The Film Daily (1935)

THE 10 4 REVIEWS OF THE NEW PICTURES "PEOPLE WILL TALK" with Mary Boland and Charles Ruggles Paramount 67 mins. VERY AMUSING DOMESTIC COMEDY WITH HUMAN INTEREST TOUCH MAKES GOOD FAMILY FARE. Handled with a full appreciation of its comedy values and a goodly touch of human interest as well, this story will get over nicely with the whole family. Mary Boland and Charlie Ruggles are seen in roles typical of some of their successful past teamwork — the chattering wife and the somewhat dull but slyly amusing husband. In their efforts to show a quarreling daughter and son-in-law that it is not nice business to act that way, Mary and Charlie stage a pretended fight of their own, but she continually forgets the frameup and takes various remarks seriously, thereby creating many funny situations, and finally creating a rift and divorce talk over some supposed scandal. Finally the young couple makes up and they stage a stunt that brings the older couple back to their happy status. Cast: Mary Boland, Charles Ruggles, Leila Hyams, Dean Jagger, Ruthelma Stevens, Han Steinke, Constantine Romanoff, Edward Brophy, John Rogers, Sam Flint, Stanley Andrews, Aileen Carlyle, Cecil Cunningham, Jack Mulhall, Marina Schubert. Producer, Douglas MacLean; Director, Al Santell; Authors, Sophie Kerr, F. Hugh Herbert; Screenplay, Herbert Fields; Cameraman, Alfred Gilks; Editor, Richard Currier. Direction, Fine. Photography, A-l. Shirley Temple in "OUR LITTLE GIRL" with Rosemary Ames, Joel McCrea, Lyle Talbot, Erin O'Brien-Moore, J. Farrell | MacDonald Fox 63 mins. NOT UP TO PREVIOUS SHIRLEY TEMPLE ATTRACTIONS BUT STILL A PLEASING LIGHT DOMESTIC DRAMA. The domestic drama of a neglected wife dominates this production, relegating Shirley Temple to lesser importance, and inasmuch as the story itself is a familiar and obvious affair the picture's entertainment value as a whole is just moderate. Joel McCrea, a young doctor busy with experiments, allows his wife, Rosemary Ames, to be entertained by a playboy neighbor, Lyle Talbot, until they fall in love and plan to run off. The married couple's little daughter, Shirley, dislikes Lyle, who looks upon her as standing in the way, so she finally runs off, but is found by her father at the "Heaven's Gate" retreat where the youngster and her parents had been in the habit of making semi-annual pilgrimages. Then the mother appears, having changed her mind about going with Lyle, and a reconciliation results. A fourth angle in the drama is provided by Erin O'BrienMoore, Joel's nurse and assistant, who is in love with him. Cast: Shirley Temple, Rosemary Ames, Joel McCrea, Lyle Talbot, Erin O'BrienMoore, Poodles Hanneford, Margaret Armstrong, Rita Owin, Leonard Carey, J. Farrell MacDonald, Jack Baxley. Producer, Edward Butcher; Director, John Robertson; Author, Florence Leighton Pfalzgraf; Screenplay, Stephen Avery, Allen Rivkin, Jack Yellen; Cameraman, John Seitz. Direction, Gocd Photography, Good "GIRLS WILL BE BOYS" with Dolly Haas, Cyril Maude Alliance Films 71 mins. CHARMING LIGHT COMEDY WITH LONDON DRAWING ROOM ATMOSPHERE IS DELIGHTFULLY PRESENTED. There is a lot of charm and class in the presentation of this clever comedy, with the Continental star, Dolly Haas, dominating the picture and scoring strong. The production should go well in the top houses, for its class and atmosphere of nice people and manners will appeal to the best people. For the mob, there is a love story with plenty of comedy highlights that will appeal to them. Miss Haas plays the role of the granddaughter of a martinet English Duke who is a woman-hater. He has never seen his granddaughter, who has been brought up in Paris, and he thinks the offspring is a boy. So the girl pays a visit to his London home impersonating a boy, which she can do very well as she is a professional impersonator. Then the comedy and romance as she is turned over by her granddad to his handsome estate superintendent to make a "man" out of the delicate appearing boy. Cyril Maude is grand as the Duke, and the support is excellent. Handsome sets and good taste distinguish the picture. It is the type of light comedy that the British can do supremely well. Cast: Dolly Haas, Cyril Maude, Edward Chapman, Esmond Knight, Irene Vanbrugh, Ronald Ward, Charles Paton. Director, Marcel Varnel; Screenplay, Clifford Grey, Roger Burford, Kurt Siodmak; Editor, A. S. Bates; Cameraman, Claude Friese-Greene. Direction, Very Good. Photography, Fine. r FOREIGN "SANS FAMILLE" ("No Relations"), in French; directed by Andre Mouezy Eon. with Robert Lynen, Vanni Marcoux; released by DuWorld. At the Fifth Ave. Playhouse. Appealing story about a lost boy who is | eventually restored to his family. Good direction and photography, plus a bit of operatic singing, and a background of attractive summer scenes add to the enjoyment of the picture. "ADVENTUROUS KNIGHTS" with David Sharpe, Mary Kornman, Mickey Daniels and Gertrude Messinger Ajax Pictures 56 mins. ACTION MELLER WITH FORMER "OUR GANG" PLAYERS BEST SUITED FOR FAMILY PROGRAM HOUSES. Four former favorites of the "Our Gang" comedies, now grown up, are employed in this picture, which uses an old plot formula none too skillfully but makes for clean, moderate entertainment for the family program trade. After fleeing