Inside facts of stage and screen (February 8, 1930)

PAGE FOUR INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SATURDAY, FEB. 8, 1930 Picture Reviews ~ Previews " Shorts By A. H. FREDERICK “DARK STREETS” First National Picture (Reviewed at RKO Theatre) This is First National’s version of RKO’s “Side Street.” Or may- be it was vice versa. At any rate the two stories are as like as two peas in a pod, with the edge go- ing to the F. N. release for better maintenance of interest. In the RKO picture one of the Moore boys was a cop and another play- ing his brother in the picture, was a crook. The home setting was a modest home, with an Irish mother. In the end the crook, trying to save his brother from his own gang, is shot and killed. And that is exactly the story of “Dark Streets,” with Jack Mul- hall doing both roles. Those who like “movie” stuff, with plentiful bits of hokum thrown in and working up to one of those situa- tions where the crooks and the law stand gun-to-gun shooting it out, will like this one. It’s over- done though, with nine gangsters, strategically situated, shooting it out with the supposed cop (really the gangster brother in disguise) and getting the worst of it. Also the heroine (played by Lila Lee) was brought in rather forcedly at the end, but the class of people who will like this picture best probably will not find fault with this point; they are used to ac- cepting any improbability for the sake of a thrill. The picture is just average, though in the main well directed by Frank Lloyd. The story opens with both of the brothers in love with the daughter of the landlady of one of them. The daughter is played by Miss Lee and the landlady by Aggie Herring. The crook brother is involved in an attempted robbery and a murder down in his brother’s dis- trict, and the cop goes to him to warn him to lay off law-breaking. But the brother laughs, so the cop asks him to at least not try to marry the girl and lead her into the life of a crook’s wife. But the other brother also laughs at this. Then the crook brother, in re- turn for the advice, warns the cop not to go down in his district that night, as he is due to be bumped. But the cop goes to his duty, and the girl gets all excited and runs down there for the purpose of do- ing something,—what it is was not disclosed unless it was to be in on the fadeout. Apparently the cop gets in a gun fight with the gang and cleans them out, but he is him- self killed. Then it is disclosed by the entry of the real cop that his brother has slugged him, dressed himself in the uniform and “taken the rap” for him. EXHIBITOR’S VIEWPOINT: This is an average booking for the better first run audiences but should do somewhat better than average in audience response where the old type of movie is still preferred. Jack Mulhall and Lila Lee are the boxoffice names but the big exploitation angles are the story and the fact that it is the talkies’ first dual role. PRODUCERS’ VIEWPOINT: Frank Lloyd has just an average programmer to his credit here, but in that field has kept up to a good standard. Bradley King did the screen play and the dialogue very credit- ably. CASTING DIRECTORS’ VIEWPOINT: Jack Mulhall de- livers in his usual style, which is up to all requirements but noth- ing sensational. The best of his two characterizations is that of the cop, the toughness of the crook being overdone by him in several sequences. He has the same habit as has Victor Mc- Laglen of pulling in his lips to make himself super-tough, and it is not a convincing grimace. Lila Lee’s role is far beneath what this very capable girl can do, her chances being few and those few not big. Of course she more than meets all the demands and furthermore is her usual intriguing self. Aggie Herring is very good as the Irish mother, with the bal- ance of the cast doing average work in average roles, Included are Lucien Littlefield, who has one comedy sequence adequately handled; E. H. Calvert, with a bit as a police officer; Will Wall- ing in a similar role; Maurice Black as the gang leader, and Earl M. Pingree. “DEVIL MAY CARE” M-G-M Picture (Reviewed at Carthay Circle) This is an episodic affair which never throughout its length arou-ses interest. There is no cumulative plot, and what situations there are are foregone for conclusion as soon as they arise. Ramon Novar- ro’s personality is far from being of sufficient romantic appeal to carry the otherwise weak story, and so the whole thing goes more or less flat. Novarro’s voice is as good as it was in “The Pagan” but it does not appear so sensational now as then, due to the entry into the singing field of Lawrence Tib- bett, John Boles and Maurice Chevalier. There are some good numbers, and a themie which is close to the general plan of the sensational “Pagan Love Song,” though of different tune. But the numbers probably will not do anything like the business the Pagan number did. The story is laid in the time of Napoleon, with Novarro a lieu- tenant in the Old Guard. Upon the emperor’s exile to Elba Nov- arro plots for his return. For this he is condemned to be shot but escapes from the firing squad and takes refuge in the house of a