Harrison's Reports (1930)

i>iovember 22, 1930 HARRISON’S REPORTS 187 “ I he Gorilla” {First National, Nov. 2; running time, 64 min.) Produced first as a stage play and later as a silent picture, “1 he Gorilla'’ does not impress very much. 'I'here are some laughs in it, but the direction is so uninspired and the handling of the mystery situations so unskilllul, that one’s interest wanes. Children may find some enjoyment in the scenes that show a detective disguised as a gorilla in order to trap the real gorilla. There is a little love interest and Liia Lee and W alter Pidgeon do the best they can with it : — The heroine’s uncle, a curator in a museum, is threatened by the “gorilla,” a killer, with death at midnight. Pie hires two detectives to watch the house. At midnight the hero, who poses as an author, the heroine, niece of the curator, a newspaper reporter, a negro butler (the best player in the cast), the two detectives and the curator are in the room. The lights go out. When they are turned on again, the author and the curator had disappeared. Later a sailor is found unconscious, but he again disappears. (Nearly every one disappears, returning later without sufficient explanation.) A secret passage is discovered. The author later returns and reveals that he is a Scotland Yard detective. One of the detectives disguises himself as a gorilla so as to trap the real gorilla. After many would-be mysterious doings, the hero solves the mysteries. He reveals that the drug-crazed curator is the murderer, who had been responsible for the disappearance of the heroine. The gorilla, a trained pet of the curator, is killed when he attacks the hero. The plot has been founded on the stage play by Ralph Spence. It was directed by Bryan Foy. In the supporting cast are Harry Gribon, Joe Frisco, Rosco Karns and others. The sound is fair. (Out-of-town ret iew. Not a road show.) “The Utah Kid” with Rex Lease (Tiffany, Soft. 2>>; running time, 46 min.) .'\ prelt> good Western, wi h fairly fast action and a charm. ng love affair. It holds the spectator in pretty tense suspense. 1 he only thing against it is the fact that the hero is an outlaw : but he is not shown holding up anybody, and lefonns in the end. out of his love for the heroine 'I'he heroine is found roaming the hills and is abducted by one of a gang of outlaws and taken to their lair. The villain takes her away from the outlaw but the hero, who had been struck by the heroine's beauty, pretends that she is his sweetheart, and that she had followed him against his wishes, his object being to rescue her from his hands. He succeeds but the villain forces him to marry her, the ceremony being performed by a irinistcr, captive of theirs. I’he hero steals awaj' with the heroine, whom he takes to her home. The sheriff, who was engaged to her, arrests the hero but the heroine intercedes and obtains his liberation. The villain, resenting the hero’s double-crossing, surrounds the heroine’s home and orders the sheriff and the hero to produce the licroine. The hero, however, shoots and kills hm. Out of gratitude for the help the hero had given him the sheriff lets the hero go. But the heroine goes with him. Frank Howard Clark wrote the story; Richard Thorpe directed it. Dorothy Sebastian. Thomas Stantschi, Mary Carr and others are in the cast. The talk is clear. “Suspense” (British International, Nov. 7; running lime, 75 minutes) .\ powerful picture, because of skillful direction and artistic acting. Its theme and its settings are similar to those of "Journey’s End,” with most of the action taking place in a dug-out. The only difference is the fact that in this picture, the fear the men feel and the suspense in which they are held as a result of their knowledge that the Germans are digging underneath them, to blow them to atoms, is the pivotal point, whereas in “Journey’s End” it was the psychological fear of war by one of the officers. The spectator feels almost the same suspense as do the characters in the dug-out, who felt somewhat safe as long as the tapping continued. The tension drives one of the younger boys mad. The scene where this occurs is tense and emotional. One feels the cruelty of the war keenly to see a young boy, just out of school, with ideals, crumble as a result of his realization of the horror and brutality of the war. There are moments of humor. One soldier causes laughs by knitting socks and unraveling them when he is almost through. The plot was adapted from the stage play by Patrick AlacGill : it was directed by Walter Summers skillfully. In the cast are : Cyril McLaglen, brother of Victor McLaglen the Fox star. Jack Raine, Sid Crossley, Mickey Brantford, and