Hollywood Filmograph (Jan-Jul 1930)

28 May 24, 1930 Pictures ""Reviewed and Previewed Review "THE SECOND FLOOR MYSTERY" Warner Brothers' all talkie production. Presented at Warner Brothers' Downtown Theatre. Scenario writers and the moving picture industry seem to be in dire straits for any kind of an old story to shoot into celluloid. Anything is grabbed under the beautiful blue shell of heaven, the powers that be even going to the extent of crimping correspondent-school nightmares. Naturals are as scarce as Charley Chaplin talkies, and hence the big studios are flooding the cinema houses with an awful avalanche of swosh. "The Second Floor Mystery" is about as translucent as is the "Bishop Murder Case." It is the second edition of a film we previewed about a year or so ago where the supposed inmates of an insane asylum were requisitioned to wreak a joke on a certain person, and in the end it turned out that the goofs were only his friends in make-believe parts. Nothing gets a reader's goat quicker than for an author to swing a gripping story and have the denouement fade only into a dream. In "The Second Floor Mystery," the auditor is called upon to glean his links of the plot through a series of correspondence between a young flirting couple who have gained each other's acquaintance by resorting to the Agony column of a newspaper. The correspondence (plenty of it) is flashed in script on the screen. A number of gripping episodes are punctuated with a murder or two, and just as the auditor gets het up almost to the bursting point, a sudden fadeout discovers that the entire plot was nothing but a bunch of hooey, sprung by the friends of the young girl to lure the enamored letter writer into a position where they could give him the ha-has. The ruse worked well, but Cupid would have his way and the romantic correspondents come into the hymeneal huddle. Grant Withers was smoothly convincing as Geoffrey West, the Agony Column moronic. Loretta Young was rather colorless as Miss Ferguson, the correspondent lady love of West. She was rather amateurish in spots, and was inclined to mush her words while talking in profile. H. B. Warner as the Scotland Yards inspector turned in his usual high-class performance. Others in the cast that did well were Claire McDowell, Crauford Kent, John Loder, Clark King, Judith Voselli, Cosmo Kyrle Bellew and Sidney Bracy. Roy Del Ruth did a clever bit of work with the megaphone and the photography of Chick McGill was excellent. Georges Carpentier was fine in a Vitaphone Variety called "The French Boudoir." Two other short reelers, "System" and "Her relatives," scored nicely. An unusually good News Reel, rounded out an excellent program. ED O'MALLEY. Review MAURICE CHEVALIER At the Mayan Theatre "His personality extends through all the nations, and across the seas, and into every corner of the world," so spoke Woodrow Wilson of another famous character. A packed house greeted one of the outstanding figures of the screen and stage at the Mayan Theatre. Maurice Chevalier "in person' demonstrated his popularity at the first performance and if we're not wrong in our guess, will continue to have the S. R. O. sign out at every performance. There is no other comedian today that will appeal to a greater variety of audience, from the 12-year-old boy to the man of the world. From the flapper, looking for a thrill, to the grandmother, who is seeking a little "zip" into her fading years. No grand opera voice greets your ears. In fact, in his high notes, he just naturally talks them. The song of the French boy, who is always asking questions, is international. Of the modern Apache and of his darling "Louise." Every moment is delightful entertainment. On top of it all, he seems to be enjoying his work as much as the audience enjoy hearing him. Here is a man who needs to belong to no one country but as Socrates says, "Let it not be said that I am a citizen of this country or that country but that I am a citizen of the world." We always enjoy hearing a good jazz band and Ben Bernie's is no exception. They gave us the first half of the evening and were extremely entertaining but we couldn't help being restless for the "piece de resistance," Chevalier. By all means go to the Mayan Theatre and see and hear Ben Bernie and Maurice Chevalier. Here you don't see a counterpart of the real thing as in moving pictures but the living flesh which is as different as a canned record to the golden notes of the late lamented Enrico Caruso. ARTHUR FORDE. i 1 i KNOWS HIS TIES Mr. Bellin, who operates a store in Hollywood, is extending his invitation to all best-dressed men. He claims that men of taste never fail to find what they want in his big selection of Grayco shirts and cravats, with handkerchiefs to match, and other items of apparel. He does most of his business with motion picture people, and will welcome more friends in the industry. i 1 i "FOR CRYING OUT LOUD" Phyllis Crane, who was last seen on the screen in the featured role of William Haines sister in "The Girl Said No," has been signed to play opposite Bobby Agnew in "For Crying Out Loud," a Pathe comedy which Fred Guiol will direct. Review "TARTUFF THE HYPOCRITE" At the