Harrison's Reports (1933)

62 HARRISON’S REPORTS “Today We Live” with Joan Crawford and Gary Cooper {MGM, April 21 ; running time, 113 min.) Just fair. The first half is very slow, and the story it tells is not particularly entertaining ; as a matter of fact it is depressing, for throughout the characters are shown as being unliappy because of war conditions. The heroine is shown weeping almost all the time. It is in the last half that the picture becomes exciting ; this is brought about by the amazing war scenes shown — fighting both in the air and on water. These scenes are so realistic, thrilling, and unique, that one is held breathless. The water scenes show Robert Young and Franchot Tone, accompanied by Gary Cooper, going out in an open boat that looks like a motorboat. To this boat is attached a torpedo. The boat is brought alongside an enemy ship and then it circles around the ship at a rapid pace ; suddenly the torpedo is let loose and blows up the enemy ship. The closing scene, which shows Young and Tone meeting their death by crashing into a ship and thus exploding their own, is pitiful. The fact that Joan Crawford lives with Robert Young, although not married to him, is done inoffensively : — Joan Crawford, an English girl, receives word from the War Department that her father had been killed, just as Gary Cooper, an American, arrives to take over her home which he had bought. She lives in a cottage with her servant and soon they become friends, eventually falling in love with each other. But she is pledged to Young, who, together with her brother. Tone, are at the front. She leaves home, enlists as an ambulance driver, and is stationed near her brother and sweetheart. Cooper writes to tell her that he had enlisted in the English Army. She soon reads that he had been killed. Discouraged, and realizing how much Young loved her and how dangerous his work in the Navy was, she lives with him. Her brother sympathizes and does not object. Later she learns that Cooper is alive. When he finds out she is living with Young he insults her. Thinking that Young’s work is child’s play he takes him up in an aeroplane and Y'oung proves to be brave and likeable. Then Tone and Young take Cooper out on one of their assignments. It is then that he realizes how dangerous their work is and forgives Joan for her actions. Young is blinded by a shot from the enemy ship, and Joan feels that now, more than ever, she must stick by him. Cooper is assigned to bomb a battleship. But Tone and Young, knowing that Joan loves Cooper, go out in their boat determined to bomb the ship themselves. In doing so they are killed. Joan and Cooper are united. The plot was adapted from a storj by William Faulkner. It was directed by Howard Hawks. In the cast are Roscoe Karns, Louise Closser Hale, Rollo Lloyd, Hilda Vaughn. Not suitable for hildren, adolescents, or for Sundays. “The Workingman” with George Arliss (Worrier Bros., May 13; running time, 77 min.) A charming picture and should be liked by all, young or elderly people, for it is a story of every day life; it shows experienced old brain pitted against youthful egotism. There is much comedy, of the wholesome, penetrating kind, and also much humanity. For instance, when the uncle, as the trustee (under another name) of the young folk who owned the rival shoe-manufacturing concern, directs the policies of the company against his own company, supervised by his egotistical young nephew, there is much humor; it is caused by the fact that his experienced brain reduces the business of his own company, to the bewilderment of his nephew. WTien again he becomes inflexible against the young folk, his clear desire being to reform them and to save their business from the dishonest, scheming manager, one is moved by the honesty of his motives. The regeneration of his young charges, too, is appealing. There is also a charming love affair. The story is by Edgar Franklin ; the direction, by John Adolphi. Bette Davis, Hardie Albright, J. Farrell MacDonald. Claire McDowell, and others are in the cast. It will undoubtedly please children ; and it should do much good to adolescents. Elderly people should enioy it to their heart’s content seeing a young egotist given a good lesson. “Fires of Fate” (Poivcrs Pictures; running time, 70^2 min.) A moderately entertaining English picture with an all English cast. .Although the story is fairly interesting the action is so slow that one loses interest in the outcome; the most interesting part of the picture is the background. April 22, 1933 that of the Sahara Desert. Sympathy is felt for the hero because of his illness which, according to the doctor, meant death within a year. Suspense is fairly well sustained in the closing scenes, when a group of tourists are captured by a band of thieves ; — In the development of the plot the hero, in order to make the most of his year, takes a trip up the Nile, and falls in love with the heroine, one of the tourists ; she returns his love. A group of the tourists, together with a guide, go sight-seeing, and are captured in the desert by an outlawed gang who expect to hold them for ransom. In an effort to save the heroine from one of the ruffians the hero is struck over the shoulder with a gun. Word is sent to the Camel Corps, who set out to rescue the party. They arrive in time to save the group. Back at their quarters the doctor notices a change in the hero, and upon examination finds that the blow had helped him and that he would not die. There is a happy reunion between the hero and the heroine. The plot was adapted from a story by Conan Doyle; it was directed by Noramn Walker. In the cast are Lester Matthews, Kathleen O’Regan, Dorothy Bartlam, Jean Cadell, Donald Calthrop, and others. Suitable for children, adolescents, and for Sundays. “Trick for Trick” with Ralph Morgan, Victor Jory and Sally Blane (Fox, April 21; running time, 68 min.) Fair ! It revolves around the enmity that exists between two magicians. Naturally many tricks are performed, and the audience is later shown how some of them are done. It also shows how seances are faked. The photography is good, particularly in the scenes that create the illusion of having a floor disappear; the magician is shown walking through empty space. But there is little to the story to hold one’s attention. At times it becomes quite nonsenical. The closing scenes are fairly exciting; one of the magicians is killed, and several people are suspected of the crime. In the development of the plot Ralph Morgan, a magician, promises his friend, a detective, to help him trap the murderer of a certain girl. Morgan suspects his former partner, Victor Jory, also a magician, and invites him to a seance at his home. Sally Blane and her father, frequent visitors at Morgan’s home where her father comes for spiritual comfort due to his unhappiness because of the death of his wife, are invited also. Sally’s fiancee, a young man who suspects Morgan of being the murderer, is also there. During the seance at which Morgan brings back the “spirit” of the dead girl, Jorj is killed. It finally develops that the doctor who had come with Jory to the seance to watch Morgan’s condition while in a trance was none other than the father of the murdered girl and that he had killed Jory while the lights were out, thinking it was Morgan. Morgan proves his innocence and Jory’s guilt. Morgan shows his guests how the several tricks were done and the illusions created. Sally’s fiancee asks Morgan to forgive him for having suspected him. The plot was adapted from the play by Vivian Cosby, Shirley Warde and Harry W. Gribble. It was directed by Hamilton MacFadden. In the cast are Luis Alberni, Tom Dugan, John George. Booth Howard, and others. Children may be frightened ; suitable for adolescents and for Sundays for those who care to show it on such a day. “The World Gone Mad” with Pat O’Brien and Mary Brian (Majectic Pictures; running time, 72 min.) A fairly exciting melodrama; it arouses human interest and suspense, and although at times the story is implausible it holds one’s attention to the ver> end, particularly because of the danger to several of the characters. Comedy is brought about by Pat O’Brien, as a newspaper reporter. The gangster element is worked into the picture, but at no time does one feel any sympathy for them ; instead they are shown as being murderous, and in the end pay for their misdeeds. Sympathy is felt for the heroine and also for the hero, particularly when they part because of the hero’s loyalty to his duties as District Attorney. The closing scenes are the most exciting. The plot was adapted from a story by Edward T. Lowe. It was directed by Christy Cabanne. In the cast are Neil Hamilton, Evelyn Brent. !Mary Brian, Louis Calhern, J. Carroll Naish, Buster Phelps, Richard Tucker, John St. Polis. and Geneva Mitchell. Not suitable for children, adolescents, or for Sunday showing.