The Film Daily (1931)

10 —JXI^ DAILY Sunday, July 19, 193 "SECRETS OF A SECRETARY" with Claudette Colbert, Herbert Marshall, Georges Metaxa Paramount Time, 71 mins. DANDY BOX-OFFICE ATTRACTION IN STORY AS WELL AS CAST. ESPECIALLY GOOD WOMAN'S PICTURE. Paramount's New York studio turned out a good b.o. bet in this nicely-paced story in which dialogue is amply supported with action. Besides the alluring Claudette Colbert, the cast includes two new male principals, Herbert Marshall and Georges Metaxa, who ought to click with the girls. Marshall plays a distinguished fiance of a rich society girl, Betty Garde, infatuated with Metaxa, a cabaret singer and gigolo. The gig has handed a rotten deal to his wife, Miss Colbert, who is now the rich one's social secretary. Love crops up between the fiance and the secretary, and subsequently the gig is bumped off for cheating his racketeer pals in connection with jewels lifted from patrons. The secretary tries to take the blame for the society girl, who is accidentally involved in the killing, but the facts are unraveled and all ends in approved fashion with the sec getting the fiance and the bad girl being spanked. Cast: Claudette Colbert, Herbert Marshall, Ceorges Metaxa, Betty Lawford, Mary Boland, Berton Churchill, Averell Harris, Betty Garde, Hugh O'Connell. Director, George Abbott ; Author, Charles lirackett ; Adaptors, George Abbott, Dwight Taylor; Dialoguer, Dwight Taylor; Editor, Helene Turner ; Cameraman, George Folsey ; Recording Engineer, Harold Fingerlin. Direction, fine. Photography, fine. "TOO MANY COOKS" with Bert Wheeler, Dorothy Lee Radio Time, 77 mivs. GOOD LAUGH NUMBER. A NATURAL FOR FAMILY TRADE WITH WHOLESOME STORY BUILT AROUND FUNNY INLAWS SITUATION. SHOULD CLICK STRONG. Adapted from the stage play by Frank Craven. It puts Bert Wheeler in a somewhat different role, playing the part of the young engaged man trying to build a home in the country for his intended, the part giving him a chance for some real serious work. The comedy comes naturally from the funny theme. As he progresses with the building of his house, the girl's folks, the Cook family, come out to look it over. They all try to tell him what to do and how to do it. To make matters worse, his rich uncle mixes in, and starts to take Bert's part. The result is a bust up between the hero and his girl. The house is finished, and with no wife to occupy it, he decides to sell it. His uncle answers the ad, having got married himself in the meanwhile. Works up to a nice ending, with the uncle turning the house back to the young couple, now happily reconciled. The story carries a lot of wholesome and shrewd truth that should go big Cast : Bert Wheeler, Dorothy Lee, Sharon Lynn, Roseo Ates. Robert McWade, Hallam Cooley. Florence Roberts, Clifford Dempsey, George Chandler. Director, William .Seiter ; Author. Frank Craven : Adaptor. Jane Murfin : Dialoguer. Frank Craven ; Editor, not credited ; Cameraman. Nick Musuraca. Direction, smooth. Photography, good. Barbara Stanwyck in "NIGHT NURSE" with Ben Lyon, Joan Blondell, Clark Gable Warner Bros. Time, 72 mins. STRANGE BUT AMUSING MIXTURE OF HOSPITAL DRAMA, CROOK ACTIVITIES AND COMEDY. WITH GOOD WORK BY FINE CAST. Starting out with a hospital background, this story develops into a crook drama wherein Barbara Stanwyck, in the role of a private nurse, attempts to save the life of a couple of little girls who are literally being starved to death in a scheme to get possession of a trust fund left to them. A breezy bootlegger, played by Ben Lyon, whom Miss Stanwyck attended at a time when he was shot 'n the shoulder, comes to her rescue after she has been pretty badly manhandled by a tough chauffeur, Clark able, member of the crooked group, ind the scheming mob is dispersed. Joan Blondell, in the role of a sister nurse to Miss Stanwyck, walks oi¥ with a big slice of the honors as a result of her wisecracking and comedy antics, all of which register solidly. Lyon's bootleg role also is in a comedy vein, and there are plenty of laughs throughout. