Inside facts of stage and screen (March 22, 1930)

PAGE FOUR Picture "Reviews ~ Previews " Shorts By A. H, FREDERICK ‘PLAYING AROUND’ FIRST NATIONAL PICTURE (Reviewed at R-K-O Theatre) This picture has a couple of such songs as have become mo- notonous through too much repe- tition and several scenes of Alice White’s legs which have become ditto from ditto. Apart from that it is a very mediocre story, done into film in a very mediocre man- ner, highlighted only by a de- lightful sequence contributed by Marion Byron, and another to be credited to Maurice Black. But there is something of the peren- nially good Flaming Youth motif in it, and the shebas and the dow- agers of sheba longings will fall for it. Vina Delmar wrote the story, which is a weak variation of the very good “Alibi.” Which, in turn, was a very good variation of that old time meller of the slick city feller whose fancy ways would have ruined Our Little Nell if there hadn’t been an honest heart and willing hands to save her from her own folly. And that, apparently, -is what First National paid Vina Delmar good money for! For another title to glory there is a moment in which is spoken as raw a line of dialogue as anything yet heard in the talkies. The story, taken from Delmar’s book “Sheba” concerns a girl and a boy, the latter being a soda- jerker looking forward to a raise to $35 a week so he can marry the girl. But there is a sheik with the spending habit and a car with a horn that goes ta-ta-ta-ta. So she falls for the sheik and gives the boy the air. Which her father doesn’t approve of at all. Comes the day when the sheik and the budding sheba are to be married. But the man has to turn a little business deal first. This consists of holding up a store and robbing the till. Now, New York being a little town where there are only a few stores, it is not unnatural that the one selected for. the raid should be that in which her father works. As the racketeer and the dad have never met, the former pumps some lead into the old man when he sneaks his reach toward a gun. The soda-jerker is in the phone booth at the time, but doesn’t see the man sufficiently to be able to iden- tify him. But, again, as New York is a town of so few autos with horns that go ta-ta-ta-ta, the boy Sherlocks forth the belief that Sheba’s suitor and the holdup man are one and the same per- son. So he phones the man to make his getaway at once, as his victim is dying. The man rushes for the station, the girl accom- panying him, and there is our youthful hero with a couple of dicks. Fadeout finds the girl de- claring she will be so happy on $35 a week. Ho, hum. EXHIBITORS’ VIEWPOINT: Good where they like Alice White. It’s just about the speed of most of her pictures. PRODUCERS’ VIEWPOINT: The directorial ability of Mervin Le Roy sparkles forth even from the depths of the inane story as- signed him, and the dialogue is ex- ceptionally -Well done. Credit goes to Le Roy and the dialoguer for what good moments there are in the film. Song-and-dance stuff, however, is dragged in lugubriously, lulling to a disinterest in the story which is reawakened only after an inter- val of recovery. And Miss White shouldn’t sing. When a number was to-ssed in for her it broke into a sequence which had chances for lots of comedy. The latter would have been a better bet by hundreds of per cents. CASTING DIRECTORS’ VIEWPOINT: Alice White’s drawing power lies entirely in her fluffy light-headedness. She shouldn’t be called upon to do any acting, even the modicum as- signed her in this picture not getting across well. Chester Morris was back in his old “Alibi” role, and, just one or two more of these and he’ll be a marked man. He never fails to give a sure and convincing per- formance, no more than does a trapeze performer who follows the same routine at all appearances. William Bakewell did the soda- jerker with commendably more re- straint than he has put into for- mer performances, but the de- mands of the part were not heavy. Richard Carlyle made a lovable father,. and Ann Brody and Nellie V. Nichols did excellently as a fire-escape Jewish pair doing a Greek Chorus assignment of bridg- ing the story interludes by their gossipings. But two minor character carried off the acting palms, to-wit, Ma- rion “Peanuts” Byron and Mau- rice Black, with the former tak- ing first honors. Her brief bit as a hard-boiled telephone operator was the best footage in the picture, and her fadeout was a matter of regret. Black squeezed his little bit for every ounce of nutrition in it. ‘SUCH MEN ARE DANGER- OUS’ FOX PICTURE (Reviewed at Loew’s State) Tinted by Elinor Glyn’s child- like worship of unlimited wealth and what she conceives to be “po- lite society,” this picture never- theless manages to emerge as en- tertainment which is good for the mob. Credit for this goes to a splendidly done part by Warner Baxter, and to the direction. The latter was by Kenneth Hawks, the young Fox director who was killed during the filming of the airplane sequences of the film. As with all of La Glyn’s con- tributions to literature, “Such Men Are Dangerous” is one of those inconsequential affairs which leaves the beholder cold. Either Madame Glyn or the Fox officials probably realized that her work needs some sort of apology, for in this picture they put in a sequence showing a Cinderella pageant, with a maxim obviously tacked on to the effect that “the Cinderella story never grows old.” As Mrs. Glyn has never