abductors who held him captive and arriving at a football field just in time to win the big game of the year, Dave Sharpe is told by his guardian that he is heir to a throne and must assume it. Dave insists on taking along his college chum, Mickey Daniels. There is a villainous duke who will become king if Dave does not arrive in time for the coronation. Dave balks when he finds that becoming king means also he must marry a girl he never saw. Dave is captured by the duke on the eve of the coronation and for the first time sees a picture of his prospective bride. He recognizes her as a girl he had aided to flee from her parents. So he outwits his guards and after a chase arrives just in time to get the crown and the girl. Cast: David Sharpe, Mary Kornman, Mickey Daniels and Gertrude Messinger. Director, C. Edward Roberts; Author, D H. Sharpe; Screenplay, C. E. Roberts; Cameraman, Robert Cline; Recording Engineer, Karl Zinn; Editor, Arthur A. Brooks. Direction, So-so. Photography, Okay. "RED WAGON" with Charles Bickford, Raquel Torres, Greta Nissen, Don Alvarado, Anthony Bushell Alliance Films 97 mins. CIRCUS STORY IN BRITISH LOCALE HOLDS FAIR INTEREST ALONG OLDFASHIONED LINES. Unlike Hollywood-made circus yarns, this B.I. P. attraction eschews the highly melodramatic stuff and instead presents a more or less genteel oidtime drama of traveling show life in England. It is in a sense a character study, taking a young lad from the time he is left an orphan through a circus fire, his mistreatment at the hands of an unsympathetic foster mother, and finally his return to the circus where he is reunited with an old pal and eventually becomes first a famous rider, then the owner of his own show. Romance, rivalry, a mismarriage to a gypsy, Raquel Torres, due to a misunderstanding with his real love, Greta Nissen, and finally the achievement of a happy conclusion, combine to give the story fairly continuous interest. Cast: Charles Bickford, Raquel Torres, Greta Nissen, Don Alvarado, Anthony Bushell. Paul Graetz, Amy Veness, Jimmy Hanley, Frank Pettingell. Alexander Fields, Francis L. Sullivan, Stella Bonheur, Percy Parsons. Director, Paul L. Stein; Author, Lady Eleanor Smith; Screenplay, Edward Knoblock, Roger Burford, Arthur Woods; Cameraman, Jack Ccx; Recording Engineer, Cecil Thornton; Editor, Leslie Norman Direction, Good Photography, Good "KENTUCKY BLUE STREAK" with Eddie Nugent, Patricia Scott, Junior Coghlan Puritan Pictures. 60 mins. RACE HORSE MELLER OF THE KENTUCKY DERBY SHOULD GO OVER FOR POP HOUSE AUDIENCES. Another variation of the familiar race horse theme with our hero coming through in the nick of time to win the big race and save the farm from the villainous mortgage-holder. Although the story sometimes extends the plausibilities it should fit in the smaller houses and on dual bills. Junior Coghlan is traveling around the country as a jockey, trying to pay off some of the family debts, when he is arrested for a murder, committed by someone else, and sentenced to jail. While he is in the pen his sister trains a colt for the Kentucky Derby, planning to have Coghlan who expects a pardon, ride the horse. The pardon is held up but the jockey pulls a jail break and brings the horse through to victory. A newspaperman friend arrives at this crucial moment with the news that the real murderer had confessed and they all live happily ever after. Cast: Eddie Nugent, Patricia Scott, Junior Coghlan, Margaret Mann, Cornelius Keefe. Roy D'Arcy, Roy Watson. Joseph W Girard Producer, C C. Burr; Director, Raymond K Johnson. Author, Homer Gordon; Screenolay, Homer Gordon; Cameraman, I. W. Akers. Direction, Okay Photography, Good. "SUSANA TIENE UN SECRETO" ("Susana Has a Secret"), in Spanish; produced by Orpheafilm; directed by Benito Perojo; with Rosita Diaz, Ricardo Nunez, et al. At the Teatro Campoamor. Amusing comedy about a sleep-walking bride, who wanders into a stranger's bedroom on a night before her wedding and later is bothered by her own suspicions. NEWS of the DAY Philadelphia — Unusually cool weather had influenced local houses which ordinarily are dark by this season to continue operations. Fay's is the only big Philadelphia theater to shut up shop for the summer, so far. Boston — "Escape Me Never," B & D.-U. A. release starring Elisabeth Bergner, was accorded an exceptional opening at Keith theater here and will likely be held for a second week. Lansing, Mich. — Gov. Frank Fitzgerald signed the bill prohibiting walkathons contests. The contests may, however, continue until the middle of September. Carbondale, 111. — The Liberty reopened recently. Erie, Pa. — Herbert Siegal closed his Princess theater June 1. His manager, Grant Harman, moved to the Palace to manage the house for Harvey Emmerman. Harvard, Neb. — Robert Gollehon has sold the Harvard to J. V. Franks. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. — The Queen theater will be closed during the summer except for Saturday and Sunday evenings. Plainview, Neb. — Two hundred new seats have been placed in John Hoffman's Plainview theater. Hollywood, Fla theater is closing for The Hollywo/M or the summed I Newport News, Va. — Leo Greenwood, formerly manager of the Granby, Norfolk, has become manager of the Warwick here, a William S. Wilder circuit house. HI*