Inside facts of stage and screen (June 21, 1930)

PAGE FOUR INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 1930 Picture Reviews ~ Previeu/s ~ Shorts ‘THE SOCIAL LION’ PARAMOUNT PICTURE (Reviewed at Paramount Theatre) Neatly put together and building its story for laughs based on char- acterization rather than gags, this film version of the Octavus, Roy Cohen story, “Marco Himself,” provides Jack Oakie with a per- fectly -fitting vehicle and audiences with several hours of pleasant en- tertainment. Though its situations and char- acters are tinged with the inherent triteness of most film tales, its treatment is such as to give the characters something more than standardized things to do, or rather they do the standardized things in that way that is just different enough to lift the piece out of the rut. It's another tale in which Skeets Gallagher is Oakie’s wisecracking manager, opening with a fight in which Oakie is fooled by the “your shoe-lace is untied” gag after tak- ing the fight hands down. It’s his first defeat. Back they go to the small town, where a miss of the social set takes on Oakie, now working in his dad’s garage, just for laughs. He surprises the country club crowd by his polo skill (acquired in the army) and becomes a mem- ber of the team, and thus a “club member.” Made the butt of Clive’s kidding at a big party, Oakie, his ego hurt, starts to leave town, but is tricked into staying for the “big game” by Gallagher. They win and he walks out on the country clubbers and back to Mary Brian, the girl next door, then to the prize ring, where he grabs the championship. Film ends on a pip gag at the end of the fight, the camera swinging down from the bowing Oakie to his fight shoes, which fasten with those patent zippers. EXHIBITORS’ VIEWPOINT: Should do well with all audiences. Oakie’s popularity is reaching the peak and in this one he does some fine work. Film is very fast-tem- poed, ideal for summer audiences and packed with well-planted laughs from start to finish. The zipper gag should make for a good ex- ploitation tie-up. PRODUCERS’ VIEWPOINT: Very fast-moving conventional yarn that has been lifted out of the rut by smart treatment. Screen play by Herman Mankiewicz from scenario by Agnes Leahy is clean- cut and has been tempoed to high speed by Director John Cromwell. Allen Siegler’s photography is well handled, the polo and fight scenes being matched in nicely with the script sequences. CASTING DIRECTORS’ VIEWPOINT: Oakie goes great again here, putting over the super- confident with great foiling from “Skeets” Gallagher. Mary Brian and Olive Borden were up to par in conventional parts. Charles Sellon played Oakie’s dad, and the balance of the cast, Cyril Ring, E. H. Calvert, James Gibson, Henry Roquemere, Wil- liam Bechtel, Richard Cummings and Jack Byron, played in nicely under Cromwell’s direction. GIBBONS. ‘STRICTLY MODERN’ FIRST NATIONAL PICTURE (Reviewed at RKO Theatre) A diverting hour of light com- edy, safely and sanely directed and acted. The plot is one constructed entirely for entertainment pur- poses, “such stuff as dreams are made on,” and so will not stand analysis. Dorothy Mackaill is cast as “Cousin Kate,” a successful writer of passion stories and fixer of fam- ily troubles. She is called in to patch up a break between Cousin Aimee and her fiance on the eve of their wedding. En route on the train, Dorothy meets the young man without knowing who he was; a romance develops between them and a climax when she discovers who he is. She requires that he go ahead with the nuptials, discov- ers Aimee’s partiality for Judge Bartlett, family “adviser,” and then works a little scheme that stops the wedding at the crucial moment. Consequence, four sad hearts are turned happy. EXHIBITORS’ VIEWPOINT: Just the stuff for the summer trade. Plenty of amusement, clean and airy, and those who like Dor- othy will find her at her charming best. PRODUCERS’ VIEWPOINT: Why the title? There is absolutely nothing modern about it. It is the oldest of old-fashioned romance, ever new but not “modern.” Bill Seiter has done a neat job of directing, with an eye for detail and tempo. Based on the Hubert Henry Davies play, “Cousin Kate,” the adaptation and dialogue of Ray Harris and Gene Towne has turned it into a very acceptable little story. It should return a nice profit. CASTING DIRECTORS’ VIEWPOINT: Like the story it- sfelf, Dorothy’s authenticity as a successful nbvelist will not bear too close an investigation, but what of it? She is utterly charming and sweet and has never been seen to better advantage, and that, after all, is just what the customers want. Sidney Blackmer, as the truant fiance, is generally appealing, al- though a little