The Film Daily (1926)

THE DAILY Sunday, February 1 » "Behind the Front" Paramount /lOT EVEN THE WORLD'S WORST GROUCH COULD RESIST THE ROLLICKING COMEDY OF THIS ONE. DIRECTOR EDWARD SUTHERLAND WITH BEERY AND HATTON MAKE IT A LAUGH RIOT. Cast. . . .Wallace Beery and Raymond Hatton come forth as about the funniest comedy team on the screen. Just a look at this pair is enough for a laugh. Get their stuff over in great shape and never mufif a trick. Mary Brian pretty but not important as the girl. Tom Kennedy has some innings as the Sergeant. Type of Story. .. .Comedy. "Behind the Front" is built solely for the purpose of making you laugh and if there are those who don't enjoy a laugh, "Behind the Front" is no picture for them. They'll howl in spite of themselves. Wallace Beery and Raymond Hatton as a couple of war buddies have been filling the Rivoli with joy seekers who, once in, have a hard job of keeping in their seats. There is real comedy in "Behind the Front." You can go to work on it and pick it apart from various angles: it smacks of Chaplin's old "Shoulder Arms" — it's comedy is broad, seldom subtle — it has its slapstick and it has certain comedy sequences that have been used before — and yet with it all, "Behind the Front" still deserves the vote of being one of the funniest shows on the screen. Edward Sutherland, not entirely new because he ran the comedy high in Raymond Griffith's "A Regular Fellow," has put this over in fine style. He has great help in the comedy team of Beery and Hatton which makes it a great triumvirate. The comedy concerns the antics of a couple of "misfits" who join the army, through no fault of their own, and continue on the battlefields for the same reason. To attempt to give the comedy incidents of the battlefield would be wholly inadequate. They have to be seen to be appreciated. Suffice it to say that they are a great bag of laughs and great comedy entertainment. Box Office Angle You can't lose out on this one unless you cater to a morbid, laugh avoiding crowd. If you want to please and amuse them, show "Behind the Front." Exploitation. . . .Don't stop at signing up for the picture. Do your level best to convince them that this is one of the funniest, laugh provoking pictures they have ever seen. Boost Beery and Hatton and run a trailer well in advance. Paramount's press sheet has some corking good novelty exploitation stunts. Direction Edward Sutherland; splendid. Author Monty Brice; from Hugh Wiley's Saturday Evening Post short story, "The Spoils of War." Scenario Ethel Doherty Cameraman Charles Boyle Photography Good Locale N. Y.— France Length S,SS5 feet "The Million Dollar Handicap" Prod. : Metropolitan Prod. Dist.: Producers Dist. Corp. FINE AUDIENCE PICTURE WITH PLENTY OF BOX OFFICE HOME RUNS. RACETRACK MELLER WITH SOME FAIRLY FAMILIAR TWISTS BUT THEY GET OVER BIG. Cast.... Well balanced and all do very good work. Vera Reynolds a cute and vivacious young heroine and Edmund Burns a goad looking hero. Ward Crane the handsome, nius/tached villain. Ra'Jph Lewis good as the horse fancier. Type of Story. .. .Racetrack melodrama; adapted from W. A. Eraser's novel "Thoroughbreds." The money is needed, and the horse has to win the race and who brings him in to victory but the owner's daughter? Sounds trite, and probably is, but nevertheless "The Million Dollar Handicap" serves plenty of good thrills, suspense galore, action, romance and all the rest of the hokum that makes for a good audience number and subsequent Al box office bet. Director Scott Sidney uses many of the stock suspense tricks but he certainly gives them new life and even a hardboiled spectator is more than apt to succumb to the excitement of the race and the grand victory of the little girl who rides her father's horse to first place, wins the million, saves her brother from going to prison and is happy with the man she loves. They really stir up a lot of enthusiasm in this one in spite of the old racetrack stuff. There are innumerable good comedy turns and some reliable darkey humor that gets over big. Of course there is a wicked willun who leaves no stone unturned to spoil the girl's chances, make her dependent upon him financially and thus pave the way to winning her for himself. Director Sidney works up to a great climax and gets it over splendidly. A snappier finish following the actual climax would end the picture in better fashion. It lingers a bit too long after the finish is sighted. Box Office Angle. .. .Sure-fire material for many exhibitors and can be counted on to serve up thrills and suspense that will send them out talking about it. Exploitation. .You have had enough of these racetrack mellers coming your way to know how best to exploit