The Film Daily (1931)

THE 12 Sunday, February 15, 1931 REVIEWS OF SOUND SHORTS "Pete and Repeat" Educational Time, 21 mins. Has the Laughs An Ideal comedy featuring the two colored comics, Seben and Eleben. It has been well handled in direction, moves fast and carries real guffaws. Two convicts have escaped, and they enter the blacksmith shop run by the two dinges, and sell them the dea of exchanging clothes, saving that they are ballyhooing in their convict dress the gang picture showing at a theater down the street. The amplications that follow are funny, leading to the capture of the convicts through a fluke by the two colored gents. "Cowboy Blues" Pathe Time, 8 mins. Good Animated A comical travesty on the we-tern bad man, with this Aesop Fable showing Milton Mouse being pickc1 on by th«e bad bandit, who busts hi guitar and rides away. Later Milton is in the town saloon visiting his sweetie, when the bandit arive^ disguised as an old ladv. and sing "Break the News to Mother," ti'l all the repentant cowbovs drop thei gats. Then the bandit pulls his guns and rides away with the safe. Bui Milton Mouse does his hero stuff in a surprising climax, and saves the dav — and the safe. "Ski Pilots" Pathe Time, 9 mins. Peppy Offering A Grantland Rice Sportlight. showing three different forms of skiing, First is the unique sequences showing sand skiing in the desert of the San Luis Valley in Colorado, with three men on skiis sliding over the hard sand a if it were snow. Then views of the tourists at the Lake Placid Club in the Adirondack's .going off on a skiing hike. Also trying out the Olympic Jump at this resort, with some thrilling shots of the professionals at work. Finishes with water skiing at Winter Haven in Florida, with the ski enthusiasts riding on the waves as fast motor boats tow them through the brine at breakneck speed. An interesting reel for the outdoor athletic fans. "Talkographs" Pictorial Cyclopedia Time, 7 mins. Fair Novelty Scattered scenic shots, including v'ews from the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Oregon rivers, star gazing from an observatory, closeups of owls, etc.. comprise the< contents of this reel. Descriptive accompanying dialogue is supplied by Xorman Brokenshire Selection of shots and photography are about on a par with the usual travel stuff. Robert L. Ripley in "Believe It or Not No. 6" Vitaphone 1109 Time, 8 mins. Okay The sixth in the series of Ripley shorts is well up toj the average. It shows Rip returning to his college and entertaining the present class with an assortment of his curiosities. He relates some of the unusual facts orallv, and illustrates others with drawings. "Quack, Quack" Educational Time, 7 mins. Good Cartoon This is about the best so far in the Paul Terry-Toon^ cartoon scries. Some fine imaginative quality gone into the construction of the cartoon gags, with an old boy getting his tooth pulled and taking gas. Under the influence of the ether he enjoys some very interesting experi in Dreamland, "Curiosities No. 217" ("Ruined") Columbia Time, 6 mins. Interesting In this number of the Walter Futter series a comparison is made between the styles of 1904 or thereabouts and those of the present dav. with T. Rov Barnes supplying the incidental talk in his amusing style. Movies of the very early days are shown, and for the windup there is an old melodrama of the vintage of about 1906. Interesting as well a* comical. "An Anonymous Letter" Educational Time, 12 mins. Flat A William J. Burns Detective Mystery, in which the sleuth tells of how his bureau cleared up the case of an important official document stolen from the files of the War Department at Washington. The action is worked out as he describes it,' but it makes -a flat and uninteresting offering. The incident itself has no dramatic value, neither has it any thrills or elements of danger such as one expects in" a mystery detective yarn. Pretty uninteresting. '"One Way Out" with Charles Lawrence and Thelma White Vitaphone 1153 Time, 7 mins. Ineffective Satire Charles Lawrence, in the role of a nut who tries various means of committing suicide, manages to knock out a few laughs from a rather ineffectively handled idea. The skit is given a weak start bv a lengthy silent title. Thelma White hasn't much to do, the action being concerned chiefly with the stammering Lawrence and his efforts to exterminate himself. "Campus Champs" Pathe Time, 21 mins. Rates Poor A Campus Comedy, with Nat Canas a tailor in a college town who acts as trainer for the college