Inside facts of stage and screen (December 6, 1930)

PAGE FOUR INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN DEC. 6, 1930 CSC Pictures SIN TAKES A HOLIDAY ORPHEUM (Reviewed Dec. 2) This is a good picture, but it does not merit the praise bestawed upon it by the majority of critics. It is society stuff, being definitely neith- er comedy or drama of a deeply satisfying character. Its appeal is limited. Like many pictures getting off to a good start in the billing, this one promised much and de- livered short. As per usual, the story and its treatment goes on the grid. It de- serves roasting, particularly so when you consider that it eman- ated from the highly efficient outfit that gave us “Holiday.” They haven’t found out yet what made “Holiday” a success, basically. They think it was luck. Phillip Barry can tell them, or ask Owen Davis. “Sin akes a Holiday” is society with the veneer so heavy, the so- phistication and repartee so subtly nuanced and so far from the real heart of things that only the bon ton intellects, the ultra-smart so- ciety, will get it. It is merely an- other alibi the story editor will offer to bolster up his fading con- viction that the average audience mentality is that of a 12 year old child. EXHIBITOR: This opus is for the chauffeur driven clientele and social aspirant who, if he doesn’t agree simply doesn't belong. If you back this for the folks who went whoopee over “Holiday” and tell ’em it’s just as good, it’s your tough luck. CAST: Just an assembly of fine actors doing their best, which, in a good story would be top. DIRECTION: What makes this thing so “speechy?” In several scenes thought. was attending graduation exercises. SOUND: Raspy at times. Not the projectionist. One faulty mix- er, probably, because the rasp went in and out abruptly with change of scene, not the change-over. SCOTLAND YARD .LOEW’S STATE (Reviewed Nov. 28) This piece of detective garble is neither flesh, fowl or good white halibut. It starts off as a drama, then for a sequence promises to.be a hit comedy but ends up being neither. In spite of splendid work on the part of every member of the cast, the production simply did not click. Audience restlessness was evident throughout and disap- pointment registered at the finish. No real sympathy or admiration was evinced. CAST: Edmund Lowe as a plug ugly, a fop or an English Lord weighs approximately 18 karat brass for attempting it. The per- sonality of Edmund Lowe was so vibrantly present, the characters "he doubled-in didn’t have a chance. A splendid actor burning his talent on the altor of misdirected concep- tion. They wil never remember him for his work in “Scotland Yard.” EXHIBITOR: Lav off this one if you can.. If you are big. hearted or Lowe- is hot bilhng in your neighborhood, plav him. If the femmes want they’ll pay to see him if he plays the title role in the Yard” with the red ink at hand, a prayer on your lips and plenty of good shorts on the bill. Price. JENNY LIND CRITERION (Reviewed Dec. 2) This picture gives the word-ped- dler and his pet phrases a break. 'Belling them about “Jenny Lind’’ and Grace Moore's vocalizing calls for superlatives. This, brother members of the hit-hungry fratern- ity, is the kind of production we dream about and seldom see. “Jen- ny Lind” oh long suffering public, is entertainment with emphasis on the “tainment,” and wonder of wonders, but one error creeps in. That error is Wallace Beery. CAST: Who in the MGM staff conceived the idea that Wallace Beery even remotely approximated the character of P. T. Barnum either in manner, personality or speech? And who wrote that sup- posed-to-be-modern showman dia- logue emitting from the big Swede. He was in the cast for his direct exploitation value. Granted. But what critic mentions him? How much business will he get on the marquee billing, along with a name like “Jenny Lind?’’ As to the rest of the cast: Reginald Denny finally lands in a picture that fits voice, personal- ity and style of delivery. As to Grace Moore: I’m a crippled goose when it comes to describing this lady’s charm and artistry. How long must we wait to see her again? EXHIBIOR: Jenny Lind de- serves a special advertising appro- priation. You’ll get it back, plus. NOTE: Tell your projectionist to lower the volume on that P. T. Barnum sequence. It’s awful. Price. DOORWAY TO HELL WARNER DOWNTOWN (Reviewed Nov. 29) This racketeer opera tenses with the T-N-T of action and drama that keeps an audience on the edge of its seat. The threat of death in every shadow; fate with a gat in his hand slinking close by and if it were not for the miscasting of Lew Ayres and a few minor but far- fetched