The Film Daily (1930)

THE Sunday, February 9, 1930 ■e&ank DAILV 13 "Second Wife" w\th Conrad Nagel, Lila Lee (All-Talker) RKO Time, 1 hr., 2 mins. THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE DOMESTIC DRAMA, EXPERTLY DIRECTED AND NICELY ACTED. PARTICULARLY FINE PERFORMANCE BY LILA LEE. Lila Lee comes through with flying colors in this tale of a second wife who is tortured by thoughts of her husband's first spouse and their son. It is a fine human interest plot, developed in a plausible manner, dire :ted by Russell Mack with a good eye for effective dramatic touches, and smoothly acted by a fine cast. Conrad Nagel is in good form, Mary Carr gives a corking performance as an old servant who is somewhat of a inother as well, and there is excellent work by Hugh Huntley and that talented little youngster, Freddie Biu-ke Frederick. A strong vein of human nuerest is sustained throughout. Til! *'e!id theme should be a big factor in pi/ling trade. Cast: Conrad Nagel, Lila Lee, Hugh Huntley, Mary Carr, Freddie Burke Frederick. Director, Russell Mack ; Author, Fulton Oursler ; Adaptor, Bert Glennon ; Dialoguer, Not listed ; Editor, Not listed ; Cameraman, William Marshall Monitor Man, Lambert Day. Direction, expert. Photography, good. Gillette Richard Arlen in "Burning Up" ivith Mary Brian (All-Talker) Paramount Time, 57 tmns. BREEZY AND HUMOROUS ROMANCE OF A DAREDEVIL DRIVER AND A SMALL TOWN GIRL. DIRECTED FOR THE PUNCHES. GOOD POPULAR APPEAL STUFF. A neat little country love story that crowds at large ought to gobble up with satisfaction. Richard Arlen appears as a daredevil, first in a "globe of death" on a carnival, and then as an auto racer on the fairgrounds. At the fair he spots a girl after his own heart, whereupon he breaks away from his racketeering pals and wins an exciting race which had been framed in order to take a wad of dough from the girl's father. The action trots along in a breezy manner, and Director Eddie Sutherland has made clever use of plentiful opportunities for swell comedy, to say nothing of the nice little human interest touches, while the racing finale produces a strong climax. Good acting all around. Cast: Richard Arlen, Mary Brian, Francis McDonald, Sam Hardy, Charles Sellon, TuUy Marshall. Director, A. Edward Sutherland ; Authors, William Slavens McNutt, Grover Jones ; Adaptors, William Slavens McNutt, Grover Jones; Dialoguers, William Slavens McNutt^ Grover Jones ; Editor, Not listed ; Cameraman, Allan Seigler; Monitor Man, Not listed. Direction, aces. Photography, fine. Gillette Marion Davies in "Not So Dumb" (All-Talker) M-G-M Time, 1 hr., 16 mins. FIRST-RATE COMEDY BRIGHTLY DONE, WITH SURE-FIRE APPEAL AND CAPITALLY ACTED. "Dulcy," the George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly play, has been brought to the talking screen in a production that loses little of the original comedy. Its bright lines have lost none of their sharp edge, while the central character still remains the same familiar type that made the play the success it was. Marion Davies is a fortunate choice as Dulcy. She does the character full justice and proves conclusively that she is a comedienne of no mean ability. The star is ably supported by a cast of high calibre. Not an opportunity is lost to point up the humor of the piece. King Vidor's direction catches to a nicety the mood that comedy of this sort needs to keep it moving. It is the story of the talkative girl who nearly ruins a business deal upon which depends the fortune of her fiance — simply because she is forever saying wrong things. Cast: Marion Davies, Elliott Nugent, Raymond Hackett, Franklin Pangborn, Julia Faye, William Holden, Donald Ogden Stewart, Sally Starr, George Davis. Director, King Vidor; Authors, George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly ; Dialoguer, Edwin Justus Mayer; Adaptor, Wanda Tuchock ; Cameraman, Oliver Marsh ; Editor, Blanche Sewell. Direction, first-rate. Photography, good. Pelegrine "The Lost Zeppelin" (All-Talker) Tiffany Time, 1 hr., 10 mins. FAIR DRAMA OF A SOUTH POLE EXPEDITION IN WHICH ALL PERISH EXCEPT TWO MEN WHO LOVE THE SAME WOMAN. WELL ACTED. Generous glimpses of South Pole atmosphere, consisting almost exclusively of ice mountains, raging snowstorms, and a disabled Zeppelin, are the highlights of this drama. It concerns an expedition party which includes a young officer who is in love with the commander's wife. The airship goes haywire and death takes ail of the crew except the two rivals. When a relief plane finally spots them, but can take back only one, the chief insists on his subordinate getting aboard because he is the man whom the woman really loves. The commander's heroism, however, causes his wife to have a change of heart, and his subsequent rescue inakes everything come out according to Hoyle. The story is well acted, but the spectacular scenic effects are too obviously artificial. Has timely tieup possibilities. Cast: Conway Tearle, Virginia Valli, Ricardo Cortez, Duke Martin, Kathryn McGuire, Winter Hall. Director, Edward Slonian ; Authors, Frances Hyland, Jack Natteford ; Adaptor, Frances Hyland ; Dialoguer, Charles Kenyon ; Editors. Martin G. Colin, Don Hayes ; Cameraman, Jackson Rose; Monitor Man, Jerry Eisenberg. Direction, fair. Photography, good. Gillette CLASS OF SERVICE DESIRED | TELEGRAM DAY LETTER NIGHT MESSAGE NIGHT LETTER Patrons should mark an X opposite the class of service desired; OTHERWISE THE MESSAGE WILL BE TRANSMIHED AS A FULL-RATE TELEGRAM WESTEJIM UNION AM NEWCOMB CARLTON. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. E. ATKINS. FIRST VICB-PRESIDBNT NO. CASH OR CHG CHECK TIME FIL^ FEB. 9, 1930 THE FILM DAILY 1650 BROADWAY NEW YORK NY GENTLEMEN: PLEASE EXTEND MY DEEP APPRECIATION AND SINCERE THANKS TO THE CRITICS WHO HAVE SELECTED MY PICTURE, "THE LAST OF MRS. CHEYNEY," AS ONE OP THE TEN BEST PICTURES OF 1929. SIDNEY A. FRANKLIN