Harrison's Reports (1931)

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October 17, 1931 167 HARRISON’S REPORTS “Monkey Business” with the Four Marx Brothers ( Paramount , Seipt. 19; running time, 78 min.) Entertaining ! The Marx Brothers are up to their usual tricks. In their somewhat “insane” way, they are just as funny. Of course, there is no plot to speak of, but their antics make up for this shortcoming. This time they are stoaways on an oceon liner and their main purpose is to keep from being caught by the Captain and his officers. One of the funniest scenes is where Harpo is being chased by an officer, who had recognized him as one of the stoaways. He rushes into the childrens’ quarters where a Punch and Judy show was being performed. He hides behind the curtain and makes believe he is one of the dolls. As a result, the officer could not find him. This makes the officer almost crazy because he had seen him go into the room. Gangsters are mixed up in the story but they are made so ludicrous by the Marx Brothers that they are not objectionable. Through fear, the brothers are forced to become bodyguards to the gangsters, two for one gangster group and the other two for the enemy group. This involves them in many exciting situations, such as a fancy dress ball, and a kidnapping of the daughter of one of the gangsters by the rival gang. The younger Marx is in love with this girl and he enlists the aid of his three brothers in order to rescue her. They find out she is hidden in a barn and they all go there. This situation is screamingly funny and exciting, too, for the younger Marx has a terrific battle with one of the gangsters. Groucho, as usual, gets most of the laughs. At the fancy dress ball he spies a waiter carrying wine to the chief gunman. He stops him but he is refused a drink. He takes out a dollar bill and waves it at him. The waiter, thinking he will get the money, gives him a drink. When he finishes the drink he tells the waiter to come back in a half hour and at that time he will give him another look at the dollar. There are some funny scenes in which also Thelma T odd lakes part. The story was written by S. J. Perelman and Will B. Johnston. It was directed by Norman McLeod. In the cast are Tom Kennedy, Ruth Hall, Rockcliffe Fellows, Ben Taggart, Otto Fries and others. The talk is clear. Suiteable for children and for Sunday showing. “Heaven On Earth” with Lew Ayres ( Universal , Oct. 13 ; running time, 89 min.) As a picture on which Universal pinned bundles of hopes, “Heaven On Earth” is a disappointment, for the reason that the characters are not sympathetic ; and the average spectator refuses to take an interest in people who do not do worth while things. The hero is shown shooting and wounding a man, who later turns out to be his cousin. The Captain, supposedly his (the hero’s) father, but only his stepfather, had killed the hero’s father years before for some injury done to him and had adopted the baby hero with the object of rearing him to hate his relatives. This cannot arouse any sympathy for the Captain. The break up of the relations between the hero and the Captain is not sympathetic action. The hero’s decision to kill the Captain cannot be expected to be applauded by the spectators. Most of the action is. in fact, unsympathetic. The result is that the spectator does not take an interest in the fate of the characters. The only person to awaken a measure of sympathy is the young heroine. But it is not enough to make the picture interesting. The flood scenes are spectacular ; they are interesting and somewhat thrilling. But they would have been far more effective had the characters captured the spectator’s sympathy. The plot has been founded on the novel “Mississippi,” by Ben Lucien Burman. Some changes have been made to it, but they are minor and have hardly changed the make up of the characters. One of the most decided changes is the eliminating of the marriage between States and Towhead, and consequently of the son that was born to them. The direction is good, and the acting of most of the characters is artistic. The acting of Lew Avres is excepted ; he goes through the piece as if he did not care whether he worked or not : he failed to express any feeling. The fault may be owed to the fact that he is not called upon to express great feeling. The scene where Towhead is shown ill in bed, after her rescue from the wrecked shanty boat, is fairly pathetic. Anita Louise is the heroine, Harry Beresford the Captain, and Lew Ayres the young hero. Elizabeth Patterson, Peter Richmond, Jules Cowles and others are in the cast. It is not objectionable for children or for Sunday showing. Note : In the Forecaster, is was stated that, although the material w'as depressing, with proper changes it could be made entertaining. The changes made to the book plot have not proved sufficient. “Convicted” ( First Division, Oct. 13; running time, 56 min.) A fairly good murder mystery. The interest of the spectator is held to the very end because there are so many suspects. The discovery of the real murderer comes as a complete surprise as he was never one of the suspects. The heroine has the sympathy of the audience because of the predicaments she finds herself in, first because she resented the attention paid to her by the man who was later murdered and then because circumstances seemed to point to her as the murderess : — The heroine, trying to elude the backer of her show because his attentions caused her embarrassment, sails for Panama. She is made very unhappy when she discovers that he is on board. The hero, a famous criminologist, in love with the heroine, is also on board but she is delighted when she discovers this. The manager enters into a poker game with some men and there is a quarrel when he accuses them of cheating. They threaten him. The heroine discovers in her cabin a gift from this man. She takes it back to him and when he refuses to let her go she strikes him with a candlestick. She is seen leaving his cabin. The next morning he is found dead, stabbed. She is accused. But the hero solves the mystery by discovering that one of the officers of the ship knew that the murdered man had absconded with $100,000. He finds the money on him which proved that he killed him. The hero and the heroine are united. The story was written by Ed Barry. It was directed by Christy Cabanne. In the cast are Aileen Pringle, Jameson Thomas, Harry Meyers, Dorothy Christy, Richard Tucker and others. The talk is clear. Sensitive children may be frightened. Otherwise, it is not unsuitable for children or for Sunday show. “Smart Woman” with Mary Astor ( RKO , Sept. 26; running time, 66 min.) A fairly amusing comedy of marital difficulties. The heroine is an appealing character, for she has common sense, patience and understanding. The only trouble is that one feels she ought not to have all these attributes for a man who does not deserve it, for the hero is presented as a person with little common sense. The means she uses to bring about the downfall of the other woman and to winningback her husband’s affections is amusing. John Halliday, in the role of an English lord, in love with the heroine, arouses the sympathy of the audience and one almost regrets that he does not win her affections in return. It is mainly through his assistance that she is able to carry out her plans : — The heroine, back from a European trip, is heart-broken when she learns that her husband had transferred his affections to another woman. She decides to win him back. First she invites the girl and her mother down for a weekend, her husband being a guest also. Then she calls on an English lord for his help. She had met him on the boat on her way home from Europe and he was very much attracted by her. When he arrives at her home he immediately grasps the situation. He pays attention to the girl involved, and when she hears that he is a wealthy bachelor she does not delay in transferring her affections to him. The hero discovers tins but is not sorry for he realizes it is really the heroine he loves. They are reconciled. The plot was adapted from the play “Nancy’s Private Affair” by Myron C. Fagan. It was directed by Gregory La Cava. In the cast are Robert Ames, Edward Everett Horton, Noel Francis, Gladys Gale and others. The talk is clear. Very good for the classes but possibly boresome for the masses. Doubtful for children for they may be bored with all the sophisticated talk. There is not very much action.