bits of imagination on the writer's part—which unwittingly kicks holes in the reality of illu- sion—this chill opus would be hard to beat. With all its faults it tops anything of like timber this season and ranks for entertainment with the best. CAST: Lew Ayres, by no stretch of human credence, can be accepted as a powerful racketeer or a baby faced killer. He exhibits neither predatory or racial markings of a youthful Italian who holds little regard for life. Supporting roles were well cast and finely played. EXHIBITOR: Put your exploi- tation dough on Lew Ayres and the title, “Doorway to Hell.” Good name and magnetic marquee mate- rial. Although word of mouth in this picture is not what it should be, it’s the best you’ll get this week. For entertainment it can’t possibly disappoint. Price. ONLY SAPS WORK PARAMOUNT THEATRE (Reviewed Dec. 4) Laughs in this picture come rap- idly and so close together they trip over each other. Torso laughs, ton- sil laughs, rib benders and larnyx agitators, laughs that puts the audi- REVIEWS ence searching their anatomies for another spot that will hold a laugh. The boys, who put this thing to- gether, didn’t bother about spots tor placing laughs. They filled every little gap. Here is an example of team work on the part of every one connected with building laughs into a picture. There is a question of how funny it would have been without Leon Errol and still a question how funny Errol would have been with- out Owen Davis, the director, the gag men and constructionist. This is the third really successful picture in three weeks for Para- mount. “Fast and Loose,” “Tom Sawyer” and this one. The mil- lenium has come. EXHIBITOR: “Only Saps Work” is a good title and at this time will be amenable to a lot of novel exploitation angles. The pic- ture is there, any way you want to bill it. Entertainment value is high and a picture of Errol should hang in the lobby, permanently. Too bad they don’t bill “staff” a little louder. CAST: Excellent all ’round. Good contrasts and an argument for in- jecting real dramatic people into comedies. Price. FAST IS WFST (UNIVERSAL FEATURE) EXHIBITOR’S VIEWPOINT A yellow skin may not truly re- flect the soul of man but try and tell that to 125 millions of American whites. The detraction in this pic- ture is the fact that they cannot hide Lupe Velez beneath the character of Ming Toy. This fault occurs with 9,999 out of 10,000 oriental features. The characterization is not convincing and thus audience, interest is never deep. Word-of- mouth value of this feature almost nil. Nothing that stimulates deep- ly. Entertainment value about 50 per cent. Lupe Velez drawing power not substantiated by her work. It could have been a remarkable conic edy but wasn’t played to that end. You may bill Edw. G. Robinson big. His work is the only thing that will send them out talking about the picture, the one redeem- ing element. CAST: Velez and Ayres may be featured and they do well with their assignment but Edw. G. Robinson politely steals the picture. Occa- sionly Velez sparkles but not enough to blind the audience. Ayres had practically nothing to draw or the reserve of dramatic force that is stored in this actor. Excepting Robinson, and the real chinks, the cast was out of harmony with the atmosphere created. Presentations GRAUMAN’S CHINESE “MOORISH IDEA” (Reviewed Dec. 1) Credit 'Larry Ceballas with an- other topnotch offering, easily the best since the Graunian days, and by far better than anything Fan- chon and Marco have ever attempt- ed. Cebailos is without any equal as a producer in this type of presen- tation, and F. and M. should feel very fortunate in having him as an ] associate producer. He recently 1 staged the “Espanola Idea” for the Fox interests, “Moonlight Revels," i “Seasons,” with others in produc- tion. His “Moorish Idea” is respen- lent with Broadway flash and talent, and upon its completion here could be pruned to the regular F. and M. “Idea” size, and would serve to off- set some of the weak attempts at presentations that have played the F. and M. route during the past few years, and there’s lots of ’em. Cebailos can pick ’em and stage ’em, he knows talent and their pos- sibilities. He’s possibly forgotten more about dance routines, that is, original routines, than the rest of ’em put together. He’s shown it in all of his offerings; in toto, Cebailos starts off where the rest of ’em finish. For instance, the “Moorish Idea.” The writer spent many years in the far east, whether Cebailos did or not we don't know, but we ll credit him with an authentic few moments from a street scene in Tangier, Al- giers, or any other French posses- sion