The Film Daily (1934)

THE -2&»i DAILY Saturday, Jan. 6, 1934 Edmund Low° in "BOMBAY MAIL" with Shirley Grey, Onslow Stevens, Ralph Forbes Universal 68 mins. MURDER MYSTERY ABOARD TRAIN IN ORIENT IS VERY WELL DONE ALLAROUND AND SHOULD PLEASE THE MELODRAMA FANS. On an express train traveling through India toward Bombay a couple of murde-s take place, with suspicion falling on various persons who had both motive and means to do the deeds. So the audience is given plenty of material on which to exercise its guessing ability. One of the victims is a Bengal Governor and another is a Maharajah who knew some important state information and was on the verge of spilling it. The sleuthing activities are led by Edmund Lowe, in the role of a Scotland Yard agent, and suspense is kept alive in very good fashion until the final solution is reached, with the least suspected person turning out to be the guilty. Love interest does not figure very strongly in the proceedings, although there is a touch of it between an American actress, and one of the suspected men. Cast: Edmund Lowe, Shirley Grey, Onslow Stevens, Ralph Forbes, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Jchn Davidson, Hedda Hopper, Tom Moore, John Wray, Brandon Hurst, Jameson Thomas, Georges Renavent, Gary Owen, Huntley Gordon, Herbert Corthell, Walter Armitage, Douglas Gerrard, Harry Allen. Director, Edwin L. Marin; Author, L. G Blochman; Adaptor, Tom Reed; Cameraman, Charles Stumar; Recording Engineer, C. Roy Hunter; Editor, Doris Drought. Direction, Fine Photography, Fine. 'FOG" with Donald Cook, Mary Brian, Reginald Denny Columbia 69 mins. GOOD MURDER MYSTERY WITH FAIR SHARE OF SUSPENSE, STAGED ABOARD OCEAN LINER. The director and author have held closely to the original plot and continuity of this story which recently appeared in a weekly publication. It concerns three murders on the high seas while a blanket of fog envelops the huge ship. The first murder is that of a grouchy old multi-millionaire. No clues are left by the murderer, and in addition to the ship's detective, Donald Cook, in the role of a scientific criminologist, takes up the trail. Before the ship's surgeon can perform an autopsy on the body, he is also murdered. Then is staged in the dining salon, a seance, during which a medium is about to name the murderer but she too is killed before she can divulge the name. Considerable footage is consumed with the taking of testimony at the inquest held by the ship's captain. Through a ruse, Cook exposes the guilty one. The romance between Cook and Mary Brian is secondary to the mystery angle. The film has been staged well and photographed in fine fashion. Cast: Donald Cook, Mary Brian, Reginald Denny, Robert McWade, Helen Freeman, Samuel Hinds, G. Pat Collins, Edwin Maxwell, Maude Eburne, Marjorie Gateson. Director, Albert Rogell; Authors, Valentine Williams, Dorothy Rice Sims; Adaptors, Ethel Hill, Dcre Schary; Dialoguers, same; Editor, Richard Cahoon; Cameraman, Benjamin Kline; Recording Engineer, Edward Bernds. Direction, Satisfactory. Photography, Fine. Elissa Landi and Paul Lukas in "BY CANDLELIGHT" Universal 69 mins. ENJOYABLE ROMANTIC COMEDY ABOUT TWO SERVANTS POSING AS ARISTOCRATS WITH AMUSING COMPLICATIONS. Though the basic idea is not so very new or original, this is one of those yarns that adult audiences in general enjoy seeing every once in a while. On a train bound for Monte Carlo, Elissa Landi and Paul Lukas meet for the first time, concealing their identities as servants by pretending they are aristocrats. Elissa thinks Paul is a Prince, and Paul takes her for a society girl. At Monte Carlo, Paul takes Elissa to the home of his employer, Nils Asther, who walks in on them unexpectedly and, grasping the situation, assumes the role of Paul's butler, much to the discomfiture of Paul. In due course the complications are untangled, with Paul eventually winning Elissa despite her pique when she learns of the deception. Miss Landi, Lukas and Asther do good work in the chief roles, and the remainder of the cast is fine. Cast: Elissa Landi, Paul Lukas, Nils Asther, Dorothy Revier, Lawrence Grant, Esther Ralston, Warburton Gamble, Lois January. Director, James Whale; Author, Siegfried Geyer; Adaptors, Hans Kraly, F. Hugh Herbert, Karen de Wolf and Ruth Cummings; Cameraman, John Mescall; Recording Engineer, Gilbert Kurland; Editor, David Berg. Direction, Fine. Photography, Fine. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy in "SONS OF THE DESERT" with Charley Chase M-G-M 69 mins. GOOD COMEDY THAT SHOULD CLICK ESPECIALLY WITH THE LAUREL-HARDY AND CHARLEY CHASE FANS. With Laurel and Hardy supported by Charley Chase and other topnotch funmakers, this Hal Roach production is more than just an elongated two-reeler. It is typical Laurel-Hardy tomfoolery, of course, but with a plot that sustains interest very nicely to the finish. And for those who want laughs, it is a generous feast. Notwithstanding its title, the picture has nothing to do with deserts. The Sons of the Desert is the name of a lodge to which the boys belong, and one of the by-laws is that they must attend the organization's annual convention. Having trouble getting away from their domineering wives, one of the lads pretends to be sick and gets a doctor to urge a trip