The Film Daily (1925)

10 THE ^^ DAILY Sunday, October 25, 193 Lowell Sherman in "Satan In Sables" Warner Brothers As a Whole.... MELODRAMA OF HIGH LIFE IN PARIS. VERY THEATRICAL— BUT STANDARD B O X-0 F F I C E ELEMENTS PLAYED UP STRONG. Star The well known stage star plays the part of u Russian grand auke with good theafical etfect. Pioves that his eyebrows art a bii? atiistic asset. Cast Pauline Garon as a girl from Montmartre gives a vivacious performance. Gertrude Astor as ;h( "other woman" is typical of llic part. John Harron as the grand duke's brother is too Irish for a Russian, but his acting would be appreciated in either country. Type of Story Melodrama. Adapted from the story by Bradley King. Here is a well dressed picture— in fact some of the sets are gorgeous. The plot is of the extravaganza school. Very colorful — sometnnes very unreal. But it is hlled with the kind of material that lures people to the box-office. The grand duke is in Paris where he evidently has been a very devil with the ladies. Nothing in the picture proves it. It is all suggested. Mostly by his very proper aunt who is continually reproving him for his wild ways. But Lowell Sherman is clever enough to convince you that he is the satan in sables. He throws over Dolores, a Spanish sweetheart, who immediately starts to get even by making the grand duke's young brother fall in love with her. Then she discloses to him that his elder brother had been her lover. Driven frantic, the youth drives his racing car madly to get away from everything, and is killed. In this way the Grand Duke sees the error of his ways, reforms, and falls in love with the poor little girl from the slums. A typical story of life as moving picture patrons love to think of it. Lowell Sherman is very convincing in the artificial role. Pauline Garon is so unaffected and full of the joy of life that she makes you forget the weakness of the story. The star has an effective way of using his eyebrows to register almost any emotion. Box Office Angle Gay life in Paris told in a wholesome story with a moral. Good for almost any house where entertaining values are the main requirement. Exploitation Good box-office title to play up. Lowell Sherman's name should be featured. Direction James Flood; good Author Bradley King Scenario Same Cameraman John Mescall Photography Good Locale Paris Length 6,972 feet Buck Jones in "Durand of the Bad Lands" Fox As a Whole. ...'WESTERN WITH THE USUAL ROUND OF ACTION BUT PLOT REALLY GETS AWAY FROM THE CUT AND DRIED FORMULA. Star.... The true hero, hunted but easily overcoming the plotting of his enemies. Furnishes the best in action and thrills. Makes the most of the romance, too. Cast .... Marian Nixon pleasing lead. Malcolm Waite the villain. Others Fred De Silva, Luke Cosgrove. Buck Black a cute kid. Type of Story. . . .Western. "Durand of the Bad Lands" gives Jones a first rate role and contains pretty much the usual line up of action and thrills and yet its plot does get away from the routine western formula. It has the familiar trio of hero, villain and a girl but they are not running around in quite the same circle. There is a certain amount of heart interest with Buck picking up the three little waifs orphaned by the caravan attack of villain and his caring for them in his own crude way. The romance is here, too, with Buck cheering up a little girl who lives out on the desert where she hopes her father will win back his health. Buck performs his well known feats of escapes and rescues and injects plenty of speed into his work. Story: Allison, local sheriff, believing Dick Durand had departed for Mexico, commits various acts of villainy and manages to pin the blame on Dick. His picture is posted and he is sought for the murder of a man and his wife who were carrying gold to the railroad station. Meantime Dick had come upon the children of the murdered couple and cared for them. Allison learns of Dick's whereabouts and comes gunning for him. Dick seeks refuge in the desert cabin of the girl he loves. She scares Allison off by telling him her father has just died of smallpox. After an exciting chase Dick proves his innocence and also gets the evidence which proves Allison the perpetrator of recent crimes. Box Office Angle. .. .Good entertainment as westerns go. Exploitation. .. .Buck Jones' following will probably be on hand if you tell them he is the good bad man in "Durand of the Bad Lands." A trailer showing Buck taking care of the little family that is wished on him might give them an idea of the humorous bits contained in the picture. You could also show them how Buck ropes the villain. Direction Lynn Reynolds; good Author Maibelle Heikes Justice Scenario Lynn Reynolds Cameraman Allen Davey Photography 'Very