The Film Daily (1924)

THE ■<Si< DAILY Sunday, October 5, 192' Yiola Dana in "The Beauty Prize" Producer: Louts B Mayer Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn As a Whole.... COMEDY THAT IS A BIT SLIGHT IN PLOT BUT HAS SOME GOOD LAUGHS AND SHOULD FIT IN FINE WITH BEAUTY CONTEST TIE-UP, DEALING AS IT DOES WITH A NATIONAL BEAUTY CONTEST. Star.... Well suited and will please her admirers. Has one of those Cinderella sort of roles that eventually bring her forth in pretty frocks. Cast.... Pat O'Malley rather out of the running in inconspicuous hero role. Eddie Phillips assumes unnecessary prominence in overacting the dude. Others Eunice Moore, Edward Connelly, Edith Yorke, Fred Truesdale. Type of Story. .. .Comedy romance; from a Nina Wilcox Putnam story. Every year the Atlantic City national beauty contest occasions considerable notoriety for various contestants fortunate enough to come out winners. On this Nina Wilcox Putnam has built a fairly slight, but compensatingly amusing comedy that serves Viola Dana adequately as a starring vehicle and makes for an average amuseinent. It has required considerable padding and someone with a unique sense of humor has provided a set of wise-cracking sub-titles which will probably get the laughs, but they are not especially brilliant. The story deals with the adventures of a pretty manicurist who, while taking care of a rich patron's Fifth Avenue mansion, enters her name in a beauty contest and poses as the rich woman's niece. She wins first prize and considerable publicity. A would-be sheik who boosted her claims his share of the cash prize. Meantime the girl has turned it over to the winner of the second prize, the girl needing the money. Later she is invited to speak for the radio and feeling blue because of the loss of her real sweetheart she decides that this will be a good opportunity to appeal to him. He hears her and there's reunion. Box Office Angle Will satisfy the average crowd and should be an easy one to put over in view of exploitation and tie-up possibilities. Exploitation. .. .Tell them that the story deals with the adventures and romance of a winner of the Atlantic City beauty contest. The idea should get their attention if they've read anything about these yearly contests. Perhaps you have a beauty contest winner in your city and can persuade her to help you put the picture over. Use Viola Cana's name prominently. Her admirers will like the picture. The title readily suggests stunt advertising and publicity stories for local papers. Direction. . Lloyd Ingraham; adequate Author Nina Wilcox Putnam Scenario Winifred Dunn Cameraman John Arnold Photography Good Locale Conn. — Atlantic City Length 5,750 feet. "Barbara Frietchie" Product r: Regal Pictures, Inc. Distributor: Prod. Dist. Corp. As a Whole.... ONE OF THOSE CIVIL WAR PLAYS. LOTS OF GOOD MILITARY ACTION, AND LOVE STORY BUT SOMEHOW OR OTHER JUST FAILS TO HIT. TOO LONG. Players Florence Vidor and Edmund Lowe excellent. Joe Bennett over-acts as heavy. Others unimportant. Type of Story The chances are that most people who might be interested in any picture bearing the title "Barbara Frietchie" will imagine they are going to see something which carries out the famous line of the famous old poem which reads something like "shoot if you must this old grey head but spare your country's flag." Now they aren't going to see any grey hairs or grey headed heroine and so this crowd may think they have been tricked. On the other hand if there are a lot of people who don't expect to see a grey-haired heroine then it's different and tliey might like the love affair of Florence Vidor and Edmund Lowe (with a lot of military war-like atmosphere) very much indeed. The producer has brought in tiie "shoot-if-you-must" stuff but it looks like it was dragged in with a lot of effort with the heroine, a southern girl who thinks her northern lover is dead raising the flag at half-mast as Stonewall Jackson marches through Frederick. Of course the lover isn't dead. The picture is so long and there is so much unnecessary detail that judicious pruning might easily improve it a great deal. The war stuff is at times exceptionally well handled. Florence Vidor gives her usual "sweet" performance Init that's all. Box Office Angle. .. .Better see this one and figure it out for yourself, t^lorence Vidor's name may help a lot. Exploitation You can talk about the famous old poem if you want to take a chance on your crowd not being aroused by expecting to see a picturization of the poem because the picture is not and there may be a kickback. On the other hand you can say that this war-time romance is based on the famous Clyde Fitch play and play up Florence Vidor and Edmund Lowe as much as you can. Run a trailer of some of the war stuf¥ and it might get them back without difficulty. Some of it is exceptionally well done. Direction. .. .Lambert Hillyer; some excellent stuff. Author. .. .From the play by Clyde Fitch. Scenario Lambert Hillyer and Agnes Christine Johnston. Cameraman Henry Sharp