The Film Daily (1923)

THE 10 ■^H DAILY Sunday, May 20, 1923 Some Laughs in Latter Reels But Not Enough To Be Always Amusing Walter Hiers in "SIXTY CENTS AN HOUR" Paramount DIRECTOR Joseph Henabery AUTHOR Frank Condon SCENARIO BY Grant Carpenter CAMERAMAN Faxon Dean AS A WHOLE Contains some amusement toward the close that may send them out satisfied STORY Pretty slight and very slow in drawing laughs but develops into fair comedy after, a while DIRECTION. . . .Might have gotten it off to a better start but otherwise is fairly satisfactory ; some touches poor PHOTOGRAPHY Good LIGHTINGS All right STAR Needs good situations to register laughs; not a knock-out comedian SUPPORT Jacqueline Logan deserving of a better chance ; an average supporting company EXTERIORS Suitable INTERIORS Not many necessary, except soda fountain DETAIL Fair CHARACTER OF STORY Soda dispenser, held for robbing bank, turns in thieves, wins big reward and fulfills long cherished desires LENGTH OF PRODUCTION 5,632 feet It is possible that there are those who may be amused by the antics of Walter Hiers as the ambitious soda dispenser in "Sixty Cents an Hour," but they'll certainly have to be easy to please and particularly mirthful if they find enough laughs in this one to make them thoroughly happy. This latest Hiers starring vehicle is surely a weak enough comedy piece as far as gen uine laughs and original situations are concerned. It has a few fairly good spots but they are far in the minority and at too great a distance from each other to tide over the interest. A laugh now and another in ten or fifteen minutes hardly makes for a satisfactory comedy entertainment. It is hardly the fault of Henabery for not having secured better results because Frank Condon's story was too big a handicap. For a two-reeler it would have sufficed splendidly and proven thoroughly enjoyable. It hasn't feature possibilities and necessarily lacks feature requirements. Henabery does succeed in making it more amusing toward the close, but it takes so long to reach this part that folks are pretty well discouraged waiting for the laughs. The idea of a fat man continually losing his garter fails to make the picture hilarious, and the continual devouring of sodas by Hiers will have the same effect upon the audience as it is supposed to have on the star — the sight of one eventually makes him sick. The plot itself is especially slight and provides little in the way of strong comedy situations except toward the end when hero is suspected of having robbed the bank and kidnapped the president's daughter. Then it does get fairly comical and the chase contains some laughs that register, particularly where they shoot at the back of the flivver in which hero is riding and the coins start dropping all over the street with the whole town turning out to pick them up. More of this business would have made "Sixty Cents An Hour" a much better attraction. Hiers strives hard enough to be amusing but he needs good material. At that he'll probably never be a Lloyd, a Chaplin or a Keaton. The cast is adequate with Jacqueline Logan featured in a part that doesn't give her a verv fair chance. May Do If They Are Satisfied With a Laugh Now and Then Box Office Analysis for the Exhibitor .Maybe they'll be satisfied with "Sixty Cents An Hour," Maybe they won't. It depends very much upon the mood they are in and how easy it is for them to laugh. There aren't enough real laughs to make the picture a genuine comedy entertainment and the few good bits that it does contain are so far apart that their effect is considerably lessened by the footage that separates them. If it happens that they showed their approval of Walter Hiers as a star through their acceptance of his initial starring picture, "Mr. Billings Spends His Dime," it should be easy enough to get them interested in "Sixty Cents An Hour." The duration of Hiers' reign in stardom would seem to depend, however, on the ability of Paramount's scenario department to provide him with sure-fire material.