Harrison's Reports (1932)

HARRISON’S REPORTS April 16^1932 “Disorderly Conduct” with Spencer Tracy and Sally Eilers {Fox, Mar. 20; running time, 81 mm.) Fox has not produced a picture with so much realism for a long time. One is made to feel as if present in a sensational real-life occurrence. It is the story of a police sergeant, hero, who turns into a grafter when he gets the worst of it for trying to do his duty conscientiously. The various scenes, where bootleggers and gangsters are introduced, are suspensive. The most suspensive situation is that where the gangsters follow the hero in a taxicab ; when the hero reaches home he rushes out of his taxicab into the house, escaping the machine gun bullets. But one of the bullets hits and mortally wounds his little nephew, whom he worshipped. The death of the child is deeply pathetic. The scenes where the hero confronts the murderers and shoots them dead hold one in tense suspense. The story is a mixture of good and bad moral: the bad moral is conveyed by the sight of the hero turning a grafter; the good moral is conveyed by his regeneration : — The hero, a motorcycle police sergeant, arrests the heroine for speeding. Her father is a powerful bootlegger, and she promises to get even with the hero. She carries out her threat and the hero is demoted and transferred to another precinct. The Captain of his new precinct is an honest man, who demands honesty of his men. The hero, determined that honesty does not pay, makes much money on the side by protecting speakeasies and gambling places. He sets up a comfortable home for his mother, two nieces and nephew. The Captain finds out about the hero’s dishonesty and orders him to head a raid on a large gambling establishment to which the hero had given protection. At the gambling place he finds the heroine in a room with a murder^ man and although she pleads innocence he arrests her. He accepts $10,000 from her father not to talk about it. The gambler is out to get the hero. Instead he kills the hero’s nephew who had been playing on the street. This brings the hero to his senses. He kills the gambler and although he is wounded he manages to get back to his Captain and return the $10,000. He recovers from his wounds and is given back his old job as motorcycle sergeant. The heroine begs for forgiveness and they are united. The plot was adapted from a story by William Anthony McGuire. It was directed by John W. Considine, Jr. In the cast are Ralph Bellamy, El Brendel, Dickie Moore, Ralph Morgan, Allan Dinehart. and others. Not suitable for children or for Sunday showing. Substitution Facts: In the contract 305 is listed as “Disorderly Conduct.’’ story by Barry Connors with Victor McLaglen and Edmund Lowe. Since the fini.shed picture is by William Anthony McGuire and neither McLaglen nor Lowe are in the picture it is a story and star substitution. “Scandal for Sale” with Rose Hobart, Pat O’Brien and Charles Bickford {Universal, April 10; running time, 12 min.) A fast-moving newspaper story, dealing with tabloid journalism. The hero is an e.xtremely unsympathetic character for in his desire to get “tabloid” news he stops at nothing, even sending his best friend to his death. The heroine arouses sympathj' because of her unhappiness due to the sort of life she and the hero were living and because of his neglect of the family. An extremely pathetic situation is the one in which her young child dies. An exciting situation is the one in which the hero’s friend is shown flying across the Atlantic ocean : — The owner of a small town paper kills any sort of sensational news the hero, editor, attempts to print. This so infuriates the hero that he resigns and_ his friend. a_ reporter, quits with him. Despite his wife’s protestations they move to New York and the hero secures a position on a tabloid newspaper. He builds up the circulation hy printing sensational news. His friend, the reporter, helps him. His work causes him to neglect his wife and family. His small son takes sick and as he fails to bring a doctor. he dies. The heroine blames the hero for his death. Desiring to print something startling he urges his friend to fly across the .A.tlantic with a German aviator. The heroine, knowing that the friend loves her. pleads with him not to go. But he does. The plane is wrecked and he is killed. This brings the hero to his senses. The heroine wants to leave him. but he nHads with her to give him another chance. She agrees and thev leave for a small town where the hero will again work on a small newspaper. The plot was adapted from the novel “Hot News,” by Emile Gauvreau. In the cast are Claudia Dell, J. Farrell MacDonald, Berton Churchill, and others. Not suitable for children or for Sunday showing. Substitution Facts. In the contract 4023 is listed as “Barbary Coast,” no author’s name but described as a “story of Frisco Dance-hall days.” Since “Scandal For Sale” has nothing to do with Frisco dance-hall days, it is a theme substitution. “Hot News” was announced last season by MGM. “Steady Company” with Norman Foster, June Clyde, Zasu Pitts and Henry Armetta {Universal, March 14; running time, 67 min.) An entertaining comedy drama, with some thrills. Most of the comedy is provoked by the acting of Mr. Armetta, who takes the part of an Italian shoemaker, as well as by that of Zasu Pitts, who takes the part of a telephone operator, friend of the heroine. The thrills are caused by a prize fight, in which Norman Foster seeks to win a championship title. There is considerable pathos, too. The acting is good and the action holds the interest pretty well all the way through : — The hero, a truck driver, trains with hope of becoming a prize fighter. He meets the heroine and offers her a lift. She accepts his offer but not without making him understand that if he has any wrong thoughts about her he had better cast them off. They meet again and the two fall in love with each other. While acting as a substitute the hero shows such fighting skill that he attracts the manager of prize fighters who offers to train him. The heroine is heartbroken when she finds out that he aspires to become a prize fighter. They had a tiff and part. The hero loses the next fight. The heroine, having overheard people say that he is yellow, goes to him and, having indicated to him that she has changed her mind about prize fighting, urges him to accept another offer for a fight so that he might get a chance to prove that he is not yellow. He is glad and accepts the suggestion. The story is by Edward Luddy; the direction, by Edward Ludwig. There are no sex situations but its suitability for Sunday depends on whether you show prize fight pictures on such a day. Children will like it if you want to show them such a picture. Substitution Facts: On the contract 4011 is listed as “Baby Faced Gangster,” based on the stor> “Baby Faced Killer,” by Donald Henderson Clarke, and since “Steady Company” has been based on the story by Edward Luddy, it is a story substitution and you are not obligated to accept it. “Destry Rides Again” with Tom Mix {Universal, Apr. 17; time, S3 min.) The fears some persons had lest Mr. Mix’ voice should not record well will be dissipated by this picture, for the reproduction of it is excellent. The story material is very good ; it is human, and the action keeps one’s attention to the screen at all times. Mr. Mix again takes his old part, of being kindly and of setting no bad example for children. He shows attachment for little children. And the children show great affection for him and for his horse. In the last one-third, George Ernest, a boy about eight years old, almost “steals” the picture ; Mix, slightly wounded, is supposed to be hunted by the outlaws. In his efforts to escape from them, he comes upon a farm house. Every one of the family is absent except George Ernest, who acts as a hero worshipper, the object of his worship being Mix (as Destry). At first the boy pretends he has not recognized him although he speaks admiringly of him. After washing his wound like an “old-timer,” he advises Mix to sleep, undertaking to act as a guard, to notify him if any one should approach the house. These scenes will give much pleasure to those who will see the picture. The story deals with a hero who is framed by his partner, secretly the leader of an outlaw gang, and sends him to jail for a year for murder. He vows to revenge the wrong done to him. When he comes out. he first pretends that he is a sick man and that he had given up his revenge plans. Suddenly he goes after the outlaws and gets every one of them. (He does not shoot any one of them himself.) He wins as a wife the heroine, who was coveted bv this partner. Max Brand wrote the story ; Ben Stoloff directed it. The direction could have been better. Gaudia Dell is not so good a heroine. Earle Fox is the villain. Good for children and for Sunday showing.