Motion Picture News (Apr - Jul 1930)

1 firil 12, 1920 Motion Picture N e iv s 4.? Opinions on P i c: t u res Hold Everything (il ani,-rs .III I all:,> i Fast Comedy with Music (Ri-Z'ii'i\.rd by ll'nilcr R. LiiCiiu) JOE E. BKOWN and Winnie Lightner roll ihrougii 7o minutes of last, slapstick and knockabout comedy that provides continual laughs for any audience. In addition to the antics ol Brown and Lightner, Warners have retained all the song and musical numbers of the stage sliow besides adding a few more. Then the picture is entirely in Technicolor, and good color values have been secured throughout. "Mold ICverythiiig" should hit for big business in the e.xtended runs at regular prices, besides ringing up healthy grosses in the split weeks and smaller towns. The story, as in most musical comedies — whether stage or screen — is slight. But that does not matter. The fast tempo secured by director Del Ruth, plus the generous supply of comedy, brings "Hold l''\erythin!j" into the money class. Georges Carpenticr and Sally O'Neil supply the love interest — which does not consume too much footage. Story is laid in the training camp of the light heavyweight contender, with Carpentier playing the latter role. Joe E. Brown is a good preliminary battler attached to the camp, with Lightner his cabaretsongster sweetheart. Fight night comes along, and Brown goes on in a semi-final. His comedy bo.xing bout — for laughs — equals anything that has been done on stage or screen for some time. Battle ends with Brown the winner, giving the audience a chance to rest the funny bone. .\s a result of "Hold Everything" it is likely that Warners will team Joe Brown and Winnie Lightner in a couple more filmusical comedies along the same lines. Both players will find themselves in the starring spotlight with the paying public after this picture goes down the line. The rest of the cast is satisfactory, but with only brief appearances. The entire picture is rightfully Brown and Lightner. with some one wisely figuring the less seen of the balance of the cast the better. The Technicolor results surpass anything previously done by Warners from the standpoint of tonal values and clarity. Direction by Roy Del Ruth set a fast pace, with excellent development of comedy situations to get most out of them. Novelty shorts and newsreels only needed here. Produced and released by Warners. From musical comedy by Buddy De Sylva and John McGowan. Directed bv Roy Del Ruth. Screen version by Robert T.ord. Added musical numbers by Dubin and Burke. Photographed bv Dev Jennings. Length, 6,750 feet. Running time, 75 min. Release date. May 1, 1930. THE CAST Toots Winnie Lifrhtner Gink Schiner Joe E. Brown GeorRes La Verne Georges Carpentier Sue Burke Sally O'Neill Pop O'Keef e Edmund Breese N'osey Bartlett Bert Roach Rob Morcan Tony Stabenau Xorine LIcyd Dorothy Revier Guilty? (ColumbM—.lll Talker) Yes, Who's Guilty? {Reviewed by J. P. Cinuiingham) A NTIQU.\TED blah! Sloppy sentimen•^^ talism layed on thickly in a manner which just reeks of amateurishness. Except for a few picturesque outdoor sets, this piece hasn't one saving grace. It reminds one of the old style "mcUer," dressed up a bit and adapted to sound. In neighborhoods where picture addicts in M-.I ii]ioii the pure and siniple ^acriticing love yarn, this will get by, but in no olliers, and don't promise too much. It's ciiock full of production tlaws, all very obvious ones at that. There's an attempt nuide to pull on the heart strings, but they followed the lines of least resistance so closely that it soon becomes unconvincing. The sound is excellent and photographic qualities of the production are impressive. The dialogue falls in direct line with other phases of the picture : not so good. John St. Polls, as Senator Polk, an old Southerner, is sentenced to Atlanta for bribery. Carolyn (Virginia Valli) suffers the embarrassment of being a convict's daughter, and while in I'lorida to forget, becomes enamored of Bob Lee (John Holland), son of a stern old prosecuting attorney (Robert T. Haines), who was respoiisible for conviction of the Senator. Polk is paroled and after much persuasion consents to the betrothal of his daughter to Bob, but the latter's old gent refuses to sanction the marriage and threatens Polk with reimprisonment if the knot is tied. Polk commits suicide and the ])rosecutor's son is accused of murdering him. He is all set for the hangman's noose w'hen Polk's note of confession is found. Of course, Bob's old man consents to the marriage, and the pair live happily ever after, or something like that. The cast seemed as lazy as the old negroes who were placed in the background for Southern atmosphere. Select a healthy bunch of shorts to brace up this one. Use a song cartoon, and something in light comedy. Produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures from "The Black Sheep." by Dorothy Howell. Directed by George B. Seitz Dialogue by Dorothy Howell. Photography by Ted Tetzlaff. Editor, Leon Barsha. Length. 