chamn The mysterious opponent for the col-, lege championship fight* with the rival college proves to be his own I son. Nat has bet all his dough on his man, but when he realizes his son ;s the other fighter, he switches his illegiance even though he loses his bankroll. The comedy is nrettv thin. >nd so are the gags. Can't give this •me much. "Dogs of Solitude" Pathe Time, 10 mins. Weak Number A Vagabond -Adventure, with Tom rerriss_ conducting a tour through 'lie Swiss Alps. First is presented •i ski-jumping contest with the professional jumpers giving a fine exhibition. Then the travelling direc'or moves on to the mountains w;iia guide, and does some fanev and 'angerous climbing uri the diV/v heights. The finale looks nrettv obviously staged, with a St Bernard dow appearing in a snow stOrm and leading them to a man on the ground who i« supposed to have drooped from an airplane in a parachute. In comparison with the obvious Vagabond*, this doesn't stand up. ' Ford Sterling in "Come to Papa" Educational Time, 18 mins. Good Slapstick A slapstick comedy with plenty of action, a batch of femin'ne pulchritude and the always funny antics of Ford Sterling. The comedian plays the role of a modiste shop owner who has designed a new combination undie which he hopes to sell to a French style expert and thus lift himself out of debt. His rival shop keepers steal the sample garment from him. and then follow the comical attempts by Sterling to get back his property The chase ends at the stvle show, where everything is straightened out okay. Pathe Audio Review No. 6 Opens with an exhibit of ned:"reed dogs and pigs imported from England. Then follows a scenic studv of some tall and fancv crass growing on the pampas of South America. Most of the reel i« devoted (o a presentation of the Thomas Edison landmarks and nd-Vs in the Henry Ford collection wlrch he has gathered at Dearborn Citv. These various buildings that have been assembled trace the hierhlierhts in thi great inventor's career since earlv boyhood. The most ;,i4erest-'iv> -hows h;s laboratory where he fir-t nut electricity to work via the incandescent lamn Francis Tehl. who worked ns Edje/nn's assistant, demonstrates the orierinal anoaratns that developed into the phonograph, Frank Orth and Ann Codee in "Sleepy Head" Vitaphone 1166 Time. 10 mins. Good Domestic Comedy A matrimonial mixupr in Svhich the husband has cheating proclivities and wifie has the same idea. Hubby has framed up a "snoring machine' as a means of making the I wife believe he is asleep in his room. ! I he w'fe herself goes in search of outside amusement and they run into each other. The usual scrap fol I lows, and when wifie gets wise to the snoring ruse .she shoots the old man with a shotgun. "Like A Beaver" with Dr. Raymond L. Ditmars Talking Picture Epics Time, 12 mins. Very Interesting An unusually interesting natural ■ history subject showing the habits, industrious activities and resourcefulness of the beaver family in build J ing its home, providing food against winter, etc. Dr. Raymond L. Ditmars provides a synchronized accompanying talk, in the form of an ntcrview with a feminine caller. Has excellent entertainment value besides being educational. "Curses" Vitaphone 1096-97 Time, 15 mins. Fairly Humorous Poking fun at the old-fashioned melodrama is the sole aim of this short, which succeeds in being on.lj mildly humorous. The burlesque is not quite broad enough to catch on spontaneously, and as a result the action elicits little more than a scattered bunch of Miiekers until the finale when the dirty villain is outwitted by the noble hero and the innocent heroine is saved from the onrushing locomotive. "Fore!" Pathe Time, 8 mins. Good Golf Special Featuring Johnny Farrell, the golf pre*, who goes around the course with a partner, and explains the various shots he makes, and describes in detail the why and wherefore. He aUo corrects the, mistakes of his partner. This should prove a natural for all golf enthusiasts, for it gives them the lowdown on the game from the lips of an expert, fohnny makes some beautiful shots. "Just A Bear" Educational Time, 22 mins. Plenty Laughs A Mack Sennett comedy with Andy Clyde and Harry Gribbon that will get the laughs freely in any audience. Andy and Harry go out rabbit hunting, but stir up a bear instead The bear breaks into their cabin where they hide with Patsy O'Leary. The comedy lines are even funnier than the gags, which are plenty funny. This is a refreshing comedv done by two actor* wllO know thejr jobs,