Exhibitors Herald World (Oct-Dec 1930)

28 EXHIBITORS HERALD -WORLD December 6, 1930 over-length in several sequences, which might have happened under less capable direction. Evelyn Brent acts well and handles her role sympathetically, as the girl who has changed her name and gone in search of the young man who is about to inherit the estate of a wealthy uncle, which she believes rightfully should be hers. She finds him in San Francisco, heart and soul in the running of a mission house for unemployed men, with plans for a new $1,000,000 mission in the country dependent on the settlement of the estate of the uncle. Ames rescues the girl as she attempts to commit suicide, with the result that she enters his employ as cook at the house. Her plans for obtaining the money she feels belongs to her are broken by the discovery that she is in love with him. His fiancee disapproves of the interest he takes in the mission, and following a disagreement, he marries the girl he had displaced as heir. When news comes that the uncle had changed his mind, restoring the girl as the heir, Ames gives authority to his attorneys to find the missing girl and restore the money. She finally admits that she is the real owner of the money, and the disagreement which follows is resolved in the usual final sequence of reconciliation after a rough and tumble fight in the mission house, during which the girl is wounded in an attempt to shield her husband. The photography is uniformly good, most of the action being set in the interior of the slum mission, with one or two scenes on the water front and at the summer home of the young man, which serve well to relieve the monotony of a single setting. Ivan Linow, as the huge Russian who works in the kitchen of the refuge, is good in his part, as are Zack Williams and Ed Brady, Josephine Dunn, in the role of the dissatisfied fiancee of Ames, is fair, though her part is a minor one, calling for comparatively little effort. "Madonna of the Streets" is an old story, but has a theme which always seems to hold a certain interest for the public at large. That fact, combined with the excellent work of the featured players, makes this film entertaining and to a degree, appealing. — Charles S. Aaronson. New York City. A LIGHTNIN' ROGERS AT HIS BEST! Produced and distributed by Fox. Director, Henry King. Authors, Frank Bacon and Winchell Smith. Adaptors, S. N. Behrman and Sonya Levien. Dialog, same. Editor. Louis Loeffler. Photographer, Chester Lyons. With Will Rogers, Louise Dresser, Joel McCrea, Helen Cohan, Jason Robards, Frank Campeau, J. M. Kerrigan, Luke Cosgrave, Ruth Warren, Sharon Lynn. Walter Percival, Joyce Compton, Goodee Montgomery, Rex Bell. Roxanne Curtis, Phil Tead. Charlotte Walker. Release, December 7, 1930. Footage, 8,500. J F for no other reason than Will Rogers, this picture would be worthwhile. However, Rogers is not the whole show. He is a greater part of it, yes, but one cannot overlook the part played by everyone who had anything to do with the production of "Lightnin'." This writer was thoroughly sold on the stage production with Frank Bacon. In the screen adaptation, however, there seems to be more audience appeal, probably because the action is not confined to the three walls of a stage set. Rogers in the role of Lightnin' Bill Jones is supreme. His humor is subtle, yet of the kind that everyone understands and appreciates. His acting is so natural that he presents a living picture of the Lightnin' of your imagination. You will love him throughout the picture. J. C. Jenkins has contended for these many years that Irene Rich should always appear opposite Rogers. We respect the wisdom of his years, and we respect the ability of Miss Rich, but we cannot overlook the fine portrayal given by Louise Dresser in "Lightnin'." "Lightnin'" brings to the screen Helen, a daughter of George M. Cohan. She has fine possibilities and a technique of address which she has inherited from her father. This is a picture so homey in its content that everyone should like it. One must enjoy the little family quarrels in the Jones household. You just cannot help getting a kick out of Will Rogers and "Lightnin'." — Jay M. Shreck, New York City. A OH SAILOR BEHAVE! GONDOLAS! Produced and distributed by Warner Brothers. From the stage play by Elmer Rice. Adapted by Joseph Jackson. Directed by Archie Mayo. Songs by Joe Burke and Al Dubin. With Ole Olsen, Chic Johnson (Olsen and Johnson), Irene Delroy, Charles King, Lowell Sherman, Noah Beery, Lotti Loder, Vivian Oakland, Charles Judels, Elsie Bartlett, Lawrence Grant and Gino Corrodo. Running time, 1 hour, 8 minutes. N, I APLES is the locale of this story about a young newspaper reporter, a wealthy and beautiful heiress, a dissolute Russian prince, a general, and two sailors on leave, who aid the young reporter in rescuing his loved one from the clutches of the villain so that the two lovers may live happily ever after, while the sailors spend the rest of their lives scrubbing decks. Gondolas permeate the picture at the start, with a gondolier here singing a song, and another gondolier over there picking it up as it floats across the water. Intermittent song is present throughout the production, and sometimes crops up in the most unexpected places. For instance, the lover sees his beloved after thinking that he may never see her again. He doesn't take her in his arms. He sings her a song. Olsen and Johnson, as the comic sailors, give an excellent account of themselves, as does Lowell Sherman, in his role of the Russian prince, who forced the wealthy heiress, Irene Delroy, into marrying him to save