Harrison's Reports (1930)

HARRISON’S REPORTS January 11, 1930 “Party Girl” (100% T-F&D) (Tiffany, Jan. 1; syn. tune 65 minutes) There are some technical faults in this picture ; these concern direction and sound recording. l3ut they are not such as to destroy its value for those that can stand so strong a fare. It is a picture in \vhit_h a woman conducts a business by which she supplies beautiful young gills lor business men to entertain their friends with so that they might be enabled to land big deals ; and although the ultimate use of the girls is somewhat veiled, even persons of average intelligence will know what it is all about. The picture has been produced most lavishly, and the action holds the attention well because the idea upon which the story has been woven is novel. There is, of course, a love affair, too; it concerns the hero, impersonated by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., w-ho takes the part of a college boy. In company with other college boys, he intrudes on a party. Fie gets close to one of the girls ; she was in trouble as a result of having been taken advantage of by a man, and she grasps the opportunity to “hook" the unsophisticated hero. Ihey liave several drinks. She invites him to her home, where they have more drinks. He becomes so stupidly drunk that he sleeps there for the night. When he wakes up in the morning, the girl makes him believe that he had wronged her. 'I'he hero marries her because he thinks it is the manly thing to do. 'I'hus he breaks the heart of the girl he was engaged to. But he soon finds out that he had been tricked. His father reads in the papers all about his marriage and is heart-broken. He sends for hint and his wife. .After dinner he lectures the young woman, telling her that if she really loved him she would not have married him so hastily. The young wife will have none of his lecture and dares father and son to get rid of her. She leaves them and goes hack to her old apartment. The ])olice, who had been investigating the party girls, call on her and cpiizz her. In order to escape from their hands, she tries to get away over the fire escape. She loses her balance and falls to the pavement, getting killed. 'I'he hero, who had rushed to her, takes her in his arms. She informs him that his fiancee, wdio hatl once been a party girl herself, but who had always been straight, went to one of the p.'irties out of despondency for having lost him, and urges him to rush to her because the police were about to raid the i>lacc. She dies in his arms begging his forgiveness. The hero rushes to the place wdiere the heroine was and protects her when the police raid it. The chief of police, who happened to be a friend of his father’s, advises him to remain there for a short time until the repo'‘ters go. The hero begs the forgiveness of the heroine and they again declare their love for each other. The plot has been founded on Edwin Balnier’s novel. “Dangerous Business.” \dctor Halperin directed it. Jeanette Loff, Marie Prevost, Judith Barrie, John St. Polls, Harry Northni]), Charles Giblyn. and others are in the cast. The sound reproduction is not so good even though the lines are intelligible: there is some reverberation. the result of improper sound-proofing of the studio, t Silent values nearlv as good as the sound values. Silent length not yet dctcrmiiied.) “Hot For Paris” (100% T-F&D) (Fo.r, rcl. dale not yet set; syn. time, 71 •An excellent comedy. It is of the type that deal with a sailor and with his love affairs in ports. But it is harmless. At the Koxy, where it was shown for the first time, every one in the audience seemed to enjoy it. At least they laughed to their heart’s content. The comedy comes chiefly from the fact that tw'o men, one bearded, are trying to overtake the hero to tell him that he had won a million dollars, because he held the lucky number in a lottery ticket he had bou.ght ; but the hero had taken them for detectives, trying to arrest him for some misdeed of his in some one of the many ports he had called, and therefore he runs away from them. These two persons employ ;dl kinds of means to reach the hero hut the latter succeeds in eluding them always at the last moment. They eventually succeed in getting near him when the hero, who had met the heroine and had fallen :n love with her with all his heart, after a spat, allows them to come near him and to “arrest” him. 'The joy of the hero is indescribable when he learns that he was sought, not to be arrested, but to be made a millionaire. Mr. McLaglen does goorl work. So does El Brendel, who contributes no little of the comedy. Fifi Dorsay is the heroine. Polly Moran, George Fawcett, and others are in the cast. The story was written by Raoul Walsh, by whom it has been also directed. The sound reproduction is good. (Silent values, good; silent length and release date have not yet been determined.) “Little Johnny Jones” (100% T-D) (tirst National, syn. Nov. 17; time, 72 min.) Good ! The story revolves chiefly around the love affair of a jockey, and shows two horse races. These are thrilling, as horse races usually are. The plot has been constructed well, and holds the interest fairly tense throughout. Sympathy is awakened for the hero and for the heroine. The plot, wdiich has been founded on the George Cohan play of the same name, deals with a jockey, who is so good that a famous stableman hires him to ride his horse at a big race in New York. He is in love w’lth his employer’s daughter, heroine. In New York, he falls into the hands of a beautiful woman, confederate of a crook. She had befriended him only with the purpose of using him. His former employer, father of the heroine, brings his horse to New York and he decides that the hero shall ride him. On the eve of the race the crook woman sends for the hero and tell him that she had bet all her money that his horse would lose, and that if he really loved her he would see to it that his liorse lost. The hero, although he loves her desparately, refuses to do such a crooked thing. The woman, in despe:aticn, sends him a telegram on the day of the race reminding him that his horse must lose. The telegram was received after the race had started, 'fhe hero’s horse is "])ocketcd” next to the fence by the other jockeys and he loses the race. Fie is accused of having thrown it and is disqualified. Fleart-broken he goes to England with the hope that he would find a chance to re-establish himself. At a race the hero approaches the other jockeys and tries to get a job. But he is unsuccessful. His joy is indescribable when he sees the horse of his former employer, and talks to him. His ex-employer overhears him and is so impressed with his sincerity that he decides to give him another chance. He wins the race and also recaptures the love of the heroine. Eddie Buzzcll does good work as the jockey. He is given an opportunity also to sing , and he acquits himself. Alice Day is a charming heroine and Edna Murphy a vicious vampire. Wheeler Oakman and Donald Reed are in the cast. The words are clear. (Silent values, good. Silent length not yet determined.) “The Lost Zeppelin” 100% T-F&D) (Tiffany. Dec. 10; syn. time, 72 minutes) Every so often a producer makes a picture that is entirely different from anything that had been produced before. And it stands out. “The Lost Zeppelin” is such a picture. It is not the story that makes it different — the story is not, in fact, different from hundreds of triangle stories that have been produced in the past ; it is the treatment. Most of the action takes place either aboard a dirigible or in the frozen South Polar region. The scenes aboard the Zeppelin are realistic. So are those at the South pole. The scenes of the wreck, in particular, are realistic in the extreme ; the Zeppelin is shown steering through a severe snowstorm and striking a snow mountain ; it had lost altitude because ice had gathered on the envelope. One feels as if one is seeing a real life occurrence. The story is a combination of the unfortunate Nobile expedition, the airship of which was w'recked after it had flown over the North Pole, and of the Byrd South Pole expedition. The details of the love affair are not so important ; the fact that the picture is timely as a result of Rear Admiral Byrd’s accomplishment in the Antarctic is the most important. And if this feature were stressed, there is no question that the picture will draw large crowds, and please them. (.According to advices from a few places where it has been already sbown. the picture is drawing big crowds.) 'The story is by Frances Hyland and Jack Natteford. Edward Sloman directed it. Conway Tearle is the hero; Virginia Valli, the heroine; Ricardo Cortez, the lover. Duke Martin, Kathryn McGuire, and Winter Hall are in the cast. The sound reproduction is good. (Silent values, very good. Silent length not yet determined.) While this picture can be shown in big as well as in little houses, it should prove Providence-sent to small exhibitors.