others. The talk is clear. Although an artistic production, it is not a pleasant entertainment. “ i he Flame of Love” (BritLh Ini., October 3i ; running time, 74 min.) Fair 1 There is nothing particularly exciting or novel about this story of an Oriental (a Chinese) girl in love with a white, officer m the Russian Army, it is unpleasant to Americans. There is one unpleasant scene in which a young girl, in love with the hero, contrives to stop an order irom Deing aelivered, which contained a pardon for the heroine’s brother who was to be shot. Her purpose presumably was to cause misery to the heroine, who was also in love with the hero, 'ihe story and dialogue drag and at times become boresome : — The hero, an officer in the Russian Army, and the heroine, a Chinese dancer, are m love with each other, 'ihe Grand iJuke, alter seeing her dance, issues an order for her to have supper with him, which order the hero is called upon to deliver. In order to save the hero any embarrassment she decides to go and her brother loilows to safeguard her. Lett alone with the Grand Duke he attempts to make love to her and when she calls for help her brother rushes in and shoots the Duke in the arm. He is arrested and the utike orders him to be shot the next morning, i he heroine goes to the Duke's home and offers herseli to the Duke for a pardon for her brother. The Duke grants this. When he discovers that the heroine is m love with the hero, he offers her treedom to her if she will leave tne country with her brother and never see tue hero. c>ne accepts this and leaves. i he story was written by Moncton Hoffe. It was directed by Richard Eichberg. in the cast are ; Anna May W ong, as the heroine, John Longden, George Ischnell, Percy iitanding, Mona Goya, and J. Leyon. The talk is clear. “Scarlet Pages” with Elsie Ferguson (First National, Sept. 28 ; running time, 62 min.) Because ot the intelligent direction and of the artistic acting, “Scarlet Pages” has been made an interesting and appealing picture. But it is unsuitable for children by reason of the lact that there is an implied seduction, an attempted seduction, and a murder : — The heroine (Elsie Ferguson), a lawyer, is loved by the District Attorney (John Haliday), but she refuses to marry him and does not give a reason. She is asked to defend a young girl (Marion Nixon), cabaret dancer, for the murder of her lather. The girl admits that she had killed her father but she will not disclose her motive. During the trial it comes to light that the murdered man was not the father of the girl, but that she had been adopted by him twenty years previously from an orphanage, where her mother had left her and had given up all claims on her. The District /VUorney demands the records, and when he obtains them and reads them he states that they are of no consequence and recommends that they be barred from the case. The heroine, however, insists that they be introduced as evidence. The records disclose that the heroine w'as the mother of the defendant, an illegitimate child. The girl, having learned who her real mother is, tells the court that she had murdered her supposed father because he had tried to attack her after she had rejected the villain, who, too, coveted her. She is acquitted and joins her mother, and her sweetheart. The plot is from the stage play by Samuel Shipman and John B. Hyemer ; it was directed by Ray Enright. Grant Withers, Charlotte Walker, Wilbur Mack, De Witt Jennings and others are in the supporting cast. The talk is fairly clear. (Out-of-town review. Not a road show picture. ) “Sea Legs” — Jack Oakie (Paramount, Nov. 29; running time, 63 min.) An amusing comedy, which depends on slapstick for its funniest scenes. One such scene is wher a group of Americ.'.n sailors enter a french pastry shop, which the sailors of a french fleet made their usual meeting place every afternoon. A fight is started and the entire place is wrecked including all the pastry and pie they could possibly take hold of and which they threw at each other. The occasional songs that arc sung are unnecessary and only halt the action. The story was written by George Marion, Jr. It was directed by 'Victor Heerman. Others in the cast are Lillian Roth, Harry Green, Eugene Pallette, Albert Conti and Tom Rickett. The talk is clear. “Morocco,” Paramount : An interesting picture, suitable for high-class custom. “Tol’able David,” Columbia: Excellent ; better than the silent version. “The Hate Ship,” British : A very good mystery melodrama. “Today,” regional : An excellently produced problem play, unsuitable for children, however. “Little Caesar,” First National : A good gangster story. Reviews next week.