Harrison's Reports (1933)

50 HARRISON’S REPORTS “Oliver Twist” with Dickie Moore, William Boyd and Irving Pichel {^Monogram, Mar. 1; running time, 71 mm.) Readers of the famous Dickens novel will find much enjoyment in the unfolding of the story, for it has been produced well and has been photographed in the costumes and settings of the period described in the novel, thus bringing to life the picture as formed in one’s mind. Much sympathy is felt for Dickie Moore, as Oliver. This is particularly so in the situation where he is found by the crooks and taken from the fine home to which he had been taken to help them rob it. Sympathy, too, is felt for Doris Lloyd, who, although the wife of the gang leader, was very much attached to Dickie Moore and bemoaned the fact that he was in such bad company, even risking her life to free him from the gang’s clutches. Suspense is well sustained throughout because of the murderous nature of the two chief criminals, and their desire to make a criminal of Dickie : — When his mother dies Dickie is taken to a charity home. Not being able to stand the cruelty of the people at the head of the institution he runs away. Tired and hungry he accepts the invitation of a young man to go to a friend’s home, which is none other than that of a criminal, who trained young men in the art of stealing. Making him believe that it is a game, the criminal teaches Dickie to pick pockets and then sends him out with two boys. They pick a man’s pockets and Dickie, realizing what they were doing, is frightened. He is caught, although he had no hand in the robbery. But the old gentleman who had been robbed feels sympathy for Oliver and takes him to his home. Fearing lest Oliver give them away the gang go out in search of him and one day they find him while he is on an errand. They take him back to the criminal’s rooms and arrange to use him that night in robbing the very home of his benefactor. Dickie is put through a window and is ordered to open the door. Just then the old man and his servant come down and shoot and wound Dickie. The wife of the leader of the gang is discovered giving information to the old man. For this the leader kills her. The gang is rounded up and the trainer put into prison ; he turns over a ring belonging to Dickie and from the inscription in the ring the benefactor learns that Dickie is the child of his own daughter who had eloped and had never been heard from. Dickie recovers from his w'ound, much to the Joy of his grandfather. The picture was directed by William Cowen. In the cast are Barbara Kent, Alec B. Francis, George K. Arthur, Clyde Cook, and others. Good for children and for Sunday showing. Excellent for adolescents. “Murders in the Zoo” with Lionel Atwill and Charlie Ruggles (Paramount, Mar. 31 ; running time, 60 min.) A gruesome horror melodrama, the kind that should entertain the followers of such pictures. The gruesomeness is brought about by the horrible means Lionel Atwill (villain) uses to kill his victims. At the beginning he is shown sewing up a man’s mouth because the man had attempted to kiss his wife ; then he leaves the man alone in the jungle. He kills his next victim with the venom of a snake. And then he coolly feeds his wife to crocodiles. His next attempt, which is to kill Randolph Scott (the hero), is foiled by Gai! Patrick (heroine), who administers an antitoxin to Scott and saves him. Comedy is supplied by Charlie Ruggles, press agent for the zoo. The situation in which he finds himself in a cage with a poisonous reptile is exciting and funny; but it is spoiled by the dirtj remark he makes when he is rescued. (He asks if there is a laundry in town.) As is usual in such pictures, the audience is held in tense suspense, not knowing what the villain will do next. The closing scenes are horrible and yet gripping: they show Atwill meeting his death when a huge reptile folded itself around him. crushing him : — Atwill, married to Kathleen Burke, is insanely jealous if any other man looked at her. On his return from a trip in the jungle, where he had gone to bring hack aninrals for the public zoo of which he was a patron, he plans to kill an admirer of his wife’s. The zoo is in need of money and it is arranged that a dinner be held at the zoo for the wealthy people of the town. Atwill sits opposite the admirer. Suddenly the man yells and faints. He is rushed to a room and it is thought he had been bitten by a poisonous snake, which had been missing from its glass cage. He April 1, 1933 dies. Once home Atwill’s wife accuses him of killing the man. She finds the evidence and rushes to the zoo to see Scott. Atwill follows her and throws her to the crocodiles. The snake is found and upon examination Scott finds the man was not killed by that snake. He suspects Atwill and telephones him to ^11 to see him. Atwill, realizing that Scott knows too much, attempts to kill him by injecting poison with a snake’s head, just as he did with the other man. Gail Patrick, Scott’s sweetheart, administers an antitoxin and saves him. She telephones for the police. Atwill, in his attempt to escape, runs into a room in which a huge reptile is kept. The reptile strikes out at him and then coils itself around him, killing him. The plot was adapted from a story by Philip Wylie and Seton I. Miller. It was directed by Edward Sutherland. In the cast are John Lodge, Harry Beresford and Eidward McWade. Too gruesome for children and many adolescents ; suitable for Sundays if you care to show a picture of this kind on such a day. “Girl Missing” with Ben Lyon, Mary Brian and Glenda Farrell (IVarner Bros., Mar. 4; running time, 68 min.) A fairly interesting gold-digger picture of the program grade. The opening scenes are considerably sexy ; they present Guy Kibbee, a millionaire, befriending Mary Brian and Glenda Farrell, two gold-diggers, and taking them to Palm Beach. He hires adjoining rooms and makes it very plain, in conversation and action, what he wanted; and when he cannot get what he wants he leaves them with a seven hundred dollar hotel bill. The remainder of the story deals with the accidental discover}’ by the t^vo pleasant gold-diggers of a scheme to fleece a wealthy young man (hero) of part of his money; he marries a young woman, supposedly daughter of wealthy people, but really all confederates of a young crook. The meddling of the two gold-diggers with the blackmailing affair leads them into considerable trouble, because a rhurder is committed, but eventually they come out of it by proving their point, thus bringing about the exposing of the fakers and the arrest of the young crook. The story is by Carl Erickson and Don Mullaly ; the direction, by Robert Florey. Peggy Shannon, Lyle Talbot. Harold Huber, Helen Ware and Edward Ellis are some of those in the supporting cast. Qiildren under twelve may not understand the sex implications. Unsuitable for adolescents or for Sunday showing. The Kibbee sequences could be removed without hurting the story. If it were removed, then it is suitable for all. “There Goes The Bride” (Gainsborough Pictures; running time, 77 min.) Only a moderately entertaining English comedy, with an all English cast. Some songs are interpolated ; they are sung by tlie heroine on two different occasions. The story is thin, and the action is slow. Some sympathy is aroused for the heroine when she finds herself without money, as well as when she is suspected by the hero of being a thief : — The heroine was robbed of her purse when asleep in the train compartment, in which she was bound for Paris. She was running away from her home and an obnoxious marriage which had been arranged by her selfish father in order to aid his business financially. The hero, a bachelor, is in the same compartment, and when she attempts to look through his belongings for her purse he catches her and suspects her of being a thief. Out of a desire to investigate the matter he takes her to his home. She tells him the truth but he is reluctant to believe her story. The hero’s fiancee calls to see him and when she finds the heroine there she leaves in anger. The heroine forces her way into a reception at which the hero is a guest and every one mistakes her for the hero’s fiancee. Eventually he learns through the newspapers, which carried a stor>’ about her running away from home, that she had told him the truth. Since by this time they were in love with each other he prevents her from being taken back to her father’s home. They are united. The plot was adapted from a stor>’ by Fred Raymond and Noel Gay. It was directed by .Mbert de Courville. In the cast are Owen Nares, Jessie Matthews, Carol Goodner, Charles Carson, and others. .Some remarks are passed that would not be understood by children; not suitable for adolescents or for Sunday showing.