Harrison's Reports (1931)

January 10, 1931 7 HARRISON’S REPORTS “Paid” with Joan Crawford ( MGM ., Dec. 20 ; running time, 85 min.) An excellent drama, well acted and skillfully directed. The picture is suspensive throughout, and has human interest and emotional appeal. Although it is not pleasant to see the heroine become connected with a group of thieves, one sympathizes with her because she is practically iorced into it. There are some tense dramatic scenes. One such scene is where a police inspector, by wearing down a man s nerves, forces him to confess to a murder that he had committed : — The heroine, having served three years in prison for a crime she had never committed, comes out of prison embittered and determined to revenge herself on her former employer, who was responsible tor sending her there. She finds it impossible to procure a position because of her record. In despair, she visits a friend, who had been her cell-mate, and who had also been released, and she is introduced to the head of the gang. He realizes that she is a decent girl and listens to her suggestion to work "within the law.” The heroine and her girl friend become friendly with elderly men and induce them to write love letters to them ; they then sue them for breach of promise. The heroine meets the hero, the son of her former employer, the man who had sent her to the penitentiary, and has her revenge by marrying him, and then leaving him, although she realized that she loved him. The gang leader receives a visit from an old member of the gang, who had served time, and is induced by him to take part in a robbery in the hero's home. He was now a stool pigeon, put to it by the chiei of police. The heroine is not aware ot this until the night of the robbery. She rushes to the hero’s home and begs the gang leader not to go on with the robbery. The hero enters the room and they realize that the whole thing was a frame up. The gang leader kills the stool pigeon and escapes. The hero takes the blame for the murder, the heroine telling the police he had done it in self-defense, and he and the heroine are arrested. The gang leader, who, too, loved the heroine, finally confesses to the murder and the hero and the heroine are reunited. The plot was adapted from the stage play “Within the Law” by Bayard Veiller. It was directed by Sam Wood. In the cast are Robert Armstrong, Marie Prevost, Kent Douglas, John Miljan, Purnell B. Pratt, Hale Hamilton and others. The talk is clear. “The Bat Whispers” ( United Artists, Nov. 29; running time, 84 min.) An entertaining mystery drama. It should prove satisfying to all audiences ; it moves briskly and holds one in suspense. The production tone is excellent. In certain sequences, there is a tendency to lag, but on the whole, the picture has been handled and directed well. Audiences should be gripped by the mysterious atmosphere of the production. Chester Morris does well in a difficult role An arch criminal, the Bat, had been terrifying the district, eluding the police. A bank is robbed, and the home of the president, (which was subleased by his nephew, who believed the former to be in Europe, to a woman,) is the centre of mysterious happenings, apparently to frighten away the tenant. The bank cashier, fiance of the heroine, niece of the woman, is accused of the robbery when he disappears. He disguises as a gardener to gain access to the house, because it W'as believed that the money was hidden in a secret room in the house. The chief of detectives appears, the nephew is killed, and the heroine is accused of the crime. A neighboring doctor appears on the scene and adds to the mystery through his suspicious moves. He knocks the chief of detectives unconscious and steals the plan to the secret room. A mysterious stranger appears, and then disappears. So does the Bat. Eventually, the mystery is solved — the money is found ; it is discovered that the banker had robbed his own bank to make away with the money, the doctor acting as his accomplice. The cashier is cleared. The Bat is really the man who poses as the chief of detectives. The real chief had been assaulted on the way to the house, which accounts for the impersonation. The Bat is captured and the picture ends when Chester Morris does an afterpiece in which he requests the audience not to reveal the identity of the Bat. The plot was adapted from the play by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood. It was directed bv Roland West. In the cast are Chester Morris, Una Merkel, Richard 'lucker, DeWitt Jennings, Maude Eburne, Spencer Charters, William Bakewell and others. The sound is good. (Out-of-town review.) editor’s note : “The Bat” was produced as a silent once ; it was released by the same concern. “Night Birds” {British Int., Jan. 2; running time, 79 min.) An interesting mystery picture, interspersed with some humor. One is kept in suspense until the very end, when the discovery of the real murderer comes as a surprise. There is one particularly clever scene; it is where a detective, aware that a certain gang had planned to make a robbery at a theatre during the performnee, and suspecting the male dancer in the show of being a member of the gang, knocks the dancer unconscious and puts on the dancer’s costume, to which a wire string is attached. By manipulating the wire string he hoists himself up to the box as the members of the gang were about to make the robbery. There is one tense scene ; it is where the detective apprehends the real murderer and is nearly killed by him : — The hero, a detective connected with Scotland Yard, is assigned to a case in which a murder was committed. The murderer is known by name only and the hero sets out to discover the identity of the criminal. By involving himself with a night club performer he is able to make some discoveries. The hero knows that the night club at which the singer performs is usually frequented by gangsters and he enlists the aid of the owner of the night club in his search for the master criminal. A murder is committed at the night club and the singer is arrested as one of the witnesses. The hero realizes that the girl knows who the man he is searching for is, and has her released from prison. He follows her and discovers that the criminal he is after is none other than the owner of the night club. In self defense, the hero is forced to kill the criminal. The hero’s wife, having mistrusted the hero in his behavior with the singer, realizes the mistake she made and asks his forgiveness. The story was written by Victor Kendall. It was directed by Richard Eichberg. I11 the cast are Jack Raines, Jameson Thomas, Muriel Angelus, Eve Gray, Harry Terry and others. The talk is fairly clear, but the sound is poor. “New Moon” Jon. 1 7; running time, 76 min.) An excellent picture for high class audiences, who appreciate good music ; but it is not for the rank and file, as there is very little plot. The merits of the picture consist mostly in the singing of Lawrence Tibbett and of Grace Moore, both of whom are artists connected with the Metropolitan Opera House. Whether they are singing a ribald gypsy song or a love song, one is held entranced by the beauty of their voices. Lawrence Tibbett again pleases with his magnetic personality : — The heroine, a Princess, while aboard a ship on her way to meet her fiance, makes the acquaintance of the hero, a lieutenant in the Russian army. They fall in love with each other. The hero is unaware of the fact that she is going to marry another. He is disillusioned when the boat docks and he sees and hears the heroine being greeted by her fiance, a Governor and high official in the Russian army. The hero forces his way into a ball that is being given for the heroine by her fiance and there sings an insulting song directed at her. For that he is sent to command a fort that is known for its danger because of the savage tactics of the soldiers stationed there. The hero, however, by the force of his personality is able to overcome their prejudices and to command them. The heroine, accompanied by her uncle, calls on the hero to punish him for his insult. She horsewhips him and he takes it without flinching. The fort is surrounded by Turks and the heroine and her uncle are unable to leave. Feeling that they are lost, the heroine confesses her love to the hero and they are married by a priest stationed there. The hero leaves with his men for a surprise attack on the Turks. The heroine fears that she will never see him again. But he is victorious and returns to the heroine. The plot was based on the musical operetta by Oscar Hammerstein, 2nd., Frank Mandel and Laurence Schwab, with music by Sigmund Romberg. It was directed by Jack Conway. Others in the cast are Adolphe Menjou, Roland Young, Gus Shy and Emily Fitzroy. The talk is clear.