The Film Daily (1927)

Sunday, January 2, 1927 THE iSBtH DAILY Mae Murray In "Valencia" Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer DISAPPOINTING. PRODUCTION IS ATTRACTIVE BUT THAT ISN'T ENOUGH. THE TITLE IS READY MADE. HOWEVER, THE STORY DIDN'T MATERIALIZE. Star ..Mae Murray never did as well as she did in "The Merry Widow" under Von Stroheim's direction. Buchowetzki has been content to let her "be herself" and that is not Mae Murray at her best. Poorly photographed in many instances. Cast Roy D'Arcy, who usually commands no little attention in any picture in which he appears, is a very stilted, egotistical governor in this. Lloyd Hughes acts the part of Mae's ardent sailor lover in mechanical fashion. The whole cast seems as artificial as the story. Type of Story Romance. The popularity of the song hit seems to have been a sufficient excuse for M-G-M's picture which adopts the name but is not so fortunate in the story that purports to be "Valencia." This is generally the case where a title is picked and a story built to go with it. "Valencia" immediately suggests a fiery Spanish heroine, an ardent youthful lover and a scheming, ruthless admirer, _ all working their separate destinies against a colorful Spanish background. Coming from Buchowetzki the picture is doubly disappointing. He is credited as collaborating with Alice D. G. Miller on the story, so he can hardly be excused on the grounds of having been provided with a poor story. It is a slow moving yarn but fortunately doesn't take long in the telling. Valencia is a dancer in love with a sailor, Felipe, but she believes he has a girl in every port and won't marry him. The local governor, selfstyled lady killer, favors Valencia with his attentions and later has Felipe jailed for interrupting his visit and being a deserter. Valencia makes the usual sacrifice to secure Felipe's freedom, but eventually the pair are reunited. Box Office Angle Has only a medium amount of appeal. Good names to bring them in and atmosphere lends itself readily to effective exploitation. Exploitation .... The current rage on Spanish shawls for evening wear offers a first rate tie-up with your local smart shops who can stimulate business for themselves, and for your showing of the picture, by displaying the latest "Valencia" shawls. The popularity of the song can be used for radio broadcasting by way of announcing the picture. Direction Dimitri Buchowetzki; capable of better results. Authors .... Dimitri Buchowetzki and Alice D. G. Miller. Scenario Alice D. G. Miller Cameraman Percy Hilburn Photography Fair Locale Spain Length 5,580 feet "The Truthful Sex" Columbia Pictures GOOD CAST AND PRODUCTION STRENGTHEN SLOW MOVING MARITAL TANGLE. STORY DOESN'T DEFINITELY DECIDE WHICH IS "THE TRUTHFUL SEX." Cast. . . .Mae Busch good as the wife who wasn't sure ot anything very much, rluntley Gordon her very patient husband. Ian Keith a burglar who wilts under a lady's ire. Others John Roche, Rosemary Theby, Joan Meredith, Leo White, Richard Travers. Type of Story .... Comedy-drama. "The Truthtul Sex" is a midly entertaining picture. The story is a slow moving affair that doesn t begin to get going until about half way through, it starts off with a session ot glorified bedroom comedy with an engaged pair picking out their turmture and a blushing prospective bride trying to hide her embarrassment as she insists upon a single bed instead of twin beds. Then comes the honeymoon sequences with the customary intimate bits. The couple are headed for a stormy session and after three hundred and sixty-five quarrels, to quote the title, the baby arrives to provide another reason for scraps. Neither one wants to get up when the baby cries at night. Eventually they get into the plot which introduces a crook and his accomplice, a maid in the household. Sally, the wife, steps out with an old friend, and her husband departs to his club. Sally's jewels entice burglars and while she is out Barnes, the crook, goes though the house. She returns with her escort and lie pleads with her to elope with him. She consents and gives him her jewels to keep. In her absence, Barnes, the stick-up man, demands the jewels. The maid appears and begs Barnes to give up the gems and go straight. He weakens and when Sally returns she decides that she will stick to her husband and baby. The inevitable clinch follows. Box Office Angle Suitable for adult audiences but not appropriate for family trade clientele. Exploitation Controversy as to which of the sexes is the most truthful might start interesting discussion and you have the names of Mae Busch and Huntley Gordon to use in your announcement. Play up the titles prominently and use catchlines asking a solution to which sex is "The Truthful Sex." Direction ....Richard Thomas; fair Author Albert Shelby Le Vino Cameramen . . H. Leyman BroeningHerman Schoop. Photography Satisfactory Locale Any city Length 5,831 feet "By George," Stern Bros. — Universal Lots of Fun Type of production. . .2 reel comedy To be near the girl he loves and to frustrate the crafty Jack Dalton, George hires out in her household as butler, chauffuer, maid and cook. Sid Saylor, as the many-sided man in the case, does his versatile job with the kind of eclat that probably won't fail to bring smiles to the average audience. We find him strenuously changing from one character to another, and as may naturally be expected under the circumstances, much to the discomfiture of his boss and the guests. Incidents of sheer hokum are worked out with sprightly good humor and will satisfy. — Happy New Year — "Rolling Along" Sportlight-Pathe Retrospective Interest Type of production. ... 