The Film Daily (1927)

Sunday, January 9, 1927 THE -%2< DAILY Fred Humes in "The One Man Game" Universal GOOD WESTERN. FRED HUMES DOFFS THE COWBOY OUTFIT LONG ENOUGH TO POSE AS A DUKE AND GIVE A NEW SLANT TO THE CONVENTIONAL WESTERN. Star .... Good to see what a cowboy star looks like in regulation attire. Humes fulfills the usual line of heroics and rides through to the expected clinch. Cast. . . .Fay Wray a pleasing heroine even in her overalls. Lotus Thompson her uppish cousin from the East. Norbert Myles the true-totype villain and others satisfactory. Type of Story. . . .Western. The deep and tricky scheming of villain is relegated to almost second place in "The One Man Game" thereby providing for at least some variation to the tried and true formula. There is a plot under foot to renew an unsecured loan but of greater interest is the scheme of Jake Robbins, ranch owner, to cure his snobbish sister and her daughter of their society notions which they have tried to introduce on the ranch. Millicent, the daughter, is not favorably impressed by cowboy Duke Hunter so he decides to play a trick on her. He doffs his attire and reappears as a regular beau brummel and is introduced as the Duke of Black Butte. Immediately Millicent and her mother patronize the Duke and the cowboy is about to declare his love for Millicent when he discovers that he really loves Robbins' little daughter who discards her overalls and primps up in pretty clothes when she discovers that Millicent is winning the affection of Duke. The. romance is interrupted by villain Laban who has planned a kidnapping in order to take the sheriff and his posse out of town so that his gang may rob the bank without any interference. This brings on the action that includes the usual fast and fancy riding, rescues, fights, escapes and the conventional western wind-up that fades out with the clinch. Box Office Angle:. .. .Satisfactory western entertainment. Gives Fred Humes' admirers something a little out of the usual routine. Exploitation. .. .Talk about the arrival in your town of the Duke of Black Butte and to arouse the curiosity of local folks have a man riding about on horseback attired in evening clothes and bill him as the Duke of Black Butte who will meet all comers at your theater. Play up Humes' name and recall his previous pictures. Direction ....Ernst Laemmle; good Author Wm. Lester Scenario William Lester Cameramen .Al Jones, Harry Mason Photography Good Locale West Length 4,889 feet "Obey the Law" Columbia CLEVERLY DEVELOPED CROOK STORY THAT DOES NOT TAKE ON A SERIES OF UNCONVINCING MELODRAMATIC TWISTS. INCLUDES A PLEASING ROMANCE AS WELL. Star. .. .Story supplies him with a most appropriate -vehicle and a role that fits perfectly. His admirers might prefer that he participate in the happy ending, however. Cast. ... Eugenie Gilbert pleasing as the girl and Larry Kent her likable lover. Hedda Hopper suitable as the society woman. Type of Story Crook drama. Bert Eytell, as the gentleman crook of "Obey the Law," has one of the best roles he has had in a long time. The character gets away from the cut and dried formula for smart thieves and the story development does not spread itself in unconvincing melodrama as it progresses. Altred L. Raboch has handled the material intelligently and to the ultimate satisfaction of everything concerned. The cast, too, is splendid. The ending is a variation and while it will be welcomed by a more critical audience it is possible that the crowd that still prefers the sugar coated finish providing a happy ending for the hero, may not take quite as kindly to it. Here Bert Lytell sacrifices his liberty that a pretty girl may not know her father is a crook. The story reaches this conclusion after an interesting development in which Lytell and his elderly crook companion have plied their trade and profited by their clever methods of relieving wealthy folks of some of their rich burden. The climax comes when the disappearance of a valuable pendant is traced to Bert who has just presented it to his pal's daughter as a wedding gift. The detective arrives at the height of a party where the girl announces her engagement. Rather than spoil her happiness hero goes off quietly with his captors, leaving the girl to continue believing in her father. Box Office Angle. .. .Entertaining crook story that should be well received. Exploitation: You might inaugurate a "law and order" campaign and possibly secure the cooperation of local authorities to the extent of permitting you to post the town with placards admonishing citizens to respect the law and practice the golden rule. Work this as a teaser stunt first and follow up with announcement of the picture. Direction ..Alfred L. Raboch; good Author Max Marcin Scenario Dorothy Howell Cameraman J. O. Taylor Photography Good Locale Any City Length 5,626 feet "So's Your Monk" — Sunkist-Bray Ordinary Stuff Type of production .. .2 reel comedy The picture has its chief interest in the speculation that perhaps sooner or later Buffalo Bill might come in on the scene. At