royalist woman who loves him. A cousin of the woman’s comes to the house and Novarro falls in love with her. He is concealed beneath the job of being a foot- man, but his voice and compli- ments arouse her interest and her love. But, being a lady of quality, she does not admit this even to herself. Meantime a royalist captain comes to the province and pro- poses. His suit is rejected. He recognizes the Bonapartist and sets out with a mob of troopers to capture him. Novarro again escapes. Then he is told by the royal- ist lady that his loved, one has started for Paris with the royal- ist captain and is to marry him the next day. Despite the fact that the girl, having discovered his political affiliations, declares she hates a Bonapartist worse than she does a murderer or a thief, he sets out in pursuit, kid- naps her, and the fadeout shows her happy in his arms as he sings the themie. EXHIBITORS’ VIEWPOINT: With the leads of “The Pagan” in the leading roles here, and with Novarro’s voice so well liked in his previous picture, this film promises more than it delivers. Particularly when is considered the colorful title and possibilities of the play. In other words, draw should be good initially but hurt by word-of-mouth. 'PRODUCERS’ VIEWPOINT: Adaptation by Richard Schayer and scenario by Hans Kraly are the chief weaknesses of this pic- ture. Dialogue by Zelda Sears is just average. The picture was made from the French play, “La Bataille Des Dames.” Sydney Franklin’s direction failed to overcome the weaknesses of the screen play and the medi- ocrity of the cast. Herbert Stothart’s music is good, including the themie and a soldiers’ chorus which are out- standing. The Albertina Rasch ballet does one of its usual numbers. CASTING DIRECTORS’ VIEWPOINT: Ramon Novarro is weak in this picture as com- pared to his “The Pagan.” He’ll have to have them better than this is if he is to retain his popu- larity. Dorothy Jordan is no favorite of the mike. Her voice is not pleasing, either speaking or sing- ing, and her part, which might have been made strong, lacks vitality throughout. Marion Harris fares better with the mike, but care must be taken in camera angles with her. One whole scene made her look un- pleasantly grotesque. She does her assignment well enough. John Miljan is not well cast as an egotistical soldier, the bombos- ity he is supposed to have not ringing true. The polished gentle- man type is his forte. Clifford Bruce does well as a head butler, and William Humph- rey is adequate both visually and vocally to the part of Napoleon. George Davis has a bit as a groom which is okeh. “NOT SO DUMB” M-G-M Picture (Reviewed at Loew’s State) Even the most conscientious of the reviewers cannot become too enthusiastic about this picture. It has its laugh moments, but these are more than offest by an ex- ceeding dragginess which runs at intervals throughout the entire picture. There are also a good many laughs which proved a little too sophisticated for the Loew’s audience, and which, as a conse- quence. were muffed. Insofar as this audience was concerned, Don- ald Ogden Stewart stole the com- edy honors, playing a burlesque eccentric. That was evidently what they wanted, failing to grasp for full value the cumulative laughs which the stage play, “Dulcy,” took on the strength of Dulcy’s dumbness. Marion' Davies is not well cast in this picture, her work being far below the standard of her “Mari- anne.” Elliott Nugent also is smothered in a part with few chances for the exposition of his heretofore most pleasing manner of handling his talkie work. The story opens with Nugent, engaged to Marion Davies, ex- pecting an important conference with a perfume magnate (played by William Holden). The girl gets the bright idea of asking the magnate, his wife (played by Julia Faye) and his daughter (played by Sally Starr) down to her house for a week-end. She also invites a supposed multi-millionaire (played by Don- ald Ogden Stewart) and a sce- nario writer (played by Franklin Pangborn). The former is invited for the effect on the magnate and the latter because of a budding romance between .him and the magnate’s daughter. Then Dulcy tries to fix things for her fiance, but her over-solici- tude to keep the magnate amused almost runs him ragged, and his one desire is to escape from the house. Trying to impress the magnate, Dulcy also tells him things concerning her fiance which cause the big shot to decide that he will not let the young man into the proposed merger. Also Dulcy fixes up an elop- nrent between the magnate’s daughter and the scenario writer, but Dulcy’s brother (played by Raymond Hackett) is also in love with the girl, and, starting out to chauffeur the runaways, returns as the bridegroom. Of course everything turns out well in the end. EXHIBITORS’ VIEWPOINT: A lukewarm booking with no par- ticular pull outside the Davies’ name. PRODUCERS’ VIEWPOINT: King Vidor’s direction is clever but from a weak scenarization of the George S. Kaufman-Marc Connelly stage play. CASTING DIRECTORS’ VIEWPOINT: This does not add to Marion Davies’ prestige. Nor to that of Elliott Nugent, whose real abilities are played way down by