Harrison's Reports (1933)

April 8, 1933 HARRISON’S REPORTS 55 “Central Airport” with Richard Barthelmess and Sally Eilers (First National, April 15; running time, 74 min.) Fairly thrilling! The thrills are caused by air stunts. These are so daring that they hold one breathless. The closing scenes are exciting; they show the hero going to the rescue of his brother whose plane, containing passengers, had been forced down at sea during a storm ; exciting also is the situation in which he brings them back in his plane flying through a thick fog that prevented him from finding the landing field. The manner in which lights are provided for him is ingenious. The love story is disappointing ; it is unpleasant, for it shows two brothers wanting the same woman. This naturally brings about a hard feeling between the two brothers, resulting in a fight. One situation is extremely distasteful ; it is where the hero enters his brother’s bedroom and finds the heroine and his brother together in bed. This comes as a shock for it is not until a few minutes later that he finds out they had been married. The heroine is not a sympathetic character for first she lived with the hero; then she deserted the hero to marry his brother, and when the hero returned from the rescue expedition she was ready to desert her husband to go back to the hero: — The hero loses his license to fly a passenger plane after an accident. He joins a flying circus and when the heroine’s brother is killed in a crash he flys her plane from which she does parachute jumping. They become lovers and when the heroine mentions marriage the hero tells her he does not believe in it. She is piqued at his attitude and refuses to stay with him. His brother pays him a visit and falls in love with the heroine at first sight. The hero meets with an accident and is confined to his bed. His brother takes his place and travels with the heroine performing their act. The hero, after his recovery, rushes to be with them, intending to marry the heroine. But when he arrives he finds that the heroine and his brother had already married and he leaves them in a fury. For a year they do not hear from him and one day he appears at the hotel where they were staying. The brother was now flying a passenger plane. When the hero and the heroine meet they fall into each other’s arms and the heroine confesses that it is him whom she really loves. A storm breaks out and word is received that the brother had been forced down at sea. The hero rushes to his rescue and after bringing his brother and the passengers back safely, leaves them. The plot was adapted from a story by Jack Moffitt. It was directed by William A. Wellman. In the cast are Tom Brown, Glenda Farrell, Harold Huber, Grant Mitchell, James Murray, Claire McDowell, and others. Xot suitable for children, adolescents or for Sundays. “Gabriel Over the White House” with Walter Huston (MGM , March 31; running time, 86 min.) A powerful drama, and a bold one, for it deals with what the majority of the people of the United States have in their minds in reference to political, social and economic problems ; they are such that, if they were uttered or sanctioned by responsible Government officials they might embroil this nation in war with one or more world powers. Whether one may agree or disagree with the problems discussed by the picture through the character of the President of the United States, one cannot help admitting that the action is dramatic, and in many of the situations it stirs the emotions. At first one feels resentment at the attitude of Walter Huston, as the President of the United States, a typical party man, in giving out useless statements and paying no attention to the needs and desires of the people. He is more interested in playing games with his nephew than in listening to the pleas of the head of an army of unemployed men. But after he meets with an automobile accident he becomes a different man, acting as if he had seen a vision from heaven. From then on it is stirring entertainment for he is suddenly aware of all the suffering around him, deserts his party, and forces every one to accede to his wishes in order to bring about the necessary reforms to help the people. He musters the group of unemployed into an active body of working men, providing jobs at army pay in the line of construction work. He battles single-handed against the political desires of his former henchmen. He forms a troop of federal police to fight the gangsters. The police, by the use of tanks, force the surrender of the gangs, and all those captured are placed before a firing squad and killed. He collects foreign debts by impressing the different representatives with the power of the United States Navy and air force. And then as his last great accomplishment a treaty for peace is signed by all the nations of the world. After this he dies. Worked into the story is a pleasant romance between Karen Morley, who before his accident had been the President’s mistress, and Franchot Tone, the President’s secretary. They are made happy when the President forgives them and shows his desire to see them marry. The plot has been based on an anonymous novel. It was directed by Gregory La Cava. Walter Huston is magnificent as the President. Others in the cast are Arthur Byron, Dickie Moore. C. Henry Gordon, David Landau, Samuel Hinds, and William Pawley. It is doubtful if children or adolescents will understand the relationship between Huston and Morley ; therefore, it is suitable for all and for Sundays. “Pick Up” with George Raft (Paramount, March 24; running time, 75 min.) Just fair. The trouble with it is the fact that the story is weak, and that Mr. Raft is handicapped with a leading lady who is not for this sort of parts ; she is too “babyish.” The picture will not give more than passing satisfaction to the Raft fans, and it is not for the family circle, for the hero and the heroine are shown living together when they are not married : — The heroine is released from prison where she had been sent for working a badger game with her husband, even though she did it against her will. With her last penny spent she enters the hero’s taxicab while it was raining so as to keep warm. At first the hero orders her out but later he pities her and takes her to his room. To his surprise, the following day he does not find the heroine gone and his room robbed. They become friends and later lovers. Her advice in business matters proves helpful to the hero, who eventually becomes a successful garage owner. His new position brings him in touch with some wealthy young people and one girl becomes infatuated with him. Little by little she succeeds in taking him away from the heroine. But in the end the hero realizes his mistake, breaks his relations with the wealthy girl, and returns to the heroine. The story is by Vina Delmar ; the direction, by Marion Gering. In the cast are William Harrigan, Lillian Bond, Clarence Wilson, George Meeker, and others. Not suitable for children, adolescents or for Sunday showing. “Pleasure Cruise” with Genevieve Tobin and Roland Young (Fo.r, March 24; running time, 6g min.) This may prove entertaining to sophisticated audiences for it is extremely risque ; but it is “tabu” for the family trade, for some of the talk is actually dirty, particularly during one situation in which the heroine holds a conversation with a young man who she thought had spent the night with her. For boldness this conversation has not been equaled. The hero is presented as a jellyfish, always spying on the heroine (his wife) for he suspects her of having affairs ; his nagging becomes boresome. Some comedy is aroused by the manner in which he gets rid of his wife's admirers, without having her suspect that he is aboard the ship with her : — Most of the action revolves around the efforts of a jellyfish husband (hero), who loves his wife, but who suspects her of infidelity. He follows her secretly on the boat and is madly jealous when he sees her talking to different young men. The wife half-agrees to let one of them into her stateroom at night ; at first she is undecided, but later she determines not to let him in. In bolting the door of her room, however, she did not put the bolt in properly and the door remained unlocked. Her husband enters at night in place of the lover and the heroine does not know the difference. There are no scenes between husband and wife when they return home, and life resumes the former smoothness. The heroine tells the hero she knew that it was he in the stateroom. The story is by Austen Allen ; the direction, by Frank Tuttle. Ralph Forbes, Herbert Mundin, Theodore Von Eltz and others are in the cast. Not suitable for the family circle. Substitution facts : On the contract No. 20 is listed as a Tracy feature. It is, therefore, a star substitution.