Harrison's Reports (1937)

18 HARRISON'S REPORTS January 30, 1937 "Larceny on the Air" with Robert Livingston and Grace Bradley (Republic, January 11 ; time, 61 min.) A fair action melodrama. In spite of the fact that the plot lacks novelty, it should appeal to the regular picture-goer, for the action moves at a pretty fast and at times exciting pace. It is particularly thrilling in the closing scenes, where the hero's life is endangered by the villain. One is in sympathy with the horo, whose crusading spirit leads him into many dangerous situations. The love interest is mildly pleasant : — Robert Livingston, a young physician, neglects his private practice to fight, via the radio, the manufacturers of fake patent medicines that contained radium. He is forced off the air by the manufacturers, who are financially able to buy his time and all other available time on the radio. He finds a man dying from the effects of poisoning and learns that he had been using the patent medicine. He puts him in a hospital, hoping to prove his case with this patient. Pierre Watkin, leader of the gang of fake medicine manufacturers, has his men kidnap the patient. Livingston becomes an innocent victim of a blackmailing medical journal, which was published by Grace Bradley, her father, and an assistant. He eventually finds out about this but, having fallen in love with Miss Bradley, forgives her. Her father, however, promises to go straight. Livingston decides to trap the manufacturers by pretending to join their side. Eventually he finds his patient and collects all the information he needs to indict Watkin and his gang. Miss Bradley is happy to know that Livingston had never really belonged to the racketeering gang. Richard English wrote the story, and Andre Bohem and Richard English the screen play. Irving Pichel directed it and Sol C. Siegel produced it. In the cast are Willard Robertson, Smiley Burnette, Granville Bates, and others. Suitable for all. Class A. "Join the Marines" with Paul Kelly and June Travis (Republic, January 25 ; time, 681/. min.) Pretty good entertainment. It is a fast-moving action comedy, with plenty of laughs and exciting situations. The romance, too, is developed in a breezy manner, the lovers meeting with many disappointments until they are united. In spite of the fact that the story is somewhat far-fetched, one's attention is held to the end, because the action never lags. One is in sympathy with the hero, who is led a merry chase before he finally wins the heroine : — Kelly, a policeman on his way to Europe to compete in the Olympics, accidentally becomes involved in Miss Travis' love troubles. He stops her from marrying Reginald Denny, her intoxicated shipboard companion, after learning that her father, a U. S. Marine Commander, was against the marriage. In order to get even with him she involves him in a drunken brawl. He is removed from the Olympic team and is ordered to return to the United States. Miss Travis follows him, sorry for what she had done ; they fall in love with each other. She tells Kelly that, before she can marry him, he must obtain a position. Thinking that he would please both her and her father, he joins the Marines, not knowing that Miss Travis had vowed never to marry a man in uniform. He distinguishes himself in the service in the South Sea Islands and is promoted. Immediately after his promotion he resigns, his intention being to marry Miss Travis. But she had changed her mind and wanted him to remain a Marine ; he refuses to rejoin and they part. He rushes back to the island in time to prevent a native uprising ; he withdraws his resignation and finally wins Miss Travis as his bride. Karl Brown wrote the story, and Joseph Krumgold and Olive Cooper the screen play ; Ralph Staub directed it and Joseph Krumgold produced it. In the cast are Purnell Pratt, Warren Hymer, and others. Suitable for all. Class A. "Broken Blossoms" with Dolly Haas and Emlyn Williams (Imperial Pictures, January 13; running time, 84 min.) This is a British remake of the picture first produced by D. W. Griffith. Like in the first version, it is not very cheerful entertainment, for most of the story is concerned with the sadistic actions of a bully towards his fragile daughter. But it is the type of story that tears at the heartstrings and, on more than one occasion, brings tears to the eyes. As far as the modern picture-goer is concerned, the attraction will be in the acting and not in the story. Dolly Haas, in the part of the mistreated daughter, gives a marvelous per formance ■• she makes