her sister's name. Charles King, the reporter, is well cast as the ardent lover and busy reporter, while Noah Beery plays the chief of the forces of Montenegro, against whom plots are being made and from whom the reporter is to get a story. Gino Corrodo, the owner of the hotel where most of the action takes place, gives a splendid characterization, thereby adding zest and pep to scenes that could very easily have become lusterless. With such an admirable cast, the picture swings along though continuity of action is not complete. The music scene appears irrelevant at times, but compliments must be given Al Dubin and Joe Burke for the two numbers, "Love Comes in the Moonlight" and "Highway to Heaven." As for their rendition Charles King and Irene Delroy ably take care of that. — Jim Little. Chicago. A VIENNESE NIGHTS MUSIC AND COLOR. Produced and distributed by Warner Brothers. Director, Alan Crosland. Authors, Oscar Hammerstein 2nd and Sigmund Romberg. Adaptors, same. Dialog, same. Editor. Hal McLaren. Photographer, James Van Trees. With Alexander Gray, Vivienne Segal, Jean Hersholt, Walter Pidgeon, Louise Fazenda. Alice Day. Bert Roach. June Purcell. Milton Douglas. Release, January 3. 1931. Footage, 9.007. J T is doubtful whether any screen operetta to date had such beautiful melodies as "Viennese Nights." The Sigmund Romberg score is a treat for the ears. The picture has not one, but many, tuneful selections. His symphony, which is played in its entirety, is a fine piece of musical composition. One might have thought the orchestra was playing from the stage rather than the screen, judging from the applause which greeted the symphony on the opening night. Warner's has chosen an excellent cast for the musical type of picture. Vivienne Segal, Alexander Gray and Walter Pidgeon carry the bur den of the singing, and the acting as well. Those who have seen these three in previous musical offerings are aware of their abilities musically and histrionically. Bert Roach also must be given more than passing mention, for as the comedian of the attraction he adds a pleasant humorous touch to a story tragic in nature. Jean Hersholt likewise is fine in his role. "Viennese Nights" encounters the same difficulties as other musical pictures. From one seated in the orchestra to be entertained there is the impression that too much stress is placed upon the music and too little upon the continuity. On the stage this fault is immaterial, but on the screen it is too apparent and detracts from the entertainment value of a picture. Motion picture companies today are pioneering in this type of screen entertainment, and with such men as Romberg and Hammerstein collaborating it stands to reason that the right formula will be found. "Viennese Nights" is the story of a romance between a girl and a boy of the same social caste and the successful efforts of the girl's father to marry her into the aristocracy. The locale of the picture is Vienna, and all scenes have been done in technicolor. — Jay M. Shreck, New York City. A THE LOTTERY BRIDE OPERETTA! Produced and distributed by United Artists. Directed by Paul L. Stein. Adaptation and dialog by Howard Emmett Rogers. Edited by Robert Kern. Cameraman, Ray June. With Jeanette MacDonald, John Garrick, Joe E. Brown, Zasu Pitts, Robert Chisholm, Joseph Macaulay, Harry Gribbon, Carroll Nye. Release date, October 25, 1930. Footage, 7,472. Ti HIS film makes no pretentions to being other than an operetta and as such fares pretty well. In fact, the quality of the music contributed by Rudolph Frimi makes one desire more of it, even at the expense of the dialog and story, which is weak in the same way that most musical comedy stories appear weak when transposed for the screen. Both solo and chorus numbers are sung with fine voice quality by Jeannette MacDonald, John Garrick, Robert Chisholm and an excellent male chorus. The scene is set in Norway, at Oslo first and then further north in the latter portion of the film. Settings appear like stage scenery painted on canvas. Naturally, as is generally the case in adaptation of musicals to the screen, action loses its motive power the moment the singing begins, but the latter has excellent quality of voice and melody, and the songs are welcomed. The story concerns a girl who permits herself to be drawn as a lottery or picture bride, and finds, when she arrives at the northern mining town to be claimed by her husband, that he is the brother of the young man she had gone north to forget. To complicate the situation, the latter is also there. When a dirigible lands at the town, on its way to the North Pole, the younger man joins the crew, in order to leave the girl he loves for his brother. But when the dirigible crashes against the ice, the young man is rescued by an ice breaker with the girl on board to complete the picture. The final scene, with the famed Northern Lights simulated as a background, loses its effectiveness because of its lack of reality, though the photography in general is good. Very much in the film, and contributing the comedy with more than his usual excellence is Joe E. Brown, who has a minor role in the story, but a most important one in injecting humor into the film. As the American who turns the cafe at Oslo into a jazz hall and conducts a marathon dance, he is most amusing, with able assistance from Zasu Pitts as the proprietress of the cafe. In the northern mining town, his appearance alone elicits more than a few hearty laughs, when he is seen wearing a top coat, derby and ear laps. Direction is good, particularly in view of the extreme difficulty in retaining the operetta