Harrison's Reports (1930)

August 16, 1930 HARRISON’S REPORTS 131 “Pardon My Gun” {Pathe, June 4; running time, 64 min.) With the exception of about a reel in the first half showing dancing and singing, where the action slows up considerably and makes one wish that it were lifted hodily out of the picture, “Pardon My Ciun'’ is a highly enjoyable picture, for there are many elements that contribute to making a picture l)opular. To begin with, the action is fast. Then there are some exciting rodeo scenes, where trick riding, of sensational nature, gives unbounded pleasure to the lovers of clean and wholesome pictures. Then there are some melodramatic thrills, such as the rescue of the hero from the villain’s men, who, on orders of the villain, had abducted and held him prisoner so that he might be unable to run the horse race and thus give the villain an opportunity to win the heavy bet he had made with the heroine's father. The sight of the heroine’s sister, in company with her two brothers, rushing to the i)lace where the hero had been held captive, and after the rescue the hero’s riding to the race course, reaching there in time to take part in the race and win it, should thrill most of those who will see it. The story unfolds in a ranch and shows the hero going to town to purchase his engagement ring to the heroine. On his way back he is captured by the villain’s men and held a ])risoner, the villain thus hoping to win the horse race and the heavy stakes he had bet with the heroine’s father. The heroine’s sister overhears the villain's men reporting to the villain that his orders had been carried out, and that the hero was held in a certain shack and, asking her two young brothers to help her, rides with them to the shack. They rope the guard and liberate the hero, who rides fast and reaches the field in time to take part in the race and win it. The heroine’s sister l)rings back the ring which the hero had purchased. Init which the villain’s man had taken away from him. The hero ])uts it on the heroine’s finger, to the joy of the heroine's father, sister, and brothers. The plot has been founded on a story by P>etty Scott. Robert I)e Lacy directed it. George Durea is the hero, Sally Star the heroine. Harry Woods the villain. Lee ^loran, Mona Ray. Robert Edeson, Hank McFarlane and Tom McFarlane are in the cast. Xot all the singing is tiresome; some of it is very good, its effect being enhanced by the fact that it has been recorded very well. Young Tom McFarlane does some yodeling successfully and pleasingly. Xote : In the Pathe Press Sheet, the two McFarlane brothers. Hank and Tom, are hardly mentioned, even though they “steal” the picture. In the rodeo, they display horsemanship of the highest order.They are shown riding ponies and while on horseback they act as if they were eels. Holding on the saddle, they perform gymnastics that are difficult even for grown up persons. They perform singly and doubly — the two young men on one horse. Small town exhibitors would profit greatly i f they were to feature the youngsters, laying great emphasis on their marvelous horsemanship. It is manifest that the shortness of the feature is what had induced Pathe to pad the picture with the tiresome musical scenes, for the running time is only 64 minutes. But it would have been much better if its running time were made 54 minutes and the picture kept free from padding, rather than make it 64 minutes by padding it. Exhibitors who are to run the film version should request the exchange to cut some of the “musicale” out ; picturegoers get enough music out of the shorts to have their “fill” without getting it also in Western melodramas. “Rain or Shine” {Columbia, Aug. 15 ; running time, 86 min.) \\ henever Joe Cook and his two helpers, Tom Howard and David Chasen, appear there is uncontrollable laughter, not only because of their misfit outfits, but because of the silly things they say, and the even funnier things they do. Mr. Cook, besides being funny, is a marvelous performer ; he gives a one man circus performance by juggling clubs, wire-walking, and doing acrobatic stunts when the rest of the circus walks out on him because they had not been paid back salaries. There are some hilarious scenes, as for instance, when Joe Cook, talking altogether nonsense, induces a man, to whom the circus owes money, to become a partner in the failing circus. This man not only pays the bill himself, but beomes a partner by investing mone}" in it, thinking he had made a good bargain. There is also a free-for-all fight (instigated by the villain) between the performers and the audience, which ends in the breaking up and burning of the entire circus property. The scenes of the fire, with the heroine hanging by her foot in mid-air in the big tent, hoisted there by dissatisfied customers, by way of a prank, are extremely suspensive : — The hero, manager of the heroine’s circus and in love with her (of which he does not tell her) is faced with a serious problem because of lack of funds to pay the help their salary. The villain, ringmaster of the circus, and the lion tamer, plan to force the heroine to sell them a controlling interest in the business for the price of the back salaries. The heroine is in love with one of the boys of the circus, who comes from a fine and wealthy family. His parents give a dinner for her the evening they arrive in his home town at which she invites the hero and some of his friends. The hero thinks that they are just on exhibition and behaves in a manner to disgust the young fiance’s parents and the other ])eople at the dinner. The heroine, thinking that he did this purposely to belittle her, is enraged; she discharges him, and turns the managership over to the villain. The show is about to start when the Sheriff attaches the receipts because of an unpaid bill and the other performers, egged on by the villain, refuse to go on unless their back salaries are paid. The hero and the heroine’s sweetheart arrive just in time to prevent the heroine from signing away her right to the circus to the villain and put on a performance themselves. The villain, enraged, tells the people that they are being fooled. They demand their money back and on not getting it wreck the place, almost killing the heroine, who is saved by the hero. He orders her sweetheart to take her away from the circus grounds and remains there with his “partner.” The plot was based on the stage play of the same name by James Gleason and Maurice Marks. It was directed by Frank Capra. Others in the cast are Ixmise Fazenda, Joan Peers, William Collier, Jr., Alan Roscoe and others. The talk is very clear. (Silent values, excellent.)