Harrison's Reports (1930)

Ill July 12, 1930 HARRISON’S REPORi'S “Sweethearts and Wives” — with Billie Dove (First National, June 15; running time, 74 min.) Fairly good : It is supposed to be a mystery melodrama, in which the sister of a titled British lady is involved. She had gone to a lonely inn with the object of retrieving some jewels of her sister’s, which have fallen into the hands of some crooks after an escapade of hers with another man ; the crooks threatened to tell her husband unless she paid them money. At the inn the heroine comes upon the hero, who had taken there a married woman ; the police surround the inn and the heroine, who had been posing as a maid, offers to take the hero’s friend out of her predicament by undertaking to say that she is the hero’s wife, and that she (the hero’s friend) was her maid. To complicate matters, the woman’s husband enters the picture. But he is pacified when he is made to believe that his wife had acted as a maid to the “wife” of the hero, an “old friend,” who had “married” the day before. A clever detective (Clive Brook), too, enters the scene; he was a famous divorce detective, obtaining evidence by which clients of his could secure a divorce. He had been engaged by the lady’s husband to obtain the necessary evidence for a divorce ; but having been w’on over by the heroine’s efforts to help her sister, he hands the jewels over to the heroine. By this time the hero and the heroine had fallen in love with each other and as there was nothing in their way to marriage they marry. The plot has been founded on the Walter Hackett play, “Other Men’s Wives.” It was directed by Clarence Badger. The direction is masterly, well enough, but the story is wildly imaginative ; there is nothing real about it. Leila Hyams and Sidney Blackmer are in the cast. The talk is fairly intelligible. (Silent values, only fair.) “This Mad World” (MGM, April 12; running time, 71 minutes) Good acting and skillful direction have made this an interesting and entertaining picture, even if it is somewhat gruesome by reason of the fact that both the hero and the heroine die in the end. There are several situations that appeal to the emotions deeply. The situation that shows the mother forced to deny any relationship to her son (hero), thus being compelled helplessly to stand by and watch him go to his death as a spy, should stir one’s emotions to the very depths. Another stirring situation is that in which the heroine, a German noblewoman, feels impelled to make known the fact that the hero, who is staying in the sarne house, is a French spy. However, her love for the hero is so great that she kills herself after having given out such information : — The hero’s mother, a French patriot, had been forced to give shelter to a German noblewoman (heroine), much to her resentment. The heroine is attracted by a picture of the hero and learns his relationship to the woman in whose home she is staying. The hero, a French spy, is on his way to accomplish a very important matter for France, and even though it means taking a great risk, he stops off to see his mother, whom he had not seen for two years. The hero and the heroine meet. She recognizes him from his photograph and realizing that he is a French spy plans to betray him. She steals out of the house during the night in order to get to the nearest village, but the hero, suspecting her motive, follows her. He corners her and tells her that he must kill her because she has too much information, even though he regrets doing so. She pleads for her life and the hero, who had become very much attracted to her, decides to spare her hut to keep her under his watch. WTien they get back to the house they talk for a while and he learns that she is very unhappily married. They confess their love for each other and for a few hours forget about hatred and war. In the morning, the heroine, remembering her pride and her Inve for her country, betrays the hero, but takes her own life, confessing to the hero before she dies that she loved him more than her own life. The hero is caught by the Germans and is shot as a spy. The plot has been taken from a story by Francois de Curel, “Inhuman Ground” and adapted by Clara Beranger. Basil Rathbone is the hero, Kay Johnson, the heroine, Louise Dresser, the mother. The talk is intelligible. (Silent values, good.) Note : This picture has been shown in this territory for the first time. “Love Among the Millionaires” — with Clara Bow (Paramount, July 26; running time, 76 minutes) Take Mitzi Green out, and “Love Among the Millionaires” becomes an ordinary program picture, for stories in which the heroine, in order to save the hero from ruining his career by marrying her, drinks and acts in a disreputable manner so as to make the hero believe that she is not the innocent girl he thought her to be, have been done to death. In this instance, however, the picture is considerably entertaining because of the good acting of little Mitzi Green. There are many illogical situations. One of them is where the heroine’s father, her little sister, and her two hometown suitors, reach Palm Beach in an automobile that looked as if it would fall apart any moment. But because of the slapstick comedy work it gets over. The story is that of a railroad president’s son (hero), who falls in love with a young woman (heroine), waitress in her father’s restaurant. The father hears about it and sends for the hero. He takes the heroine along. They reach Florida and the father suggests that they separate for a while in order that they might make sure that they loved each other before marrying. The heroine guesses that the father was trying to trick them into separating and refuses to do so. After second thought, however, the heroine tells the father to give a party in her honor so that she might find an opportunity to act disgustingly and cause the hero to cease to love her. The scheme succeeds for a while but the father, realizing that the heroine was a thoroughbred, gives his consent to their marriage. The plot has been founded on a story by Keene Thompson. Frank Tuttle directed it. Stuart Erwin and Richard Gallagher (who contribute some comedy) and Stanley Smith, as well as Charles Sellon, are in the cast. The talk is clear. (Silent values, pretty good.) “Wild Company” (Fox, July 6; running time, 77 minutes) Pretty good program picture. It is somewhat moralizing — it shows the parents the danger of giving their children too much freedom. In this instance the son (hero) of a w'ealthy father, while at a night club drinking meets a beautiful woman, mistress of a racketeer, and eventually falls in love with her. The racketeer had instructed his “sweetie” to encourage the young man, his intention being to use him later on. The hero’s father had put a detective on the trail of his son and learns that the young hero had been stealing merchandise from his store and had been giving it to the woman he had fallen in love with. The father confronts the hero with the evidence and tells him that unless he gives up that woman he will disown him. The love struck hero does not listen to reason and leaves his father’s house. That night the racketeer plans to hold up the owner of the cabaret. He invites the hero upstairs to try his luck at gambling, assuring him that there is no risk because he knew the manager. He asks him to stay in the ante-room for a few seconds until he had spoken to the manager. He enters the room where the safe was and opens it, taking the money out of it. At that moment the cabaret owner enters the room to put money into the safe and the villain shoots and kills him in cold blood and then escapes. The hero hears the shot and enters the room. When he finds the man dead he becomes frightened and escapes through the window. His father, however, who had gone to the cabaret to talk to his son, sees him escaping and thinks that he had committed the murder. When the hero returns home he finds his father awaiting him. The hero assures his father that he is innocent. They call on the racketeer and the latter tries to induce the hero’s father to remain silent. The hero’s father, however, sends for the police and delivers the crooks to them. But he delivers also his son. The hero is tried and is convicted on manslaughter. The judge, however, accepting the recommendation of the jury for mercy, sentences him to five years in the penitentiary but paroles him in the custody of his father. There is some human interest, and the attention is held pretty well all the way. But it does not show the crooks punished. This is a defect. The plot has been founded on the story by John Stone and Bradley King. Leo McCarey has directed it. Frank Albertson is the hero. Sharon Lynn, H. B. Warner, Joyce Compton and others are in the cast. The talk is clear. (Silent values, pretty fair.)