The Film Daily (1931)

10 zj^ESS DAILV Sunday, August 16, 1 I Constance Bennett in "BOUGHT" Warned' Bros. Time, 83 mhis. BENNETT'S BEST DRAMA IN SEVERAL PICTURES. REAL ENTERTAINMENT FOR ADULT AUDIENCES AND ESPECIALLY WOMEN. Miss Bennett in a vehicle which entirely suits her talents and which gives her an opportunity to wear those gowns which cause femme audiences to rave. She plays a seamstress' daughter who has social ambitions — who wants to better her position. Gradually she climbs towards luxury, incidentally rejecting the love of a struggling young writer, effectively played by Ben Lyon. Finally, following a seduction scene, the wealthy chap she is going to marry learns that she's an illegimate child and the wedding's off. Eventually she learns that an elderly man who has been paying attention to her is her father and she gets together with the writer. Richard Bennett as the father is fine and the entire cast is excellent. It's a lavish production. Cast: Constance Bennett, Ben Lyon, Richard Bennett, Doiothy Peterson, Raymond Milland, Doris Lloyd, Maude Eburne, Mae Madison, Clara Blandick, Arthur Stuart Hull, Edward J. Nugent and Paul Porcasi. Director, ArcTiie Mayo ; Author, Harriett Henry ; Adaptors, Charles Kenyon, Raymond Ciriffith ; Dialoguers, same ; Editor, George Marks ; Cameraman, Ray June ; Recording Engineer, not credited. Direction, expert. Photography, A-1. "SILENCE" with Clive Brook Marjorie Rambeau, Peggy Shannon Paraynount Time, 60 mins. GOOD MURDER DRAMA WEAKENED BY MISCASTING IN PRINCIPAL ROLE. STRONG ALLAROUND CAST. This remake of the silent film and play of same name by Max Marcin carries interest pretty well, but loses through the casting of the smooth, suave and methodical Clive Brook in the role of an oldtime New York crook, carnival grifter and convict, who would go to the chair in order to save his daughter. Losing to a rival for the hand of a girl who is about to become the mother of his child, Clive and a crook friend turn up 20 years later after the mother has died and the child is now a stunning girl about to marry a boy of good family. Clive's friend attempts to blackmail the guardian, and in the squabble that follows the girl learns the truth and shoots the crook. Her real father takes the blame and refuses to talk, but at the last minute the girl confesses and is exonerated. Peggy Shannon does nicely in the dual role of mother and girl. John Wray scores as the blackmailer. Cast: Clive Book, Marjorie Rambeau, Peggy Shannon. Charles Starrett, VVillard Robertson, John Wray, Frank Sheridan, Paul Nicholson, John Craig, J. M. Sullivan, Charles Trowbridge, Ben Taggart, Wade Boteler, Robert Homans. Directors, Louis Gasnier, Max Marcin : Author, Max Marcin ; Adaptor, not credited ; Dialoguer, not credited ; Editor, not credited ; Cameraman, Charles Rosher ; Recording Engineer, H. M. Lindgren. Direction, good. Photography, good. "SPORTING BLOOD" with Clark Gable M-G-M Time, 82 mins. GOOD HORSE-RACE DRAMA WITH SOME NEW ANGLES IN ATTRACTIVE KENTUCKY BACKGROUND. WELL CAST AND DIRECTED. Plenty of horses and colts, and much intimate human-interest material make this an entertaining offering. The story is a bit different from the usual run of horse-race films in so far as the first three or four reels are more about the raising of blue-blooded horses than about racing. Clark Gable portrays a sporting fellow who is mixed up with a crowd of crooked gamblers but, who saves the day (and the race) at the finish. Scenes are actually taken in the "Blue grass" region of Kentucky and provide colorful background. There is the usual thrill as "Tommy Boy," the horse-hei'o, wins the derby in spite of his unscrupulous jockey. Dialogue is snappy and cast well chosen. Cast: Clark Gable, Ernest Torrence. Madge Evans, Lew Cody, Marie Prevost, Harry Holman. Hallam Cooley, J. Farrell McDonald, John Larkin, Eugene Jackson. Director, Charles Brabin; Author, Frederick Hazlitt Brennan ; Adaptors, Willard Mack, Wanda Tuchock ; Dialoguers. same ; Editor, not credited ; Cameraman, Harold Rosson ; Recording Engineer, not credited. Direction, very good. Photography, fine. «E^ "THE SPIDER" with Edmund Lowe Fox Time, 59 w GOOD MYSTERY T)RA WITH FANTASTIC THEME A NO ROMANCE. DIRECTION ipi PHOTOGRAPHY ARE 0 STANDING FEATURES. In the transposition of the Brc way stage hit to the screen nj has been gained in effects and ! sicns, but in turn there has Ij much lost in suspense and act Edmund Lowe does his best in' extremely serious part. In s] he is convincing. He portrays part of a great magician whose el "subject" is a young man suffei with amnesia. Lowe determine^ discover the boy's true identity, does so, but only after causinj'a murder to be committed during e performance, throwing the audiee into a panic. Camera and lightg effects are exceptionally fine, we William Cameron Menzies has de a good job of the direction. Cast : Edmund Lowe, Lois Moran, ard Phillips, Earle Foxe, El Brendel, i| dall McCoraas, Manya Roberti, Jolm ledge, George E. Stone, Purnell Pratt, liam Pawley, Jesse DeVorska, Warren mer, Ruth Donnelly. Directors, William Cameron Menzies, iM neth MacKenna; Authors, Fulton Our|f Lowell Brentano; Adaptors, Barry Conn Philip Klein ; Dialoguers, same ; Editor, .1 J^e Gaetantj : Cameraman, James W I Howe; Recording Engineer, Albert Bru; . Direction, fine. Photograph, excellent. Richard Talmadge in "DANCING DYNAMITE" Capital Exchange Time, 67 mins. FAST ACTION MELLER WITH DICK TALMADGE OUTSTUNTING HIMSELF IN THRILL STUFF THAT WILL PLEASE THE FANS. In this one Richard Talmadge outdoes himself in the quality and number of the daring stunts he pulls throughout the footage. At a neighborhood house the showing of the film had the kids yelling with delight, if that is any indication of the success of the opus. The scenery is beautiful, showing the scenes in and around Catalina Island. The story covers the efforts of a racketeering gang to shake down a rich industrial leader by kidnapping his daughter. Dick horns in as a member of a fishing crew, and the racketeers are out to get rid of him when they see him obstructing their plans. It is a series of fast action shots, with Dick in evidence most of the time, and keeping the footage popping with excitement every time he shows. He pulls some really remarkable and daring stunts, seeming to risk his neck a score of times in thrilling leaps, falls and whatnot. The windup is a whiz, with the hero in a fast motorboat chase, and a series of hand-to-hand fights with members of the gang. For the pop crowds, should go big. Cast: Richard Talmadge, Blanche Meliaffey. Robert Ellis, Richard Cramer, Harvey Clark, Dot Farley. Jack Ackroyd, Stanley Blystone, Walter Brennan. Director, Noel Mason. No other credits listed. Direction, satisfactory. Photography, clear. Buddy Roosex'elt in "LIGHTNIN' SMITH'S RETURN" Syndicate Exchange Time, 59 mins. WESTERN POORLY PRODUCED AND ACTED WITH A WEAK STORY THAT SCORES ONLY A FEW LAUGHS ON COMEDY ANGLE. Just another example of a western turned out carelessly that rates very low from all angles. The acting in many spots is pretty terrible. The direction is even worse. Altogether, it's just a filler for small stands, where they aren't fussy about their western fare. The story had merit, if it had been properly handled. But they mussed it up from start to finish, so that in many spots the motivation and action is so clouded that you are confused and bewildered. Buddy Roosevelt, as the hero, is a writer of western stories who has never visited the West. He gets a letter from a girl on a ranch who kids him that he doesn't know what it's all about, and that if he will come out, she will show him the real west. Arrived there, she frames him to appear as a notorious bandit, and the gang frames a holdup, etc. The real bandit appears, and then the final showdown. Cast: Buddy Roosevelt, Barbara Worth, Tom London, Nick Dunaev, Jack Richardson. Sam Tittley. Fred Parker. William Bertram. Pee Wee Holmes. Director, Jack Irwin ; Author. same ; Adaptor, same ; Dialoguer, same ; Editor, Earl Turner ; Cameraman, Amos Stilhnan ; Recording Engineer, Herbert Eikes. Direction, poor. Photography, fair. "FIFTY FATHOMS DEEP" ivith Jack Holt Columbia Time, 68 mins. THRILLING MELODRAMA REPLETE WITH ACTION, SUSPENSE AND ROMANCE. SPLENDIDLY ACTED AND DIRECTED. With a staunch story upon which to work. Director Roy William Neill has turned out a swell melodrama. Jack Holt and Richard Cromwell are deep-sea divers, with Holt acting as a sort of a guardian over the younger lad. While Holt is away Cromwell marries a girl of questioned reputation, although the boy believes she is the soul of purity. Upon Holt's return, Cromwell is called away on a job. Holt visits the boy's wife only to discover she is a one-time sweetheart of his. Holt waits his time to tell the lad, but is saved from doing so by finding the body of the girl lying on the bottom of the sea next to the millionaire owner of a yacht which both Holt and Cromwell are salvaging, following an explosion. Loretta Sayers looks beautiful and backs up her appearance by some fine acting. Cast: Jack Holt, Loretta .Sayers, Richard Cromwell, Mary Doran, Christina Montt, Wallace MacDonald. Henry Mowbray. Director, Roy William Neill ; Author, Dorothy Howell : Adaptor, same ; Dialoguer, Roy Chanslor ; Editor, Gene Havelick ; Cameraman, Joseph Walker, A. S. C. ; Recording Engineer, George Cooper. Direction, excellent. Photography, very fine. Wally Wales in "RIDERS OF THE CACTUS" Big 4 Time, 56 mi. STRONG ACTION WESTER, WITH SOME BEAUTIFUL CA ERA SHOTS OF CACTUS COU TRY AND WALLY WALES .' HIS BEST. Pictorially, this is one of the fine westerns ever produced. Most the action take place right in desert, with the giant cactus in p-'use variety everywhere. The st^ is rather out of the ordinary, t written by someone who knows west and put some originality ir plot development. The theme c ters around an old Latin parchme which proves to hold the secret X buried treasure of some old Spa ish outlaws. The girl comes ir possession of the document, witho realizing its significance. The hea gets hold of it, and with his gan ;tarts out to the desert to locate t treasure. The hero follows wi what seems to be a pack train mules, on a prospecting trip. B under the blankets his followers a concealed. This works into sor strong action stuff for the clima with the U. S. and Mexican bord patrols in at the finish. Cast: Wally Wales, Buzz Barton, Fi Church, Ed Cartright, Don Wilson, J Lawliss, Lorraine La\'al, Tete Brady, E Delmas, Gus Anderson. Director, David Kirkland ; Author, Char T. Connell; Adaptor, David Kirkland; D loguer, same; Editor, not listed; Camei man, R. B. Hooper; Sound Recorder, B. j Kroger. Direction, fast. Photography, A-I.