Harrison's Reports (1929)

January 26, 1929 HARRISON’S REPORTS 15 “In Old Arizona” (AT) — with Star Cast (i'ox. Jail. 20; Syiickr., 8,724 ft.; Time, 97 min.) CRITICISM OF THE SILEXT PICTURE : There are se\-eral reasons why this picture will not have a great appeal to the majority of the picture-goers. One of them is that the action is so slow that it becomes boresome at times. The otlter is that tliere is no honest-to-goodness love interest ; the love affair is between an outlaw and a fickle woman, a woman that did iK)t hesitate to betray for money the outlaw, who loved her passionately, to the military man that had been detailed to get him, dead or alive. The other reason, the most important of all, is the fact that a woman (heroine) is shot and killed. Xo American picture-goer, whether he be a child, a woman or a man. can stand seeing a woman shot and killed, in real life or in drama. Only one thing stands out in this picture ; the acting of Dorothy Burgess. Miss Burgess is a stage actress, and this is her first screen work. But she has eclipsed many a veteran screen actress. It the picture is worth anything, it will be due to her acting. Mr. Warner Baxter, too, does excellent work as the outlaw: in fact it is the best work of his screen career. While it cannot be said that Mr. Edmund Lowe does better work than he did in “What Price Glory,” he does excellent work just the same. Otliers in the cast are: Farrell Macdonald, Ivan Linow, Fred Warren, Roy Stewart, and others. The picture has been directed by Raoul Walsh and Irving Cummings. The plot has been founded on the O’Henry short story, “The Cabalero Way." It deals with an outlaw. who loves a senorita with passion. The hero, a sergeant, is detailed to capture this outlaw. He becomes acquainted accidentally with the outlaw’s sweetheart (heroine). By promising to give her the reward that was on the outlaw’s head, the hero induces the heroine to cooperate with him in his capture. The heroine sends a note to the hero asking him to go to her shack at a certain time of that night. The note falls in the hands of the outlaw ; he rhakes a new note inviting the hero to come, but telling him that the outlaw would be dressed in a woman’s clothes. The hero arrives. The outlaw, with a broken heart, sends his faithless sweetheart out to her death. He then goes awav. CRITICISM OF THE SOUXD ; The Fox organization has been experimenting with talking pictures for nearly three years, but they seem as far behind in grasping the problems connected with sound as they would have been had they started just now. The recording of the talk and generally of sound is the poorest that has been seen in any talking picture so far. Warner Brothers have never recorded sound as inartistically. The director seems to have had the microphone placed near the passing stage coach, registering the noise the horses and the stage makes while near the microphone. But as soon as the stage rolled away from the microphone a few feet, all sound ceased. All through the picture the noise made by the sound track is like the noise made by old mill machinery running. The volume control — there was really no volume control ; the actors spoke with stentorian voices ; they outdid longshoremen trying to be heard above the din created by active winches, used to unload freighters. And what was left unaffected by the poor recording and reproducing, it was affected by the poor sound projection system of the Roxy. The Roxy uses, as you have already been told, the horn system of sound projection, and if one should happen to sit exactly opposite one of the horns, it will be necessaiy for one to plug one’s ears with cotton. And no matter where one may be sitting, one cannot escape the metallic nature of the sound, caused by the use of the diaphragmhorn system of sound projection. “The Man in Hobbles” — with Johnny Harron and Lila Lee (Tiffany-Stah! ; Dec. 20; 5.967 ft.; 68 to 84 min.) A pretty good human interest comedy-drama of family life in which the spectator’s interest and sympathy are aroused for the hero because of his troubles with his wife’s famih'. It is a lesson to young brides not to let their families rule their li\'es and spoil their chances of happiness. Jc^nny Harron is splendid as the artistic {rfiotc^apher who had made a success of his business, and. after marry ing a girl with a grafting family, is driven to despair. Miss Lee is quite good as the young bride who at first could not understand her husband’s desire to be rid of her family, but who