Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1930)

October 11, 1930 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 39 unfortunate that her second audible attraction should be below the mark established by her initial effort. One thing especially bad in her current picture was the sound. It was hard to determine whether this was due to the recording or the reproduction. The picture was seen by this reporter the third day of its exhibition at the Rialto in New York, where the sound is generally considered good. Direction of "What a Widow" fell below par. There seemed to be every indication that it was rushed to completion, whether or not that was a fact. Miss Swanson wears gorgeous gowns and is surrounded by lavishness in settings, but these fail, in the opinion of the writer, to give the star the dramatic opportunities which she is capable of handling. Lew Cody, in the difficult role of an inebriate, did an excellent piece of work. You can appreciate his portrayals much more in audible film than you could in silent. "What a Widow" is the story of a widow, gay through the inheritance of a fortune from an elderly husband, who starts out to see the world via Paris. It is our hope that Miss Sawnson will make another "Trespasser." — Jay M. Shreck, New York City. A HER WEDDING NIGHT WELL STAGED. Presented by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Frank Tuttle. From original play by Avery Hopwood. Screen play by Henry Myers. Photography by Harry Fischbeck. Cast, Clara Bow, Ralph Forbes, Charlie Ruggles, Skeets Gallagher, Geneva Mitchell. Rosita Moreno, Natalie Kingston, Wilson Benge, Lillian Elliott. C LARA BOW'S "Her Wedding Night" is the smartest and best staged talking picture she has appeared in, according to a consensus following the preview. She is the central character of the story and yet she is not the whole show. She appears in only those scenes where it is necessary and good show business for her to appear. Her lines have been well written as have the lines for the entire cast. She reads them with much greater grace than she would have done a year ago with her then paucity of experience in dialog. Her voice has become well modulated since her appearance in "Love Among the Millionaires." And she does no songs in this one. That in a few words is the impression of many upon first viewing the picture. Skeets Gallagher, Charles Ruggles, Ralph Forbes and Geneva Mitchell have important roles and share in a great amount of footage. Their work is very good. They, as a matter of fact, bear the burden of most of the action. Gallagher, quite by accident, becomes married to Miss Bow. Forbes is almost as prompt to fall in love with her. She has been a stranger to both. A comedy tangle ensues that involves both couples. And as has been intimated each is equally important in the action that follows. It is a fast show and is entertaining from the opening shot. — Douglas Hodges, Hollywood. A ATLANTIC DISASTER AT SEA. Produced and distributed by British International. Director, E. A. Dupont. Author, Ernest Raymond. Editor, Emile de Ruelle, Photographer, Charles Rosher. With Madeline Carroll, Elaine Terriss, Franklyn Dyall, Donald Calthorp, John Stuart, Monty Banks. Sydney Lynn, Joan Barry, D. A. Clark-Smith. Helen Haye, Francis Lister, John Longden. Arthur Hardy. Release, October 3, 1930. Running time, 1 hour, 20 minutes. K, -NOWING the work of Dupont, more is expected of him than is presented in this picture. Wrong principally, it seems, is the slowness of action. It was a difficult story to adapt to screen presentation. That is granted. However, action and dialog could have been more spontaneous, which would have added a great deal to the picture. As the picture is now presented it is tiring. This is said with all due credit to the cast, for the American public is very fond of English players. Had the action of the picture moved more rapidly it would have been something to talk about at the box office for the story has the elements of a success. "Atlantic" carries with it the story of a ship disaster at sea — a ship (possibly the Titanic) which met its fate when its steel armour was crushed by an iceberg. — Jay M. Shreck, New York City. EAST IS WEST IMPRESSIVE IN DIALOG. A Universal picture produced by Carl Laemmle. Jr. Directed by Monta Bell. From stage play by Samuel Shipman and John B. Hymer. Adaptation by Winifred Eaton Reeve. Screen play and additional dialog by Tom Reed. Associate producer, E. M. Asher. Photography by Jerry Ash. Sound supervision by C. Roy Hunter. Film editor, Maurice Pivar. Cast: Lupe Velez. Lewis Ayres, Edward G. Robinson, E. Allyn Warren, Tetsu Komai, Henry Kolker, Mary Forbes, Edgar Norton. 