least it has ever} other conceivable element in working out a story which is nearer to scrambled eggs than a narrative. But even that could be condoned — so long as there is fun. What happens here is pretty ordinary stuff, with a bottle of hooch the motivating pe£ on which to hang a number of sequences of man turning into a monkey. The conclusion has a redeeming feature in that which felicitates the eye, a number of physically estimable bathing beauties furnishing the lure. "Menace of the Mounted" Mustang — Universal Old-fashioned, But Exciting Type of production. . . .2 reel Western This is much on the order of the old time feature western, of the hero, romantic looking officer of the Northwest Mounted, routing a band of bad men, whose leader in revenge kidnaps hero's sweetheart, first killing her father. Thereupon, hero steals into the den of the brigands, rescues girl, and sends her for help while he battles the gang singlehanded. The help lands in the nick of time, and, true to formula, the principals land into a satisfactory "clinch." But as stereotyped as this theme may seem, it nevertheless has been done with excellent narrative effect, the fights and the hard riding comprising elements that won't fail to excite and interest the average spectator. ■ "The Divorce Dodger" Sennett-Pathe A Merry Mix-Up Type of production ... .2 reel comedy With Billy Bevan's mustache working overtime, Thelma Hill to lend pictorial lure to the scene, and Thelma Parr adding her paprika of good looks to the plot, this two-reeler didn't have a chance to go wrong. The story concerns a merry mix-up of two couples and a scheming divorce lawyer, the sort of chap who could easily find grounds to divorce Adam and Eve. One couple is married, and the other only engaged. Put Billy Bevan in the shoes of the married man, and one knows already that it is the engaged girl that attracts his attention. The mixture of feminine good looks, Bevan's natural drollery and smooth continuity results in a comedy offering a goodly element of entertaniment. "Kitty from Killarney"— Sennett Pathe An Excellent Offering Type of production. . . .2 reel comedy Alice Day, as the little Irish immigrant girl, who, having been squeezed out of the quota, evades the officials and makes her home with Levy the second-hand clothes dealer, is everything the part could possibly call for. Hers is a wistful charm and intelli gent grace that'must surely felicitate the short-subject wants of the most caustic fan. She is the perfect type of comedienne, whose natural endowments and feminine appeal are always delightfully manifest through the thin veil of clowning her part in the picture calls for. A good cast lends impetus to the interest of the story and furnishes an effectual background of burlesque and nonsense an excellent offering resulting. "On the Front Page" RoachPathe Average Film Fare Type of production. .. .2 reel comedy This offering, which is by no means endowed by a wealth of gags, nevertheless compels admiration for the alluring qualities of its feminine principals. One would have to go a long way indeed to find pulchritude more inviting that the feminine appeal embraced in the attributes of Lillian Rich. In this case Lillian is the notorious Countess Polasky, internationally known for her beauty and her matrimonial ventures. The Countess need but flick her little finger to move whole mountains of events. There is a comedy of a sort in this motif, particularly when Bull Montana, as the Countess' social secretary, is injected into the proceedings, Bull's face being equal to anything the gag man has to offer. Stan Laurel as a foil for Brooke's antics, offers the usual instance of being on the receiving end whenever knuckles, boots and clubs come into play. "Jane's Flirtation," Good Share of Laughs Type of production. . . .2 reel comedy Wanda Wiley plays the role of the principal, "Jane," and that in itself should be sufficient to warrant a certain amount of interest in a short subject before anything else is said. In this case she has the added advantage of having an excellent foil in a hefty chap playing opposite her — a real irrepressible type who puts as much energy in proposing to her as he does in picking up one end of an automobile, to see what is troubling the motor. In this twoseated run-about our heroine and her boy-friend go through a series of mishaps and adventures, a little different from the usual Ford-comedy type, and manage to squeeze out an adequate share of laughs from every situation. McKeon Suing Menjou Suit for $2,500 which he alleges is due him as salary was filed yesterday in Supreme Court by John McKeon against Adolphe Menjou. McKeon claims he was retained by Menjou at a salary of $10,000 a year, payable in quarterly instalments to secure adjustment of the player's contract. Through his efforts, Menjou's salary was raised from $1,250 weekly to $130,000 and a bonus of $20,000 McKeon claims. Menjou defaulted on a $2,500 payment due in Sept. last, and when service of suit was attempted denied his identity, says the complaint.