Motion Picture Herald (Apr-Jun 1931)

58 MOTION PICTURE HERALD May 16, 193 VOICE €r THE ■ NELSTCy Quality and — ! JUST A FEW SAMPLES OF WHAT I took out of the film cans lately — ■ "Rough Romance" (Fox) — Paid for a feature, but only received an action short. Ran 56 minutes. Just fair. On same program a chapter of "The Indians Are Coming," and it ran only 14 minutes, so my entire program ran 1 hour and 10 minutes. This is robbery. "Liliom" (Fox) — Another highbrow headache for the small town boys. Did not draw much and nobody could figure out what it was all about. Farrell fitted in his role just about like a lady does in knickers. "Fighting Caravans" (Paramount) — The only thing big about this western is the price. Gary Cooper good, but Miss Damita is lost in her part. Just an ordinary western. "Sarah and Son" (Paramount) — Pretty old, but a great picture. Was made when the producers were spending money on their pictures. .Acting is one thing this Chatterton gal can do. "War Nurse" (_M-G-M) — R. Montgomery and Anita Page good in this. A good story, but director messed it up. Didn't draw much. "Morocco" (Paramount) — Drew very good and Marlene Dietrich dr^ew many favorable comments. Cooper good, too. Story and direction were very slow and got tiresome. More action, please. Movies must move. "Along Came Youth" (Paramount) — The two-year kid that wrote this story should be spanked and put back in his cradle. Rogers is popular here, but the stories they have been handing him are sappy. Stu Erwin and Miss Dee good. "No Limit" (Paramount) — The same kid as above wrote this one, too. Another silly story. "Cheapness" is written all over this production. Clara Bow can act and is still a fair draw. "Derelict" (Paramount) — Very good. George Bancroft fine in this and it has some action to it. Most of Paramount's late releases are too short. They make them to fit their presentation houses — but how about us hicks? "Sea Legs" (Paramount) — Sixty minutes of film and no story visible. Just a bunch of foolishness and pie slinging. Jack Oakie, a fine supporting comedian, makes a mighty weak star (?). "Little Accident" (Universal) — Pleasing light comedy. Anita Page good and Doug. Jr. just fair. One of Universal's "selling" pictures. "On Your Back" (Fox) — One of their "selling" pictures, so they spent some money on it. Irene Rich great, and gorgeous style show and production. "Min and Bill" (M-G-M) — Expected much business after reading great comments and reviews, but had very small crowd. Ran 61 minutes. Is that a feature? My folks were disappointed, and so was I. "Free Love" (Universal) — One hour of talking and 10 minutes of action. Very tiresome. Conrad Nagel and Miss Tobin great, but make 'em do something. "See America Thirst" (Universal) — Here's a great two-reel comedy ruined to make a feature. Harry Langdon and Slim good for a while, but too much of them is too much. No good for small towns. "The Lady Surrenders" (Universal) — A wonderful picture for the Little Theatre Groups, but they don't come to the picture shows. Let them have this sophisticated, tiresome stuff. No lafifs — no action — just talk. — L. L. Levy, Iris Theatre, Kerens, Texas. Urges Departnnen+'s Return TO TELL YOU THAT MY RESTRAINT has given away, and that Nature's law of intermittent explosions at last demands obedience is to state my mental condition mildly. I am of the woods, and woody ; and I would give the Herald, and all its pleasures, and all its pomps, and all its powers for one slight glimpse of "What the Picture Did for Me." While I am pleased that the Herald continues its forward march in the field of picture publications, I find that its best department, and, I opine, the one that contributed most to its vigorous growth, has been suppressed. There may be reason for discontinuing exhibitor reports, perhaps exhibitors themselves are to blame (I plead guilty), but whatever the reasons, out here on the mountain I am lost without that department. If "What the Picture Did for Me" had been a going concern the past year, I should not have shown such abominations and near-abominations as "Paris Bound," "Lady of Scandal," "Are You There?" "Strictly Unconventional," "Children of Pleasure' and a lot of others, including the "worcest" of the worst, "Divorce." I had almost lost faith, blaming it on your merger business, until your editorial anent the kind of pictures Hollywood was making reassured me that somewhere the spirit of the old Herald still survived. At that, you are showing evidences of Ritziosity that bear heavily in the heart