Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

38 MOTION PICTURE HERALD May 16, 193 Purely An Accident (Vitaphone) Entertaining A bit different, in the prize fighter type of comedies. The champion, despite successive knockouts, has an inferiority complex. When a girl becomes attracted to him, she instills a feeling of superiority, which becomes so overbearing that it finally leads to his finish in the ring. The weakness of fighters obviously not fighting might have been overcome by better casting. Directed by Roy Mack, from a story by Sam Hellman. — Running time, 10 minutes. Movie Memories — No. 4 (Paramount) {Sf^nusoird hy Chcstcrfichi Fine Cu/arcttc) There is real interest and a measure of reminiscent enjoyment in this series, and this number is no exception. Goes back to 1900, with shots of hansom cabs in an old fashioned traffic jam at 42nd street and Fifth avenue, a women's obstacle race in which the greatest obstacle were their skirts, a bridal couple at Niagara Falls, Theodore Roosevelt taking office and several scenes from "Over the Hill to the Poorhouse." Clever lines add much to the efTectiveness of the short. — Running time, 10 minutes. Strange As It Seenns — No. 9 (Universal) Good If in the accompanying running fire of comment, they would cease attempting to be funny, this short would be rated even higher than "good." The seemingly unending stream of puns is terrible, which is particularly depressing since the subject matter of the issue is varied and highly interesting. The only purl)ose of the would-be humor is to almost spoil the short. Otherwise quite good. — Running time, 10 minutes. The Strange Case (Vitaphone) Only Fair Here is a good comedy which falls short of its possibilities through lack of sufficient time devoted to it. Every guest at a dinner party wants the best part of the chicken, and the man who escapes with it, is hunted down and shot. Police are called, and they kill the rest of the guests in an effort to solve the crime. Then the lucky one comes to life and eats his cliicken. — Running time, 8 minutes. Stay Out (Universal) Slow This is supposed to be a comedy, but it falls rather sadly short of that classification. Charlie Murray plays the lead in what develops into a bedroom complication, with little or nothijig really original in it. Murray, locked out of his duplex apartment, enters his neighbor's rooms, and that is the excuse for what follows. One scene, in which Murray is in bed with his neighbor's wife, will probably prove objectionable to numerous patrons. Al Kelly directe<l. — Running time, 18 minutes. Lodge Night (Vitaphone) Poor The idea is very old, concerning the husband who goes to a night club for a good time with a friend and two girls. The wife breaks in with the usual result. Acting throughout the short is very weak. Roy Mack directed. — Running time. 7 minutes. Parisian Gaieties (Universal ) Only Fair A Slim Summerville, which falls away considerably from the high comedy standard set by the previous numbers. Lines repeat themselves and it lacks the punch most others have had consistently. Eddie Gribbon continues as the top-sergeant, and Pauline Garon is the girl in the case, but she is decidedly subordinated and appears in only a few scenes. Paris is the locale, but humor is lacking conspicuously. Direction by Steve Roberts. — Running time, 17 minutes. The Inventor (Vitaphone) Just Fair Billy Wayne plays the inventor, and Thelma White the wife who has little sympathy with his ambitions, believing he should go to work for a living. .A. safety device for cars lands him on top of a telegraph pole, and he almost sells an "unbreakable" windshield, after the prospect had hurled bricks at it, when suddenly a baseball drives right through it. A few laughs, but nothing startling. Alf Goulding directed. — Running time, 10 mmutes. Night Class (RKO Pathe) Good Enough Nat Carr is amusing enough in this comedy short with a gang angle. The idea is fine, but they slip a bit in putting it across. Nat Carr, tailor, is tipped to attend a night class if he would pick up a small $5,000. It develops that the "class" is a gang hangout, and Nat is picked to "bump off" the prize enemy. He does it, but entirely accidentally. Laughs are well spotted. — Running time, 20 minutes. Country School (Universal) Not Much Oswald. Universal's cartoon rabbit, borders very decidedly on the questionable in most of the animation of this number. There has been too much of a tendency recently in the animated cartoons toward just this sort of thing. It may be merely a substitution for lack of good and original comedy ideas, but if it is, it fails to get by. Situation in this one is decidedly not new, and the lines weak. — Running time, 7 minutes. Cab Waiting (Paramount) Just Fair Jack Benny engages a taxi driver in conversation, and discovers he is an authority on language and correct speech. Benny meets a chorus girl and takes her home in the cab after the show. The driver manages to get in the necessary corrections at the right time. A few good lines help a bit. — Running time, 17 minutes. Outboard Stunting (RKO Pathe) Excellent This number of the Grantland Rice Sportlights produced by Van Beuren for RKO Pathe release, is great. Pictured are the variety of sports in which the outboard motor plays a part. Anyone with a drop of sporting blood will get a kick out of it, and everyone should enjoy it. — Running time. 9 minutes. Movie Mennories — No. 5 ( Paramount ) (Spoiisorcil by Chesterfield Ci(/arette) Great A Broadway audience gave evidence of h delight in these pictorial snatches from da\ gone by, with hearty applause. The mentic of the reef's sponsor. Chesterfield cigarettes, inconspicuous, and the audience does not seei to mind it. Included in this number are scent showing the Giants winning their first pennan the Prince of Wales at the age of six, Mabt Normand in one of her first comedies wit Mack Sennett, Charlie Murray in an episod and spots from "The Great Train Robbery, first feature. Running dialogue is fine. — Rur ning time, 10 minutes. The Naggers at the Ringside (Vitaphone) Quite Good This should rate as perhaps the best of thNaggers series, in which Mr. and Mrs. Jacl Norworth are featured. There are laughs an( plenty of them, spotted all the way through In the usual manner, the couple are engage( in verbal storms at home, until he suggest they attend a prize fight. In the fight settins there is plenty of opportunity for more laugh and they keep going at a rapid pace. Al Goulding directed. — Running time, 11 minutes All Gummed Up (RKO Pathe) Rather Weak Edgar Kennedy attempts the role of a hus-; band who makes a valiant eftort to straightei his home and makes a hash of it, but doe; only poorly with the part. Florence Lake anc; Louise Carver are the wife and the aunt respectively, but neither put very much reality oi punch into her role. Doesn't get across. — Running time, 19 minutes. Betty Co-Ed ( Paramount) Fine Rudy Vallee and his Connecticut Yankee; furnish the musical accompaniment and Rudy does a solo with the dancing ball leading tht audience to join in. The song is a real hit the tune being extremely catchy. A college at mosphere surrounds the number. A good num ber, a good short, and worth spotting in almost any program. — Running time, 7 minutes. Once Over Light ^ ( Paramount) Fair A patron goes into the barber shop for a: shave and a manicure, and has the hardest timfe' getting out anywhere near the way he came im The barber nearly talks him into a state olunconsciousness and the manicurist is as stupir, as possible. Slow in getting started, but winds up with a few good laughs. Running time, U minutes. i: Q. R. S.-DeVry Western Sales Through Lasher San Francisco — Phil Lasher, Ltd., has become W'estern distributor for the Q.R.S.-' DeVry Corporation, manufacturers of cam-' eras and projectors, screens and photocells A complete factory stock and service de partment will be maintained at 300 Seventh street. ,