them. Plenty of ballyhoo stunts available and the usual jockey parade, etc., will work out nicely. If you are in the vicinity of a track you can post handbills conspicuously announcing "The Million Dollar Handicap." Good names to use also. Direction Scott Sidney; good Author W. A. Eraser Scenario • • F. McGrew Willis Cameraman Dev. Jennings Photography Good Locale • • South Length •• 6,905 feet "Thunder" in "The Phantom of the Forest" Prod.: Gotham Prod. Dist.: Lumas Film Corp. . HOLDS ITS OWN WITH OTHER DOG DRAMAS. GORGEOUS SETTING IN CALIFORNIA REDWOODS HELPS ALONG A RATHER RAGGED SCRIPT. Star.... This dog "Thunder" looks just like all the other canine stars. He may act better than some oi them because his trainer knows his job better. Cast. .. .Betty Francisco scores every time she shows. Eddie Pnulips just "another hero. " James Mason the best in the line-up — plays the heavy with a real punch. Frank Davis, the dog's trainer, is a terrible actor — but he is only there to coach the dog, who acts for him. Type of Story Melodrama, built to exploit the dog "Thunder." Ul the last twenty dog pictures seen, this one rates wiiii the nrst five for novel stunts and thrills supplied by the canine. The story has plenty of action — but the scenario fails down on continuity. It does not build steadily toward the big climax. Too choppy. But the dog's trainer wrote the story, so perhaps he s to blame. 'I'raining the dog star, acting in the picture, ana writing it besides is a heavy assignment. Anybody who can put an animal through its paces as irank i'oster Davis does can afford to rest on his laurels. At that the tale has a big human interest appeal. It travels the well worn theme of the dog classics where the villain is trying to get possession of the girl's property, while the hero and the canine star fight him at every turn. It works up to quite a spectacular climax. This involves a forest fire, in which the scoundrel perishes. It was quite a relief to see the bad man die some other way than at, by or through the fangs of the four footed avenger. Here is a real novelty in this type of film. But "Thunder" has plenty of other opportunities to distinguish himself. lie pulls a new one by throwing his man and pinning him to the ground. His trainer "doubles" for the fight scene between villain and dog. It is one of the best fights between a human and canine yet filmed. "White Fawn," a pure white police dog plays opposite "Thunder" very effectively. Box Office Angle. .. .Good for any house where dog dramas bring them in. Fine scenic background. Exploitation Bill "Thunder" in a couple of new stunts no dog actor has done. Big forest fire. Direction Henry McCarty ; fair Author Frank Foster Davis Scenario Jas. Tynan Cameraman Ray June Photography Above par IrOcale California redwoods Length ...^ 5,800 feet House Peters in "Combat" Universal-Jewel HOUSE PETERS IN ANC OF THOSE HE-MAN ] WITH THE HEROICS ING HIS WAY. STOR^ VENTIONAL BUT GOC TION AND ATMOSI GET IT OVER. Star. ...One of those "diam i the rough." You know 1 the knock-about lumber car that he pretends to be. A turns the trick, as usual. well suited and likable in t Cast. .. .Wanda Hawley adec the girl and Walter McGi cad. Others include C. E. ■ son, Charles Hill Mailes Clemento and Howard Tri Type of Story Melodra ' lumber camp, a driving car a girl, a forest fire, — they ; in correctly and even tho plot resembles others; th;i come before there is enouj action and interesting atn to refresh it somewhat, suffiiciently to get it eve' forest fire climax too, thou many times before, furni first rate thrill and Lynn Fr has secured some mighty and thrilling shots of huj succumbing to the grea House Peters, Universal! virile star, comes forth in i of his he-man characteriz : this time a seeming brute you know all the while tltenderness beneath and in i, a woman is going to aw' Sure 'nough the gal makes ; of Peters and you find hia the great sacrifice stunt ( into the flaming forest to man he thinks she lov though he wants her him House gets the best brea ally and he comes out of ti alone and all set for a clii the girl who realizes now other man was not worth; Lynn Reynolds gives his the climax sequence. A I encounters liven up the e sodes and the develop smooth and consistent for part. Production is good cations excellent. Box Office Angle Good entertainment. Will go t the crowd that likes a vi door picture with plenty force and a forest fire cl Exploitation. .Play up Hous name and recall recent 1 pictures in which he i notably "The Storm ; Trailer of the fire seqiit also serve to get them ir picture. Direction Lynn I good Authors J. G. Ha Edw. J. Montagne Scenario J. G Cameraman Chas Photography 1 Locale Northern lum' Length '