The Film Daily (1931)

Sunday, January 25, 1931 Jack Oakie in The Gang Buster" Paramount Time, 1 hr., 14 mins. FAST-MOVING CROOK-COMEDY WITH JACK OAKIE IN FINE FORM. LAUGHABLE SITUATIONS MINGLED WITH MYSTERY. Audiences will howl with glee at this one. Jack Oakie utilizes all his usual tricks and many more to help the clever and mysterious plot. He plays the part of a young man who attempts to foil the plans of rival gangsters to steal valuable records from the father of Oakie's sweetheart, Jean Arthur, who is held captive by one of the gangs. Oakie defiantly enters the gangsters' headquarters and becomes the, center of a machine ^gun warfare between the , rival factions. The picture ends with a great «ht between Oakie and a gang-leadej-— and a big laugh for the DAILY ii finish. director Sutherland did a fine job. , Cast: Jack Oakie, Jean Arthur, William Boyd Wynne Gibson, William Morris, Francis McDonald, Albert Conti, Tom Kennedy, Harry Stubbs, Ernie Adams, Constantin Romanoff, Pat Harmon, Joseph Girard, Eddie Dunn. Director. A. Edward Sutherland; Author, Percy Heatlfc Dialoguer, Joseph L. Mankiewicz; Editot, Jane "Loring ; Cameraman, Harry Fischbeck ; Recording Engineer, Harold McNiff. Direction, Excellent. Photogaphy, Excellent. "La Canzone DelPAmore" ("The Love Song") J. V. Cremonim Time, 1 hr., 10 mins. INTERESTING ITALIAN DRAMA FROM CINES-PITTALUGA STUDIO. SUITED FOR FOREIGN CENTERS OR SPECIAL AUDIENCES. This is one of the first Americanshown talking and sound productions made by the Cines-Pittaluga Oi Rome, the dominating company in the Italian picture field. Recording is by RCA Photophone. Story wa^ adapted from Luigi Pirandello's "Silence" and concerns a dramatic love triangle in which two girls are fighting for the love of a young musician. His flirtation with one of them causes the other to withdraw ana devote herself to the care of a baby brother, born from her mother's relation to an unknown man. The mother dies, and then the father turns up years later, rich and desirous of claiming his son, the sister falls into despair and attempts suicide, but is saved by her former sweetheart, who returns and effects a reconciliation. The production is of excellent quality, and a preview audience of leading Italians and some Americans gave it a hearty reception. Cast: Dria Paola, Isa Pola, Merceded Brignone, Olga Capri, Emilia Vidali, Nello Rocchi, Elio Steiner, Camillo Pilotto. Director, G. Righelli ; Author, Luigi Pirandello ; Adaptors, Montuori and Gattone Madin ; Cameramen, Ubaldo Arata, Massimo Terzano ; Recording Engineers, Pietro Cavazzutti, Yittorio Trentino, Giovanni Pais. Direction, good. Photography, fine. Maurice Chevalier in "Le Petit Cafe" Paramount Time, 1 hr., 23 mins. GOOD FRENCH VERSION WITH NATIVE CAST. CHEVALIER'S WORK IS MAIN ENJOYMENT. Except for Maurice Chevalier, the cast in the French version of "Playboy of Paris" is entirely different. It includes Yvonne Vallee (Mrs. Chevalier) and a capable supporting crew of French artists. Chevalier himself, however, continues to be the outstanding personality in the picture and his likeable performance not only ought to go big with French audiences, but also holds plenty of interest and pleasure for the more intelligent picture fans generally. This is due in part to the tact that the comedy has been stressed more in the French version. The story itself remains the same, dealing with a Parisian waiter who inherits a wad of dough but must continue in his job because his employer has tricked him into a contract. But the waiter finds out about the frame-up and maneuvers his way gaily to a happy ending. Ludwig Berger, who directed the English version, also did a good job with this one. Cast: Maurice Chevalier, Yvonne Vallee, Emile Chautard, George Davis, Sonia Sebor, Andre Berley, Francoise Rosay, Jacques Jou' Jerziloe. Director, Ludwig Berger ; Author, Tristan Bernard; Adaptors, Vincent Lawrence, Battaille' Henri ; Dialoguers, same. Direction, lively. Photography, fine. "The Girl From the Reeperbahn" (Das Maedel von der Reeperbahn) Talking Picture Epics Time, 1 hr., 27 mins. AGREEABLE GERMAN TALKINQ AND SINGING PRODUCTION MADE ABROAD. CLEAR STORY AND SONGS GIVE IT FAIR APPEAL. Produce«*in German dialogue by Sonor Film of Prague and Berlin, from a story by Benno Vigny, author of "Morocco," presents a plot along the.'leternal triangle lines revolving atound a lighthouse keeper, his wife an>i a shipwrecked girl who almost ups«ts the happiness of her benefactors: Action of the picture centers along the seacoast near Hamburg and the Reeperbahn (Hamburg's Great White Way). The story holds the interest and should register with German-speaking audiences. Trude Berliner gives a commendable performance in the title role, and gets across some pleasing vocal numbers. Hans Schlettow and Olga Tschekova give smooth characterizations in support. Dialogue and music sequences are wellrecorded on Tobis Klangfilm system. Cast: Trude Berliner, Hans Adalbert von Schlettow, O'.ga Tschekova, Josef Rowensky. Director. Karl Anton ; Author, Benno Vigny ; M^Bic by Willy Engel-Berger. Direction, average. Photography, fair. "Napoli