1 reel sport novelty magazine Grantland Rice takes for his subject a sort of unfolding of the past on vehicular devices, the bicycle being the concrete example. Thus we see, at a time when beaver top hats and bell-strapped trouser bottom were the vogue, a variety of "twowheelers" which may well bring a guffaw to present day "pedallers". The exhibition of riding is not unlike one of the clown bicycle acts often seen in vaudeville. It is well done, and should be a worthy adjunct to any program. — Happy New Year — "Sunbeams" — Bruce Scenic Educational Gorgeous Scenics Type of production. ... 1 reel scenic The photographer must have engaged in some perilous mountain climbing to secure some of these shots. The first series is entitled "Sunbeams," and portrays some enhancing effects from the shafts of sunlight shooting through clouds and playing on the valleys far below. Then follows "The Rainbow," giving a perfect view of that phenomena. It is followed by a snow storm. The reel concludes with "Moonlight," presenting views as the moonlight dances over a placid ocean and lights up a pine clad beach. — Happy New Year— "Sink or Swim," Fable-Pathe Diverting Type of production. .. 1 reel cartoon Summertime at the sea side seethes with sleek shining swimmers. Hippo and bird, elephant and dog, cat and stork have a grand time sporting in the briny surf. Milt blows up water wings for Rita Mouse, who swims out beyond her depth, and when a swordfish punctures her wings she is in dire straits. To the rescue comes Milt. The caricature, the action and theme are excellent concoctions of the humorist's mind. — Happy New Year — "Sure Fire!"— Bobby Vernon Educational A Comedy Journey Type of production. . .2 reel comedy The Christie outfit has given this Bobby Vernon Vehicle an international setting, including sequences in Scotland, France and Italy. It is well balanced with scenic effects, story interest and pleasing gags. It is the old theme of the girl's father trying A to take her away from her sweetheart, but handled in a way that makes it seem new. It is a peppy offering that will please. — Happy New Year — "Hop Along," Blue Bird-Universal Fair Stuff Type of production. . .1 reel comedy Arthur Lake is as lively as usual, probably does all the story calls for, but there seems to be a dearth of genuine hilarity, or the incidents that make for it. The story concerns Arthur's evasion of a professor's command to refrain from attending any dances, and how he rigs up a dummy to represent himself hard at study, while he sneaks away to the dance. There is a certain portrayal of the contagious spirit of youth which will prove diverting, and probably more or less appeal. Otherwise, not so hot. — Happy New Year — "Even Up," Fistical Culture-Bray Action Aplenty Type of production. . .2 reel comedy Fistical Culture comedies are generally interesting for the quality of their action. Lew Wagner makes them so. Nor does he fail to contribute his peculiar array of dynamics to this one. And Wanda Wiley is ever as vivacious and attractive a pictorial morsel as one could possibly desire. This episode finds Lew in the role of freshman furnishing the "piece de resistance" to a group of playful seniors. In the course of events Lew becomes the ace of the football field, and the plot thickens when, as the big game is on hand, he is spirited away by arch conspirators, and locked in a room. It's the old story over again about the game going to the opposition, with only so many minutes to go, when lo and behold, our friend Lew has solved the problem by knocking out his captors, eating up distance with a motorcycle and arriving on the see in time to kick the stuffings out of the ball, and the morale out of the other team. It's jolly good sport just the same. — Happy New Year — "Dog Gonnit," Lantz-Bray Entertaining Throughout. Type of production. .1 reel animated photography If there were an absolute dearth of gags or comedy situations, "Dog Gonnit" would still have distinction because of the diverting character of the drawings. An artist who is so sure of his draughtsmanship, his. imaginative quality in caricature, has half the battle over, before he even thinks of his story. But this offering does not have to depend on technique alone, sufficient as that is to> get it by. There are any number of graphic quips and gags, and the continuity of camera photography with the animated sequences is perfect.. The story concerns Pete the Pup's aim to cross the English Channel, and his adventures with the finny denizens along the route comprisethe essential features of interest. Thisshould go big.