good Locale The West Length 5,844 feet "The Unnamed Woman" Producer: Embassy Pictures Distributor: Arrow — State Rights As a Whole... MARITAL DRAMA WITH SOCIETY ATMOSPHERE AND TRIMMINGS THAT MAKES UP THE TYPE OF PICTURE THAT USUALLY FINDS A BIG DEMAND. Cast Brings back the long absented Katherine MacDonald — pleasing, but considerably more matronly. John Miljan fills an important role as the" society waster." Others Herbert Rawlinson, Wanda Hawley and Leah Baird. Type of Story. .. .Domestic drama. Charles E. Blaney's story, while rather void of originality in either situations or atmosphere, represents the type of entertainment that fills the demands of many exhibitors. Harry O. Hoyt, with these particular box offices in view, has made a very presentable offering with plenty of husbands and wives tangles, society atmosphere, cocktail demonstrations, jazz parties and divorce suits. It is all a part of the mixture that goes tp make a more or less spicey film and as far as that goes there is nothing missing. Katherine MacDonald in her drink mixing episode is bound to create an awful thirst in the audience and her own gradually acquired "edge" will furnish a good laugh. This bit is cleverly done. Story: Flora and Donald Brookes are happily married but Archie Wesson and Doris are not because Doris has just discovered that Archie has nowhere near the fortune she expected he had. Doris finally implicates Flora in her divorce suit and engages Donald to manage her suit. He refuses when he finds that his wife is named. Flora, in love with her husband, pretends to swallow poison when he refuses to believe her innocent. Archie's chauffeur comes to the rescue with evidence that proves Flora was innocent of the charge. Donald forgives and Flora and Archie call themselves rotters and decide to patch up their troubles and go to work for a living. The picture runs a trifle too long and would be much the better for cutting especially in the latter reels. Box Office Angle. .. .First rate attraction for certain type of patronage. All depends upon the people you cater to. You know best what will please them. Exploitation. . .Where your audience is right for it you can play up the jazz angle and the society atmosphere with suggestions as to the innoncent victim in a divorce suit. A trailer of any of the parties will suffice to get them in. You can let Katherine MacDonald's old admirers know that she stages a "comeback" in "The Unnamed Woman." Direction Harry O. Hoyt; adequate Author Charles E. Blaney Scenario: Cameraman: Photography Good Locale New York Length 6,300 feet Tom Mix in "The Everlasting Whispei ] Fox As a Whole RATHER SENT MENTAL STORY FOR SUCI A HE-MAN AS TOM MIX. BU A FIGHT PUNCH IS IN TI*i CLIMAX. Star.... Tom gets poetical and tal about the "whispering pines." B) when he hits the action stuff goes over big, as always. Doj some good stunts with his hor Tony. Cast Alice Calhoun as the c girl lends good contrast to st Robert Cain as a polished socic man plays the heavy with distil tion. George Berrell as an ( prospector creates a fine bit character work. Type of Story Western me drama. Tom was handicapped the jump-off with a story that h no particular point. Plot is wei The action sags in spots, and ; quired padding. The climax rather forced and artificial in oro to get over the necessary puni Tom saves a city girl on a ruti way horse just as it reaches broken bridge. Then he has To clear the broken span in pursuit the other horse. This is a fi shot and shows Tom at his be After this there is consideral, footage devoted to sentiment. T<f moons around with the society g and gets sentimental about t everlasting whisper of the pin; This certainly is a new role for i' hard riding hero. He had betstick to his regular line. Somehi the sentimentalizing does not his rugged makeup. The story concerns a hidden mi owned by an old prospector. T( befriends him. Gratton is the c swindler who is in love with G ria — for her money. He also after the hidden mine. They wind up in a cave where the h den gold is to be found. The stc does not make it very clear w they should all go to the cave— what they intended to do after th got there. Very weak constructi; here. But it serves to give T4 the chance to stage his thrills j outwitting Gratton and his gai He does this in the approved M ian manner. Wonderful see shots. Some good stunt riding. Box Office Angle Will draw the Mix fans. Not so strong action and riding as most of pictures. Exploitation Tom Mix's name the one and only way to boost tl The horse Tony puts up a cle' fight against wolves, which deser to be featured in your publicity Direction J. G. Blystone; gc^ Author Jackson Gregii| Scenario Windham Gitti Cameraman Daniel Cli Photography F Locale ^^, Length 5,611 i