Harrison's Reports (1929)

182 HARRISON’S REPORTS November 16, 1929 “Romance of the Rio Grande” (lOO^o T-F&D) — w^lth Warner Baxter {Fox, Nov. 17 ■, syn. 8,652 ft.; sil. not yet dcterm.)^^ It seems as if Fox, in “Romance of the Kio Grande,” is going to have another success like “In Old Arizona.” Its action holds the spectator’s sympathetic interest. The story unfolds in Mexico, near the American border, and presents the hero as half Mexican and half American, his mother having been a Mexican. He is endowed with the character of a true Spanish gentleman, who would not accept the hospitality of his grandfather after learning that he had been nursed under the roof of his grandfather, having been taken there by the heroine, who had found him in the desert wounded seriously. The charming Spanish atmosphere is maintained throughout. The love affair between the hero and the heroine, impersonated by Mona Maris, who does good work, is likewise charming : — Mexican bandits raid a railroad, in which the hero was a foreman. The hero takes the payroll and rides away from the bandits. But he is shot by them and wounded dangerously. The heroine finds him unconscious and takes him to the ranch Manta Margarita. The owner of the ranch, an elderly Spanish gentleman, searches the bag on the horse and discovers evidence proving to him that the hero is his grandson, from his daughter, who had run away and married an American. The hero is nursed back to health. When he learns that he is in his grandfather’s ranch, he wants to go away immediately. His grandfather, however, pleads with him to stay. He does so. His cousin plots against his life but fails. The grandfather dies and the hero inherits the ranch. He orders that everything go on as before. He is about to marry a girl of his grandfather’s choice but the cousin steals into the ranch secretly and stabs the woman fatally, because she had promised to marry him. The hero learns that the heroine loved him, and as he realizes that he, too, loved her, they mrary. The plot has been founded on the novel “Conquistador,” by Katherine Fullerton Gerould. Mary Duncan, Antonio Moreno, Robert Edeson, and others are in the .supporting cast. The recording was done well so one is able to understand what the actors say. The music is enchanting; and .so is a love song that is sung by Miss Maris. (Time 93 min. Silent values good.) “The Love Doctor” (100% T-F&D) with Richard Dix (Paramount, Oct. 5; syn. 5,50c ft.) The acting of Richard Dix is the only redeeming feature in this picture. The story is trivial, and hardly worth while. It deals with a young doctor who sets out to cure a love struck patient of his. and becomes a victim of love himself. There is a touch of comedy here and there but not enough to hurt anybody’s sides. 'I'he plot has been founded on the play “Boomerang,” by Winchell Smith and Victor Mapes. Melville Brown directed it. June Collyer, Morgan Farley. Miriam Seegar, Winifred Harris, Lawford Davidson, Gale Henry and others are in the cast. The lines are intelligible. (Time, 58 minutes. Silent values, poor.) “The Trespasser” (100% T-F) with Gloria Swanson (United Artists, Oct. 5; syn. 8,223 ft.) “The Trespasser,” aside from being a fine talking picture, furnishes the means by which it is revealed that Gloria Swanson is an excellent actress. In dramatic moments, she can rise to great heights. When it is required of her to sing, she has no difficulty in doing so, for she possesses a good voice, although the quality of the sound did not do justice to her, for it seemed hoarse and lacking in smoothness. There is deep pathos all the way through the picture. This is accentuated because of the fact that the heroine is shown as possessing an admirable character. When, for example, the hero, confronted by his wealthy father, refuses to take a manly stand to send away his father, who was seeking to have the marriage annulled, she leaves him and obtains a position, so that she might make her living independently of him. When later she has a child and yet she refuses to seek the aid of the hero, one’s admiration for her increases. There are many situations with deep human appeal. The story deals with a stenographer, who marries the son of a wealthy father. But she marries him for love and not for his money. The father thinks the heroine an adventurer and calls on his son to induce him to give her up. Because the hero is inflexible, the father resorts to a ruse ; he makes him believe that, if he would divorce her and give him a chance to build her up, he could remarry her later and bring her into the family as some society lady. When the hero submits his father s suggestion to the heroine, she is indignant. In order to prove to his father that she did not marry him for money, the heroine leaves him and, going to a place where she is not known, obtains a position. Soon she has a child, but she, although in need of money and although her health is none too good, keeps on working until she is compelled to seek her husband’s aid. When she reaches her husband’s business place, she learns that he had been injured in an accident. She goes back to her former employer, and is given back her old position. Her former employer, a married man, offers to set up an apartment for her and to care for her and for her son. Finding it difficult to get along in life with a child, she accepts his proposal. Her paramour is gentle to her and provides her with everything she needs. He dies, and when newspaper reporters are about to expose her relations with him, she, in order to protect her child’s name, sends for the hero, who is now married to another woman, with a view to seeking his aid to stop the newspaper from printing a story about her. The hero for the first time learns that he is the father of a child, and, through his influence, is able to suppress the stories. The hero vows that they will not be separated again. He goes to his father and informs him of the fact that he had found his ex-wife and that he is a father, expressing his determination to divorce his wife and to marry the heroine. The father calls on the heroine and attempts to take the child away from her. In desperation, the heroine tells him that his son is not the father of her child. The hero’s wife, who is a cripple, calls on the heroine, and realizing that her husband still loved her (the heroine) offers to divorce him so that, by remarrying her, the child might have the home he deserved. The heroine, moved by the spirit of self-sacrifice of the hero’s wife, resolves to make a greater sacrifice herself. She informs the hero’s wife that she will give up the hero, and asks her to take the child with her and to care for him. The heroine then disappears. She becomes a telephone operator. Through a telephone call by the hero, she learns that the hero’s wife had died. She makes her presence known to the hero, who rushes to her with his child, happy that he again found her. The plot has been founded on a story by Eidmund Goulding, who also directed it. Robert Ames is the hero, William Holden, the father, and Wallie Albright, the child. Henry B. Walthall, Purnell Pratt, Blanche Frederic! and others are in the cast. The sound reproduction is poor as a result of bad recording. The film version was shown. If the sound will be recorded on disc, it will, no doubt, be poorer yet. (Time, 91 minutes. Silent values, excellent.) “The Long, Long Trail” (100% T-F&D) with Hoot Gibson (Univ., Oct. 27; syn. 5.374 ft.; sit. not yet detenu.) This is the first talking picture Gibson has made. It is a good Western but hardly suitable for a Broadway run. There is a great deal of human interest in it and the action is fact. There is a horse race, which is pretty thrilling: — The hero is called the Rambling Kid, because of his e.xcessive ramblings. He meets the heroine, who came to her uncle, owner of a ranch, from the East. The heroine’s uncle bets his ranch and other money on his horse, the bet being accepted by the villain, who had thought that his own horse was going to win. After the bet, however, the villain learns that a horse, which was owned by the heroine’s uncle, and which was to be ridden by the hero, had outdistanced his own horse in the tests. Thereupon he schemes to prevent the hero from entering the race. He puts a drug into his coflPee. The race is about to start but the hero does not appear. The heroine and her uncle go to the stables and find the hero dazed. They think he is intoxicated. The hero manages to mount the horse and to take part in the races, which, after much effort, he wins. He eventually learns that tl'.e villain had drugged him and gives him a good beating, and, incidentally prevents him from taking the bet money and running away. E. W. Bowman wrote the storj; Arthur Rosson directed it. Sally Eilers is the heroine, and James Mason the villain. Mr. Gibson has a pretty good voice. The lines are intelligible. (Time, 59 minutes. Silent values good.)