Harrison's Reports (1931)

74 HARRISON’S REPORTS “Big Business Girl” ( First Nat’l; release date, July 4; running time, 75 min.) Fair I The story revolves around young folk and should prove generally agreeable. There is nothing that might prove offensive to children ; the only time it borders on the risque is where the young husband and a professional co-respondent await the arrival of detectives for the purpose of getting manufactured evidence for a divorce. But the story has been handled lightly throughout : — Their college days ended, the hero leaves for an orchestra engagement in France while the heroine seeks work in New York City, as a business girl. Because she is intelligent and her beauty appeals to the advertising executive, she gets a position as a copy writer. The hero is successful in Europe, but grows lonely and dashes back home. She is disappointed, feeling that he does not care about making good. When the advertising executive, who had been making proposals to the heroine, enters her apartment early in the morning, the hero, who had been waiting for her, misconstrues the situation, and reveals that he and the heroine are married ; he then leaves in a huff. Through the secret efforts of the heroine, the hero becomes a radio and hotel band leader of repute. The two are about to be reconciled, but another misunderstanding arises. Finally the hero, thinking that the heroine wants to divorce him, consents to give her a divorce. When the heroine hears this, she realizes she loves hirm more than ever, dashes to the hotel where he is scheduled to be found in a compromising position with a professional co-respondent, and saves the day. They are reconciled. William A. Seiter directed the story, by Patricia Reilly, and H. N. Swanson. Loretta Young, Frank Albertson, Ricardo Cortez, Joan Blondell, Dorothy Christy are in the cast. Suitable for all types of audiences. Satisfactory for Sunday nights in small towns. (Out-of-town review. Not a roadshow. Not a substitution.) Note: Brunswick gets an indirect ad plug in the picture. A close-up of a Brunswick disc and of a phonograph cabinet are shown. Warner Bros, owns this company and is using your screens to advertise it without paying you for the privilege. “Svengali” with John Barrymore (Warner Bros., May 22; 81 min.) The acting, particularly that of Mr. Barrymore, is excellent, but how much the story will be accepted by picturegoers can be determined only after the picture has had a fair run. It is my opinion that the picture will prove popular only in big cities ; in the smaller places it may die at the box office, by reason of the fact that the action is unpleasant ; Mr. Barrymore’s character is anything but attractive ; he wears a beard, and his general appearance is disgusting. Marian Marsh is an attractive young woman, and acts well. In addition to this, she has a great singing voice. But the effectiveness of her voice is lost on account of poor recording and of reproduction. This is a noticeable defect when the reproduction of a fine singing voice is required, as in this instance. Founded on Du Maurier’s well known story “Trilby,” the action revolves around a hypnotist who, by using his hypnotic powers, puts the heroine, a young woman engaged to an artist, under his power. While she is under his hypnotic spell she is made to believe that she has a great voice. As long as she is under his power she can sing as a great artist. They travel through Europe. Svengali, who is afflicted with heart trouble, often cancels Trilby’s singing engagements, even though the houses were full, because he feared lest he collapse during the performance, in which event Trilby, resuming her true self, would not be able to sing. This naturally causes the loss of Trilby’s reputation and no one hires her again. They take refuge in Egypt, where Svengali accepts an engagement for her at a wine shop. Trilby’s sweetheart, who had followed them, is present the first evening. Feeling the end coming, Svengali approaches him and intimates to him that he should no longer feel depressed, for that day he would go out of Trilby’s life. During the performance, Svengali collapses and dies, and Trilby, once out of Svengali’s hypnotic powers, loses her singing voice and faints. The hero receives her in his arms. Bramwell Fletcher, Donald Crisp, Lumsden Hare, Carmel Myers, Yola D’Avril and others are in the cast. (Not a substitution. It is the second Barrymore.) May 9, 1931 “Too Young to Marry” with Loretta Young (First National, May 8; running time, 66 min.) Sixty-six minutes of unbearable boredom ! It is supposed to be a comedy, but none of those who will see it will hurt his sides, for none will be awake. It is the story of a henpecked husband, who bears it all until he drinks the cup to overflowing ; he then asserts himself, and discovers that by assuming such an attitude he causes his wife to cower. There is, of course, also a heroine, who loves the hero but who is unwilling to marry him, because that would leave “mother” all to herself ; she is, however, eventually forced to marry him, because he had delivered to her an ultimatum ; she had either to follow him or stay with her parents. The plot has been founded on Martin Flavin’s stage play, “Broken Dishes.” Mervyn Le Roy directed the picture. Grant Withers is Loretta Young’s hero, O. P. Heggie her father, Emma Dunn her mother, and Virginia Sale and Aileen Carlisle her sisters. The sound is poor. It will not harm any child or any Sunday patron. (Not a substitution; not a roadshow.) “The Fighting Sheriff” with Buck Jones (Columbia, May 15; running time, 63 minutes) After making two uninteresting or demoralizing pictures, Mr. Jones again comes forward with a good one, the kind he made for Columbia at first. It has human interest, and holds the spectator in pretty tense suspense. There are several thrills, these being caused, as is usual in all western melodramas, by fast horse riding and by shooting. Mr. Jones again is given an opportunity to display his horsemanship, and as his part is sympathetic the effect of the action upon the spectator is instantaneous. There is, of course, a love affair which, though charming, is not without clouds, for the villain had made the heroine believe that the hero had killed her brother unjustly when the truth of the matter was that he had killed an outlaw ; but the hero, inspired by noble motives, did not want to tell her the facts, even though he could clear himself. The heroine, however, had been told the truth by friends of the hero, and she begs his forgiveness; and since this happens after the hero had brought the villain to justice their happiness is complete. The plot has been founded on a story by Stuart Anthony ; it was directed by Louis King. Loretta Sayers is Jones’ heroine. Robert Ellis, Harlan E. Knight, Paul Fix and others are in the cast. Children should enjoy it. Good for a Sunday show' in towns where thrillers are preferred. (Not a substitution.) “Shipmates” with Robert Montgomery (MGM, April 25; running time, 68 min.) Fair ! It is Robert Montgomery’s first starring picture but the story is neither novel nor very forceful. However, it has been filmed in a pleasing, breezy style, resulting in a fair evening’s entertainment for all classes. The supporting cast, too, is good : — The hero, sailor on a navy oil tanker, poses as a rich oil millionaire when he meets the heroine at a dance. They fall in love with each other. The following day, how'ever, she learns that he is but a common seaman, and he discovers that she is the daughter of the admiral of the fleet. Because her father, whose command is about to expire, expressly requests her not to see the hero until that time, she obeys, even though she really wants to give him a chance to explain. The hero, transferred to the flagship, makes good at his post after a struggle and wins a chance for an appointment at Annapolis. On the day her father retires, he gains the appointment. The hero and the heroine’s father happen to meet at a moment w'hen they had discovered a barge carrying dynamite near a flaming oil tanker. The heroine’s father loses his life but the hero escapes w'ith severe burns. The hero, however, saves the fleet from destruction. This w'ins him the admiration of the navy, and his escapades are overlooked. The ending is a happy one; it shows the hero entering Annapolis and the heroine promising to wait for him. The plot has been founded on the story “Marquee,” by Ernest Paynter; it has been directed by Harry Pollard. In the cast are : Dorothy Jordan, Hobart Bosworth, Gavin Gordon, Ernest Torrence, Cliff Edwards, Joan Marsh, Eddie Nugent, and others. Good for all ages. Excellent for Sundays in small towns. (Not a substitution.)