Harrison's Reports (1929)

HARRISON’S REPORTS June 22, 1929 98 “The Four Feathers” (SD) Special Cast {Param., date not yet set; syn. and sil. 7,462 ft.) The Paramount 1929-30 campaign book states that “The Four Feathers” was two years m the making. It is just two years too late, for what now attracts picture-goers is talk ; and “The Four Feathers” is not a talking picture, even though Paramount leads exhibitors to believe that it is a “talker.” “Your audiences will HEAR as well as SEE the fierce battle between white soldiers and native ‘Fuzzy Wuzzies’,” says the reading matter in that book. What one hears is, not the booming of guns and the rattle of rifles, but wind puffs, the disc system of sound recording being unable to record such reports faithfully. “And they’ll HEAR and SEE one of the most popular stories of love and high courage ever written.” They will see but will not hear this picture, for the actors do not utter a single word. There are a few thrills here and there but they are not such as to impress one deeply. The chief trouble with it is the fact that the hero, impersonated by Richard Arlen, does not win the spectator’s sympathy, for the reason that, although he commits acts of bravery in an effort to prove to his three former comrades that he is brave, and not a coward, as they had dubbed him, he had shown cowardice in the beginning. For instance, he is an officer of the British Army. He is engaged to a girl of a prominent family. He receives word that war is about to start in Sudan and, in order to avoid going there to fight, thus postponing the day of his wedding, resigns from the army. One of his comrades finds the message and shows it to the two other fellowbfficers, comrades of the hero, as well as of his. The three realize that the hero was showing cowardice and each sends him a white feather, an emblem of cowardice. His sweetheart, too, when she hears of his resignation, hands him a white feather. The action unfolds in Sudan. The plot has been founded on the novel by A. E. W. Mason. E. B. Schoedsack and M. C. Cooper directed it. Richard Arlen is the hero. Fay Wray the heroine, and William Powell, Clive Brook, and Theodore Von Eltz the fellow-officers. Some of the scenes were photographed in the jungles of Africa; in one place herds of hippopotami are shown ; in another, a host of monkeys. Note; The showing of one of the hero’s friends, an officer of the British Army, reading the note the hero had dropped in the fireplace, this being the means whereby the three fellow-officers learn that the hero had resigned from the army so as not to be sent to Sudan to fight will, no doubt, be resented in Great Britain as well as in other parts of the British Empire; it will undoubtedly be considered an insult to the British army, for no British officer would commit such a caddish act. This untactful incident alone is enough to kill “The Four Feathers” in Great Britain. “The Fall of Eve” (AT) Special Cast {Columbia) This is the first attempt to put a farce-comedy in talking pictures and it is highly successful, for the complicated situations, so familiar in the silent farce-comedies, which caused so much laughter, cause as much laughter and more in this picture, because the laugh provoking situations are helped by the talk of the characters. One may fearlessly say, in fact, that it is unlikely that it could have created more laughter if it were produced on the stage. The complications are caused by the resolve of Tom Ford, Sr., impersonated by Mr. Jed Prouty, to entertain Mr. Mack, a prospective customer, (Ford Sterling) at a night club. To this end he takes Eve Grant, (heroine) impersonated by Patsy Ruth Miller, along. On that day the father had refused permission to his son, Tom Ford, Jr., to marry the heroine, but he did not know that the girl the hero had meant was the heroine. Mrs. Mack, impersonated by Betty Farrington, insists on going along. So Mr. Ford, Sr., is compelled to introduce the heroine to her as “Mrs. Ford.” The real Mrs. Ford was away from home. She happened to be listening over the radio and, hearing the announcer of a cabaret broadcasting station state that the playing of a certain piece of music was requested by “Mr. and Mrs. Ford,” she returns home immediately and finds her husband, the heroine, and Mr. and Mrs. Mack at their home. But things are straightened out when the son (hero) announces that the heroine is Mrs. Ford, Jr., he and the heroine having been married secretly. The part of the film where Gertrude Astor, who takes the part of Mrs. Ford, Sr., returns home and finds them there is the most comedy provoking part. Mr. Ford Sterling is at his best as a “talking” comedian. Betty Farrington, too, deserves prominent mention ; she almost steals away the picture from the other actors. It is said that this is her first appearance in any picture, talker or silent. All do good work, and the lines are intelligible at all times, even though the sound at the premier performance was a little too strong. Frank Strayer directed the picture from the play by John Emerson and Anita Loos. Frederick and Fanny Hatton wrote the dialogue. “Hard Boiled Rose” (PTD) with Myrna Loy {IVar. Bros; syn. 5,610 ft., Mar. 30; sil. 4,875 ft.. May 4) A well directed and acted talking picture; the dialogue is scattered throughout and all the voices register exceedingly well, particularly those of John Miljan (villain), Myrna Loy (heroine), as well as the rest of the cast, Gladys Brockwell (villainess), William Collier, Jr., (ne’erdo-well on of the villainess), Ralph Emeron (hero), Edward Martindel (heroine’s father) and Lucy Beaumont (heroine’s grandmother). The theme is familiar though the ending is rather suspenseful and the story is unfolded very entertainingly. The heroine’s father (a Southern widower) in love with the villainess, proprietress of a gambling resort to whom he owes $200,000 in gambling debts, commits suicide to save the family honor, because he had stolen the securities to raise the money. The hero, his employee, and the heroine’s sweetheart, takes the blame and so prevents the old grandmother from knowing the real facts. But the heroine learns of her father’s act and decides to recover the money and save the hero. She becomes a habitue of the gambling resort and vamps the villainess’ son, who is out on parole, having forged checks in the villain’s name (he was in love with the villainess). In time tlie heroine succeeds in making him steal the securities from his mother. The villainess trails her to her home and threatens to tell the grandmother everything. But the heroine in turn tells what she knows about her son. She lets the heroine keep the money and decides to say nothing to the grandmother. Melville Crossman wrote the story. Harmon Weight directed the picture. “Frozen River” (PTD) with Rin-Tin-Tin {IV ar. Bros.; syn. 5,482 ft., Apr.2Q ; sil. 5,110 ft.. May 25) A pretty good program feature for neigborhood houses, especially where Rin-Tin-Tin is popular. His bark rings out huskily and his almost human acting wins for him his usual appeal. He again rescues the heroine from villains and unites her with the hero. The talk, mostly in the first scenes and scattered a bit throughout the rest of the picture, is recorded clearly although none of it is particularly brilliant. Davey Lee has the leading role though the older hero, played by Raymond McKee and the heroine, Nina Quartero, carry the story along with Joseph Swickard, as the supposedly crazy goldminer. Frank Campeau and Lew Harvey are the two villains. The story revolves around a lone wolf dog who had been raised by wolves. He did not like their ferocious life and sought human companionship. But his first venture proved disasterous because he was caught in the trap of one of tlie villains. He later meets the hero, who tames him. He meets also the heroine, who fears him, and her little brother, who makes a pal of the dog. The heroine’s grandfather entrusts her with the two villains to go to the frozen river country to recover his hidden gold. The hero learns of it and, by aid of the dog, traces them to the lonelj^ cabin where both villains attempt to attack the heroine. He finds also the little boy, who had been kidnapped by the villains and had been held as a sort of hostage so that the heroine might not refuse to tell where the gold was. Of course the dog and the hero arrive in time to rescue her and the boy. The dog takes care of the villains. Harmon Weight directed it from the story by John J. Fowler.