The Film Daily (1931)

THE Sunday, May 31, 1931 jSEfr* DAILY n Lew Ay res in "Up for Murder" with Genevieve Tobin Universal Time, 75 mins. FAIR MURDER DRAMA WITH NEWSPAPER BACKGROUND. HAS GOOD CAST AS ITS MAIN ASSET, BUT IS LACKING IN DECISIVE PUNCHES. Lew Ayres, Genevieve Tobin and Frank McHugh, the latter supplying comedy relief, are barely able to keep this story at the proper suspense level. It is just another murder yarn, with Ayres, as the impulsive youth, accidentally killing his newspaper publisher-employer in a fight over the society editor, Genevieve Tobin, whom the boss has been keeping. In order to avoid involving the girl in a scandal, a fake alibi is framed up, but the lad gets the full penalty from the court. At the last minute the girl saves him from the chair by revealing the truth, and the two lovers are reunited for the fadeout. Plot and motivation are none too strong, nor are the theme and its handling particularly suitable for family trade. Ayres works hard, sometimes too hard, with a role that has little guts to it. Miss Tobin is attractive and capable. McHugh does fine with the comedy end, but it is limited. Cast: Lew Ayres, Genevieve Tobin. Dorothy Petersen, Purnell Pratt, Frank McHugh, Kenneth Thompson, Freddie Burke Frederick, Betty Jane Graham, Aileen Manning. Director, Monta Bell ; Author, same ; Adaptor, James Whi taker ; Dialoguer, same ; Editor, Ted Kent ; Cameraman, Karl Freund ; Recording Engineer, C. Roy Hunter. Direction, Fair. Photography, Good. Bob Steele in "The Ridin' Fool" Tiffany Time, 58 mint. GOOD FAST-ACTION WESTERN WITH STRONG DIRECTION AND BOB STEELE SHOOTING THE WORKS WITH PLENTY OF FIGHTING THAT THE FANS WILL GO FOR. Director J. P. McCarthy handled this one with plenty of snap and a lot of neat directorial touches that are not often encountered in Westerns. Bob Steele was given a fat part in a story chock full of action, and makes the best of it. The star and his pal are mixed up in a murder they did not commit, and this keeps them hopping just a few steps ahead of the sheriff's posse all the time. They also have a habit of falling in love with the same girls, and fighting over them. First a Mexican gal who double-crosses both of them, and then the heroine, whose brother is the real murderer in the case. There is a wow of a pitched battle between the two pals barricaded in the town, and the sheriff's posse. There is a tougli villain in the form of a Mexican who makes plenty of trouble for the pals, but everything works out satisfactorily when the girl's brother, dying, confesses the murder. Has the stuff the fans eat up. Cast : Boh Steele, Frances Morris, Josephine Velez, Florence Turner, Eddie Fetherston, Ted Adams, Al Bridges. Fern Emmett, Gordon DeMain, Jack Henderson. Director, J. P. McCarthy; Author, Wellyn Totman ; Adaptor, same ; Dialoguer, same ; Editor, Charles Hunt ; Cameraman, Archie Stout. Direction, good. Photography, okay. "Le Mystere de la Cham bre Jaune" ("The Mystery of the Yellow Room") Osso Productions Time, 105 mins. FRENCH DIALOGUE FILM ELABORATELY PRODUCED WITH FINE TECHNICAL EFFECTS AND ACTING, BUT TOO INVOLVED AND DRAGGY. This is an Osso Production from Paris, an adaptation of the famous detective mystery novel by Gaston Leroux. It needs cutting, and plenty. The characterizations are beautifully handled, and the atmospheric shots are superb. Especially the big climactic court room scene, when the hero newspaper reporter dramatically discloses the unsuspected and prominent murderer, seated in the chamber. But too many of the scenes are dragged out to interminable length, and overstre-sed. This slows up the tempo, and kills the fast movement of the plot as developed in the novel. Roland Toutain, as the newspaper reporter, who carries the brunt of the action, is about the best of the younger school of actors ever seen in a French film. Looks good from all angles, with looks, personality an3 fine acting talent. He should be a great bet for some American producer. Cast : Roland Toutain, Huguette ex-Duflos, Maxime Desjardins, Marcel Vibert, Van Daele. Director, Marvel L'Herbier ; Author, Gaston Leroux ; Adaptor, Marcel L'Herbier ; Editor, not listed ; Dialoguer, Gaston Leroux ; Cameraman, not listed ; Sound Engineers, L. H. Burel, Toporkoff. Direction, uneven. Photography, good. E mil J a nnings in "Der Grosse Tenor" ("The Great Tenor") Ufa Time, 55 mins. EXCELLENT GERMAN DIALOGUE COMEDY WITH JANNINGS DELIVERING SPLENDID PERFORMANCE. WILL APPEAL MOSTLY TO GERMAN AUDIENCES. Jannings shifts from tragedy to comedy in this all-German Erich Pommer production and does a grand job of it. The story, not so new, is competently enacted and carefully directed. It's told almost entirely in dialogue, but songs are also included. Jannings plays a strutting, philandering operatic tenor. Dissipation causes him to lose his voice while on a South American tour. He returns to Germany to his loving wife, who is hapnv at his failure because it brings him back to her. The tenor goes farmer for a while, and then his voice returns and he resumes his operatic career. Unlike many another continentally-made pictures, the women in this one are mighty attractive. Cast: Emil Jannings, Renate Mueller, Olga Tschechowa, Hans Moser, Max Guelstorff, Eduard von YVinterstein, Willy Prager. Siegried Berisch, Evaristo Signorini, Oskar Sima, Vladimir SokolofT. Director, Hanns Schwarz ; Author, Hans Mueller; Adaptors, Hans Mueller, Robert Liebmann ; Dialoguers, same ; Editor, Willy Zeyn, Jr.; Cameramen. Guenther Rittau, Konstantin Tschet ; Recording Engineer, Fritz Thiery. Direction, Al. Photography, Fine. 