Harrison's Reports (1928-1928)

September 8, 1928 HARRISON’S REPORTS 143 “Kit Carson” — with Fred Thomson ( Paramount , July 21, 7,464 ft.; 86 to 106 min.') This picture has been produced well ; it manages to keep the interest alive all the way through. But it lacks the last action of other Thomson pictures, it specializes chiefly on human interest. Mr. Thomson, as the hero, undertakes to defend the Indians and to fight a white villain. But his chief action is a promise he gave to an Indian chief to capture and deliver to him the white man that had attempted to assault his young daughter, causing her death; she had jumped off a high cliff so as to escape from this man. Ihe action that shows Kit Carson as having been sent to the Indians by General Freemont is historically correct ; also the fact that he had succeeded in pacifying them ; but his having rescued the Indian chief’s daughter from a bear and the girl’s death in her effort to escape from her attacker is, no doubt, fiction. There are no fights between white troops and Indians, and therefore the picture does not offer the thrills Indian melodramas usually offer. The plot has been constructed by Paul Powell, supposedly an authority on Kit Carson, the historical character of pioneer days. Lloyd Ingram and Alfred Werker have directed it. Nora Lane, Dorothy Janis, Raoul Paoli, William Cortright, Nelson McDowell, and Raymond Turner support Mr. Thomson. “Manhattan Knights” — with Barbara Bedford and Walter Miller ( Excellent-Regional , Aug. 25 ; 5,904 ft.; 68 to 82 min.) A pretty fair society melodrama with a mystery twist. The spectator’s interest is held pretty well throughout as it has suspense and a few thrills. The scenes in the villain s rooms where he invites the heroine to make love to her are thrilling as is the fight between the hero and villain who had followed her there. The most exciting scenes take place in the villain’s den where the hero, the girl and her brother are held captive even after the hero had given the villain a check for $50,000 in return for their liberty. There is a fire caused by the throwing of a cigarette into a pile of rubbish ; it is thrilling. The story revolves around a gang of gamblers who had a falling out. One of them is shot by the leader (villain) who pretends that one of their victims, the young sporty son of a senator, had committed the crime because he wanted to get from the murdered man the check which was forged and which he was holding to blackmail his father with. The hero, a bored millionaire, out looking for adventure, flirts with a beautiful girl whom he follows to the den of the gamblers. Each falls in love with the other. The hero, determining to find out why such a well-bred girl was traveling in such company, invites her to his home in an effort to learn her identity. She is invited by the villain in his home. While she is locked in another room she overhears the conversation that took place between tire gamblers fighting over money and learns that the villain had committed the murder. The hero accidentally picks up his wallet that contained the forged check, which the villain had stolen from the murdered man. This leads the heroine to follow him back to his home where she recovers the check and tells him that she is trying to rescue her brother, who was held by the villain in a den. They are rescued in time by the fire department which was summoned by the organ grinder whose clever monkey caught the hero’s note which he threw down from the window. Before the villain could make his escape, he is captured by the police. Hero and heroine are united. The picture is based on a story by Adeline Leitzbach and was directed by Burton King. Miss Bedford is a charming heroine and Mr. Miller is a likable hero. Crawford Kent is a good villain. Others in the cast are Ray Hallor as the young brother, Leo White as the organ-grinder, and Eddie Goland. “The Cardboard Lover” — with Marion Davies (Metro-Goldivyn-Mayer, Aug. 25 ; 7,108 ft. ; 82 to 113 min.) While the story is not very strong, the picture sends the audiences home laughing. This is due to Miss Davies’ slapstick antics in her efforts to prevent the hero from being lost to the vamp whose conduct she imitates. The story revolves around a romantic college girl, who makes a trip to Europe and tries to obtain the signatures of prominent people for her autograph album. But when she falls in love with the hero, a tennis champion, who resists her efforts to make him sign his name, she makes up her mind that she wants him and goes to extreme means to get him. He is mtatuated with a Madamoiselle Simone, who is a lady of easy virtue, and when he discovers in her rooms another lover he resolves to give her up. But this he finds difficult to do until he is persuaded by the heroine to keep her around to prevent him from going to his lady love, in payment for the gambling debt which she unsuspectingly acquired when she chased the hero into the Casino where he was playing. The scenes in the garden, where she impersonates a bellboy, are very funny. So are the scenes where she falls into the lake after telling the vamp to fall into it. Later, when she goes to the hero’s rooms to continue her job, and he cannot “shake her off,” considerable comedy is caused. The scene where she impersonates the vamp to see if the hero was cured of his infatuation for her is so well done that the audience might easily be led to think that Miss Goudal had taken the part herself. The scenes where she returns to the hero’s house, donning his pajamas and busily brushing her teeth when the vamp calls on the hero are so well done that the vamp was lead to believe that the heroine was really living with the hero and so she left him in disgust. Hero and heroine are united after she pretended to be seriously injured, when he hurled her to the floor in his anxiety to catch the vamp when she left, because he found that he really was in love with the heroine. The picture is adapted from the stage play of the same name by Jacques Duval. Miss Davies is an excellent comedienne and mimic. Nils Asther is pretty good as the hero who tried to believe in the woman with whom he had fallen madly in love. Jetta Goudal is an interesting vamp. Others in the cast are Andres de Segurola, as the other lover of the vamp. Tenen Holtz and Pepi Lederer. TALKING PICTURES AND INSTRUMENTS ( Continued from Other Side) ducers to make good quality features of this kind than it is to produce silent features ; and unless talking pictures of good quality are shown, the public will keep away from them. And what reason have we to think that the average quality of the talking pictures of feature length will be much higher than the quality of stage productions ? The good stage productions that are produced every year may be counted on the fingers of both hands. And the talking picture dramas require the same care as do the stage productions. (To be continued in a forthcoming issue) WORLD WIDE PICTURES, Inc. 729 Seventh Avenue New York City ; August 16, 1928. Mr. Pete Harrison, New York City. Dear Pete : Letters to the editor are usually so much applesauce and I very seldom waste that dignitary’s time and my own in writing to them, but the article in the issue of August 18 on “Talking Pictures and Instruments” is so excellent that I cannot refrain from expressing my appreciation. Of all the columns that I have ever read on the subject nothing has given me one-tenth real information and understanding on the subject as has your article. I shall certainly look forward to the succeeding issues on the same subject. Very truly yours, C. L. YEARSLEY. CENTRAL PARK THEATRE Buffalo, N. Y. Mr. P. S. Harrison, 1440 Broadway, New York City. Gentlemen: We are receiving your paper at our Genesee Theatre, 1600 Genesee Street, and we are very, very satisfied with the information that you give us. Your paper is priceless! Yours very truly, C. BASIL.