Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1930)

November 8, 1930 EXHIBITORS HERALD-WORLD 41 DU BARRY, WOMAN OF PASSION NORMA TALMADGE! Produced and distributed by United Artists. Directed by Sam Taylor. Author, David Belasco. Adapted by Sam Taylor. Editor, Allen McNeil. Cameraman, Oliver Marsh. With Norma Talmadge, Conrad Nagel, William Farnum, Hobart Bosworth, Ullrich Haupt, Alison Skiptvorth, E. Alyn Warren, Edgar Norton, Edwin Maxwell, Henry Kolker. Release date, October 11, 1930. Footage, 8341. N, ORMA TALMADGE returns to the screen in the talking picture version of the life of Madame Du Barry, Parisian milliner who became the mistress of a king of France. William Farnum plays the king, with Hobert Bosworth and Conrad Nagel in the featured roles in support, which indicates that there is no lack of big names in the cast. Much apparently was lavished on the production, for there appears to have been no stinting in the matter of settings, costumes and the like. Enacted in the period of the French Revolution, the story concerns this young girl whose greatest desire in life seems to have been money, luxury, and finery in dress. Her attractiveness draws the attention of a member of the king's court, who sees a possibility of furthering his own ends should the king be as fascinated with the girl as he expects. The result is a meeting of the king and the milliner and the eventual establishment of the latter at court as the favored of the monarch. Her love of the luxury of her new surroundings causes her to be drawn from her sweetheart, a young soldier in the guards. He, naturally, cannot understand her failing and, through some difficulty, is sentenced to death. The arrival of a Paris mob which storms the gates of the castle prevents the execution at the right moment. Du Barry is in turn sentenced to the guillotine by the People's Tribune, and the lover, refusing to give her up, prepares to die with her as the picture ends. The photography is uniformly good, with much attention given to the elaborate court settings, featured by uniforms and fine dresses. Norma Talmadge in the title role makes a most attractive figure in her court costumes, but seems to render her dialog in a rather unnatural manner in several instances. One the whole, however, her performance is good, with one outstanding dramatic bit when she attempts to conceal her feeling for her lover before the king, as the young soldier is led to the place of execution. William Farnum as the king gives perhaps the best performance of the entire cast, playing his part in a manner bespeaking confidence and enjoyment of the role he is enacting. Conrad Nagel is good, and Hobart Bosworth, always the finished actor, does his usual fine work, though his part calls for but little. Direction is fair, but in a number of places the film seems to lag in action. Though the story is rather weak, a strong name cast and lavish production should carry the picture through. — Charles S. Aaronson. New York City. A COHENS AND KELLYS IN AFRICA COMIC! Produced and distributed by Universal. Directed by Vin Moore. Authors, Vin Moore and Edward Luddy. Scenario and dialog by William K. Wells. Cameraman, Hal Mohr. Cast: Charles Murray. George Sidney. Vera Gordon, Kate Price. Lloyd Whitlock, Nick Cogley. Frank Davis, Eddie Kane, Georghette Rhodes and Rene Marvelle. 1 HE fourth Cohens and Kellys product, featuring George Sidney and Charles Murray and titled "The Cohens and Kellys in Africa," is fantastic, ridiculous and nonsensical and, for that reason, excellent entertainment, for it takes one's mind off the painful realities of life for an hour and a half. It does not have much plot, nor is it intended to have. It is more of a travelog, with a laugh in every mile. Cohen and Kelly, in the piano NORMA TALMADCE makes a, most attractive figure in her court costumes in **Du Barry, Woman of Passion," and does an outstanding dramatic bit in the scene which shows her lover being led to the place of execution. The picture is a United Artists release. business, find that the customers are complaining that the celluloid key tops on tbeir product are no good, and they realize that they must have ivory tops. They set out to find ivory in Africa with the aid of a salesman of quack medicine who hasn't been to Africa either, but claims he has. Mixed into the plot are boa constrictors, monkeys, elephants, zebras, man-eating Zulus, a sheik and his assistants, harems, wild cafes, native dancers doing native dances, lions, tigers and a gorilla who says "Mammy." You couldn't possibly throw Kelly and Cohen and their wives into an environment like this without sending the house into an uproar. The dialog is good, though there are some revamped gag-lines. In any case the "big four" — Murray, Sidney, Price and Gordon — put them over in such a way that they get plenty of laughs in return. Vin Moore, as co-author and director, reveals