Harrison's Reports (1933)

March 11, 1933 HARRISON’S REPORTS 39 “The Ghost Train” (Gainsborough Piet.; running time, 67 min.) This is a British production with an all English cast. It is a comedy-melodrama, and is rather slow in getting started ; but after the first half it picks up speed and holds the audience in tense suspense. The situation in which the ghost train is supposed to be approaching the station where the stranded passengers are stopping is exciting and eerie. The solving of the mystery is done in a logical manner. Comedy relief is supplied by an old-maid who becomes a little tipsy, and the hero who acts the fool purposely to deceive the other people, since it develops he is an operative of Scotland Yard, out to solve the mystery of the ghost train ; — Several passengers, among whom is the hero, are left stranded at a deserted looking station where they are supposed to change trains. Since they had missed their train they are forced to remain at the station over night. The station-master tells them a story about a ghost train and they become frightened. A young girl, presumably insane, enters and tells them that any one who should dare look at the train would die. Suddenly an approaching train is heard and every one is hushed. One of the passengers, a doctor, induces the people to leave in a car sent by the “insane” girl’s brother. But the hero, at the point of a gun, stops them. He is a detective from Scotland Yard. It seems the ghost train was a real train carrying arms to Russia. The doctor and the supposedly Insane girl were operatives of the gang and they had concocted the story so as to frighten the people, hoping they would leave the station, or else not look at the train. The hero throws the switch that opens the bridge and the train falls into the river. In the meantime the police arrive at the station, arrest the doctor and the girl, and take the other passengers to their destination. A romance had developed between the hero and the heroine, one of the passengers. She promises to meet him that evening when they reach their destination. The plot has been adapted from the play by Arnold Ridley. It was directed by Walter Forde. In the cast are Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge, Ann Todd, Cyril Raymond, Donald Calthrop, and others. Except for the fact that it might frighten sensitive children, it is suitable for children, adults, and for Sunday showing. “From Hell To Heaven” with Carole Lombard, David Manners and Adrienne Ames (Paramount, Feb. 24; running time, 66 min.) A fairly good comedy-drama. Done in the style of “Grand Hotel,” it presents several characters, each disassociated from the other, and their various problems. All the action centers around a horse race, which means something to each of the individuals presented. Suspense is sustained throughout because the spectator feels sympathy towards several of the characters who have bet money on different horses, and one does not know until the end which horse will win and how it will affect the losers. Comedy is brought about by Jack Oakie, a radio announcer, whose aspirations are to be a crooner. He finally loses his position as an announcer because of his desire to sing instead of announce. The characters involved in the story are Adrienne Ames and her husband, David Manners. Manners had embezzled $5,000 of his firm’s money in order to keep his wife in style. They are at the races to bet on a horse so as to win enough money to pay back his firm and thus avoid arrest. Carole Lombard had come to the races to find her old sweetheart whom she had deserted to marry a wealthy society man. Bradley Page was there to find his old sweetheart, Shirley Grey, and to force her to give him money. Thomas Jackson, a detective, was there to keep his eyes on things. Worked into the stor> is also the love affair of James C. Eagles, a jockey, and Verna Hillie, daughter of the owner of a race horse who disliked Eagles, thinking he was crooked. Eiagles gets his chance to prove his worth when he receives an offer to ride the favorite horse in the race. In the development of the plot Page kills his former sweetheart and takes her money. He bets it all on the favorite and wins. But news of the murder is broadcast at the race and Jackson, the detective, hears it. He knows Page is guilty. Manners, having lost all his money on the race, is ready to go back with Jackson, under arrest. Jackson accosts Page who draws a gun. Manners jumps at him and is shot, but he saves Jackson's life. Page is killed by Jackson. Grateful to Manners for what he had done Jackson gives him the gang ster’s money with which he can square himself with his firm. Carole Lombard finds her sweetheart and they are united. The plot was adapted from a story by Lawrence Hazard. It was directed by Erie Kenton. In the cast are Sidney Blackmer, Nydia Westman, Walter Walker, Berton Churchill, and others. There is some suggestive talk between Carole Lombard and Sidney Blackmer, but it is doubtful whether children will understand it ; not suitable for adolescents or for Sundays. “The Mind Reader” with Warren William (First National, Ap^il i ; time, 69 min.) Some picture-goers may like this picture because of the continual doings of the characters, but it is not a good entertainment, by reason of the fact that the hero is dishonest. By making pwple believe that he is able to read the future for them, he is able to obtain money from them. His marriage to the heroine, an honest girl, whom, too, he had fooled, makes him reform, but after a while he reverts to type, for he was unable to make a livelihood by honest work. During the second time that he becomes a faker, he causes much misery and brings about even death; by obtaining from a chauffeur, who is his confederate, information about the secret doings of married society people, he is able to inform the other “halves” ; he is thus able to exact large sums of money from them. One of his readings brings about his own undoing; the woman whom he had informed about her husband happened to be a friend of his unsuspecting wife and when the woman is told by the hero that her husband had been unfaithful, she is heart-broken and takes the heroine into her confidence. The heroine, in order to render a service to her friend, decides to investigate the “mind reader.” She arrives at his quarters just as the hero had murdered a man, victim of his reading, who had gone there to murder the hero. The hero runs away and goes to Mexico, but the heroine is arrested by the police. In Mexico, the hero carries on his fake mind reading but the thought of the fate that had befallen his wife, whom he loved, drives him to drink and almost to insanity. Revealing his crooked work to the audience at one of his performances, he returns to the United States, calls on the district attorney, and confesses. His wife is exonerated but he is sent to jail. He begs of her to divorce him. But she promises to wait for him. The plot has been founded on the play by Vivian Gosby ; the direction is by Roy Del Ruth. Constance Cummings is the heroine. Unsuitable for children, adolescents, or for Sundays. “Grand Slam” with Loretta Young and Paul Lukas (First National, Mar. 18; running time, 67 min.) Only fair. It is a burlesque on bridge, bridge addicts, and bridge tournaments, but it is just moderately amusing. Spectators who are not interested in the game, and who do not understand anything about it, probably will be bored because many technical terms with regard to playing are used. Although exaggerated, the funniest situation is the bridge tournament, which is attended by crowds, broadcast over the radio, listened to by police, street-cleaners, children, and others, and is cheered on by the onlookers : — The hero, a waiter, has contempt for the game of bridge. At a party given by a society woman where he had been engaged as a waiter for the evening, he is asked to sit in at a game, his opponent being a respected authority on bridge. The hero uses no particular system and amazes everybody by his skillful playing. Urged on by his wife, the heroine, and a good publicity man, he consents to make bridge his vocation so as to earn enough money to retire and write a book. He and his wife, who always played as partners, become famous but success soon goes to his head. The heroine leaves him and without her he fails miserably. He is ridiculed and shown up as a fake. In order to rrake enough money to pay back friends who had backed him, he stages a tournament with his enemy, the eminent authority, which is attended by crowds. The first day he is a heavy loser. The heroine comes to his rescue, joining him in the game, and they emerge victorious. They are reconciled and decide to give up bridge for good. The plot was adapted from a story by B. Russell Hertz. It was directed by Willian Dieterle. In the cast are Frank McHugh, Glenda Farrell, Helen Vinson, Walter Byron, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Joseph Cawthorne, and others. It may bore children ; not suitable for adolescents or for Sunday showing.