Harrison's Reports (1932)

March 19. 1932 HARRISON’S REPORTS 47 “The Beast of the City” with Walter Huston {MGM, Feb. 13; running time, 85 min.) Although this is a fast-moving gangster picture, dealing with the efforts of the police and detectives to clean up a city overrun by gangsters, and holds one in tense suspense, it is brutal and demoralizing. One sees the downfall of a young man lured on by the physical charms of a girl connected with the gang; also the brutality of gangster procedure, their scoffing at the law and the way they get out of murder charges by intimidating v.'itnesses and juries. Sympathy is felt for the hero because of his upright character and also because of his sorrow when he learns his brother had double-crossed him. The most exciting situation is towards the end when the police and gangsters shoot it out until not a man is left alive : — The hero is made chief of police. His one desire is to rid the city of a gang of ruthless racketeers. His brother, who had fallen in love with a girl in the gang, and who needed money, asks for a promotion in the detective force. The hero refuses him until he proves himself worthy. This angers the brother and he joins the gang, in the meantime keeping his position as detective. The hero orders his brother to act as guard for the removal of funds from a bank. Egged on by his sweetheart, the brother arranges for the gang to steal the truck. Two of the hero’s best men, who had been watching from the sidelines, give chase to the truck. One of them is killed. The truck is recovered and the men arrested. The hero’s brother confesses all. He, together with the other men, is tried for murder. At the trial the brother denies making the confession and the racketeers are set free. The hero is heartbroken. His brother pays him a visit at night and begs for forgiveness. The hero consents on one condition — that he go to the chief of the racketeers and tell him he is going to confess. The hero promises to be there with chosen policemen. The brother does this and the gang starts shooting. The hero and his men answer shot for shot and all, policemen and gangsters, are killed. The plot was adapted from a story by W. R. Burnett. It was directed by Charles Brabin. In tlie cast are Wallace Ford, Jean Harlow, Jean Hersholt, Dorothy Peterson, Tully Alarshall, and others. .\ot suitable for children or for Sunday showing. It is a picture for men. (Not a substitution.) “The Wiser Sex” with Claudette Colbert (Paramount, March 18; running time, min.) This picture turns out to be dull and demoralizing. The story is illogical and there are several dirty situations. For instance, in one situation Lilyan Tashman goes to the bedroom to look for her lover and finds him under the bed with Claudette Colbert. She remarks that she is thankful she did not find them on top of the bed. The whole picture is sexy. Claudette Colbert, desiring to get evidence from William Boyd, attempts to make herself physically attractive to him and her talk at times is very suggestive. One ugly situation is where a young boy, in a fit of passion, attempts to kill William Boyd when he finds him in Lilyan Tashman's apartment. Melvyn Douglas, the hero, is the only who arouses some sympathy : — The heroine refuses the hero’s proposal because she fears his public life as a prosecutor will keep him from her. She leaves for Europe. The hero learns that his young cousin is madly in love with a woman who is a member of the gang he is trying in jail. He warns the boy telling him he once had an affair with the woman. The cousin goes to this woman’s apartment and finds her lover there. He attempts to kill him but instead the lover kills him. The hero rushes to the woman’s apartment to warn her about his cousin’s hot-headedness. \Vhen he gets there he finds the boy killed. The woman arranges things so as to make it appear as if the hero had killed his cousin out of jealousy. He is tried for murder. The heroine, back from Europe and realizing how much she loved the hero, determines to get evidence for him. She poses as a kept woman and takes an apartment next to the woman’s. They become friendly and eventually the heroine obtains the information she is after. The woman signs a confession after her lover is killed by the police. Hero and heroine are married. The plot was adapted from a play, “Her Confessions,” by Clyde Fitch. It was directed by Berthold Viertel. In the cast are Lilyan Tashman, William Boyd, Melvyn Douglas, Ross Alexander and others. Not suitable for children or for Sunday showing. (Not a substitution.) “Keepers of Youth” (Brit. hit. Piet., no date set; running time, 74 min.) A slow moving, tedious drama of boarding school life in England, dealing mainly with the instructors. It is depressing and at times exasperating for most of the action revolves around a man who steps on everything and everyone that might stand in his way. There is sympathy felt for the heroine because of the mistreatment she receives from this man. There is some human interest in her love affair with the hero, a young instructor. It is difficult to believe that boarding school life is as depressing as is shown in this picture, where the instructors are shown as being broken and miserably unhappy : — The hero, filled with ideals and courage, accepts a post as teacher in a country boarding school. Aboard the train on his way to the school, he shares a compartment with one of the old instructors, and with the heroine, who was on her way to the school to act as assistant matron. The old instructor warns him that his enthusiasm will not last long. Once in the school he starts out eagerly to do his work. But he soon is discouraged when he meets the other instructors, bitter and soured with experience. He incurs the enmity of one of them, a bully, because he had interfered with his molesting the heroine. This bully attempts to frighten the heroine into surrendering herself to him, but she resists. The dean of the school is forced to keep the bully there because of his threats to tell all he knows about his wild youthful days. The bully attempts to force himself into the heroine’s room but is stopped by the hero. When the dean finds the hero in the heroine’s room comforting her, he demands of them to resign. This they gladly do. They decide to marry. The hero accepts a position offered on a farm in Canada, where they go. The plot was adapted from a story by Thomas Bentley, Walter Mycroft and Frank L. Under. It was directed by Thomas Bentley. In the all English cast are Garry Marsh, John Turnbull, Robin Irvine, Ann Todd and others. At times it is difficult to understand the talk. Not suitable for children or for Sunday showing. “The Drifter” (Capital Exch., Feb. 10; running time, 65 min.) Only a fair prograiji picture, which at times is tedious. The trouble with it is that there is too much talk and very little action. In addition it is difficult to sympathize with the hero when he realizes the heroine does not love him, for he is much older than she is. As a matter of fact, he is old enough to be her father. There is some human interest in the love affair between the hero’s brother and the heroine, both of whom arouse sympathy : — The herd, nicknamed “The Drifter,” becomes friendly with a man he meets during his wanderings. He agrees to go along with this man to a certain town in Canada. They procure employment with the heroine’s father. The Drifter falls in love with her. But she is in love with her father’s business rival. The Drifter is egged on by his pal to pay court to the heroine. The pal tells him he will arrange to have the heroine meet the Drifter in a cabin at night. The pal then goes to the heroine and tells her he had arranged for her to meet her sweetheart at the cabin so that they may elope and be married. She believes him and goes there. The pal confronts her father and tells him he is the man he had framed twenty years ago and sent to jail. He stabs the father who tells him that the heroine is his own daughter. When the heroine reaches the cabin she is heartbroken to find the Drifter there. She shows him her marriage license and the Drifter is shocked to learn that her sweetheart is his long lost brother. The Drifter’s pal is pinned under a falling tree just before he reaches the cabin. He confesses to the Drifter that he killed the girl’s father with her sweetheart’s knife, desiring revefige. He dies and the Drifter tells the authorities about the confession. He does not tell the heroine the man was her father. Neither does he reveal his relationship to her sweetheart. The plot was adapted from a story by Oliver Drake. It '■ was directed by William O’Connor. In the cast are William Farnum, Noah Beery, Phyllis Barrington, Charles Sellon and others. At times the talk is not very clear. The situation in which the heroine is sent to the cabin is suggestive, making it unsuitable for children or for Sunday showing. Go over your files of Harrison’s Reports and if you find any copies missing let me know so that I may send you duplicate copies. These are supplied free of charge.