6.371 feet. Running time, 71 min. Release date. March 3, 1930. THE CAST Carolyn .• Virginia Valli Bob Lee John Holland Polk John St. Polis Martha Lydia Knott Doctor Bennett Richard Carlyle Jefferson Clarence Muse Jerry Eddie Clayton Prosecuting Attorney Robert T. Haines Warden Frank Fanning Judge Ed Cecil Lucy Gertrude Howard Under a Texas Moon (irarnns—All Talker) Fair Western in New Dress (Reviewed by Don Ashbaugh) AS an example of the photographic beauty which can be achieved through the use of color, "Under a Texas Moon" is excellent. It is a constant succession of startling vistas of desert scenery. The picture will prove a delight to artistic souls and will satisfy those fans who like westerns and romance of the rough sort. However, it's the same old western plot dolled up in 1930 clothes, color and sound with a comic opera setting which is reminiscent of many of those matinee idol cowboy plays of twenty years ago. Frank Fay is the dashing, devil-may-care, good-bad, women-crazy vaquero. All of the action centers around him. He has a pair of sloppy-looking, sweet-singing henchmen who perform the age-old roles of furnishing the music, sotto voce, for Fay's many serenades to his various inamoratas. Fay has a habit of forgetting current business in hand to make love to any and all girls, while the two henchmen softly strum on their guitars from a hidden bush and croon "Under a Texas Moon." Raquel Torres and Armida come in for the hia\ \ pdrtiDii III tile love making ; but in the end it is the fiery Myrna Loy, who hasn't fallen for his wiles, who is carried off on tht wild vaquero's saddle. Betty Boyd and (Jeorgia Stone do small parts rather well while all this romance is being perpetrate<l. Noah Beery does a heavy, lumbering role in satisfactory fashion. Tully Marshall has a couple of laugh lines, but mostly he is just a di.sagreeable old cattle rancher. Fred Kohler is capable in his role. The plot hinges on the simple fact that .somebody has been stealing the Texas ranchers' cattle. Tluy hire 1-ay to rescue them and bring in the rustlers. He brings back the cattle and collects the fee when the ranchers demand that he produce the bandits by declaring, with a Spanish flourish, that the long sought bad man is none other than himself. Michael Curtis directed in a satisfactory manner, considering that the picture never offered more than the bare essentials for a light, romantic comic opera. He has managed to carry it along in a fairly even manner, injecting humor to relieve dull situations. Needs fairly strong short subjects to balance tin; program. Produced and distributed by Warners. Story by Stewart Edward White. Directed by .Michael Curtis. Screen version by G(/rdon Righy. Edited by Ralph Dawson. Photographed by Bill Rces. Release date, April 1. 1930. THE CAST Don Carlos Frank Fay I'cdro Georgic Stone Jose Romero Charles Se.lon Don Roberto Bruce Vocington Bad Man of Pool Fred Kohler Buck Johnson Jack Curtis Pancho Gonzales Sam Appcl Aldrich Tully Marshall Girl of the Pool Betty Boyd I^lita Romero Myrna Boyd Dolores Armida Raquel.a Raquel Torres Jed Parker Noah Beery Lolita Roberto Mona Maris Felipe. George Cooper Antonio Francisco Moran Tom & Jerry Tom Di.x— Jerry Barrett Mother Inez Gomez In the Next Room (First National — Alt Talker) Like Old Times (Rez-iez^cd by Robert Ilage) WE tliought this type of picture had died with the demise of other unlamented films of the "My God I what was that ?" type, but here is its ghost stalking on the screen. And lots of other things stalk across it, with the exception of intelligence. There's the haunted house, the clutching hands, the mysterious hooded figure, the "knife fiend," the ghastly noises, the cabinet with the cataleptic girl inside, the jewels, two sudden and unexplained deaths — everything, in fact, except "the papers." But clap hands for Director Edw-ard Cline. He put over a startlingly new piece of business by revealing the villain as the one we had suspected from the start. Thus is a Hollywood, not to mention Broadway, tradition thrown to the winds. A dumb detective is inserted to create comedy, but the audience never gave him a giggle. Its laughter was bestowed upon the more serious portions of the opus. The whole thing is a curious melange. Our deduction is that it was intended to be a straight "meller," but that after seeing a few rushes the powers-that-be quickly ordered that some comedy business be shoveled into it. The result is a picture that defies classification. Alice Day is pretty and speaks clearly, but the voices of the others, including Jack Mulhall, were mufliled and indistinct. It may have been due to defects in recording. If you've booked it, pray for the breaks.