written anything other than various versions of the Cinderella yarn throughout her career, may- be she feels that some apology is now due. The direction of the picture is far superior to the story material. Minor climaxes are worked up ad- mirably through it, really over- shadowing the climaxes of the script. In fact, the denouement falls flat, having been obviously approaching for several reels. The story is taken from the newspaper accounts a couple of years ago of the disappearance of Loewenstein, the Belgian financial king, while flying over the English channel. But the inevitable Glyn- nian love theme is introduced. Baxter plays the money giant, in a makeup and with mannerisms which make it outstanding among recent character portrayals. The scene opens upon his marriage with Catherine Dale Owen, who is impelled to the union by her money-seeking sister. The bride- groom is very unprepossessing in appearance, and money is his sole thought. So the bride runs away immediately after the ceremony. The deserted husband then toss- es a couple of million dollars around for the care of his bride and the furtherance of his own plans. The plans are to have himself re- juvenated at the hands of a plas- tic surgery master.. This takes place, and. the financier appears in Paris Uncognizable to his old friends, and skilled by his secre- tary in the arts of love. In this guise he wins the love of his wife, his plot being re- venge through deserting her as she once deserted him. Of course, any movie fan can write the rest— and in a darn sight less time than it took Elinor Glyn to do it. EXHIBITORS’ VIEWPOINT: This is boxoffice, and will go well with the big class of film patrons who like the hooey type of picture. Warner Baxter’s draw will count, too. PRODUCERS’ VIEWPOINT: Direction is excellent throughout, and the vapidness of the Glyn story is well relieved by the smooth flow of dialogue contrib- uted by Ernest Vadja. Continu- ity could have been tightened up in places. CASTING DIRECTORS’ VIEWPOINT: Warner Baxter does splendidly with his dual as- signment. His makeup and por- trayal _ as _ the gruff, gutteral, ugly financier is a knockout for charac- terization. On the day of review there were about three separate arguments going on around this reviewer as to whether it really wa| or was not Baxter doing the part. This is the first time this writer has seen a picture in which Cath- erine Owen had a chance to put fire and vim. She apparanely hasn’t either, and must continue to do her icy haughty lady roles of “His Glorious Night” and “The Rogue Song.” Albert Conti is excellent as the secretary of the millionaire. He manages to steal practically all of his scenes and is never out of the picture whenever he is in the frame. Bela Lugosi makes the most of his limited chances, getting all from the plastic surgeon role that was in it; and Hedda Hopper dis- charges . the assignment of the sister in her usual competent fashion. Claud Allister completes the featured cast with his usual silly ass Britisher stuff. ‘PUTTIN’ ON THE RITZ’ UNITED ARTISTS PICTURE (Reviewed at U. A. Theatre) This is the old “Burlesque” story done over again, but it’s one of the best of the many versions. And the credit for this goes large- ly. to Irving Berlin, who has con- tributed one good song hit after another, anyone of them qualified to be a best seller, and to the di- rector of ensembles. There is “Singing a Vagabond Son g,” “Without You,” “Puttin’ On the Ritz” and others in the song line; and there is some snappy ensem- ble staging in the Ritz number, and some exceptionally pleasing staging in an “Alice in Wonder- land” fantasy. Another deserving a lot of credit is the dialoguer. The talk never lets down, as in so many current offerings, and more than occasion- ally sizzles with humor. The cast is uniformly good, and Harry Richman discloses a pleas- ing but not sensational screen presence. Comparison between him and A1 Jolson is inevitable, due to their similar lines of en- deavor, and A1 comes off with top honors. Richman has several very displeasing camera angles, and they were not entirely avoided in this picture. The story opens with a small- time vaude foursome, Richman, Joan Bennett, Janies Gleason and Lilyan Tashman. They work as two teams, and there is a love element between Richman and Joan, and between Gleason and Tashman. A New Y'ork revue offer comes to the Richman-Ben- nett half of the company, and the other two insist that they take it. They do so and knock Broadway dizzy, Richman also becoming pro- prietor of a night club. But he goes society, with Aileen Pringle as the egger-on, and Joan is very much out in the cold. Then the other team arrive in the midst of a social dinner Rich- man is giving, and he shunts them off to a guest room where his “swell” friends won’t see them. This angers Joan and she leaves with them after telling Richman he is a blind fool not to see that he’s just a clown for the socially elite among whom he is trying to climb. So Harry gets drunk, finally draining a flask of bad liquor. This blinds him. He makes Glea- son take him off to a hiding place, and won’t let Joan know about his trouble. Joan is starred in the new re- vue, and for an encore the audi- ence demands she sing a number which was their big hit when she and Harry were teamed. She tries to, but breaks down, and Harry saves her by bursting out with the song from his seat in the gallery. This clicks, being most excellently