'rLAST IS WEST," the story told before so successfully on the stage as well as in motion pictures, is again brought to the screen in dialog. It is an impressive picture. The story of the little American girl brought up by Chinese and in love with an American boy is the kind that pulls on the heartstrings and has given many a man, woman and child a good cry. In this instance this is accomplished primarily by Lew Ayres (remembered for "All Quiet") and Lupe Velez. However, two others must be mentioned: Eddie Robinson and E. Allyn Warren. The four of them are the show. They did expert work with the feeling that they had a job to do. The action drags in places, something foreign to other pictures directed by Monta Bell with his fine sense of tempo. Nevertheless he has turned out an excellent piece of work. The most moving scene appears early in the picture where Velez, in the role of a Chinese girl, goes to the auction block with her pseudo father because he wants to sell a few of his daughters to get money to buy more pigs. Velez and many other beautiful girls are thrown upon the market for purchase by Chinese who wish to rid themselves of aging wives in order to institute newer and younger ones. The production value in the picture is of the highest order. Sets and locations chosen are remarkably effective and in many cases enchanting.— Douglas Hodges, Hollywood. * * * PARADISE ISLAND GOOD ENTERTAINMENT. Produced by Tiffany. Directed by Bert Glennon. Story by M. G. Dearing. Screen play by Monte Katterjohn. Edited by Baron Robinson. Cameraman, Max Dupont. Sets by Ralph DeLacy. Music by Will Jason and Val Burton. Sound engineering by Dean Daily. Cast: Kenneth Harlan, Marceline Day, Tom Santschi, Paul Hurst, Betty Boyd., Vic Potel, Gladden James and Will Stanton. li Paradise island" win appeal to those who like South Sea tales with musical accompaniment, plenty of rough and tumble fighting, lots of love interest, swaggering sailors and the gyrations of native dancers. It packs a punch and is good entertainment from beginning to end. Suspense developed by Katterjohn, who wrote the screen play, and Bert Glennon, the director, gripped the audience. Paul Hurst, as "Beauty," the homely and dumb sailor, and Vic Potel and Will Stanton, as Swede and Limey roustabouts, not only help with the suspense but contribute considerable comedy. The cast brings together Kenneth Harlan as the hero and Tom Santschi as the villain— both ! veterans of the rough and tumble type bf screen play. They stage a fight which is as real as any motion picture fight. You recall that Santschi learned how to stage a good free for all in the original version of "The Spoilers." Harlan, sea captain, sails into port at an island in the South Seas at the time Marceline Day arrives to marry Gladden James, drunkard and gambler, who has "gone native." Santschi, as the saloon keeper, covets her. Harlan falls in love with her. Harlan fights to save James from both his vices and Miss Day from Santschi. He fails in the former and succeeds in the latter enterprise after a terrific battle with Santschi over the girl, his ship, the pearls and money. Songs, which are well sung, and native music — steel guitars and such — appear in the picture at intervals and are introduced naturally. Dean Daly did an excellent piece of staging. Max Dupont was on the job with his camera. Both Harlan and Miss Day were excellent in developing love interest, and Betty Boyd, as the native seductress of James, gave a clever portrayal. James was well cast. — Edward Churchill, Hollywood. A AUDIO REVIEW— NO. 38 Pathe — Sound. A pictorial description of doll making in Japan, which opens this review, is featured by the excellent effects obtained through the use of the Pathechrome color process. The detailed manner in which the small figures are fashioned in molds from clay and then painted in bright colors is interesting. "Biblical Waters" pictures natives fishing with nets in uV Sea of Galilee in Palestine. The Hollywood Gardens, night club in the upper reaches of New York City, gains some extremely effective advertising in the concluding item of the review. Closeups of celebrities who grace the tables of the club are shown, including Rudy Vallee, Paul Whiteman and others, followed by a sequence illustrating the type of entertainment the patrons enjoy. Except for the first feature, the review is not particularly interesting. Running time, 9 minutes. A MICKEY'S MUSKETEERS LARRY DARMOUR PRODUCTION. R K O— Sound. The inimitable Darmour juveniles are well handled in this latest laus;h riot. Mickey (himself) McGuire and his Toonerville pals play aviators in a manner that delights kiddies as well as grownups. Each member of the gang has his own idea about how an airplane should be built. The results are disastrous to the gang and a spasm to the audience. "Mickey's Musketeers" was inadvertently used as the title for another Mickey comedy published on page 31 of the August 16 issue of the Herald-World. THE GEM OF AGRA NO. 13 OF VAGABOND ADVENTURES SERIES Pathe — Talking. The whole of this number of the Tom Terris Vagabond series is devoted to a description, pictorial and verbal, of the Taj Mahal, famou9 building constructed by an Indian emperor in memory of his wife. It is explained that seventeen years was required to complete the structure, generally considered the most beautiful in the world, and that the result of the labor was a revolution and the loss of an empire. The film shows the building from many angles, as well as interior shots and pictures of the surrounding gardens. Closeup views of the finely wrought and delicate designs cut into the face of the marble by hand enhance the effectiveness of the subject. By reason of the fact that the Taj Mahal is known to every school child, this will go anywhere and anytime. Running time, 10 minutes.