Harrison's Reports (1931)

July 18, 1931 HARRISON’S REPORTS “Men of the Sky” (First National, June 20; running time, 68 min.) An indifferent spy melodrama, unfolding during the days of the World War. The episodes are not handled in a way to grip one’s interest. Human appeal is directed only mildly. 1 lie enciing is unpleasant; the heroine’s father is shot and killed as a spy, and the heroine and her sweetheart, who, too, had been arrested as spies, are supposed to be put to death by a firing squad: — The hero, a young American, meets the heroine in Germany in the days preceding the World War and falls in love with her. She promises to marry him. War is declared and the heroine’s father, who was a member of the French Intelligence service, receives his orders. He tells his daughter that they must depart for Strassburg imediately, informing her that he had been a member of the service and that he must help her for the glory of France. Reluctantly she leaves without explaining to the hero. The hero follows her and learns that she is engaged to a German. In reality she had accepted the hospitality of the young man's family for the purpose of obtaining military information. Despondent, the hero goes to France and joins the Lafayette Escadrille. He is assigned to land in enemy territory and to communicate with French agents. In Germany he comes across the heroine and learns that she is a member of the intelligence service. The Germans suspect the heroine’s father and catch him with the “goods.” Eventually they catch also the hero and the heroine. All three are put to death. The story is by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach; the direction, by Alfred Green. Irene Delroy, Jack Whiting, Bramwell Fletcher, John St. Polis and others are in the cast. The talk is clear. (Not a substitution.) It is evident that this was intended to be a musical comedy and was later changed. Not harmful to children, but they will be bored. “Arizona” (Columbia. June 27; running time, 67 min.) This is another creaky old melodrama, which the producers tried to modernize. The results, however, have proved indifferent ,for the reason that the play was written for an epoch when the majority of the people was entirely different from what it is today. The action does not create much pleasure, for it is not pleasurable to see a man marry a woman whom had been mistress to another man, in this instance protege of his. One also dislikes to see two men who had been chums become enemies. The action in this case is made more unpleasant by the fact that the heroine compromises the hero; by tearing off her clothes, she makes her husband believe that the hero had attacked her. (Her object was to spoil her sister’s marriage to the hero, whom she thought unworthy of her.) The plot has been founded on the play by Augustus Thomas. George Seitz directed it. In the cast are Laura La Plante, John Wayne, June Clyde, Forrest Stanley and others. (Not a substitution.) “Enemies of the Law” (Regal Pictures, July 10; running time, 66 min.) This turns out to be a re-hash of other gangster films that have been produced before. Compared to pictures such as “Public Enemy” and “Doorway to Hell,” it is an amateurish attempt. It has all the demoralizing sequences of the usual gangster film, such as disregard for law and order, and cold-blooded shooting, and lacks the fast pace that made the other gangster pictures engrossing. There is no human interest and none of the characters arouse sympathy, not even the heroine: — The heroine, a police spy, becomes acquainted with the leader of one of the bootlegging gangs. She hopes that through him she will be able to discover who the leader of all factions is. They fall in love with each other and she tries her best to make him quit the racket, but he tells her it is impossible. He takes her into his confidence, telling her that he is meeting the big chief at a certain place one night. She relays this information to the police and they break into the premises. The man who loves her is shot and dies in her arms, knowing that she had been a spy. The story was written bv Charles R. Jones. It was directed by Lawrence C. Windom. In the cast are Mary Nolan, Johnny Walker, Lou Tellegen, Harold Ilealy, Alan Brooks and others. The sound is very bad. Not suitable for children or for Sunday show. 115 “Five and Ten” with Marion Davies (MGM, June 13; running time, 68 nun.) An interesting picture. It presents the problem of a man who has too much money and ambition, and who, because he is wrapped up in the progress of his business, fails to understand his wife and children, eventually causing the death of his son, and bringing about almost the ruin of the lives of his wife and daughter. There is deep human appeal in some of the situations, as for instance when his wife attempts to make him understand that she is lonely and wants his company and that she despaired because of his inability to understand her. The scene in the hospital where the son dies is extremely pathetic. The hero does not win the sympathy of the audience at first because, although he loved the heroine, he refused to listen to an explanation that would clear her, instead marrying another girl; also because of the fact that even though he had talent as an architect he preferred wasting his time by all play and no work: — The heroine, daughter of a wealthy merchant, is anxious to get into society. She contributes large sums of money to charities thinking this will aid her socially. But she finds out that it is just her money they want and not her company. The hero, member of a good family but not wealthy, is engaged to a girl of his set. The heroine meets him at a charity bazaar and they are attracted to each other. They eventually fall in love with each other and the hero decides to tell his fiancee everything, but asks the heroine not to mention it for the time being. The heroine, however, enraged at the remarks made to her by his fiancee, lets the secret out. The fiancee tells the hero a twisted story of what the heroine had said and he, in anger, tells the heroine he does not want to see her again. He marries the other girl. A year later, at the dedication of a skyscraper building her father was interested in, she meets the hero. They realize they are still in love with each other and decide to go away together. Her brother is in despair when he hears this. He goes to his mother’s room and there he finds a note that she had left his father because she was lonely. He becomes insane with grief, gets into an aeroplane and purposely lets it drop to earth. He is badly injured. This brings the family together. The boy dies. The heroine is sailing for Europe with her parents when she spies the hero, just as the ship starts moving. He yells to her that his wife had divorced him and that he was following her to Europe. The story was written by Fannie Hurst. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard. In the cast are Leslie Howard, Irene Rich, Richard Bennett, Kent Douglas, Mary Duncan and others. The talk is clear. Suitable for children or for Sunday show. “Sherlock Holmes’ Fatal Hour” (First Division, July 10; running time, 82 min.) This is a good detective mystery drama. Although there is no love interest it holds the attention of the spectator and keeps one in suspense, as all the thrills are provided by the uncanny way Sherlock Holmes has of unraveling a mystery. The discovery of the villain’s identity comes as a surprise. One of the thrilling scenes is where the villain visits Sherlock Holmes to warn him to keep out of his affairs. His face is entirely covered so that it is impossible for Holmes to see who he is. During this scene one is in constant fear that the villain will attempt to murder Holmes. The story concerns itself with the unraveling of the mystery of the murder of two night watchmen, one in the largest bank in England and the other in the largest bank in Berlin. No money is stolen from either bank, but in one case a piece of wrapping paper is found and in the other a small box. Holmes, who is called into the case, discovers that the real money had been stolen and replaced with counterfeit bills in both banks. He realizes that Dr. Moriarity, the villainous criminal, is back of it all. He finally tracks him down, but not before another murder is committed. The plot was adapted from two of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, “The Final Problem” and “The Empty House.” It was directed by Leslie S. Hiscott. The all English cast consists of Arthur Wontner, Jen Felming, Minnie Rayner, Leslie Perrins, Jane Welsh, Norman McKinnell and others. The talk is clear. Suitable for children and for Sunday show. (It was made in England.)