his assignment here. William Holden contributes the only real acting of the picture, though the scene that gets the big laugh is done by Franklin Pang- born. It is a relation of his next scenario, and is so exceedingly well handled by Vidor and Pang- born that between them they have a sure-fire interpolation. Raymond Hackett and Sally Starr are respectively jpst an- other juvenile and ingenue, and Julia Faye is a blank in her part. Donald Ogden Stewart is excel- lent as the eccentric multi-mil- lionaire, though the role is actor- proof for any real comedian. George Davis completes the cast adequately as a butler of burg- larious reputation. “BAMBINA” MAYAN THEATRE LOS ANGELES (Reviewed Feb. 3) This operetta, writen by Myrta Bel Gallaher and produced by Ed- ward Royce is a distinct triumph for the latter. This is the first production Royce has staged on this coast and he easily steps into the pinnacle as an ace director. The book of the play is sadly deficient, but it was not particular- ly missed, not in the first act any- way. The music is superlatively good but the staging of the ensem- bles and numbers is far and away the best yet seen here. Ed Royce builds a number as a painter constructs a scene. As the song progresses, he keeps building and building with his chorus until one thinks he has reached the apex and then he proceeds to build fur- ther by the manner in which he takes his ensemble off the stage again. His is a master hand of chorus manipulation. Not only are his dancing figures intricate and interesting, but his color scheme and costumes designs are beautiful- ly blended and the chorus handles “props” with deftness and effect- iveness. First with masks and banners in the carnival of Venice motives, then with lanterns and balloons, and finally with umbrel- las in a rain number. There were about 75 in the chorus and in a song down in one, Royce had about forty of them handling themselves on the shallow stage without any confusion and with admirable smoothness. EARLE WALLACE -? Always Busy Developing Dancing Stars but Never Too Busy to Create and Produce Original DANCE ROUTINES and REVUES That Sell Belmont Theatre Bldg., First and Vermont Phone Exposition 1196 Los Angeles, Calif. ASSOCIATES' Lot-. MoBK*r GLADYS MURRAY - O ——— 3636 BEVERLY BLVD. — Los Angeles — Tel. DU. 6721 PRACTICAL STAGE TRAINING STAGE TAP DANCING (In All Its Branches) n j t T J? r 7 1 (Cecchetti DnluLjJlj 1 Technique) By SIGNOR G. V. ROS1 The first act was the best, prin- cipally because but little time was allotted to the book. The first act scenery depicting a street in Ven- ice by the Canal was magnificent and exceedingly colorful, opening in a riot of action and color. In fact, speed and action is the dis- tinguishing mark of the entire per- formance. The entrances of the principals were all well thought out and porqpously executed, particularly that for Marie Wells out of a gon- dola. The numbers in the first act are splendid and many of them will live to become well known,, par- ticularly the “Bambina” song sung by Miss Wells and ensemble for numerous encores. Miss Wells was very effectively costumed, in fact, all of the costumes were beau- tiful both in design and color. Her work was highly satisfactory and her charm dominated her scenes. “Deep In Your Eyes” is anoth- er number destined to become a hit. It was done as a duet be- tween Miss Laurel Nemeth, the prima donna, and Wilbur Evans, baritone. Miss Nemeth sings with a magnificently trained lyric so- prano which is best in its higher registers, Evans is a nice looking youth with a powerful voice and considerable of a knack for put- ting his songs over. They sang the duet with fine effect for numer- ous encores. “Down By the Grand Canal” was distinguished for its fine en- semble work; “Inspiration Waltz” ■ by Nemeth and Evans was posi- tively great as was a solo dance with a violin by Marjorie Moore. The group of opening songs of the second act was particularly fine, again building with a variety of dances and colorful carnival ef- fects. The big hit song in the sec- ond act was the “Pitter Pat” num- ber done by Nancy Welford and the boys of the chorus with little umbrellas. Nancy Welford with her quaint mannerisms made a very fine impression. His work was highly appreciated. A1 St. John was in charge of the comedy department. After he shook loose his bag-of-tricks in the first act his work, principally neck spins, suffered by repetition. The comedy work of Ernest Wood as a stuttering student was very good and would have been better had the book afforded him better opportunities. Fred Walton, Peter Pope, Hend- ley Hall, Dorothy Dix, Russell Scott and Marjorie Moore com- pleted the cast of very excellent principals. The orchestra was under the masterful baton of John R. Britz. The scenery was designed by “Con- rad Tritschler and costumes by Mme. Katinka de Jesth Baross. Jacobs. (Continued on Page 15) BEAUMONT STUDIOS SCENERY Drops, Curtains, Drapes RENTALS Los Angeles, Calif. 400 W. 96th St. YO. 8346 l9^St«o«l SOO I) CAST SION AtSAH GABRIEL R.D.MacLean as frayjuniperoserra EVERY AFTERNOON-EXCEPT MONDAY-2.'^ — WED. AND SAT. EVE PRICES SO'-' 75* f /°° iS/5'0 $2L°°