to Honolulu. Instead they go to the convention. Returning home, they find the wives are wise, heaving learned from newspapers that the boat on which the boys supposedly returned had sunk, with the rescue ship being a day late. So there is the dickens to pay. Cast: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charley Chase, Mae Busch, Dorothy Christy, Lucien Littlefield. Director, William A. Seiter; Authors, Frank Craven, Byron Morgan; Adaptors, same; Cameraman, Kenneth Peach; Editor, Bert Jordan. Direction, A-l. Photography, Fine PLAZA MOST CONVENIENT Hotel in Hollywood $2.50 up, Single $3.00 up, Double Special weekly and monthly rates The Plaza is near everything to see and do in Hollywood. Ideal for business or pleasure. Every room has private dressing room, bath and shower. Beds "built for rest." Every modern convenience. Fine foods at reasonable prices. Convenient parking for your car. Cbas. Danziger, Mgr. Eugene Stern, Pres. The "Doorway of Hospitality' Vine at Hollywood Blvd. HOLLYWOOD "SWEDEN, LAND OF THE VIKINGS" John W. Boyle 77 mins. VERY INTERESTING TRAVEL PICTURE, FILMED IN COLOR, WITH SPOKEN NARRATIVE AND MUSIC. Photographed in natural color, and provided with an informative running commentary spoken by Wilfred Lucas, together with appropriate musical accompaniment, this travelogue is a distinctive and enjoyable affair, with both educational and entertainment value. John W. Boyle, who is one of Hollywood's chief cinematographers, made the picture entirely on his own resources and he did a painstaking job in rounding up the beautiful and most interesting features of Nordic country. The picture starts with the sailing from New York, and upon arriving at the harbor of Gothenburg the camera starts right in to catch the activity at the docks, then goes on a thorough tour of the country, taking in everything from busy cities to the charming fields, mountains, rivers, playgrounds, natives engaged in their various occupations and enjoying relaxation, festivals, etc. Sweden is revealed as a very tidy and industrious nation, with more beauties than might be suspected by persons who are not acquainted with the country, and its historical spots will interest any race. As Boyle did all the camera work himself, the production carries ho other credits outside of Wilfred Lucas as narrator. The photography, using the Multicolor process, is all of fine quality, and Boyle used some good technique in his composition scenes. "IN THE MONEY" with Skeets Gallagher and Lois Wilson Chesterfield-Invincible 66 mins. AMUSING COMEDY OF A NUTTY FAMILY CAUGHT IN FINANCIAL STRAITS SHOULD PLEASE IN THE POP HOUSES. This Maury Cohen produciton is a nonsensical concoction, created for no other reason than to entertain in its modest way, and considered on that basis it should prove satisfying in the popular price houses. Story concerns a motherless family whose members are all more or less bugs, with the exception of Lois Wilson, the elder daughter, who looks after the tribe. Father is a screwy scientist, one sister is goofy on art and has a husband living on the family; another girl, Sally Starr, has a biological complex over a prize-fighter, Warren Hymer, who in turn is daffy about Shakespeare, and so forth. Suddenly the family income stops, due to receivership for the company in which the father had an interest, and the panic is on. Arrival of Skeets Gallagher, the fighter's manager, who eventually eggs the pug into going through with a championship fight and then sees to it that he wins, leads to a solution of the family's worries. At the same time, Lois gets Skeets for a husband. Cast: Skeets Gallagher, Lois Wilson, Warren Hymer, Sally Starr, Arthur Hoyt, Junior Coghlan, Erin La Bissonier, Harold Waldrige, Louise Beavers. Director, Frank Strayer; Author, Robert Ellis; Adaptor, same; Cameraman, M. A. Anderson; Recording Engineer, L. E. Clark; Editor, Roland Reed. Direction, Good. Photography, Good. John Wayne in "THE LUCKY TEXAN" Monogram 56 mins. SMASH-BANG WESTERN WITH PLENTY OF FAST ACTION, THRILLS, MYSTERY AND HARD RIDIN'. Audiences that favor westerns will eat this one up, because it is full of pep. The story breaks away from the general run of outdoor pictures and permits a character actor to share honors with the star. The character man is George Hayes, who plays the part of a ranch owner who, with Wayne, discovers a streak of gold in a hidden creek. They cash in from time to time, always keeping secret the location of their unrecorded claim. The sheriff's son commits robbery and murder, and fastens the blame on Hayes. Wayne soon discovers the real murderer and frees the old man but trouble lies ahead. While Hayes is out on the plains, he is blackjacked and left to die, but his faithful dog "Friday" brings Wayne and soon all is cleared up. The romance between Wayne and Barbara Sheldon, in the part of Hayes' granddaughter, is small but adequate. The film introduces new stunts and thrills, and winds up with a laugh surprise. Cast: John Wayne, Barbara Sheldon, George Hayes, Lloyd Whitlock, Yakima Canutt, Gordon DeMaine, Edward Parker, Earl Dwire. Director, R. N. Bradbury; Author, same; Dialoguer, same; Editor, Carl Pierson; Cameraman, Archie Stout; Recording Engineer, Dave Stoner. Direction, Box-office. Photography, Good.