Exhibitors Herald and Moving Picture World (Apr-Jun 1930)

April 19, 1930 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 49 LADIES OF LEISURE A TOP NOTCHER! Produced and distributed by Columbia . From the Belasco-Milton Herbert Cropper stage play. Direction by Frank Capra. Adaptation and dicdog by Jo Swerling. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck , Lowell Sherman , Ralph Craves , Marie Prevost , Nance O’Neil, George Fawcett , Johnnie Walker , Juliette Compton. Footage , 9,118 feet. Released , April 5. Seen by JAY M. SHRECK in Chicago Barbara STANWYCK, recruited from the stage, has gracefuly and elegantly won a niche in the world of motion pictures. Her work in the stage play, “Burlesque,” brought her to the screen, but not until Columbia cast her in the steller role in “Ladies of Leisure” had she had an opportunity to display the histronic talent she possesses. She rightfully deserves the title, “Heroine of the Week,” and, knowing that the vote would be unanimous, we herewith bestow it upon her. Undoubtedly more important to her is that Columbia has bestowed a four picture contract upon her. “Ladies of Leisure” is a finely made talking picture. Excellent cast, excellent dialog, excellent direction. Although an all talking picture, rare judgment has been used in not cluttering every sequence with dialog. Lowell Sherman’s comedy certainly is a highlight of the picture. Every word spoken and every movement is that of the trained and finished actor which he is. “Ladies of Leisure” is playing at the R K 0Woods theatre in Chicago. It is a story of a young artist, the son of a rich railroad man, who finds in a “lady of leisure” the inspiration for a painting. THE BENSON MURDER CASE SOPHISTICATED SLEUTHING! Produced and distributed by Paramount. From the story by S. S. Van Dine. Adaptation by Bartlett Cormack. Direction by Frank Tuttle. Camera , A. J. Stout. Cast: William Powell , Natalie Moorhead , Eugene Pallette , Paul Lukas , William Boyd , E. H. Calvert , Richard Tucker , May Beatty , Mischa Auer. Otto Y amaoka , Charles McMurphy and Dick Rush. Footage , 5,794. Release , April 12. Seen by DOUGLAS FOX in New York A A. SMOOTH, unexciting mystery play is the S. S. Van Dine story “The Benson Murder Case,” starring our friend Mr. William Powell, who gave such an excellent performance in “The Street of Chance.” The first half of the current picture is spent in building up a situation, the second in solving it. Throughout there is a precise dovetailing of this and that which speaks well for the carefulness of the director. Punch, however, is lacking. Mr. Powell, as Philo Vance, is lackadaisical and might be interesting if only he’d say enough or express enough to let you get a look at him. You don’t even get a glimpse of the strong personality which he has revealed in his other pictures — something again for which he can hardly be blamed but which is doubtlessly the fault of the script. The adaptation of a best seller is not the easiest thing in the world especially when you are dealing with material like Willard Huntington Wright’s (S. S. Van Dine’s) which presents you with large doses of interesting if irrelevant matter in the sugar coated manner which appeals to the average reader but which is very hard to put across on the talking screen without making your character a cross between a nitwit and a pansy. “The Benson Murder Case,” however, because of the book, is another one of those pictures which lends itself well to exploitation particularly at the present time when the mystery play and the mystery book are all the vogue. "The Benson Murder Case” is well over the average as a program picture. The only thing that I’m complaining about is that it isn’t better. Films like “Street of Chance” spoil you, I suppose, for much which has to follow and the way to take them is to be thankful that they are as good as they are and to hope for better things to come. HEROINE OF THE WEEK BARBARA STANWYCK , in Columbia’s “ Ladies of Leisure ,” registers as one of the screen’s finest young actresses. A new star. MONTANA MOON BRIGHT IN SPOTS! Produced and dis tribuled by M G M. Direction , Mai St. Clair. Story and adaptation , Sylvia Thalberg and Frank Butler. Dialog , Joe Farnham. Photography , William Daniels. Cast: Joan Crawford , Johnny Mack Brown , Dorothy Sebastian , Ricardo Cortez , Benny Rubin , Karl Dane , Lloyd Ingraham and Cliff Edwards. Footage , 7,917. Release, March 29. Seen by DOUGLAS FOX in New York T X HERE are many moments in MG M’s “Montana Moon” which are grand, moments in which Joan Crawford, Benny Rubin and Cliff Edwards are allowed to act up to their own sense of humor. The rest of the picture is, more than anything else, reminiscent of a Lyman Howe “Hodge-Podge,” just that mixture of sense and nonsense which is not amusing but becomes, after a few reels, a positive bore, too irritating to be a sporific, and