finally realized that she was losing the love of a fine husband h»ecause her family Wcis dictating her life to such an extent that they they almost divorced her against her knowledge so that they might be able to live on her alimony. The picture, suggested by the Peter B. Kine novel of the same name, was directed in an entertaining maimer by (jeorge Archainbaud. Lucien Littlefield, as the sponging, lazy father-in-law is good, as is Betty Egan as the crying, domineering mother-in-law. Eddie Xugent, Fanchon Hart, Vivian Oakland and the rest of the cast, all do good work. “Beware of Batchelors” (PT) — with Audrey Ferris and William Collier, Jr. (Ifarner Bros., Dec. 1 ; Sil., 5,278 ft.; Syn., 5,778 ft.) X'ot a bad farce comedy. Andre Beranger and Margaret Livingston do the best work, though ^Ir. Collier, as the doctor and hero, is pretty fair and Miss Ferris, as his wife (heroine), is adequate. It is not a side-splitting comedy; and it is not big enough for first-class theatres. Yet it is laugh provoking and good for neighborhood programs. The story revolves around the efforts of a young married couple, three days short of being married one j'ear, to remain together so that they might win the $50,000 the hero’s grandfather would give them on the anniversary day. His cousin, a perfume salesman, would get it otherwise, and to cause their separation, he persuades a go-getting camp to harrass the hero so that he would be compelled to leave his wife. Miss LiHngston, as the vamp, pursues the hero and makes a thoroughly capable job of it. Andre Beranger, rather a sap, as the cousin, provokes laughs in his efforts to flirt with the heroine. WTien hero and heroine finally separate and go to the same hotel, but in different rooms ; they are accidentally brought together in time for grandfather to find them and give the hero the check. The picture was directed by Roy del Ruth from a stor>by Mark Canfield. XoTE : The silent print was reviewed only. A STATEMENT BY MR. ABRAM F. MYERS Mr. Abram F. Myers, President and (Teneral Counsel of the Allied States Association of Motion Picture Exhibitors, has issued his first statement to the trade papers, outlining his policy and stating his aims. It is a clean-cut, serious and thoughtful statement, without any tinge of boastfulness, but with enough implied meaning in every item to give tlie producers an idea that he means what he says and says what he means. Lack of space prevents me from reproducing the entire statement, but I am glad to give you some extracts from it. Under the heading, “Represents Exhibitor Interest Only,” Mr. Myers says that his organization will be willing to co-operate with the other branches, but in matters in which the interests of the different branches of the industry conflict, it will speak and act only for the exhibitors. “There will be no departure,” Mr. Myers says, “from this policy. The exhibitors, in looking to the Allied States for protection, will not have to distinguish between the voice of Jacob and the hands of Esau.” Under the heading, “The producers are on trial/’ Mr, Myers says : “The producers and their spokesmen have often voiced their concern for the welfare of the exhibitors and have expressed the hope that the exhibitors would perfect a strong organization with which they might deal.” This is manifestly directed at Mr. Hays, who has often expressed such a wish, meaningless, as experience has proved. Mr. Hays will now have an opportunity to show whether he meant what he said or not. Under the heading “Brookhart Bill,” Mr. ilyers endorses the Bill and states that he does not, and those whom he represents do not, want Government regulation, if the producers will sincerely endeavor to settle all serious problems with the industry, but intimates plainlj’ that there will be an effort on the part of his organization to bring about regulation in the event the producers are obstinate. “The e.xhibitor would rather not be regulated,” Mr. flyers states. “But as between remaining in business subject to regulation and being driven out of business for lack of regulation. they choose the former.” Interchangeability, Arbitration and Music Tax come under Mr. Myers’ blow. These will be commented on in a forthcoming article. This statement of ilr. Myers proves that the confidence the Allied leaders have placed in Mr. Mj'ers has not been misplaced. And HARRISOX’S REPORTS hopes that every independent exhibitor will become a member of the ■Allied States organization. You have now foimd your man. Follow him !