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

36 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD May 24, 1930 THE SILENT ENEMY THE INDIAN'S UNHAPPY HUNTING GROUNDS. Produced by W. D. Burden and IF. C. Chandler. Distributed by Paramount. Directed by H. P. Carver. Photographed by Marcel Le Picard. With a cast of real Indians. Silent footage , 7,551 feet. Released May 19. I IuNGER is “The Silent Enemy’’ that stalks in the wake of the Ojibway Indians, as they battle against time and the raging elements, in their frantic quest for food. A relentless enemy that takes its toll of life and drives the fast weakening tribe out of the protecting Canadian forests, northward into the cold, bleak Arctic regions. Interwoven with this dramatic struggle for existence, is a touching story of love, of adventure, of hand-to-hand conflict with wild beasts, all staged and photographed in picturesque settings of natural beauty. There isn’t a dull moment in this, one of the finest pictures of its kind. We see a lone caribou, cornered by a pack of dogs, attempt to fight his way out with flashing hoofs, which more than once strike home. We see a killer of the north, the vicious mountain lion, battle against the wolverine, a cunning scavenger, over the carcass of the dead caribou. We laugh at the antics of two young cubs, orphaned when their mother is killed by the mighty hunter of the Indian tribe. The hunter is in love with the chief’s daughter. Against the advice of the scheming medicine-man, who wants the girl for himself, the chief orders the tribe to wander northward to caribou country. The journev is hazardous, and the chief himself is among those who succumb to its rigors. When their goal is finally reached, the tribe is on the verge of starvation. There is no sign of caribou. The medicine-man takes advantage of this opportunity to discredit his rival and demands that his life be sacrificed to appease the Great Spirit. The hunter awaits his death within a huge circle of fire, when a signal from the scouts brings news of caribou. He is rescued from the flames and leads his hunters out to meet the oncoming herd. Thousands of stampeding caribou pass through their lines, while, with spear and arrow, they annihilate the specter of “The Silent Enemy.” The hunter wins the girl and the medicine-man is driven out, unarmed, to meet a slow but certain death. All the beauty, excitement, and drama of the picture are greatly enhanced by a splendid musical background which synchronizes perfectly with every mood. It was written from songs of the Ojibway tribe, by Massard kur-Zhene, a Persian composer, and Irvin Talbot. The characters are all real Indians, who act in a manner in keeping with the tone of authenticity sustained throughout the entire production. — Harry Tugend. New York. * * * THE ARIZONA KID BANDIT WITH HEART OF GOLD! Produced and distributed by Fox Films. Directed by Alfred Santell. Dialog by Ralph Block. Adaptation by Joseph Wright. Photographed by Glen MacWiIliams. With Warner Baxter, Mona Maris, Carol Lombard, Mrs. Jiminez, Theodore Von Eltz, Arthur Stone, Walter P. Lewis and others. Sound footage, 7,450 feet. Released April 27. In “THE ARIZONA KID" we again see Warner Baxter in the role which won for him the award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, that of O'Henry’s Cisco Kid, formerly introduced to us in “In Old Arizona.” And, while this production is not as good as its predecessor, the romantic figure of the Kid, played in the best Baxter manner, gives it more than sufficient charm, humor and interest. It takes the story a long time to get started, at least as far as its main action is concerned, but the irrelevant incidents are packed with funny dialog and situations. Especially prominent, Here’s Evidently Perfect Hookup ( Special to the Herald-World) SEATTLE, May 20. — It happened at the Colonial theatre during the run of “Murder on the Roof.” The scene arrived showing the discovery of the murdered body, and then one of the characters in the picture phones for the police. As he placed the receiver back on the hook, in the picture, a siren screamed outside the theatre as a patrol wagon dashed by. A wag in the audience remarked loudly: “That’s what I call service” and convulsed the house with mirth. both physically and audibly, in these laughprovoking sequences, is Mrs. Jiminez as Pulga, the Kid’s housekeeper. Five thousand dollars reward is offered for the capture of the Arizona Kid, stage coach robber, dead or alive. He is very much alive in a small Utah mining town, where, with the help of two other Mexicans, he has been digging gold from an abandoned claim. His real identity is unknown to the sheriff and cattlemen, who have not yet received his photograph from Arizona, the scene of his former unlawful exploits. Lorita, a pretty Mexican entertainer at the saloon, is very much in love with him, and resents the intrusion of the blonde Virginia Hoyt, who seems to have usurped her place in his affections. Comes a day when the Kid is followed to his secret mine by Nick, who pretends to be Virginia’s brother but is really her husband. Nick kills the two Mexicans and places the blame on the Kid, whose identity he reveals to the sheriff. Lolita warns the Kid in time to make his escape, taking her with him. The entire cast supporting Baxter is to be commended upon a consistently capable performance.