awkward at times. Julanne Johnson, as Aimee, turned in a delicious performance and would have stolen the picture from a less capable lead. Warner Rich- mond, as a pompous young judge who counseled Aimee to eliminate passion from her marriage, was an acceptable butt for the main hu- mor. Mickey Bennett had a bit as kid brother, and Katherine Clare Ward appeared as Aimee’s officious mother, both good average per- formances. YEATES. “ONCE A GENTLEMAN” JAMES CRUZE PRODUCTION Edward Everett Horton has a made-to-order role in this enter- taining and different film, world- premiered at the new Pantages house. It’s a James Cruze pro- duction that ranks right on a par with program pictures of the big line companies and much better than many. It’s a bright, snappy farce, main- tained in tempo throughout, packed with chuckles that are contrived more smartly than the usual gag type of humor, yet comprehensible to the most ob- tuse film patron. Horton plays a butler, on the job for years and years, who has been ordered by his boss to take a month’s vacation and make whoopee upder the Broadway bright lights. Carrying out the delivery of a message from his boss, he wanders into an exclu- sive club and is mistaken for “Col. Carmichael from India.” From then on things happen at a rapid-fire pace, with a neatly interwoven love interest between. Horton and Lois Wilson, running into a logically worked out happy ending. EXHIBITORS’ VIEWPOINT: You can grab onto this one as a smartly funny farce that gives Horton plenty of opportunity for a pip characterization as the but- ler, with a splendid supporting cast. Should please audiences greatly during the warm weather. PRODUCERS’ VIEWPOINTf- Talking about getting away frbrp the stock story channels, it’s done here, with the plot not so orig- inal, but the treatment by Walter Woods with dialogue by Maude Fulton and direction by James Cruze brightening up the story to its full entertainment possibilities. CASTING DIRECTORS’ VIEWPOINT: Led by Horton, the cast of this film has been chosen from the ranks of smooth and polished players. Horton’s imper- sonation of the finicky butler is a gem and good for scores of satisfying laughs. King. Baggott returns to the screen in a fine bit of work as the millionaire employer, and Francis X. Bushman put over a fine im- pression as the club-man, who took the butler into his homel Lois Wilson, as the housekeeper, handled her part with feeling and skill. .Balance of the cast, all giving nifty performances, included: Geo. Fawcett, Cyril Chadwick, Emer- son Treacy, Fred Sullivan, Charles Coleman, Evelyn Pierce, Gertrude Short, Estelle Bradley, Drew De- marest, and William J. Holmes. GIBBONS. “NOT DAMAGED” FOX PRODUCTION Lois Moran does something of a comeback in this trite but inter- estingly handled story. Digging deep into the stock situation bas- ket, the author, Richard Connell, came out with the .shop-girl and millionaire yarn, and after it went ■through the movie hopper, it emerged brightened considerably by treatment and direction to ap- pear as an entertaining, though very light, bit of program fare. It’s the old familiar yarn where- in the beautiful girl, with the wise- cracking “heart - of - gold” room- mate, the jealous boy-friend, em- ployed in the store, a fascinating and young scion of wealth and the room-mates comedy heart-in- terest are tossed together into a jumble of department store, dingy flat and luxurious apartment set- tings, all mingled, of course, with the inevitable store ball and the usual pompous floorwalker. But it’s been neatly contrived, swiftly played, and for its type, a good example of the factory style standard type of entertainment. EXHIBITORS’ VIEWPOINT: Despite lack of any particular the- matic snap, novelty of story, etc., this is a good summer booking, carrying a nice balance of interest, laughs and drama and nicely mounted and produced. It’s aimed for the typical Average Fan. PRODUCERS’ VIEWPOINT: Nothing novel in this one except snappy treatment by Harold At- teridge, introducing several smart script ideas and a smooth job of direction by Chandler Sprague. Nice photography by Ted Lyon. There are several deftly inter- woven song numbers, written by Cliff Friend and Jimmy Monaco. CASTING DIRECTORS’ VIEWPOINT: Lois Moran had a nice part as the shop-girl with “higher aspirations,” and played it with charm and naturalness. Inez Courtney clicked as her room-mate, and “Red” Corcoran, familiar to F. and M. Idea view- ers, set himself in nicely as the hungry boob store detective. Walter Bryon, playing the wealthy chap, impressed as an in- dividualistic type and a skilled player, and Robert Ames turned in a first® rate characterization of the jealous boy-friend. GIBBONS. ‘HEARTS