in the Mediterranean, giving it all the life and color he could mass together and staging a stirring atmospheric prologue. He hasn’t passed up a bet from the' atmospheric standpoint, for he has the Ben Hassan troupe, chat- tering Arabic throughout. There’s the snake, charmer, Ada Mae Em- gard, with a 'live assistant that ap- parently brings terror and thrills to the mob. Ferdna and Co., mixed duo, with Ferdna doing his lifting girl illusion bit, to an excellent hand. Then there is Eva Nightingale, another crackerjack artist offering her “dis- appearing girl” bit. The miss placed her assistant in a basket, borrows a few swords, and ... it still remains a mystery, going over nicely. Gayl, Bert and Daro, two males and a girl, do a nifty routine of acro-adagio that hits the bell. Then there is Hadji Ali, assisted by his wife. Ali can drink quarts of water, top it off with a bottle of kerosene, start a fire, and put it out with the water. He’s got a load of other “bazaar” tricks, that takes us back to Cairo days. A good bit for anything like this. Cebailos uses these sterling acts as an appetizer, interspersed with some clever choral work by the Damascus artists, and his line of twenty “houris,” talented dancers whose routines add color and life to the show. The two headline attractions, Ar- manda Chirot, coloratura soprano, and Marietta, dancer, click heavily. Armanda Chirot is a personable Spanish beauty whose velvety tones thrill the audience. Here is talent supreme. The miss is undoubtedly one of the finest coloratura so- pranos to ever grace an F. and M. stage. Former Mexico City opera star, reflecting all the class of that training. Marietta is a beautiful acrobatic dancer, superbly chosen by Cebai- los for this production; she fits ad- mirably with her neat acrobatic rhythmic dances. One of the heavi- est hands received and rightly so. Last in the show, but by no means least, are the sensational Ben Hassan troupe. They are the fin- ishing t o u ch , offering typical Arabic acrobatics, pyramids, der- vishes, and what have you, packing into three minutes a heavy load of entertainment. There is but one flaw from a pro- duction standpoint, but important like the extra point after touchdown. Following her solo, the quality of Armanda Chirot’s voice and her presence is lost while Marieta is dancing, due to imperfect spotting. Otherwise .the lighting is perfect, and whenever prologues are needed, Cebailos should by all means be paged. Frog. LOEWS STATE LOS ANGELES (Reviewed Dec. 4.) The magnet drawing power of the Peabody name, his showman- ship entertainment value, was re- flected at his opening show today. When the dimunitive banjo en- tertainer stepped on the stage a salvo of applause greeted him, as a welcoming gesture from his fans out front. Eddie immediately had the gang vote their thanks to the producer, Marco, and then, into his show stopping routine of banjo pops. In bringing Peabody here, at the usual pre-Christmas slump,-Marco showed excellent judgment, espe- cially so in offsetting the elaborate productions offered at this time by the Paramount, whose presentations have built up an unusually large following during the past month. Undoubtedly, during his two week’s stay here, Peabody’s draw- ing power will be put to a severe test under the existing circumstan- ces, with the breaks against him, but, if the opening performance is any sort of criterion, the flaxen haired boy will continue to click at the box office. He offers his usual routine of popular banjo solos topped off by the now famous “St. Louis Blues,” and builds up to the well-known Peabody show-stopping finish. He’s the best bet on the F. and M. time. Remainder of the stage offering is the “Gondoliers” Idea. Bee RKO LOS ANGELES VAUDEVILLE (Reviewed Dec. 4th) The vaudeville this week is not up to RKO average, which for the last two months has rated high. There must be a let down some- where. No circuit can continue to top itself week after week as this one has without exhibiting one or two weak spots. Perhaps the excellence of fore- going bills offered a concentrate of comedv that boosted the standard too high to maintain it. This is possible. But the show is not in- REGENT HOTEL APTS. 1S28 CURTIS ST. DENVER, COLORADO ROOMS AND APTS. AT PROFESSIONAL RATES HOME OF THEATRICAL PEOPLE PLAYING DENVER WILLIAM WEST MGR. WE PAY TAXI FARE FITZROY 1241 KLIEGL BROS. LARGEST PACIFIC COAST STOCK FITZROY 124 1 GENE DAVE PINEAU & HOWSE « THEATRICAL STAGE LIGHTING CO. ROAD SHOWS COMPLETELY EQUIPPED COMPLETE RENTAL DEPARTMENT WRITE FOR GELATINE SAMPLE BOOK 1451 VENICE BLVD. LOS ANGELES, CALIF. 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