Harrison's Reports (1928-1928)

114 HARRISON’S REPORTS “The Actress” — with Norma Shearer ( Metro-Goldwyn-M April 28; 6,998 ft.; 81 to 99 min.) Just fair! The story unfolds in England, and revolves around the grandson (hero) of a nobleman, who falls in love with an actress (heroine), but whose grandfather objected to the match. Because, however, the hero told his grandfather that he loved the heroine and intended to marry her, the grandfather invites the heroine to live with them so that each might find out after a time whether he was still of the same mind. The heroine is uncomfortable in a home where even conversation was disturbing to the serene life of the occupants of the house, until she becomes sick of it all and leaves. The heroine and a friend, member of the company, endure privations because of the shutdown of the show. The hero, who had left his grandfather, hears of her plight and writes to him asking that he aid her. The grandfather calls on the heroine and offers her aid, but pride makes her refuse it. For the first time he sees the real character of the heroine. The friend of the heroine induces the hero’s grandfathr to produce a play of his so as to give him an opportunity to aid the heroine without making it appear as charity. He does so but is greatly surprised to see his own grandson in the cast. The fine acting of the heroine in an emotional scene that fitted her own circumstances so impress the hero’s grandfather that he removes all objections to their marrying. The plot has been founded on “Trelawney of the Wells,” by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero. It was directed by Sidney Franklin. Owen Moore, Lee Moran, Gwen Lee, Roy D’Arcy, Virginia Pearson, William Humphrey and Effie Ellsler are in the cast. “Half a Bride” — with Esther Ralston ( Paramount , June 23; 6,263 ft.; 72 to 89 min.) Just fair. There isn’t very much to the story. It is about a young girl, who believed in companionate marriage. She was wooed by a young society man. She makes the proposal to him that they should be tied only by a trial marriage, of six months’ duration, at the end of which time they were to be divorced if they found out that they could not get along well. Her father, who did not believe in such bosh, has her kidnaped and taken aboard his yacht, the commander of which was the hero, a young man the heroine despised. They sail in the Pacific. The yacht is wrecked and the two are washed ashore on an uninhabited island, where they are compelled to wear crudely made skin clothes and to eat anything they could catch, fish or game. They are eventually rescued by a boat sent to search for them. The heroine goes back to her world, but she soon finds out how much she cared for the hero and boards the ship on which he was to sail, promising him to be his for life. They marry. The scenes on the island are pretty passionate, although they are not crude. The story is by Arthur Stringer; it was adapted by Doris Anderson and Percy Heath, and directed by Gregory LaCava. Gary Cooper is the hero. William Worthington, Freeman Wood, Mary Doran, Guy Oliver and Ray Gallagher are in the supporting cast. “Warming Up” — with Richard Dix ( Paramount , August 11; 6,509 ft.; 75 to 93 min.) Without the “talk,” this picture is pretty fair. It is, like every one of the Dix pictures, a comedy drama, both comedy and drama being of the light vein. Most of the laughs are caused by subtitles, being words put in the mouth of Richard Dix, the hero. There is some comedy caused by the situations, too, but not much of it. The story is that of two ball players, (hero and villain), between whom there is bad blood, because both loved the same girl. The villain hated the “looks” of the hero because the latter was “horning in” and could not stop the heroine from showing a liking for him. The hero, on the other hand, hoped that he would some day become a big baseball star, like his rival, and then put the proposition to the girl. All the while he thought that the girl (heroine) was only a maid in the house; he did not know that she was the daughter of the owner. When calling on the heroine one evening he saw the villain through the window putting a ring July 21, 1928 on the heroine’s finger and took it for granted that she had accepted the villain’s marriage proposal. He goes back disconsolate. He gets from bad to worse as a ball palyer until on the day the World’s Baseball Series started he is disqualified for bad playing. On the last day of the last game he begs the manager of the team to put him on to pitch when their one good pitcher had dislocated his arm. The manager puts him on but his playing did not show an improvement, until the heroine, having been informed that his bad playing is the result of his grief on account of what he thought her promise to marry the villain, makes to the hero a signal indicating that she would be his forever. The hero then brightens up and pitches such a wonderful game that his team win the series. There isn’t much to the plot, but there is enough substance in it to give fairly good satisfaction. With the “talk,” “Warming Up” will do more to drive people away from the theatres than ten honestto-goodness “rotten” pictures. To begin with, the synchronization is out of “tune” in most places, in that the sound is heard first and the accident happens afterwards. This occurs in the heroine’s home, where the hero is caught in the house and hides in the ice box. A bulb is seen falling, but the sound is heard before the bulb had started on its mission to the floor. Later, the sound is heard and afterwards occurs the act of the hero that caused it. But the worst part of the film is in the ball game; the sound is simply maddening — enough to drive one to distraction. It would have been bad enough even if the sound had been recorded at the time the picture was being “shot”; but since the synchronization was done afterwards, it is simply exasperating. The story was written by Sam Mintz; it was directed by Fred Newmeyer. Mr. Dix does well in the hero's part. Jean Arthur takes the part of the heroine. Claude King, Philo McCollough, Wade Boteler, Billy Kent Schaefer, and others are in the supporting cast. “Telling the World” — with William Haines ( M ctro-Goldwyn-M ., June 30; 7,184 ft.; 83 to 102 min.) This style of pictures, cut to order for Mr. Haines, have begun to get tiresome. Mr. Haines again is presented as a supreme egotist, who wants the world to think him all-wise, and who feels that no one should deny him what he wants. He meets the heroine, a chorus girl, and becomes fascinated by her beauty. Fie takes her to her home and stays there all night. When her landlady in the morning tells her to go because she was conducting a “respectable dump.” the hero takes the heroine to his rooms. The fact that it is considered improper for a young woman to remain through the night in the same room with a single man did not enter the thoughts of the hero. There is some comedy here and there, and a few thrills. The thrills occur in what is supposed to be China, where the hero went to find the heroine; she had joined a traveling American show when she thought that the hero did not have it in his mind to marry her. There he learns that the heroine had been arrested and was accused of the murder of the governor of the province, the head of the military forces having made the accusation against her to hide the fact that it had been he that had murdered the governor. By jumping on the Chinese guards and entering the wireless room, he forces the operator to send to the American battle fleet a message acquainting the admiral of the plight of the Americans. It is in the scenes that show the American aeroplanes flying over the Chinese and bombing them, and in the later scenes where the sailors are seen charging, that most of the thrills occur. The screen drama is by Dale Van Every. It was directed well by Sam Wood. Anita Page is the heroine; she is pretty and acts well. Eileen Percy, Frank Currier, Polly Moran, Bert Roach, and William V. Along are in the cast. It is a newspaper story, in which the hero is shown as having been disowned by his wealthy father, and later obtained a job as a reporter. It should do for a program entertainment. But exhibitors that avoid sex plays should be careful about this one, for in the scenes that show the heroine in the hero’s rooms, it is plainly evident that the hero did not have the best of intentions towards the heroine. In any event, it is not a picture for children.