Hollywood Spectator (1937-39)

Hollywood Spectator Page Thirteen Frank Magee; art director, Carl Jules Weyl; dialogue director, Harry Seymour; musical director, Leo F. Forbstein. Cast: Stuart Erwin, Jean Muir, Glenda Farrell, Allen Jenkins, Addison Richards, Charles Foy, Chester Clute, Mary Treen, Collette Lyons, Tommy Wonder, Frank Faylen, Robert Homans, Harvey Clark, Olive Olson. Running time, 64 minutes. ANYONE who can stand a full hour of shouting by *1 Allen Jenkins should see Dance , Charlie, Dance. For others, there is not a great deal in the picture to recommend it as satisfactory entertainment. Frank McDonald is one of the most promising young directors in the business, already having given us in Smart Blonde one of the most brilliantly directed productions of last year. This time he was given an exceedingly poor script — and Allen Jenkins, two handicaps which the most experienced director in Hollywood could not overcome sucessfully. It seems impossible to get Jenkins to stop yelling his way through the picture in which he appears. Other of his productions have demonstrated McDonald’s appreciation of the value of dialogue carried on in ordinary conversational tones, so obviously it must have been in spite of the director’s desires that Jenkins spoils Dance, Charlie, Dance for those who like to keep their nerves intact while viewing screen entertainment. In other pictures his irritating voice ruined his scenes, but in each case I attributed it to poor direction. In his office Jenkins discusses his business affairs loudly enough to be heard throughout the building; in precisely the same tone addresses his wife, his partner and his secretary, until the sound of his voice was about all the impression I carried away from the preview. If Allen has anything else to contribute to the screen, it is high time he was trotting it out. It is the talkiest talkie we have had in a long time, and the efforts of the other players to keep up with Jenkins makes the din terrific. I admit, however, that it was greeted with much audience laughter, so possibly my obsession for a quieter screen makes me a poor judge of its entertainment qualities. Better see it and decide for yourself. Stu Erwin is, as always, excellent in his role of a smalltown boy, and Jean Muir and Glenda Farrell give excellent performances. Charlie Foy also does good work, further establishing himself as a capable comedian. ( 'Reviews by (Paul Jacobs Good One from Metro THE THIRTEENTH CHAIR, Metro production and release. Directed by George B. Seitz; screen play by Marion Parsonnet; from the play by Bayard Veiller; musical score by David Snell; art director, Cedric Gibbons, with associates, Eddie Imazu and Edwin B. Willis; photographed by Charles Clarke; film editor, W. Donn Hayes; assistant director, Marvin Stuart. Cast: Madge Evans, Lewis Stone, Elissa Landi, Thomas Beck, Henry Daniell, Janet Beecher, Dame May Whitty, Ralph Forbes, Holmes Herbert, Heather Thatcher, Charles Trowbridge, Robert Coote, Elsa Buchanan, Lai Chand Mehra, Neil Fitzgerald, Louis Vincelot. Running time, 62 minutes. SERIOUS is the word for Metro. No other Hollywood studio seems to take the painfully meticulous care M.G.M. insists upon for every film which bears its crest. The Thirteenth Chair is an excellent example. Having chosen the story, a psychological study, Metro set about to give us the finest talent their vast resources commands. And that is Metro all over. Knowing full well that phases of The Thirteenth Chair are not film material, and that it can never be popular fare, was no deterent. And so this profoundly stirring document of the emotions comes to us packed with the pick of filmdom. Of primary importance, is the outstanding direction of George B. Seitz. Faced with a series of delicately balanced emotional threads, Mr. Seitz gives us the very last drop of entertainment the script affords — and there is more than plenty of it. His direction is subtle, never melodramatic, never strained, always undulent with the easy grace of utter command. “Direction is the picture,” and Mr. Seitz is an artist. And speaking of artists, I remember the exquisite photography of Charles Clarke as one of the highlights in a star-glittering array. Mr. Clarke seems to realize the significant relationship between mood and setting. Another particularly smooth element in this beautifully balanced film is the discriminate editing of W. Donn Hayes. There is no more important person than the editor. And the cutting of The Thirteenth Chair has induced and sustained the filmic rhythm director Seitz so carefully worked out. by the way, David Snell’s musical treatment is perfect. It must be because I cannot remember having heard any music. And therein lies the purpose of film music. I can remember only the shifting, swirling turbulance of emotions that raced through me. The music fulfilled its appointed mission — it built, sustained, inferred and drew my emotional response. Thus, Mr. Snell’s music is deserving of respectful appreciation. For the life of me, I cannot remember a note. It seems hardly necessary to add that Bayard Veiller’s play has been given magnificent adaptation by Marion Parsonnet. Metro has the knack of hiring the best in every department. And that takes us to the really difficult task. To give fair credit to each performance would necessitate another hour and a dozen pages. So let me swim through without pausing. Even among the panoply of perfection, the characterization of Dame May Whitty is sharply outstanding. It is one of this year’s best, without question. Madge Evans brings us the unusual combination of dramatic itelligence, arresting beauty and magnetic personality. It can’t be beat. T A HE name Lewis Stone writes its own praises. No one actor so consistently hits the peak of entertainment value as does Mr. Stone. Elissa Landi again brings the unusual impressiveness that sets its stamp on every film she graces. And the boy, Thomas Beck, is grand, striking the note of “good egg.” And now for one of my particular favorites, Henry Daniell. I have seen him only once before, but I shall never forget the sheer perfection of his artistry. Mr. Daniell is one of our very best. And his job in The Thirteenth Chair again is a masterpiece. Ralph Forbes, handsome and well-bred as usual, turns in his expectedly finished work, and Janet Beecher is excellent in a difficult role. The rest of the cast, troupers