IN EXILE’ WARNER BROS. PICTURE That this film was made some time back is evidenced by the fre- quency with which the theme song recurs throughout the action. It’s a story of Russia and Siberia,. evi- dently intended to have consider- able production value, but petering into a summer program filled for lack of big punch in either treat- ment or playing. Story is not remarkable in idea or treatment and has the usual hokum coincidences. The majority of the action is laid in Siberia. Result is a film patterned after the grim Russian novelists in plot but handled in typical Hollywood fashion as to treatment. EXHIBITORS’ VIEWPOINT: A questionable booking, which shouldn’t be over exploited. Prob- ably satisfactory as a summer filler, though may draw fairly well in certain spots on the names of Dolores Costello and Grant Withers. PRODUCERS’ VIEWPOINT: Michael Curtiz directed from a story by John Oxenham, and the direction isn’t up to the standard of previous Curtiz films. There are some impressive bits of photo- graphic work. CASTING DIRECTORS’ VIEWPOINT: Dolores Costello and Grant Withers are featured in this but their performances are spotty and unconvincing. Janies Kirkwood as her husband, George Fawcett as her father and David Torrance as the governor in Si- beria took the acting honors. Oth- ers in the cast were: Olive Tell, Tom Dugan, Rose Dione and Wil- liam Irving. This is Withers’ first attempt at a serious romantic lead and he fails to impress. His reading of lines was often stilted and he didn’t seem to be able to get the feel of the part. He seems best fitted to lighter comedy roles. ‘DANCING SWEETIES’ WARNER BROS. PICTURE With a dance hall background, this film is light program fare with stock situations, treatment and performances, with Grant Withers in another cocky role that winds up with heart throbs. Story has Withers the cup-cop- ping champ in the local dance hall with Eddie Phillips his rival for stepping honors. Withers, to hold his leadership, cops the new girl, brought by Phillips, Sue Carol, and the pair marry that night in one of those dance hall weddings, after winning the cup. Then the usual difficulties with things straightening out in the end. EXHIBITORS’ VIEWPOINT: Fair program film with nothing particularly notable and a rather cheap type of story and atmos- phere. Can be sold only on the hotsy-totsy of the fast-stepping younger generation. PRODUCERS’ VIEWPOINT: Ray Enright’s direction is speedy and conventional, never departing from tried and true movie meth- ods of getting over his ideas. Script and dialogue are of medi- ocre quality. CASTING DIRECTORS’ VIEWPOINT: Grant Withers, who heads this cast, practically convinces that he is not an ac- complished actor in this one. He has an annoying habit of speak- ing many of his lines as though he were unfeelingly reciting them over and over like a penance-do- ing schoolboy. In the lighter breezy moments as the egotistical dance fiend, his work is much better. Sue Carol’s performance as the dancing wife was satisfactory, her work showing an improvement in understanding of characterization. Edna Murphy as Withers’ first dancing partner and Eddie Phil- lips as the rival turned in pass- ably good performances in parts that furnished but the standardized type of acting opportunity. Sid Silvers got over a nice bit of Work as the “personality” dance hall manager and Eddie Moran ap- peared briefly as the proprietor and Kate Price also had a minor part as Sue’s mother. GIBBONS. PREVIEW “BROKEN WEDDING BELLS” The second of a series of Karl Dane-George K. Arthur comedies, distinguished for unusually elabor- ate production and good direction. The story was of a wedding, and the difficulties that beset the bride and groom in gaining p riva cy enough to retire. Dane and Arthur appeared as radio installation men, Karl the great being the dumb, burden-bear- ing ox, and Arthur the small be- ing the executive. There was no pie throwing, but plenty of house wrecking, which had sufficient sem- blance of logicality to maintain in- terest. There was as much humor as comedy, which widens the ap- peal, and the closing gag, in which the landlord smashed the radio but could not entirely kill off the mu- sic until the last little bit was de- molished, and then found it was his own set, was a well-handled payoff. That the preview audience liked it was noisily apparent. Supporting the comedy team was Daphne Pollard, the bride, Harry Bowen, the bridegroom, Irving Ba- con, landlord, and Fern Emmett, his wife. Story and direction were by Lewis R. Foster, and Lee Zahler attended to the music dubbing. Len Powers photographed it. YEATES. DIRECTION FOX WEST COAST THEATRES HELLS ANGELS SID GRAUMANS PROLOGUE