Che Canta" ("Naples of Song") ■J. V. Cremonim Time, 1 hr., 15 mins. COLORFUL SINGING AND TALKING PRODUCTION BY CINES-PITTALUGA. SHOULD CLICK NICELY WITH ITALIAN OR ARTY FANS. Because of its singing sequences and the fact that the action goes all the way from Italy to the U. S., this Cines-Pittaluga production has points of interest for special audiences of the art theater type as well as for the Italian trade. It's about a young Italian who comes to America as a small child and on maturity is sent back to the old country by his parents to serve in the Italian army. Before leaving New York he becomes engaged to an American girl, who follows him to Naples. There he falls in love with a native girl, while his fiancee enters into an affair with a handsome Neapolitan, but the original love comes back to both of them and they finally return to the U. S. again together. The production, synchronized with a short dialogue and some agreeable songs, has been neatly handled, with the beauty of Naples standing out in the photography. The preview showing was greatly enjoyed by an audience of Italians and Americans. Cast: Anna Mari, Lyllian Lill, Malcom Todd, Giorgio Curti, Carlo Tedesco. Director, Mario Almirante ; Musical Score, Tagliaferri and Sassoli ; Cameramen, Ubaldo Arata and Massimo Terzano. Direction, smooth. Photography, attractive. 'Gateway of the Caucasus' A?7ikino Time, 1 hr., 14 mins. PICTURIZATION OF SOVIET EXPEDITION IN THE CAUCASIAN MOUNTAINS CLIMBING MOUNT KEZBEK. OKAY AS TRAVEL O G U E ENTERTAINMENT. The Soviet government sent an expedition to the high and little known Iregion of the Caucasian mountains, and this is an entertaining screen record of their travels and experiences among the glaciers and primitive peoples of that region. All right as a travel picture, but the regular film audiences won't go for it. Shows the party of 40 people climbing to the top of Mount Kezbek, thousands of feet above sea level, and never before scaled. They climb over an immense glacier, and then down the other side of the mountain where they bump into a peasant festival. Details of this are given for about a reel, and then the balance of the picture shows a very primitive community who live exactly as their ancestors did hundreds of years ago. The village has two streets, one for men and the other for women and goats. The best thing about the film are the studies of native types in closeups. But the offering lacks directorial treatment, being merely a series of scenes photographed as they happened to find them. Cast: All native types. Director, Nikolai Lebedev ; Cameraman, Ivan Beliakov. Direction, amateurish. Photography, fair. Presentations — By JACK H ARROW £ft i— . Arabian Nights Spectacle Unfolded on Roxy Stage The initial stage number at the Roxy is the entire Roxy Chorus in a song selection, with Viola Philo and Harold Van Duzee as soloists. The big presentation is one of the most spectacular offerings the Roxy has seen. It is a story from the Arabian Nights, presented in six scenes that outdo one another in gorgeous splendor. The explanation of the various scenes is offered by an elderly sage from a side balcony telling of the quest for adventure of the Prince Hasan. First scene shows the departure of the Prince, with his followers and the dancing girls making merry. The set shows a magnificent galleon in the background. Second scene is before the gates of an Arabian city, then the market place, with the slave girls. The most splendid scene is that of the Garden of the Princess, in search of whom the Prince has made the journey. They are shown making love from a palanquin suspended in midair, with dancing girls in beautiful white costumes beneath. Then the tent of the Sultan is shown, with word being brought to him that the Prince has stolen the love of the Princess. The final scene is the harem of the Prince, with his followers and dancing girls making merry over the approaching nuptials. The Sultan breaks in with his soldiers, resulting in the tragic death of the lovers. The costumes throughout are gorgeous and create a riot of rich color, with scenic effects to match. Ted Lewis Headlines Merry Paramount Show Plenty of variety and versatile talent make the current Paramount show a lively, attractively mounted and thoroughly enjoyable affair. Ted Lewis and his Merry Musical Clowns head the bill, with the surrounding artists including Charles Wittier, Eleanore Brooks, The Bachelor Four, and the Ted Lewis Girls. In addition there is a pleasing presentation called "Illustrations," employing the excellent capabilities of Ted Mack and the Paramount Stage Band, Frank Gaby and Company. Llora Hoffman, the Stanley Brothers and the Allan Foster girls. The whole works was staged by Harry Gourfain. Additional Talent at Capitol Some extra talent has been added to the stage show being held over at the Capitol in connection with the holdover screen attraction, "Reducing." Ina Williams and Jere Delany, popular musical comedy players, head the revue, called "Krinoline Kapers," and featuring Yvette Rugel, Joyce Coles, the Chester Hale Girls, Andrew and Louise Carr and the Capitolians.