Harrison's Reports (1930)

6 “No, No, Nannette!” (100% T-D) {First National, syn. Feb. 16; time, 81 viin.) The first half, which is chiefly in black and white, is a corking good comedy entertainment. The comedy is caused by the situations, by the subtitles, and by the acting, particularly by that of Lucien Littlefield, who takes the part of the wealthy Bible salesman. He is shown supporting two women in secret. He gets into many entanglements as a result of it. 1 he second half, which has been photographed by the Technicolor process, is tiresome. Not only is the action in that part slow and lacking in comedy values, but the technicolor work is the poorest yet seen. The emulsion grain is so noticeable that it makes the picture appear as if the heavens were raining sand. The long shots are one big blurr. The color in the medium shots is mostly washed out. The faces of the players are expressionless. In some scenes they look like death masks. The flesh color is unnatural. In one or two scenes the outline of the white dress Bernice Claire wears is red. In some scenes the red color predominates to an unpleasant degree. Only a few of the technicolor scenes are pretty. Unless better work is done, color had better been left out of talking pictures. Some of the songs are tuneful but the sound reprcxluction is “terrible.” There is no color to the voices ; these may belong to any person, instead of to particular persons. The only redeeming feature is, as said, the good comedy v/ork in the first half. This may put the picture over as a fairly good entertainment, but no one will become excited over it, because the novelty of this type of picture has worn off. The plot has been founded on the stage musical comedy of the same name by Frank Mandel, Otto Harbach, Vincent Youmans, and Emil Nyitray. Clarence Badger directed it. Alexander Gray is only fair as the hero, and Bernice Claire as the heroine. Lucien Littlefield, Zasu Pitts, and Louise Fazenda do the best work. Lilyan Tash’man, Bert Roach, Mildred Harris, Henry Stockbridge and Jocelyn Lee are in the cast. (Silent values, fairly good in the first half, but poor in the last half. Silent release date and length have not yet been determined.) “The Laughing Lady” (100% T-FDN) {Param., Dec. 28; syn. time, 107 minutes.) Fairly appealing. The trouble with it is that the plot is artificial, and the acting of Miss Chatterton, although a beautiful woman, and although she tries her best, does not ring true. . , v >• t* • The plot bears some similarity to Madame A. It is shown that she is sued by her husband for divorce, because the life guard that has saved her from drowning was seen in her room, and she had been accused of immoral conduct. The spectator knows, however, that she is innocent; the life guard had been “kidded” by his comrades into believing that the woman he had saved from drowning loved her. He, being gullible and silly, believes the “kidding” and, taking a few drinks, goes to her home and enters her room by climbing through the fire escape. But the husband, who wanted to preser\e the “purity” of his home, even though he himself had been keeping another woman, hires the hero, a famous lawyer, to look after his interests. He is thus able to obtain, not only a divorce, but also the custody of their little daughter. The heroine is heart-broken ; she is also incensed at the unjust accusations of the hero and proceeds to give him a dose of his own medicine. She arranges matters so that she is invited at a week-end party and, by using her charms and her ingenuity, she makes the hero fall in love with her, her intention being to humiliate him afterwards. She is successful, but she SO entangles herself that she has to marry the hero, who loved her, to disentangle herself. The title is derived from the fact that the heroine laughed even at tragic moments. The laughing is somewhat forced. Alfred Sutro’s plav furnished the plot. Victor Schertzinger directed it. Clive Brook is the hero, Raymond Warburn the faithless husband. The sound reproduction is only fair. There was undue reverberation at the time of taking the picture. Music plays during some of the talk. In some of the scenes it is justified. because the talk occurred while the orchestra was playing for the dance. In some of the situations it is not justified. At all events it is annoying. (No silent version will be made.) Jan^ry 11, 1930 “Mexicali Rose” (100% T-F&D) {Columbia, Dec. 26; syn. time, 61 minutes.) Although not extraordinary, “Mexicali Rose” is not a bad program picture. On the contrary, it should takewell m types oi houses where strong pictures a;C not objected to. It is a story that unfolds mostly in a dance and gambling hall, where considerable drinking goes on. The hero is shown returning from a trip and finding in his home evidence, in the form of a man's necktie, proving that his wife had been unfaithful. 'Hie hero sends her away, later obtaining a divorce. She, in order to get even with the hero, goes to the town where his young brother, whom he adored, was going to college. She manages to get acaquainted with the young man and in a short time induces him to marry her. '1 he youiij; ijrother sends the hero a wire telling him that he is going to spend his honeymoon at his “gold mine.” 'I'he hero, in order to hide from his young brother the fact that he had been conducting a gambling hall, had told him that he owned a gold mine. When he receives the wire he exchanges his gambling hall for a gold mine, owned by a Mexican friend of his. He is now ready to receive his brother and his bride. When the brother arrives, however, the hero finds out that, instead of having married the charming young woman he had been introduced to when he had visited him, the brother had married his ex-wife. The hero realizes, of course that, by this marriage, she was striking at him through his young brother. But he is willing to make the best of it. He tells her that, no matter what she was in the past, he is willing to give her another chance, because he did not want to break his young brother’s heart. He warns her, however, not to take a false steji again. After a while the hero is convinced that his e.x-wife’s nature could not be changed. She was found one morning dead. The young man is disconsolate but the hero induces him to go back to the college town and to beg the forgiveness of the sweet girl he was once engaged to. The plot has been founded on a story by Gladys Lehman. Erie C. Kenton directed it. Sam Hardy is the hero, Willim Janney the brother. Barbara Stanwyck the hero’s wife. Louis Natheau and others are in the cast. The sound is pretty g(K)d. (Silent values pretty good. Silent length not yet determined.) “Second Choice” (100% TOD) {tParner Bros.; Jan. 4; syn. time, 66 min.) Just fair! The story is weak, and it has not been presented from a new angle. It is about the love affair between the daughter (heroine) of moderately circumstanced parents and of a poor young man, who, although he loves the heroine, decides to give her up to marry wealth. But after breaking his engagement with the heroine he realizes what a mistake he had made and, breaking his engagement with the wealthy girl, rushes to the heroine to beg her forgiveness. But he finds her dejiarting for her wedding ; she had met the hero, a young wealthy man, who had been likewise jilted by the girl he loved. Sympathy draws them together and when he proposes a business marriage, the heartbroken heroine accepts his proposals. They marry. The young man is despondent because he had lost the heroine. During the hero’s absence to another city he forces his way into the heroine’s home and threatens to shoot himself unless she agreed to run away with him. She pretends to agree to do so and tries to slip away but he is hot on her trail. The hero returns unexpectedly and finds him at his home. W'hen he makes ready to strike the young man the latter shoots. The heroine thinks that the bullet had struck the hero ; the hero thinks that the bullet had struck the heroine. Both express love for each other at that minute. The bullet, however, had not struck either ; it had gone astray. 'The young man, seeing how hero and heroine loved each other, tells the hero that he had forced his way into the house, and that the heroine had been honest with him. He promises to go out of the heroine's life forever. The picture has been produced lavishly. There is considerable drinldng, of course. The plot has been founded on a story by Elizabeth Alexander. Howard Bretherton directed it. Jack Mulhall is pleasing as the hero, and Dolores Costello as the heroine. Chester Morris, Edna Murphy. Ethlyne Claire and others are in the cast. The sound reproduction is fairly good. (Silent values, fair. Silent length not yet determined.) HARRISON’S REPORTS