directed, and brings them together again for a happy fadeout. EXHIBITORS’ VIEWPOINT: This one is good entertainment, and should hit the* boxoffice for a merry pace on word-of-mouth. Of course, there’s no smash draw in the cast, so it will need exploita- tion on Richman’s N. Y. rep PRODUCERS’ VIEWPOINT: Edward Sloman did one excellent directorial job, and whoever gets credit for the ensembles wrote an A-l to his work. Stor-r was by John Considine, Jr. CASTING DIRECTORS’ VIEWPOINT: Harry Richman’s personality is - better for the stage and night club work than for pic- tures. He’s not a type which would go strong were it not for his voice. Joan Bennett is up to her usual high standard of acting opposite him, and sings. Singing is not her forte. James Gleason and Lilyan Tashman, playing a wise-cracking small time vaude team, steal all the scenes they’re in, with plenty of credit left over for them. Aileen Pringle is very good as the society trifler, with Richard Tucker doing adequately opposite her. Other good performances are turned in by Purnell Pratt, Eddie Kane, George Irving and Sidney Franklin. Legitimate Theatre Reviews ‘ELIZABETH SLEEPS OUT’ EMPRESS THEATRE VANCOUVER (Reviewed March 12) This comedy by Leslie Howard, in the hands of the British Guild Players becomes a little art cameo so appealing that it is now in its •seventh week and going strong, a remarkable run for Vancouver, a week being the usual showing period. Dainty Cecil Bruner, blonde and to the local fans delightfully Eng- lish, made a very intriguing and natural Amelia Tweedie, the inno- cent ward of three old maids who is far from man-wise. James B. Mills, as Wrigley, a young under- taker who turns out to be a multi- millionaire and wooes the fair Ame- lia successfully, was also a click with the fans. David Clyde, the drunken nephew of the spinster ladies, was respon- sible for plenty of laughs, his pas- sages with Gaby Fay (Elizabeth Tweedie), the most sportive of the BEAUMONT STUDIOS SCENERY Drops, Curtains, Drapes RENTALS Los Angeles, Calif. 400 W. 96th St. YO. 8346 three spinsters, when they made whoopee together and spent the night away from the safe sanctuary of the old maids’ home, much to the disgust of May Tweedie (Mil- licent Hallett), the eldest and very proper maiden lady, proving the high spot ot merriment in this laugh-producing vehicle. Frank Vyvyan as George Apple- way, the old girls’ legal adviser, handled his characterization of the old fossil barrister in a very nat- ural manner, getting all the laughs out of the character possible. Eily Bell. as the third old maid and Basil Radford as Vane, the butler, also fitted in to perfection. The cast were all English play- ers, so much so, in fact, that the locale of the play appeared at times to be in England instead of the U. S. A., dollars being referred to as pounds. W. E. Watts, the director of the British Guild Players, turned out a very finished production in this one. The set by Frank Kaestner, while a simple interior, was artis- tic and in every way in keeping with the story. Jack de Jausserand, musical di- rector at the Empress, led his band through a five-number pro- gram during the evening. Mae. ‘ROPE’S END’ VINE STREET THEATRE LOS ANGELES (Reviewed March 12) A dramatized essay is this Eng- lish play, theatrically dressed after the popular manner of that coun- try twenty-five years ago, with dark stage at curtain rise, screams in . the dark and a philosophical writer. Nor must we forget the sword cane. The story is utterly devoid of plot, and the only constructive de- velopment is the disciplining of the writer’s rebel philosophy after being brought face to face with the motiveless murder of a friend by another rebel mind, who had planned what he considered the perfect undiscoverable crime but was betrayed by his own vanity and the broken nerve of a confed- erate. There is no mystery about the murder so far as the audience is concerned, as the slayers reveal themselves with their opening lines and point out the location of the body in a chest down center. They entertain the parents of the corpse to a luncheon served off the chest, and the interest of the audience is centered in whether the crime will be discovered and how. The whole story could be told in one act by the murderer, his accomplice and the writer who un- covers the deed, but many super- numerary characters are intro- duced, also an innocuous love in- terest, to spin the play out over its three acts. Much directorial care and thes- pian earnestness has been expend- ed on this production and much credit reflects upon William E. Smith, producer, Director Arthur Greville Collins and the company of players for the conviction they put into their work. Noel Madison is starred in the role of Rupert Cadell, the write: whose inquiring mind would no be turned aside from his intuitiv< curiosity. In the last half of th< third act he had some really grea moments, particularly when appar ently cornered by the principa slayer. The chief murderer is played bj Hugh Huntley, whose work wa: not excelled by that of any othei player. Naturalness and poise an his chief assets, and the part re (Continued on Page 6) EARLE WALLACE Alway* 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 BUD MURRAY SCHOOfcr^S TAG-E (Associates) Gladys Murray Lafe Page 3636 BEVEELT BLVD. — Los Angeles — Tel. DU. 67 PRACTICAL STAGE TRAINING STAGE TAP DANCING (In All Its Branche, BALLET Technique, By SIGNOR G. V. ROl