Harrison's Reports (1932)

122 HARRISON’S REPORTS “Madame Racketeer” (^Paramount, June 30; running titne, 70 min.) Very good ! It is a character study of a woman “fleecer.” The comedy and laughs are provided by the manner in which this woman fleeces everybody she comes in contact with, making them believe she is a Countess. And even though she is dishonest, she is a likeable character, particularly when she sets out to do things to make her two daughters happy, without even telling them who she was. The funniest situation is the one in which she has a banker draw her will so as to impress him with the amount of money she was going to leave to the girl (her daughter) his son was in love with : — The heroine, known as the “Countess” in police circles, because of her haughty airs, is released from prison on parole. The first thing she does is to sell a fake watch to the warden for twenty dollars. Then she goes to a former sweetheart of hers and fleeces money out of him by telling him the man in his outer office is their son. When she leaves the man discovers that it is a salesman and not his son. He goes to the police. Going to the railroad station she has the porter pick up many bags, stating they are hers. But not one of them belonged to her. She engages rooms in her husband’s resort under the name of “Countess.” Her husband is made unhappy when she arrives. He begs her not to tell their two grown children who she is. She does not. But one of her daughters is in love with the banker’s son and his father will not consent to the marriage. She goes to the bank, has the banker draw up a will for her in which she leaves supposedly a fortune to the girl. The banker becoming excited by so much “wealth” consents to the marriage. Her younger daughter is carrying on a flirtation with a man whom the Countess recognizes as a crook. Not being able to convince the girl that the man was no good, she involves him with herself to prove to the girl he was not worthy of her, even though she knows that, in doing this, she has to go back to jail herself. She does not mind this and tells her fellow prisoners about how easily she duped everybody. The plot was adopted from a story by Malcolm Stuart Boylan and tiarvey Gates. It was directed by Alexander Hall and Harry Wagstaff Gribble. In the cast are Alison Skipworth, Richard Bennett, Evelyn Knapp, George Raft, Robert AlcWade, Gertrude Messinger, and others. Not suitable for children or for Sunday showing. “Washington Masquerade” with Lionel Barrymore and Karen Morley {MGM, July g; running time, 87 min.) This is another costly mistake. No one can find fault with the direction, acting and sets — they are all any one could desire; but how can any one feel sympathy for a hero who accepts the proposition of bribers, particularly when he is a United States Senator ? And this is not his only shortcoming ; though he is supposed to be intelligent, he allows himself to be ensnared by an adventuress, overlooking the advice and warning given to him by his daughter, who worshipped him. Most of the interest is confined to the first part of the picture, where the hero is shown reaching Washington as a Senator. After the hero makes a speech against the power interests, the picture slows up to the point of becoming 'ooresomc. The interest is not again revived until the closing scenes, where the Senate Committee is shown investigating the hero so tiiat they might discover the reasons why he had resigned as a Senator. The death of the hero is not a pleasurable sight : — The hero, a champion of the people, is elected United States Senator. He goes to Washington and at the first Senate meeting makes a name for himself by his courage and fearlessness in fighting big interests. The heroine, a beautiful young woman, is in the employ of a lobbyist, against whose interests the hero is working. She becomes friendly with the hero and eventually he falls in love with her and they marry. The lobbyist offers the hero an easy job with much money if he will resign from the Senate. The heroine makes believe .she is broken-hearted when he refuses it. The hero’s daughter from a former marriage sees through the heroine and not being able to witness his degradation leaves home and lives by herself. The hero refuses to believe anything she has to say about the heroine. A Senate investigation is ordered because of the hero’s resignation. The hero discovers his wife in the arms of another man and then learns that she had been working against July 30, 1932 him. Broken in spirit he seeks rest with his daughter. At the investigation he denies everything the lobbyist has to say and tells the truth about his resignation. At the end of the hearing he dies. The plot was adapted from a play “The Claw,” by Henri Bernstein. It was directed by Charles Brabin. In the cast are Uiane Sinclair, Nils Asther, Reginald Barlow, C. Henry Gordon, and others. Not suitable for children or for Sunday showing. “The Stoker” {Allied Piet., July 30; running time, 59)4 min.) A fair program picture, with mild human interest. Some sympathy is felt for the hero, for his wife deserted him vvhen he needed her most. The closing scenes are fairly exciting ; they show the villain surrounding the hero and the heroine, being saved from death only through the arrival of the United States Marines : — The hero is dejected when he loses his wife and his business. After his wife divorces him he accepts a position as a stoker on a ship. The heroine, a wealthy Mexican girl, craving excitement is taken down to the engine room. She almost falls against the hot oven when the hero rescues her injuring himself thereby. Once in Mexico he gets into a brawl and is put in jail. The heroine and her uncle have him released and invite him to their home. The heroine fears the villain, a bandit, who has threatened to destroy her property. The hero and heroine fall in love and marry. He is disillusioned when he overhears the heroine talking to her uncle and telling him that now that she is an American citizen’s wife they will have the protection of the United States. The hero, thinking that that is the only reason why she married him, prepares to leave. But the heroine proves her love to him when in the face of danger she rushes after him. They fight off an attack by the villain and with the assistance of the United States Marines save the property. The plot was adapted from a story by Peter B. Kyne. It was directed by Chester M. Franklin. In the cast are Monte Blue, Noah Beery, Natalie Moorehead, Dorothy Burgess and Richard Tucker. Suitable for children and for Sunday showing. “Jewel Robbery” with William Powell and Kay Francis {Warner Bros., Aug. 13; running time, 62 min.) Only fair. There is no human interest and none of the characters arouse any sympathy. There is some good comedy in some of the situations, but for the most part it drags. Perhaps the funniest situation is the one in which the hero, in order to get the heroine to his apartment, has his own men pose as detectives, arrest both himself and the heroine and in that way bring her to his home. Some of the situations are suggestive, although not vulgar, since they are done with a touch of comedy : — The heroine is the wife of a wealthy Baron. She is romantic and impractical. Her husband takes her to a jewelry store to buy her a diamond ring. While they are there the hero, a thief, enters with his men to rob the store. He locks everyone up but the heroine. She becomes fascinated with him and he with her but yet he takes away from her the expensive diamond ring her husband had bought. When she arrives home in the evening she finds an enormous bunch of roses without a card. Later as she is preparing to go to bed the hero appears. He wanted to see her again and return the diamond ring to her. She refuses to accept it for fear it would complicate matters. As they are together “detectives” call and arrest them both to take them to the chief of police. But it turns out they are the hero’s accomplices and the heroine finds herself in the hero’s apartment. But the real police had followed them there and in order to save the heroine’s reputation he binds her to a chair and takes leave of her. making her promise she will meet him the following week in Nice. Her husband arrives and she tells him she is all upset and unnerved and must go to Nice for a vacation. He consents. The plot was adapted from the play by Ladislaus Fodor, and d'rf'cted bv William Deterle. In the cast are Hardie Albright. Andre Luguet. Spencer Charters, Lee Kohlmar, and others. Not stiitable for children or for Sunday showing. Substitution Facts : This is replacing No. .353, which is listed on the contract as “Divor-e Detective,” by Dashiet Hammett. It i® a story substitution and you are not obligated to accept it.