Filmarte Theatre Here is a story based on Moliere's drama of the same name which has all the elements for a successful moving picture. Although these are silent pictures that the Filmarte Theatre shows, they are the best of the foreign productions and each one is a masterpiece. The story is of a religious teacher who sees evil in everything. One of his adherents, who is a fanatical follower, has a very beautiful wife and she, it is, who shows the hypocrite in his true colors. The scenario by Carl Mayer gets everything possible out of the book and Emil Jannings, who we all admired so much during his stay in America, plays Tartuff. He imbues the role with all the malevolence possible and in some of the scenes rises to great heights. Warner Kraus, that other great exponent of the dramatic art, plays the fanatical admirer. Some of his closeups are remarkable expressions of facile art. Lil Dagover plays Elmira, the wife that exposes Tartuff. She is one of the most beautiful women on the screen today and is a consummate actress. Her rendition of the part is perfect. Lucille Hoflich as Dorine, the servant, is excellent, while Herbert Picha, Andre Mattoni and Rose Valletti are the remainder of the cast, all of which acquit themselves with much credit. The director, F. W. Murnau, who put on some of the most artistic successes of the Wm. Fox pictures, shows his skill in this one. The photography by Carl Fruend is artistic to the last word and the settings by Robert Herlth and Walter Rohrig are massive and 'beautiful. Altogether this is one of the best productions that UFA has made and also teaches a lesson in which all of us err at time — that of misrepresentation. ARTHUR FORDE. 1 i 1 Theatre Review "ELIZABETH SLEEPS OUT" Henry Duffy sort of gave theatregoers something to think about when they first saw the advertisement of the current show at the President Theatre, for "Elizabeth Sleeps Out," a three-act farce-comedy by Leslie Howard, might suggest a bit of entertainment that isn't at all with the "Duffy" policy of the past. However, it proved a very fine play, plenty of laughs, a fine vehicle for Marian Lord, Edward Cullen Paul McGrath, Laurene Tuttle, Zeffie Tilbury, Bertha Creighton and Lowden Adams. Miss Lord and Mr. Cullen practically ran away with the honors. Edwin H. Curtis made an excellent job of a very difficult play which is too talky to be overly interesting, but the artists worked hard and brought the situations right up to the minute and pleased those present. Preview "SHE'S MY WEAKNESS" RKO all talkie production. Previewed at the Belmont Theatre. "She's My Weakness" several years ago was the name of a popular jazz song. The catchiness of the title probably inveigled a scenario writer to construct any old kind of a plot around it, with the result that RKO sponsored the effusion, or confusion— if you will. Now as near as we can get it into our castle of coagulated cotton, Tommy Mills (Arthur Lake) holds forth as bank teller at Hiawatha, Kansas. He finds remission from the tedium of his duties in centering an inner eye on his $20,000 farm. He is inwardly terribly but outwardly sheepishly goofy over Marie Thurber (Sue Carol). Oh, yes — Sue, old gal, has another moronic glug after her named Bernie (Bernard Norton). Sue's father and mother are dazzled by those twenty thousand bucks of Tommy's and therefore swing the paternal affection his way. Ah — then the bug in the cocoanut, Uncle David if you please (William Collier, Sr.), covertly espouses Bernie's cause. His maneuvers get all tangled up, during which the love fortunes of the enamored kids do a teeter-totter. David balls up things most lamentably and to make matters worse, he advises Tommy to show the cloven foot and have himself thrown out of the house — a ruse which he declares will enlist Marie's sympathy. When Tommy goes out and makes it a good one, invading the Thurbers' home in a blinding rain storm loaded to the gills with American vodka — and what he does to his lady love and her darling little fireside — but you'll have to see the picture to run onto the solution of Tommy's troubles. Suffice to say, Arthur Lake comes through with a pretty good performance of one of nature's most representative bucolics. Sue Carol was adequate as the "perplexed in the extreme" lassie torn between two loves. William Collier, Sr.'s, Uncle David was hardly up to his work in his first talkie opposite Margaret Churchill, but even at that he showed flashes of that comedy talent that made him a big shot on the stage for years. He sure is a welcome addition to the talkies. Lucien Littlefield as Pa Thurber turned in his usual smooth contribution of humorous characterization. Between mutilating cross word puzzles and mooching Wheeling stogies he had a heck of a time of it. Others in the cast that did well were Bernard Norton, Walter Gilbert, Helen Ware and Emily Fitzroy. The megaphone and camera were" deftly handled respectively by Melville Brown and Leo Tover. As this comedy was greeted with frequent gusts of laughter there is no doubt it should take well with the paid customers. ED O'MALLEY. Ml: and G ! 5eT Aw flu the end con nar min she the cro stai "Fi wit; wei tie idea I Irib )l On not ol Li;