The Film Daily (1930)

jnday, April 6, 1930 THE ■^SH DAILV waum 33 Critical Survey of Latest Sound Shorts Sunny Jim in "Mush Again" ""•tniversal Time, 20 mins. Satisfactory Comedy Sunny Jim appears to fine advant''|lj:e in a comedy that is pretty amusg as a whole. Persons who have H.d experience with children will be lioubly entertained by this film. wiifjnny Jim plays the sort of child " at is common to many homes gfiroughout the world. He has the 4bit of repeating before people what lis parents may have said of them hind their backs. In the end, bower, he redeems himself by reunitg his dad and ma after they have !en separated by a misunderstandg. A great short, especially for others and kiddies. "The Golden Pagoda" lathe Time, 11 mins. "ilj Fine Travel Film 'I "The Golden Pagoda," first of the . 'agabond Adventure Series, should j'.bve a constant delight to the great .l-my of persons who find delight in ^j-avel films. Tom Terriss as our ' uide takes us to Burma, the land of ' 5mpled shrines. In a fine voice, ■j.ramatic when the occasion warrants A he describes places and customs \j casual but effective manner. At b-eral points the film is genuinely ^ ripping. Here is something a little i' ifferent. The picture is produced ider the supervision of Elmer Clifn and Alfred Mannon. "Follow Me" niversal Time, 19 mins. '«j Poor Stuff "Follow Me" is the sort of com liydy prevalent years ago. Greatest l Its handicaps is a story that is ap allingly stereotyped and dull. It's _bout a student of the supernatural m I ho IS taken to a deserted house by ai j stranger to do a little ghost hunt wt'g. Others in the party are his s:i lughter and her sweethea'rt. Ghost li' Ke forms flit this wav and that, but 31; nth no appreciable success in pro ■" """lu^ laughter. The cast is no help iJi;> the film. Inferior entertainment. nrthur Lake is featured. a« "Whispering Whoopee" «-G-M Time, 20 mins. Pulling a Fast One A fast comedy that works itself !}to a pitch that is a scream. Charley -hase has the part of a chap who, in i" effort to win the good graces of . party of men who desire to buy his |eal estate, calls in a number of girl tnends to help them feel at home, ^he trio are of the extremely serious jype, but after a drink or two and a lew moments of the young ladies' ompany they begin to soften and vhoop it up. The whole thing winds ip with a seltzer-squirting sequence hat is frankly slapstick yet none the ess as rib-tickling as one can magine. There are plenty of laughs in this one. "Stimulation" Vitaphone No. 3636 Time, 11 mins. Something Different That a man needs relaxation after a hard day's work at the office serves as the basis for this short. The fact that wifey hasn't a presentable dress to go out with her husband does not prevent him from gaining his end for that much needed prescription. The fun really begins when Arthur tries to evade the vamp at a social affair by closeting himself in a room which is visited by a hurglar who relieves him of his pants in order to insure his escape. When Aie vampire faints in the room upon seeing the partly disrobed hero, his wife enters. She recovers his pants when the thief is caught and after lefusing to return them and accompany him to another affair, Arthur defies her a second time by leaving without them. Principal in the cast is Johnny Arthur. "Bowery Bimbos" Universal Time, 10 mins. Good Animated This one is among the best of the Oswald series. It is a clever and extremely amusing little number. Oswald appears as a gay Bowery copper. He has the occasion to rescue a sweetie from the clutches of a notorious gangster. The manner in which he does it provides no end of amusement. "Ride 'Em Cowboy" Pathe Time, 12 mins. Not So Good "Ride 'Em Cowboy" is one of those artificial pieces of the musical comedy school that produces in one the feeling of something false and deliberately striven for. For all the world the thing might have been taken on ihe stage of a theater. True enough, there can be picked out here and there lines that are charged with no little amount of humor, but as a whole the effect is one of frailness and self-consciousness. Thelma White and Bobby Carney in the chief roles are better than the material thev have to work with. Laurel and Hardy in "Brats" M-G-M Time, 21 mins. Something Different "Brats" should be set down as one of the most ingenious comedies to reach the screen in a long time. What makes it so unusual and extraordinarily interesting is the fact that there are four characters in it but only two performers. Laurel and Hardy also appearing as their own sons. To make the effect realistic the sets in which the comedies are seen as children are duplicates on a huge scale of those in which they appear as themselves. The story is that of two fathers who, left at home with their children on their hands, run into a deuce of a time trying to get the little brats to behave. This is a sure winner. "Hot Bridge" A Winning Card RKO Time, 19 mins. "Hot Bridge" proves a pleasant comedy. While its general outlines are not exactly new the story has been given a new angle and treated in a highly expert manner. We have a subjugated husband who, in an effort to get himself out of a bridge party and escape the vigilant eye of his wife, asks his butler to call up during the game and say he wants to see him on important business. The gag, however, doesn't work. When the switchboard operator calls up to warn the building is on fire, the wife thinks it is just another of her husband's tricks to leave the apartment. The game goes on until the discovery is made that the building is really burning. Mark Sandrich has directed with considerable skill. Our Gang in "A Tough Winter" M-G-M-Hal Roach Time, 19 mins. All Right "A Tough Winter" presents Our Gang in one of its quieter moments. The little rascals this time take to making taffy. In pulling it they smear up the whole house. A negro friend of the children, played by Stepin Fetchit, helps them to tidy up the place before mother gets home and takes it out of them. The thing is done in highly entertaining fashion. Buck and Bubbles in "Darktown Follies" Peppy Steppers Pathe Time, 18 mins. Another of the Hugh Wiley "Wildcat" series with plenty of fast stepping and singing by a competent cast of colored entertainers. This number shows the negro coinedians in a a rehearsal try out where they have to put over some lively steps and melodies to win the much needed parts in the Darktown Follies show. Has plenty of pep for audiences that go for comedy on this order. MORT BLUMEXSTOCK PARAMOUNT Recently Directed: "BELLE OF THE NIGHT" ■▼■■▼• '^r "GETTING A TICKET" (also two others with Eddie Cantor) ▼■▼■▼• Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Barry, Lulu McConnell and Smith and Dale in Two Reel Comedies "Hallowe'en" Universal Time, 20 mins. Pleasantly Funny Here is a decided improvement over most of the Sporting Youth series of comedies that have gone before. Not only is the story of this one generally more judicioqsly conceived but also more intelligently directed by Ray Taylor. In this instance Judy decides to appear at a Hallowe'en party in gyps^ dress. To get the costume she invades a gypsy camp. Her boy friend, fearing for her safety, follows her and by mistake makes off with a gypsy girl. Matters almost turn out disastrously when the latter's lover in a fury breaks in upon the party in search of the girl. 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