Harrison's Reports (1931)

14 HARRISON’S REPORTS “Once a Sinner” — with Dorothy Mackaill (Fox, Jan. 25 ; running time, 69 minutes ) The direction is skillful, and the acting artistic ; but the story is depressingly unpleasant, for it deals with a sex question between two married persons : The young hero, a country boy, while in New York, meets the heroine, who was kept by a wealthy man, and falls in love with her. She, too, falls in love with him and even though he is a poor boy she gladly renounces her luxuries to become respectable and thus abandon the life she disliked. After their marriage they go to the young hero’s town to live. The heroine makes several attempts to tell her husband of her past but he will not listen to her, telling her that he loves her and that that is all that counts. And yet later in the story the heroine’s past arises as a spectre to ruin their happiness. The hero wants the heroine to tell him who the man was ; she will not tell him because that man was backing him financially and a revelation of his name would have forced the hero to refuse to accept his help, an attitude which would have ruined him. a thing the heroine wanted to avoid. In the development of the plot, it is shown that the hero asks the heroine to go back to him, because he loved her. All through the picture the heroine’s past pops up constantly to “slap” the spectator in the face. And this is not a thing to leave one in a pleasant frame of mind. The plot has been founded on the story by George Middleton ; it was directed by Guthrie McClintic. Koel McCrea, John Holliday, C. Henry Gordon and others are in the cast. Editor’s Note: For an analysis, see editorial this issue. “Damaged Love” (Sono-Art, Dec. 26; running time, 67 min.) An unpleasant and mediocre picture, not suitable for children, for the reason that it shows a young girl actually throwing herself at a man, even though she knew that he was married and was the father of a child. She wanted him and decided to win him at all costs. None of the players arouses much sympathy, because of the weak characters they display. There is very little human interest : the picture drags and becomes boresome. The death of a baby is heartrending ; it is resorted to in order to bring the father to his senses. This turns the picture into a morgue. The audience at the Central giggled and snickered in serious moments, because of overacting and of the awkwardness of Charles Starrett : — The hero and the heroine had been happily married until they had a child; after this the hero resented the fact that his wife gave all her attention to the baby and not to him. He accidentally meets a young woman in an elevator and they become interested in one another. The girl falls in love with him at once, and it is not until after their second meeting that she learns he is married. But this fact does not stop her from forcing her attentions on him, and they finally become involved in an afifair. One night the hero stays away from home and spends it with the girl. That night his baby dies and when he returns home the next morning he is heartbroken. After the funeral his wife orders him to leave their home. He does so. His sister intervenes with the girl, asking her to give up her brother, but the girl refuses, saying that she is going to have a child. The hero calls on the girl and tells her that he is leaving her and returning to his wife. She does not tell him that she is going to have a child, and she releases him. The hero and the heroine are reconciled. The plot was adapted from a play by Thomas W. Broadhurst. It was directed by Irvin Willat. In the cast are June Collyer, Charles R. Starrett, Eloise Taylor, Betty Garde and Charles Trowbridge. EDITOR’S NOTE: “Week-End Sinners” was the original title of this picture, but it is a substitution. See analysis in editorial. “Reducing” — with Marie Dressier and Polly Moran ( MGM , released January 3; running time, 75 min.) There are many laughs in this picture, particularly in the first half, and in one spot near the end. But the picture presents the queer phenomenon of making one laugh and at the same time sending him home in an unhappy frame of mind. The causes are two : first, because the comedy is provoked by quarrels between two sisters ; and secondly, because the daughter of one of them (of Polly Moran) is shown being wronged by a young man (William Collier Jr.) who, after meeting the daughter of the other sister ( Marie Dressier), gives up Polly Moran's daughter to do the same thing to Marie Dressler’s daughter. | It is not a pleasant theme, and not suitable for young men and women, January 24, 1931 sons and daughters of fine families, even though in the end William Collier, Jr., is forced by Marie Dressier to marry the girl. Most of the comedy is caused in the Turkish bath conducted by Polly Moran, when Marie Dressier, her sister, whom she had invited with her family to visit her, reach town and Miss Dressier is given a job by Miss Moran. There are squabbles at home, too, between the two sisters as well as between Miss Dressler’s husband (Lucien Littlefield) and Miss Moran. Willard Mack wrote the story; Charles E. Reisner directed it. Anita Page, Sally Filers, and others are in the cast. “The Man From Chicago” ( Columbia-Brilish Ini., Jan. 15; running time, 81(4 min.) An unpleasant gangster story ; not suitable for children, because of the theme and because of the language used. In one scene a woman is heard telling a man “To go to hell”, and in another scene, while a man is describing a certain place the word “lousy” is used. And then, it is not pleasant to watch a character shoot off people without any hesitation, because they happened to be in his way. The principal character, a gangster, is presented as a ruthless, lying criminal, without any sense of justice. But it’s an acceptable entertainment for houses that are not so particular. There are some tense moments. One of them being in a cabaret, where the gangster had shot a detective. The gangster and his accomplice, realizing that they must get the body out of the cabaret, and knowing that they are being watched, put the body in a dumbwaiter and manage to hoist it out of the place without being detected. There are some thrilling moments when the police, in an automobile, give chase to the gangster’s accomplice. But often it drags. The plot was adapted from a play by Reginald Simpson. It was directed by Walter Summers. In the cast are Bernard Nedell, who takes the part of the gangster, Joyce Kennedy, O. B. Clarence, Billy Milton, Dodo Watts, Albert W helan and Austin Trevor. The sound is good. “Compromised” (British In!., Jan. 16; running time, 56 min.) A moderately amusing farce. Most of the characters are made to behave like imbeciles and the situations they find themselves in are silly and unbelievable. There are many risque things said and risque references made to certain situations that at times are in bad taste: — The father of the heroine refuses to give his consent to the marriage of his daughter with the hero, for he believed that they were too young and should wait a year. The two young people decide to take matters into their own hands and force him to consent. They make plans whereby the hero is to compromise her and in that way force her father to consent. But the father overhears their plans and decides to play a trick on them ; he manages to involve the hero with another girl, and with the help of the girl’s father to terrorize the hero into believing that lie will have to marry the girl. In the end, after the father had had all the fun he wanted out of the situation, he gives his consent and the hero and the heroine are united. The plot was adapted from the play “Compromising Daphne,” by Val Valentine. It was directed by Thomas Bendy. In the cast are Jean Colin, Phyllis Konstam, C. M. Hallard, Viola Compton and Charles Hickman. The sound is the best heard so far in a British picture. “Fair Warning” — -with George O’Brien (Fox, released February 1 ; running time, 60 min.) An excellent outdoor picture, in which Mr. O’Brien is presented as a fearless man, and in which he is given an opportunity of living up to his reputation. Beautiful outdoor scenery forms the background, there is fast action, and the spectator is thrilled in some situations, and held in fairly tense suspense in others. The judicious characterization of Mr. O’Brien in the beginning wins him the spectator’s good will, which follows him throughout the story: he is shown as a lover of animals, endowed with an understanding of them, a fact which makes the wildest of them approach him without injuring him. A supposedly fine horse, which Mr. O’Brien is shown capturing and taming, adds to the interest. The plot has been founded on the story “Untamed,” by Max Brand. It was directed by Alfred Werker, and was produced under the supervision of Jimmy Grainger’s son, Eddie Grainger, who has shown unusual ability as a producer. Louise Huntington, Nat Pendleton, Mitchell Harris, George Brent and others are in the cast.