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck. Ben Lyon, Joan Blondell. Clark Gable. Charles Winninger. \'era Lewis. Blanche Frederic!. Charlotte Merriam. Edward Nugent. Ralf Harolde. Director. William Wellnian : Author, Dora Macy ; Adaptor. Oliver H. P. Garrett ; Dialoguers. Oliver H. P. Garrett. Charles Kenyon : Editor, Ed McDermott ; Cameraman. Chick McGill. Direction, lively. Photography, good. Constance Bennett in "THE COMMON LAW" ivith Joel McCrea, Lew Cody, Ma. ion Schilling, Hedda Hopper RKO Pathe Time, 75 niiri CONSTANCE BENNETT AN JOEL M'CREA CARRY INTEI EST IN EASYGOING TALKE VERSION OF OLDTIME STAG HIT. Constance Bennett's popularity ai the feminine appeal of Joel McCrc make this a drawing card of fair strong proportions, although the stoi itself doesn't produce much of a dr matic punch due to lots of talk ar little action. Miss Bennett nev looked better and McCrea also maki his best impression to date. Adaptf from the Robert W. Chambers pla the plot concerns a girl with a pa who decides to go straight and b comes an artist's model. Falling '. love with her boss, she doesn't t( him about her former life until h old boy friend turns up and creat embarrassment. Quarrels, family i terference and other complicatio' follow, ending in regulation hapi style, ^here is some good flash a mosphere in the way of studio seen and a Parisian artists' ball. Lew Co( plays the model's former sweetie. Cast: Constance Bennett, Joel McCr Lew Cndv. Robert Williams, Hedda Hopp Marion Shilling. Paul Ellis. Walter Walk Director. Paul Stein ; Author, Robert ^ Chambers ; Adaptor, John Farrow ; Dialogu Horace Jackson ; Editor, Charles Cra; Cameraman, Hal Mohr. Direction, careful. Photography, good. 'THE MAN IN POSSESSION" with Robert Montgomery, Irene Pvrcell M-G-M Time, 79 mins. DELIGHTFUL LIGHT ENGLISH COMEDY WITH CLEVER DIALOGUE AND LOVE SITUATION THAT THE FEMMES WILL GO FOR STRONG. Adapted from the stage play by H. M. Harwood. The theme is a natural for laughs, which come steadily throughout the footage. It is a comedy of the drawing room in the best sense of the word, for the action takes place mostly in a drawing room setting. Robert Montgomery proves himself to be a light comedian of the first water, and he is bound to go over big with the femmes, especially in his love scenes with Irene Purcell, which are charming and delicately handled. A picture for the best audiences, for the intelligence and class of the entire production will be a great relief to them. Montgomery is placed liy the London bailiff as his man to take charge of the home of Irene Purcell, until a certain bill she owes is satisfied. He offers to act as butler to help her out. The complications are very clever and funny. One of the best light comedies of several seasons. Cast : Robert Montgomery. Irene Purcell, C. .Aubrey Smith, Charlotte Greenwood, Bery! Mercer, Reginald Owen, Alan Mowbray, Maude Eburne, Forrester Harvey, Yorke Sherwood. Director, Sam Wood; Author, H. M. Harwood ; Adaptor, Sarah Y. Mason ; Dialoguers, Sarah Mason, P. G. Wodehouse ; Editor, Ben Lewis: Cameraman, Oliver T, Marsh; Recording Engineer, Karl Zint. Direction, smart. Photography, excellent. "MURDER BY THE CLOCK" Paramount Time, 75 mins. GOOD MURDER MELODRAMA OF SEMI -MYSTERY TYPE WITH A LOAD OF KILLINGS AND WELL-DISTRIBUTED COMEDY. Murder mystery amid spooky surroundings and sinister characters is given another whirl in this one. It revolves around a fiendish female, played by Lilyan Tashman. who causes a bunch of killings, including her husband and her secret sweetie, so that