'Son of the Land" Amkino Time, 73 mins. TYPICAL RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA FILM THINLY DISGUISED UNDER DEVELOPMENT OF FAR EAST. HOLDS LITTLE FOR AMERICAN FANS. Just another of those things from the Soviet, trying to push over the old propaganda, showing how the poor ignorant natives in the barren wastes of one of those Mongolian countries are tyrannized over by the ruling class. The film is presented ostensibly as the development of the land with modern methods, such as an irrigation dam, and the poor downtrodden natives enabled to cultivate their land and assert their independence over the old feudal barons, or what corresponds to such in that country. There is a thread of a story running through it, with a poor native as the hero being educated by the Russians, so that he can go back to his people and help run the new dam. Of course the tyrant is overthrown, and everything is hotsy totsy. The only entertainment value in this pix is the views of the wild wastes, and the unique types and customs of the nomadic people. But as film entertainment from an American point of view, it's almost a total loss. Cast: Boris Ivanitski, Vladimir Vikulin, Iona Brokski, rest of cast natives of the region. Director, Edward Ioganson ; American MHvin I'. Levy; Cameraman, Alexander Gintzboorg ; no other credits furnished. Direction, weak. Photography, good. Dita Parlo in "Tropen Nachte" Paramount Time, 60 mins. FAIRLY INTERESTING MELODRAMA IN GERMAN DIALOGUE VERSION. HOLDS INTEREST IRRESPECTIVE OF FAMILIARITY WITH LANGUAGE. This is a German dialogue edition of Paramount's "Dangerous Paradise," in which Nancy Carroll and Richard Arlen played the leads. The story, from Joseph Conrad's "Victory," is a melodrama set in the tropics, where a girl entertainer is fought over by various men an9 finally wins the love of the upright hero who had isolated himself in that farawav spot to forget a former disillusionment. Background and action are practically a duplicate of the English talking version, but the tempo in the German adaptation seems much slower. Dita Parlo, playing the Nancy Carroll role, is attractive and capable. Her supporting cast is good. The trend of the story can be followed very easily whether the audience understands German or not. Though designated as a "German musical drama," the production has only one bit of song, which is a pleasing little number. Cast: Robert Thoeren, Wernei Hollmann, Fritz Greiner, FriU Rasp, Manfred Furst, Dita Parlo. Director, Leo Mittler ; Author, Josepl rad ; Adaptors. Egofi Bis, Rudolph Kasts cher ; Dialoguers, same ; Cameraman. Rene Guiffart. Direction, slow. Photography, ok Presentations ^_0? JACK NARROWER ^^ Venetian Atmosphere Marks Paramount Show A snappy and colorful show for the Paramount stage, emphasizing the comedy angle. It is called "Venetian Serenader," with a setting of the Italian city, with a good effect in the movements of two sail boatback stage, which separate at intervals, disclosing bits of the performance. The stage band are in Venetian costume, and the costumes of the Russell Markert Dancers help to 1 mild the atmosphere. Bayes and Speck, a comedy team, carry the brunt of the show, being on and off for several good bits. They have a fast patter of gag lines that went over strong. Other acts are Henri Therrein, Zita Rossi, Bobby Gilbert, Dorothy and the Four Yellow Jackets. This last, a good acrobatic act, went through some clever routine-. Plenty of harmony from the stage band that kept the show pepped up. Rudy Yallee was on the bill as the special feature attraction, with his orchestra, and contributed his latest pop numbers. All-Nations Program Overflows Roxy Stage The entire orchestra pit at the Roxy this week is raised and utilized as the "front apron" of the stage. The orchestra is placed on raised platforms back stage. An extremely colorful revue is presented, entitled "Temptation." The idea carries the "Women of all Nations" theme, in as much as each number is costumed for a different nationality. Two numbers are well danced by the Roxyettes, who appear in sparkling costumes. Viola Philo, representing Italy, renders a medley of operatic airs. Miss Philo has a voice of unusual quality and sweetness. Walter Abel, as "Mcphisto" is a sort of master of ceremonies. Patricia Bowman's toe dance as "Pearl of India", is beautiful and well done. Simon Kravaeff, Nina Polsley and the Rowdancers stage a Russian dance number that is fast and cleverly routined and the Michael Trio, acrobatic tumblers, round out a fine bill. Waring's Pennsylvanians Score Big at Capitol A rare treatment in stage -how entertainment is being furnished to Capitol eu-tomers this week, with Waring's Pennsylvanians and Kate Smith, radio name, topping the bill. The stage band wows 'em in number after number and Miss Smith, with her powerful but -weet voice, IS valuable addition to the program. Waring's Pennsylvanians, which is just about the best stage group in the business in the opinion of this reviewer, never mi--. Their re] toire i excellent and diversified, moving from ].-. song hits in Blue" i given a t'.mt.i pretation and an outsl tnding ■ he domino numb<