a role that might have been burlesqued in the hands of some one else seem believable and tragic. One is in deep sympathy with her throughout ; her suffering and pitiful death in the end touches one deeply. The background is that of the London Limehouse district : — Miss Haas, who had known only brutal treatment from her father (Arthur Margetson), a bully, is found by a sensitive young Chinaman (Emlyn Williams) after a terrible beating from her father. He takes her to his home, where he cares for her and worships her. Her gratefulness towards him ripens into love. Margetson eventually learns where she was staying and determines to kill her for having disgraced him by living with a Chinaman. He watches for the Chinaman to leave the house ; he then enters and kills her. When the Chinaman returns and finds his loved one dead, he is grief-stricken; he rushes after the father and kills him. The plot was adapted from the story "The Chink and the Child," by Thomas Burke. Emlyn Williams wrote the adaptation. Hans Brahm directed it and Julius Hagen produced it. In the cast are Ernest Sefton, C. V. France — It is too brutal for children and adolescents. Adult entertainment. Excellent for high-class trade. Suitability Class B. "The Holy Terror" with Jane Withers (20th Century-Fox, February 5 ; time, 67 min.) This is decidedly inferior to some of the pictures that Jane Withers has appeared in ; it is suitable mostly for children. She sings and dances well and displays a good comedy sense, but the story is trite and far-fetched, and is developed in an uninteresting manner ; the dialogue is silly too. It is all right when it sticks to the musical numbers, which are of the popular variety; but when the music stops, the spectator becomes restless, because of the triteness of the plot's development. The closing scenes are the best ; they provide the only excitement. A love affair is interwoven into the plot but it is of minor importance : — John Eldredge, a naval officer, warns Jane, his daughter, that unless she behaves herself, she will not be permitted to live with him at his quarters. Jane tries to be good but somehow, against her wishes, she gets into trouble. Jane tries to further the romance between Anthony Martin, her favorite sailor, and Leah Ray, owner of a cafe frequented by the sailors. But a fight, started by henchmen of spies who wanted Miss Ray to lose her lease so that they might make the place their headquarters for spying, causes the navy chief to cancel the lease. The spies move into the deserted cafe and, by the use of a powerful lens, are able to photograph all the work done on a new government plane. Jane discovers their presence at the cafe, where she had gone with Miss Ray, who had won back her lease. She calls together all her sailor friends, who arrive in time to overpower the spies and arrest them. Jane receives a miniature aeroplane from the commanding officer for her good work. Miss Ray accepts Martin's marriage proposal. Lou Breslow and John Patrick wrote the original screen play. James Tinling directed it and John Stone produced it. In the cast are El Brendel, Joe Lewis, Gloria Roy, and others. Morally suitable for all. Class A. "Secret Valley" with Richard Arlen and Virginia Grey (20th Century-Fox, January 15 ; time, 56^ min.) An average program Western, with plentiful action. The thrills are caused by the encounters between the hero and gangsters ; they engage in several exciting fist fights. Willie Fung, as Arlen's Chinese cook, provokes many laughs by his use of slang expressions; he is particularly amusing when he sings a cowboy song in his broken-English fashion and off-key. As for the romance, it is developed in the routine manner : — Virginia Grey, after a two hour marriage to Willis, discovers that he is a gangster and not a business man and runs away. Arriving in Reno, she consults Jack Mulhall, a lawyer, about a divorce. Mulhall, fearing for her safety, sends her to Arlen's ranch so that if Willis should arrive in Reno he would not be able to locate her. Arlen, not knowing anything about her case, accepts her as a boarder. At first he resents her presence because she interferes with his work, but gradually he grows fond of her. Through Russell Hicks, a crooked lawyer who was trying to cheat Arlen out of his ranch, Willis learns of Miss Grey's presence at the ranch. Miss Grey pays off Arlen's debt to Hicks, without telling him anything about it. Willis sees Miss Grey and warns her that, if she refused to leave with him, he would kill Arlen. But Arlen outwits Willis and his