— Harry Tugend, New York. * * * DIXIANA AN ORIGINAL SCREEN OPERETTA! Produced and distributed by Radio Pictures. Directed by Luther Reed. From the original screen operetta by Harry Tierney and Anne Caldwell. Adapted by Luther Reed. Music by Harry Tierney. Dialog and lyrics by Anne Caldwell. With Bebe Daniels, Everett Marshal, Bert W'heeler, Robert Woolsey, Joseph Cawthorn, Jobyna Howland, Dorothy Lee, Ralf Harolde. Edward Chandler, Raymond Maurel. Photographed by Roy Hunt. Dances by Pearl Eaton. Settings and costumes by Max Ree. Musical director, Victor Baravalle. Film editor, Willium Hamilton. In RADIO PICTURES’ first original screen operetta, “Dixiana,” Luther Reed grappled with a new type of screen story and the result is a fine piece of direction and a picture that should be box office. Anne Caldwell, well known for her work in stage operettas, supplied splendid dialog and lyrics that go a long way toward making this an entertaining as well as an amusing light opera. The story is a romance of the Old South, carefully interwoven with song and dance numbers, and the comedy parts by Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey greatly relieve the picture from being a little too “operettish.” Woolsey easily steals the comedy end of the picture, with Wheeler coming in second. Bebe Daniels does her usual splendid work, with the song and acting honors going to her. Everett Marshall, Metropolitan Opera Company baritone, makes his screen debut in “Dixiana,” and brings with him a powerful and well controlled voice that is a match for any on the screen today. But his screen appearance falls short of the romantic type the audiences want to see in their hero. This is probably due to the costumes he wears and the makeup necessary for the period in which the picture is laid. The balance of the cast is adequate. Joseph Cawthorn and Jobyna Howland give fine performances as the Southern gentleman and lady. Ralf Harolde is a good heavy. Briefly, the story is about the love of a circus girl for the son of a Southern gentleman, and the intrigue of the villain, who keeps them apart, for a while, and finally fails in his attempts to get the girl for himself by trying to kill their love for each other. In Radio Pictures’ “Rio Rita” and “Hit the Deck,” Luther Reed demonstrated his ability 'to direct musical films. In “Dixiana” he has done a fine piece of work with a new type of screen story. It’s a bit of an experiment that will not fail to go over big with the audiences who know and like their light opera. The song numbers, 13 in all, by Harry Tierney, are all good, with the theme number, “Dixiana,” rated as a popular hit. The costumes and settings by Max Ree are perfect. Technicolor is used judiciously in the final scenes of the New Orleans Mardi Gras. — Larry Urbach. Hollywood. * * * THE TEXAN A TOUGH HOMBRE REFORMS! Produced and distributed by Paramount. From the story by O. Henry. Directed by John Cromwell. Adapted by Oliver Garrett. Continuity by Daniel Rubin. Photography by Victor Milner. Cast: Gary Cooper, Fay Wray, Emma Dunn, Oscar Apfel, James Marcus, Donald Reed, Soledad Jiminez, Nora Buckland, Caesar Vanoni, Edivin Brady, Enrique Acosta, Romualdo Tirado. Footage, 7,142. Released May 10. T I HAT rare and none too credible sweetness which marked some of O. Henry’s tales is to be found on the screen in Paramount’s version of “The Texan,” with Gary Cooper in the leading role. Cooper is the Llano Kid, desperado, murderer, with a price on his head. Fleeing Texas following the killing of a card sharp, the Kid encounters an unscrupulous adventurer who persuades him to pose as the long-lost son of a wealthy South American widow whom Thacker, the adventurer, has been commissioned to find. The pair make their way to the Argentine and plan to get not only the old lady’s gold but additional funds from the sale of her cattle as well. Senora Ibarra lavishes affection on this regained son of hers, and her niece, Consuelo, falls for him rather obviously. At the end of two months the Kid and Thacker are ready to make their getaway when the Kid suddenly discovers that the card sharp he killed in his last duel was none other than the man he is impersonating. He undergoes a change of heart, resolves that the old lady has seen enough trouble, goes back on his agreement with Thacker and determines to remain at the hacienda. Thacker hires desperadoes to rob the house. Their attack, however, is beaten off by the Kid, who has the assistance of a Texas sheriff who has tracked him to his lair but who, on seeing the change in the lad, decides to let him go without saying anything about it, in true heroic motion picture fashion. The villain is foiled, the old lady’s disillusionment is continued to her ultimate happiness and the Kid marries his cousin, Consuelo. Certain sequences of this obvious picture have a very definite charm, and while there is no apparent excitement in any of the reels, the film will still go a long way to please Cooper fans. Consuelo, played by Fay Wray, is a plausible child. Senora Ibarra, by Emma Dunn, is a little overacted. Cooper is taciturn all the way through. The photography is good. — Douglas Fox, New York.