Harrison's Reports (1932)

April 2, 1932 HARRISON’S REPORTS 55 “Girl Crazy” with Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey {RKO, March 25; running time, 72^ min.) A fairly good comedy with music, filled with laughs, of the program grade. The story is thin. Some of the situations are hilarious. One of such situations is where Bert Wheeler, while driving a taxi, notices a motorcycle policeman following him. He stops the car only to find that it was a dummy figure of a policeman attached to his car. He throws it away and when a real policeman starts following him, Robert Woolsey, who was his passenger, thinking it the dummy, throws things at ‘‘it” to detach it from the car. Mitzi Green, as the "pesty” sister of Bert Wheeler, provides most of the laughs. She is particularly effective when she does imitations of Bing Crosby, Roscoe Ates, George Arliss and Edna May Oliver. This brought spontaneous applause from the audience : — Eddie Quillan runs a dude ranch out West. Robert Woolsey is engaged to run the gambling table. Bert Wheeler, wanting to get away from Mitzi Green, his sister, drives Woolsey and his wife from Chicago to Arizona. While waiting around for his fare, which amounted to more than four hundred dollars, he is induced by his sister, who had followed him to Arizona, to run for Sheriff. This means sure death for no Sheriff in that town had held office for more than two minutes ; they were usually shot dead by the bad man of the town. Wheeler becomes Sheriff and his time after that is spent in hiding from the bad man who wants to kill him. He falls in love with Dorothy Lee and, prodded on by his sister, proposes to her. Eddie Quillan falls in love with Arline Judge. But there is a misunderstanding, which is finally cleared up. The bad man is subdued and everyone is happy. The plot was adapted from the play by John McGowan and Guy Bolton. It was directed by William Seiter. Others in the cast are Kitty Kelly, Stanley Fields, Lita Chevret and Chris Pin Martin. Because of one situation in which Arline Judge is seen going off with a man who is not her husband and who registers in the hotel as man and wife, and of suggestive remarks by Robert Woolsey, the picture is unsuitable for children or for Sunday showing. (Not a substitution.) “Why Saps Leave Home” (B. I. P., release date not yet set; time 6a)4 min.) It seems as if ‘‘Wfiy Saps Leave Home” is so far the best picture produced by British International Pictures, Ltd., or by any other British concern, for that matter. It is a burlesque on American gangsterism, handled in an extremely humorous manner. The producers took care to use such actors as have no cockney accent, or very little of it. Consequently the imitation of American speech is perfect. The use of American slang is extremely correct. In the opening of the picture, the producers have taken care to make it plain to American audiences that the “kidding” of American gangsterism is in no way intended to be a slur on America, and that the subject has been undertaken from an entirely humorous angle. This was altogether unnecessary, for the subject has been handled with a delicacy that will amuse the most patriotic Americans. But even if it had not been so handled, Americans had no cause for complaint in view of the fact that for years they have been presenting the British noblemen as fops and silly asses ; it would be merely getting back at us. Though the picture is full of comedy, thrills are not lacking. These occur particularly in the end, where there is plentiful shooting between rival gangsters, who both are afterwards attacked by the police. The basic idea of the story is a young Englishman’s error in thinking that his uncle’s business, which he came to America to inherit, concerned milk, when in reality it concerned hootch. His supposed unfamiliarity with American slang gives rise to the comedy. For instance, when he was taken by a rival gangster’s henchmen to a “ride” he thought it was a pleasure trip. While he talked all the while about a meeting of the board of directors he was unaware of the fact that the “board” members were the most notorious gangsters in Chicago, or anywhere in America. There is a love affair interwoven in the plot. The plot has been founded on a story by J. W. Drawell and Reginald Simpson ; it was made into a screen play by Lupino Lane and Leslie Arliss. Lupino Lane directed it. Henry Kendall is the “innocent” young Englishman, and Betty Woods the object of his admiration. There are many wisecracks and since some of them are pretty strong they make the picture unsuitable for Sunday showing. 1 doubt whether children of twelve or younger will get the meaning of the wisecracks. But the showing of it on a day when large number of them attend must be determined by >ou. As far as adult custom is concerned, this paper suggests that you make a place for this picture on your program, for two reasons : it is an excellent entertainment, and it will encourage the production of more pictures of this kind. “The Broken Wing” with Lupe Velez and Leo Carrillo {Paramount, March 25; running time, 73 min) Moderately entertaining. The story is thin and contains no new angles. The heroine arouses sympathy, and so does the hero, because of his thoughtfulness towards the heroine. There are some comedy situations, and the interest is held to a fair degree. The first half is more entertaining than the last half : — The heroine, a vivacious, romantic Mexican girl, whose American foster-father pampers her, is loved by a Mexican, who rules the town, but who she feels, is not for her. During a terrific storm the hero, flying a plane, crashes into her garden. He is taken in the house and cared for. He cannot remember who he is or anything about himself. The heroine falls in love with him and although he loves her, too, he feels he would be doing her an injustice if he were to marry her. The Mexican suitor, furious at the turn of events, arrests the hero and orders him shot. One of the American business men in the town, who had traced the hero’s identity, has his own wife, who was not known to the town, pose as the hero’s wife. The heroine is brokenhearted. But the hero suddenly regains his memory, remembers his name and emphatically denies that he has a wife. The Mexican suitor is arrested by the troops for having attempted to kill the hero. The hero and the heroine leave in a plane for his home town, there to be married. The plot was adapted from the play by Paul Dickey and Charles Goddard. It was directed by Lloyd Corrigan. In the cast are Melvyn Douglas, George Barbier, Willard Robertson, and others. The role Mr. Carrillo takes is somewhat similar to the role he took in the RKO picture, “The Girl from Rio.” Exhibitors should have this in mind when arranging their bookings. There are no suggestive situations in the picture and it is, therefore, suitable for children and for Sunday showing. (Not a substitution). “One Hour with You” with Maurice Chevalier {Paramount, March 25; running time, 78min.) Fairly entertaining for about twenty-five per cent of the picture-goers, the sophisticated, but boresome for the masses. The plot is thin and lacks action. It is interspersed with music, but it is neither a musical comedy nor a straight comedy ; it is half and half and neither. At the theatre where I reviewed it I heard frequent laughs but they were not the type that one will remember after leaving the theatre. The production is peculiar; Mr. Chevalier is made to talk to the audience from the screen as if it were part of the picture. Although people laughed during those moments, it is hardly to be considered a successful effort for this destroys the illusion. On the whole, it is not a picture that will appeal to many : — The hero, a doctor, and the heroine had been married for three years and were happy. The heroine receives a visit from her best friend, a flirtatious woman, married unhappily. She starts trouble by forcing her attentions upon the hero. He tries to resist but is drawn into an affair with her. His wife suspects he is having an affair with another woman but does not suspect her friend. She learns the truth when the hero confesses to her that he is to be named as correspondent in the divorce case of her friend. Just to teach the hero a lesson she tells him she, too, has had an affair with his best friend. The hero, of course, does not believe her. They are finally reconciled. The plot was adapted from the play “The Marriage Circle,” by Lother Schmidt, which was produced as a silent picture for the Warners by Mr. Lubitsch. In the cast are Jeanette MacDonald, Genevieve Tobin, Charlie Ruggles, Roland Young, Josephine Dunn, and others. .Not suitable for children or for Sunday showing. (Not a substitution).