himself not only as having a good imagination but also executive ability in carrying out his ideas. His work is outstanding, and this is the fourth of the Cohens and Kellys series. Hal Mohr's camera work also stands out. He was given excellent settings, and he made the most of them with his lens. Moore was permitted great latitude in the matter of extras, and there are plenty of Zulus in the background as the Cohens and the Kellys chase ivory through the jungle. Sidney and Murray make the most of their lines. Gordon and Price fit in with their antics. Eddie Kane, as the Zulu chieftain, who turns out to be the former Mr. Ginsberg, of Brooklyn, contributes his share of the comedy, and Frank Davis, the windjamming salesman of African patent medicines, with a constantly reiterated line, "Everything will be hunky-dory now," helps with the general mirth. I note that in the hodge-podge of properties in the third paragraph, I failed to mention a miniature golf course in the heart of a Zulu village. The golf course comes in for plenty of laughs when Sidney, representing the firm of Cohen and Kelly, shoots it out over the course with the Zulu champion of all Africa to see whether or not he should pay for the ivory. Another panic is the venture of Cohen and Kelly into an African night club, where they imbibe heartily and are entertained affectionately by two French entertainers. The Irish Mrs. Kelly and the Jewish Mrs. Cohen drop in while their husbands are enjoying amorous moments with the French girls. Then follow international complications, which wreck the cafe, to say nothing of Messrs. Cohen and Kelly. — Edivard Churchill, Hollywood. EAST IS WEST FAIR! Produced and distributed by Universal. Directed by Monta Bell. Authors, Samuel Shipman and John B. Hymer. Adapted by Winifred Eaton Reeve, Tom Reed. Dialog by Tom Reed. Editor, Harry Marker. Camera, Jerry Ashcr. With Lupe Velez, Lewis Ayres, Jean Hersholt, E. Allyn Warren, Tetsu Komai, Henry Kolker, Mary Forbes, Edgar Norton, Edward G. Robinson. Release date, October 23, 1930. Footage 6683. ■*■ HIS is a picturization of the highly successful stage play of some years ago, with Lupe Velez enacting the role of Ming Toy, which Fay Bainter created on the legitimate boards. Direction and adaptation have made the story fall too closely into the expected plan for the film to have a real kick, but the cast is quite capable, particularly in the persons of Lupe Velez, who makes an attractive and entertaining little figure, and Edward Robinson as the Chinese who has several chop suey restaurants and a great deal of conceit. The story is of course an old one and perfectly familiar. Ming Toy, when about to be sold in the slave market, is bought by an old Chinese and taken to San Francisco as his adopted daughter. Lewis Ayres falls in love with the girl and takes her to his own home to prevent her being sold to the restaurant owner. The latter attempts to kidnap the girl, and we have the anticipated double climax of the failure of the effort and the last minute discovery that the supposed Chinese girl is white, which makes everything conventionally all right. Lewis Ayres plays the young man opposite Miss Velez, and does well, though his role calls for very little and he is consequently rather subordinated. It is rather unfortunate that Ming Toy's accent, as she speaks broken English, is a good deal more Spanish in flavor than Chinese. Every opportunitv is taken to bring out the vivacity of Lupe Velez, even to her rendering of one or two songs. The dialog is not particularly unusual, except in the instances where the young star is given some amusing bits in her speech when she tells her reactions to the life of the American city. Photography is on the whole good, with a somewhat elaborate effort having been expended in the designing of the sets, which are quite effective. Perhaps the best performance is that of Edward Robinson, f"r there is every opportunity for him to badly overdo his role as the foppish, vanity stricken and Americanized Chinese. But he carries through his performance with an intelligent lightness, which puts much of the life into the film. It was particularly noticeable at the theatre that the women in the audience seemed to enioy Miss Velez' portrayal of Ming Tov, especially with respect to her amusing speeches. If this mav be taken as an indication, the film apparently will so well at least with the feminine nortion of the motion picture public. It cannot be classed as more than m'ldlv entertaining. — Charles S. Aaronson, New York City. KID ROBERTS LEATHER PUSHERS Universal — Sound Fast action in the ring and a fine formula for love interest mark the high spots of "Kid Roberts," the Leather Pushers picture just completed by Universal. This H. C. Witwer story is a convincing one of a young fellow who needs money; he has completed college but knows nothing except boxing and football. It's