Harrison's Reports (1932)

May 28, 1932 87 HARRISON’S REPORTS “The Tenderfoot” with Joe E. Brown (First National, June ii; running time, 6g min.) Huin-orous ! The first half is not so comical but the second half is not only comical but thrilling, for there are introduced racketeers who abduct the heroine so as to give Joe Brown an opportunity to save her after considerable shooting. The comedy is provoked by the hero’s simple-mindedness ; he is a tenderfoot from Texas and the New Yorkers kid him and his ten-gallon hat. Some of it is provoked by the ability of the hero to take care of himself by means of his two six-shooters when occasion requires it. The audience, in fact, laughed quite a little in these scenes at the expense of the smart New Yorkers : — Joe Brown comes to New York with twenty thousand dollars. His rough ways at a restaurant amuse Lew Cody, a producer, and starts a conversation with him, hoping to have more fun. At this moment he receives word that his show is a bust, and that he is broke, and his jocose disposition turns into a surly one; he tells Brown not to bother him. But when Cody learns that Brown has twent3' thousand dollars, his disposition towards him undergoes a decided change. Cody succeeds in selling Brown forty-nine per cent of the show. They try it in S3'racuse and it proves a failure. They return to Broadway and Cody treats him shamefully. Ginger Rogers, Cody’s secretar3', resents the treatment given to Brown and resigns. Brown interests the head waiter of the hotel in the show and with the money the waiter furnished he is able to buy out Cody. But when he learns that Ginger quit he is disconsolate. He had fallen in love with her. Ginger, when she hears he had bought out Cody, remains with Brown. That night the sheriff attaches the show’s wardrobe and there being no other costumes to wear the hero asks them to wear the Shakesperian costumes they had discovered in the basement. The star quits and Brown gives the part to Ginger. The show is a big success ; the critics mistook it for a satire. The plot has been taken from the play “The Butter and Egg Man,” by George S. Kaufman. It was directed by Ray Enright. It is a substitution, for in the contract “Tenderfoot” was to have been founded on the stage play by A. Hertz and Richard Carle. But since it is a good picture you should accept it. Suitable for children and for Sunday showing. “The Night Rider” with Harry Carey (Artclass — State Rights; 54 min.) A good program western. The action is interesting enough to hold one's attention fairly tensely. There is fast riding, as in all westerns, and there are some situations that offer mild thrills. This story concerns the depredations of a hold-up man, called the Xight Rider, because he had been doing his nefarious work in the dark of the night. Harr3‘ Carey, a representative of the law, working quietly, arranges with the sheriff to make it appear as if he was an outlaw himself. In this manner Harry succeeds in disarming suspicion from the minds of the real outlaws. This helps him round them out. He wins the hand of Elinor Fair. The plot has been founded on a story by Elarry P. Christ. It was directed by Willian N’igh. Good for children and for Sunday showing for those who have been in the habit of showing westerns for such purposes. “Reserved for Ladies” with Leslie Howard (Paramount, May 20: running time, 71 min.) This is a good comedy but it is more suitable for class audiences than for the masses. It is slow-moving and it requires patience on the part of the spectator to sit through the first half, for the real comedy appears in the last half. The picture was made in England with an all English cast and although it was given a fine production, the sound at times is poor, and in general is not as clear as the sound in American pictures. One feels much sympathy for the hero when the heroine, who had thought be was a Prince, discovers he is the head waiter in a hotel : — The hero, head waiter in a fanvous hotel in London, falls in love with the heroine, a wealth3' girl. Realizing that he would never make an impression on her if she knew he was a waiter he does not let her know it. He follows her to a winter resort and they become friends. A king arrives at the resort and when he cordially greets the hero ever3'body there thinks the hero is a Prince. So does the heroine. The hero eventually realizes he had been doing the heroine an injustice and decides to go back to London. He tells her so and sne is heartbroken. He still does not reveal his profession. Once back in London the king, who thought very highly of the hero, takes the heroine to the restaurant and there discloses the fact that the hero is the head waiter but tells them he is a fine man. The heroine’s father does not mind the hero’s profession but the heroine is hurt. She insults the hero at every chance she has. The hero, at the advice of the heroine’s father, em.barrasses her and then asks her to marry him. She consents. The plot was adapted from the story by Ernest Vajda. It was directed by Alexander Korda. In the all English cast are George Grossmith, Benita Hume, Elizabeth Allan, Morton Shelton and others. Unsuitable for children or for Sunday showing. THE FOURTH ARTICLE ABOUT MR. HAYS’ TEN-YEAR RECORD IN THE MOTION PICTURE INDUSTRY The fourth article reviewing the record Mr. Hays has rr^de from the day he came into the motion picture industry will appear in next week’s issue. It is, I feel, more interesting than any of those so far published. There is reproduced in it an extract from a letter Mr. Hays wrote to a publisher in an effort to justify the dirty talk of a character in a picture, against which this publisher protested. This series of articles is creating quite a stir among nontheatrical people. Copies of these articles should be sent by you to every Parents Teachers Association, eveo^ Women’s Qub; in fact to every civic, fraternal or religious organization in 3’our cit3'. Up to this time the producers were able to make these good people believe that the cause for the filthy pictures has been you. The Hays organization has gone, in fact, so far as to make some of these people believe that, without the block-booking system, you would not show a decent picture. These articles will enlighten these good people; after reading them they will know where the blame belongs for the filth dished out of Hollywood. GET BUSY ON THE COPYRIGHT BILL Under date of May 19, Mr. Abram F. M3'ers, general counsel of .\llied States, sent the following telegram to all Allied leaders : “House Patents Committee unanimously reported out House Bill 12094 containing .A.llied Amendments intact. X’o\y let us get this passed without amendment on the floor. Since new number may prove confusing better follow up endorsement to all Congressmen.” This telegram refers to the Copyright Bill and informs the leaders, requesting them to pass the information to the members, that he was able to was finally able to get into this bill, and have the Committee approved, the two amendments and the entire Allied organization has been fighting for. One of these amendments kills the music tax, compelling the Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers to combine such charge with those which the producers make for the recording rights ; the other prevents the producer from charging heavy penalties for unintentional infractions of the copyright law as it concerns the playing of their copyrighted films. Wire to 3’our Representative at once, asking him to support these two amendments, giving him the number of the Bill— 12094 If 3’pu have already written him, write him again and give bim the new number — 12094. SUPPORT FROM A POWERFUL PUBLISHER IN THE TAX FIGHT Mr. Paul Block, publisher of the Washington Nezvs, Milwaukee Journal, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and many other powerful newspapers, had an article in the May 14 issues of his newspapers criticizing the Senate for lowering the taxable limit of the tickets from forty-six to eleven cents, pointing out to the fact that such a tax will compel thousands of theatres to shut down. “And the most ironic part of it all,” says Mr. Block, “would be that the Government would not receive the revenue it hopes to get even though it destroys an industrv in the effort to get it.” Mr. Block certainly deserves the thanks of every member of the motion picture industrv for his editorial help in this fight.