald, O. P. Heggie, Lillian Roth, Warner Oland, Arthur Stone, Thomas Ricketts, Laicford Davidson and many others. Footage, 9,413. Release date, March 15. It is hard to write of "The Vagabond King" without indulging overmuch in superlatives. It will be better, perhaps, for the sake of the exhibitors who read this page to give brief mention to its main features than to indulge in a long and windy eulogy of a film which, to my mind, is in every way one of the finest I have heard or seen. Hence — it's reception was excellent. Discounting the cheers of Paramount employes, the audience was generally and noisily enthusiastic. The story, taken from the book, "If I Were King," in which the real facts of that vagabond poet's, Francois Villon's, life were twisted to the woof and warp of romatic fiction, is glorious balderdash. You'll love it. The photography, done by the Technicolor By T. O. Service HEROINE OF THE WEEK LUPE VELEZ, chief Mexican contribution to the United States and a United Artists shining star, who sings and pantomimes to better advantage in "Hell Harbor" than anybody else in the picture, and they're all very good. process, would be hard to improve upon. The music by Rudolf Friml, who for many years has been in the front rank of American composers, was instantly popular when the stage operetta of "The Vagabond King" started its run in New York. I find it even better on the screen. Of the singers Dennis King, star of the original show and motion picture find, is, to my mind, superb, Jeanette McDonald, star of "The Love Parade," comes close to the hero in her singing. She has a lovely voice, and, almost as important, she is very good to look upon. Sets are stunning, direction is good and the minor characters give an enviable support to the principals. O. P. Heggie, as Louis of France, however, gives the outstanding performance of the picture. It's worth attending just to see and hear him. With Friml's music popular as ever, with the star of the original play in the leading role of the film production, with the highly romantic story to work on, the picture lends itself admirably to exploitation. — D. F. ROADHOUSE NIGHTS MICHIGAN MENACE! Produced and distributed by Paramount. From original story by Ben Hecht. Direction, Hobart Henley. Photography, William Steiner. Cast: Helen Morgan, Charles Ruggles, Fred Kohler, Jimmie Durante, Eddie Jackson, Lou Clayton, Fuller Mellish, Jr., Tammany Young, Leo Donnelly and Joe King. Footage, 7,202. Release date, February 15. For the past few months it has been supposed to be more or less common knowledge in the trade that Clayton, Jackson and Durante were a wow in "Roadhouse Nights." These boys are more or less the toast of New York and a great many people think that they're funnier than the Marx brothers, certainly at 3 o'clock in the morning. Last week I saw the picture and now I can understand why Mr. Douglas Hodges, in his review sent in from the Coast, failed so much as to mention them. Their parts have been cut so as practically to exclude them and Durante, old Schnozzle, is the only one who has anything at all to do. Now it appears to me that if you're going to put such locally famous personages as that trio in a picture it would be a good idea to give them decent breaks — otherwise there isn't very much point to their presence. The very fact that they're popular in New York should help a Clayton, Jackson and Durante picture through the country. Perhaps they didn't screen well. I can't tell. But I do know that at the Paramount studio, while the picture was being made, they appeared just grand to this innocent bystander. "Roadhouse Nights" as a picture is fair entertainment. Charles Ruggles turns in a fine performance as a newspaper man feigning inebriation to get out of a tough hole. Fred Kohler is good as usual as a leader of a bootlegging gang. Helen Morgan has been better; she's supposed to furnish the love interest in this picture but, somehow, she doesn't ring true. And I'm a Helen Morgan fan. Hobart Henley, director, did better in "The Laughing Lady" and Ben Hecht, who wrote the story must be tired or something. In other words, while "Roadhouse Nights" is up to the average of a good program picture it is nothing to get excited about. — D. F. LILIES OF THE FIELD A LILY IN ITS H4ND. Produced and distributed by First National. Directed by Alexander Korda from the stage play. Released, January 5. Length 5,996 feet. With Corinne Griffith, Ralph Forbes, John Loder, Freeman Wood, Patsy Paige, Eve Southern, Rita Le Roy, Jean Barry, Betty Boyd, May Boley, and Virginia Bruce. CoRINNE GRIFFITH is still a box office name, and this is the greatest asset in the picture. Miss Griffith's voice, to me, is an unap