Photography Excellent Locale The South Length 7,179 feet Leo Moloney in "Not Built For Runnin' " Wm. Steiner — State Rights As a Whole.... BETTER THAN THE AVERAGE WESTERN. A MORE OR LESS STEREOTYPED PLOT BUT GOOD COMEDY RELIEF LIFTS IT OUT OF THE RUT. HOLDS THE ATTENTION VERY NICELY. Star. . . .Likeable, easy-going and convincing without being too obviously sure of himself. Should gain a following with his series of consistently entertaining westerns. Cast.... An actor, credited as Whitehorse, plays a comedy role that helps offset the familiarities of the plot considerably. Offers some good laughs. Bud Osborne one of those easily overcome villains. Josephine Hill pleasing lead. Others Eva Thatcher, Leonard Clapham. Type of Story. .. .Western comedydrama. Occasionally there comes along a western that probably isn't actually very different irom the majority but somehow or other it strikes a different note and, at any rate, seems a little out of the ordinary. Such is the case with "Not Built for Runnin'." It hasn't any unusual plot, nor any particularly new action stunts. But it holds the interest nicely and has a light but effective comedy vein that lifts it out of the general run. Leo Maloney is a likeable hero and not such a bad director either. He's done both jobs creditably. The story deals with the partnership of Sunny Jack and his stuttering pal. The two secure jobs on a ranch operated by a girl who inherited the place but can't afford to run it. Jack likes the place, and the girl, well enough to work Vv^ithout pay. His courage wins the enmity of a neighboring rancher who covets the girl's place. Various attempts to capture hero fail. I'hen they decide to kidnap the girl. Hero spoils this scheme also. Incidentally he learns that the neighbor is the girl's father. There's a family reunion with hero winning the hand of his employer and his pal, the hand of her cook. Box Office Angle, ,. .Good western entertainment with comedy angle that makes it better than the average. Should satisfy audiences on the whole. Exploitation. .. .Instead of playing this up from the angle of stunts and thrills you might try to get them interested in the laughs that it offers. It's an amusing comedy western and they'll probably like it very well. Leo Maloney deserves a following. He's offering a consistently good series of westerns. The title is a novel one and though it doesn't apply in this sense, might be used for advertising purposes, in conjunction with weight reducing tie-ups. Direction. .. .Leo Maloney; first rate Author Ford Beebe Scenario Ford Beebe Cameraman Jake Badaracco Photography Good Locale The West Length 5,000 feet ] "Life's Greatest Game" Film Booking Offices As a Whole BASEBALL MELt DRAMA THAT CONTAH PROPER INGREDIENTS C AUDIENCE APPEAL; N TIONAL GAME ATM( SPHERE LIKELY TO GET OVER BIG. Cast. .. .Johnny Walker has play the son of a policeman, a firem; a postman, in previous pictur He makes an equally pleasing a suitable son of a professional b player. Gertrude Olmstead, pretty, but inconspicuous heroi Tom Santschi is the erring fat! and Jane Thomas the suffer] wife and mother. Fred Kirby slick villain. Does well in the p. of "smart alec" who tries to 'frar a world series game. Type of Story. . . .Melodrama; orig, al by Emile Johnson. From N| York to San Francisco and fnj the North to the South the;* probably get a good thrill out| "Life's Greatest Game" just cause it exploits the hero of national sport, the big hitter. chock-full of genuine patriotic sei ment. The prologue contains so fine quaint atmosphere, typical the period of high bicycles, legmutton sleeves and high percl hats. There are many who y get a good laugh out of Emi Johnson's replica of the days the early 1900's. The populace t out for the big game of the s son, some coming on bikes, oth in old t'me rigs and the more e in the much amusing motor i the kind with the wicker basl on the sides and the door in back. This is part of the prolo wherein villain frames a story the baseball hero's wife, resull in their separation. Years 1< hero's son, though sworn neve» play the game, accepts a place' the Giants' team in order to 1 his mother. In the deciding gs he learns the manager is his fai and decides to avenge his moi| by losing the same. But he w and there's a family reunion. Box Office Angle Likely to a nice business. You shoul have much difficulty in brinij them in once you let them kno is a baseball story. Exploitation. .. .Anything in the of baseball atmoshpere should their attention. Arrange for s store window displays and tie] and get the cooperation of any 1 teams. They might stage a spi game and bill it as "Life's Gre; Game' — To be played at B Field on (date)." Have som« there to distribute throwaways garding the picture and your sb ing date. Play up Johnny Wall name and mention Emory J< son's previous productions in w he appeared. Direction. ... Emory Johnson, gi a little too long. Author Emile Johi Scenario Emile Johi Cameraman Paul P Photography All i Locale New "il^P' Length 7,010 It; lot »I0 ■