she may get hold of a wad of dough left by an eccentric aunt whose death she also inspired. The wife is clever enough to cover up her tracks for a long time, but eventually a smart detective, who refuses *o respond to her wiles, takes her into custodv. For eerie effect there 's the familiar old house servant who makes ominous utterances and pre'I'ctions, also the late rich woman's nitwit son, a leering maniac with Treat strength, strikingly portrayed bv Irving P'chel. Frequent outbreaks of conied}' help to relieve the funereal atmosphere, and some light romantic IS well as comedy touches are supplied by Sally O'Neil and Regis Toomey as a maid and a cop. Cast: William Bovd. Lilyan Tashman. Irving Pichel, Regis Toomev. Sally O'Neil, Blanche Frederici, Walter McGrail, Martha Mattox. Director. Edward Sloman : Authors, Rufus King. Charles Beahan : Adaptor, Henry Myers; Dialoguer, same; Editor, not credited; Cameraman, Ksrl Struss : Recording Engineer, not credited. Direction, appropriate. Photography, goo<l. "A HOLY TERROR" with George O'Brien, Sally Filers Fox Time, 53 mins. THRILLING WESTERN MELODRAMA FILLED WITH FAST RIDING, BRONCHO BUSTING AND VILLAINS. .\ nmrder mystery starts this western off on a fast pace which continues throughout the picture. Opportunities for injecting more silent technique than is usually permitted have been taken advantage of by director Irving Cummings. The story concerns Tony Bard, a society lad who sets out to avenge the murder of the man whom he believes to be his father. George O'Brien, as Tony, is given fine chances to display his ability as a horseman both in the first sequences, when he participates in a polo match, and later out west where he has gone in search of the murderer. The culprit turns out to be Tony's real father and on finding him, Tony is forced to battle his way through obstacles put in his path by two very melodramatic villains. Romance is secondary, and the girl is Sally Filers. Generally good audience fare. Cast: George O'Brien. Sally Filers. Rita LaRov, Humnhrev Bogart. James Kirkwood. Stanley Fields, Robert Warwick, Richard Tucker, Earl Pingree. Director, Irving Cummings ; Author, Max B-nnil: Adaptor. Ralph Block; Dialoguers, Alfred .'\. Cohn, Myron Fagan ; Editor. Ralph D'xon : Cameraman, George Scbneiderman ; Recording Engineer. Donald Flick. Direction, good. Photography, good. "MEN OF THE SKY" First National Time, 71 wn FAIR SPY STORY. POORL DEVELOPED, HITS WA THEME WITH UNHAPP NOTE FOR THE FINISH. This one was written by Jeror Kern and Otto Harbach, gents of t musical rather than the literar\' wor' and it looks like they started to bu' up a strong musical theme and thi switched to a regulation talkie. Ti musical atmosphere is very slight, i only an incident in the plot. It hin^;' on a girl spy working for the Fren' government with her father duri the war. She plays on the piano a signal to the aviator, who has ji: landed on the estate to come into ti house and get the secret plans, a then fly back across the French b( der with them. He happens to her former sweetheart whom she h been forced to discard to play up ;| a German officer for the secret w^ plans which she can get from hi It is all rather flat and heavy, wi no sympathy created for any of t characters. The continuity is ragg( with innumerable fadeouts to ovf come the lapses in situations. .'\ traj ending with the sweethearts caug and led out to the firing squad fi ishes the picture on a dismal note. Cast: Irene Delroy, Jack Whiting, Bra well Fletcher. John St. Polis, Frank J Hugh, Edward Maxwell, Otto Maties Lotti Loder, Arman Kaliz, Director, Alfred E. Green ; Authors, rnme Kern, Otto Harbach ; Adaptors, san Dialoguers, same; Editor, Desmond 0'Bri< Cameraman, John Seitz, Recording Enginei not credited. j Direction, uneven. Photography, uneven' y