not quite irritating enough to make you get up and walk out. I suppose it is what its creators would call an outdoor musical comedy romance. Cowboys sit around the campfire and break into well trained choruses at a nod from the director— nor do they confine their singing to the open, but drag it sentimentally into the bunkhouse and the living room of the rancho as well. Johnny Mack Brown, who was, I believe. Radio’s Southern find, while not scintillating, has not been so bad in his other characterizations and, with good direction, will probably be quite a handy man to have around. In “Montana Moon” he is all wet, largely because he has to be frightfully dumb and noble and has to mouth stilted “that-a-ways” and “this-aways” until you are certain that he’s just an unimaginative person. But he really is a nice boy and it seems a shame to treat him the way they do in “Montana Moon.” Malcolm St. Clair, the director, has had a pretty darn good reputation which, I understand, is getting another boost from his work on “Dangerous Nan McGrew” for Paramount; so it is hard to understand why he flopped so badly on this picture. In case you want to know the story, the spoiled daughter (Miss Crawford) of a very wealthy man falls in love with one of the cowboys (Johnny Mack Brown) on her father's ranch, marries him, lives to regret it and, finally, after a display of he-man tactics on his part, comes to love him for what he is — just a strong, simple man of the wild. Musical comedy bits shoved in here and there, while nice enough in themselves, stick out like sore thumbs and remind you of those early days in talking pictures a few months ago when sound was introduced for its own sake, no other excuse being available. The actors in “Montana Moon,” taken as a whole, are fine, have given splendid performances in the past and will probably do better in the future. In this picture, though, they simply don’t get a chance. LADIES LOVE BRUTES BLIT DO THEY? Produced and distributed by Paramount. Directed by Rowland V. Lee. Adapted from the stage play **Pardon My Glove” by Zoe Akins. Scenario by Herman Mankewicz and Waldemar Young. Photographed by Harry Fischbeck. With George Bancroft , Mary Astor, Ben Hendricks, Fredric March, Claude Allister, Stanley Fields, Henry Armetta, David Durand, Freddie Burke Frederick, Lawford Davidson and others. Seen by TOM HACKER in Hollywood ARAMOUNT’S “Ladies Love Brutes” is typically George Bancroft without the usual tough gangster and machine-gun demonstrations. Bancroft is still the big tenderhearted he-man and he again loses the girl. Mary Astor, the girl, is more charming than ever and gives a splendid accounting of her lovely self after a “long time no see” on the screen. Bancroft’s role is that of a skyscraper rivet tosser who made good. The plot revolves around his burly manners in a Fifth avenue drawing room. He falls in love, discovers he is out of place, gives up the girl and returns to his former position. It lacks lighter moments. There are a few laughs and some excellent fist battles that please. IN THE NEXT ROOM VIA SLIDING SECRET PANEL. Produced and distributed by First National. Based on a play by Eleanor Robson Belmont and Harriet Ford. Directed by Eddie Cline. With Jack Mulhall , Alice Day, Robert O’Connor , John St. Polls and others. Sound footage 7,498 feet . Released April 1. Seen by HARRY TUGEND in New York T _L HE mysterious and spooky melodrama at the Colony is adequately hair-raising for those who like that sort of thing. A not too analytical view will find good entertainment in the falling bodies, sliding panels, clutching hands and blunderings of a stupid detective. Jack Mulhall, as a police reporter, arrives at the home of his fiancee in time to witness the unpacking of a valuable antique cabinet imported by her father, a collector. An authority from the Metropolitan Museum falls dead in the act of opening the cabinet. The mysterious noises which have always been an inexplicable part of the old house, seem to increase in frequency. After a series of weird happenings, during which the girl is kidnapped, the detective slugged, a stranger murdered and the hero accused, the mystery is solved. The solution could be more convincing. The sound and photography are very good, as is the supporting cast. THE STREET SWEEPER A LAUGH GETTER! Producer and distributed by Warner Brothers. Chester Conklin starred. Vitaphone Number 969. Seen by TOM HACKER in Hollywood T X HIS amusing two-reeler is so downright silly that it’s funny. Chester Conklin draws the laughs as a genius in his profession, a master street cleaner par-excellence. His elevation to Fifth avenue brings praise from his proud wife and daughter and a reward from members of the street cleaners union. The reward, in a large case, is a gold bristled brusi and a silver shovel. Conklin fits his role per fectly. The dialog is good and recording okay.