of humble and devout disciples of the old magazine, but I shall not despair. It is the glamour of the bright lights of Broadway, the blandishments and flattery of the big city "slickers" that are drawing you from the straight and narrow path. Yet I believe that virtue is too deeply rooted in you for you to permanently forget your "raisin." Some day I expect the Herald to cast off the gilt and tinsel and boldly declare that the producers and distributors, including Will Hays, are not yet ready for cannonization, and that every picture released is not a symphony of delight to ear and eye, nor a housebursting "pull-them-in." And then, we mountaineers shall, sooner or later, regain our equilibrium.— Joseph Gray, Gray theatre, Spangler. Pa. ▲ A ▲ A Trip Abroad EVERYTIME A STAR MAKES A Picture he or she takes a trip to Europe. The distributor wants the exhibitor to pay a flat rental (which is exorbitant to Ijegin with), and before he could get enough to pay his rent and light bill, Mr. Distributor wants a split on this picture. Mr. and Mrs. Star will either spend their vacations at home on greatly reduced incomes, and Mr. Distributor will take a price in comparison with the theatre exhibiting same, or said Mr. Distributor will soon be compelled to exhibit his picture solely through his privately owned theatres. .'Ml other commodities have declined in price. This greatly unbalanced situation in the picture business cannot continue. — W. C. Adair, Waelder, Texas. AAA School and Screen Praised HAVE READ CAREFULLY YOUR INitial article on School and Screen and consider this section a very valuable addition to the Motion Picture Herald. A vast amount of good should be accomplished through it. — Ned E. Depinet. RKO Pathe Distributing Corporation, New York City. Analyzing New Films SOME BRIEF REPORTS ON LATE PICTURES— "Rango." People liked this and it is the best of the wild animal pictures so far. "Sunny." A nice old picture that people liked. Music is catchy and the cast is fine. "A Man of the World." William Powell in another gangster picture that is up to the average but we are tired of them. "Behind Office Doors." Mary Astor at her best. This was a fine picture and as the boss was a bachelor it did not have the suggested moral tone that we small town exhibitors must fear. "The Command Performance." Better than a lot of more expensive pictures. Good cast and direction, though the little lady plays the part of a foreign wench too naturally to be popular. "No Limit." Is good entertainment with Clara Bow, and people come to see her in spite of unfriendly publicitv — or is it because of? "Millie." A good picture but one Radio has overpriced. Pictures of this type seem to be made by the dozen and they should be so sold. "Cimarron." This is the most universally pleasing picture I have ever shown. It has a bad ending but the story so ended and the people expect the end to be what it is. Business was fine on this. "The Lash." A good story and a fair cast, making a good picture. Southern California Robin Hood hero in the fifties and interesting. "Unfaithful." Ruth Chatterton in another just like the others. She is good but unhappy. People didn't care to see it the second night. "Gun Smoke." This is a real picture and the folks liked it. We all wanted to know what would happen if the big bold city boys that shoot their enemies in the back mixed with the wild West and they do here. "One Heavenly Night." Not for the box office. A good picture but didn't seem to be popular. Over-priced, but that's my fault. "The Royal Bed." A dandy picture from a dumb somebody who took a good catch titled story "The Queen's Husband" that just fitted the show, and made a bedroom picture out of it. Forget the title and it's good. "Sally." Worth going back after and showing to pleased people. It was a good show and always will be. The print was fair. "Skippy." This is a great picture. It broke my house record for kid admissions and did the smallest Sunday's gross I have done for months. Adults like it but they just won't come. The kids do and you will be proud of having run it. It's fine entertainment. "City Lights." My biggest disappointment of the year. Flopped flat! They think it must be cheap and poor when it doesn't talk. I liked it but people don't want to see it. If Charlie can't talk, he should let his supporting cast do it. This high art Pilgrim stuff is all right, but the baby needs shoes. "Honor Among Lovers." Have seen it, and it's fine. "Trader Horn" is highly over-rated. I enjoyed "Africa Speaks" and "Rango" much more. "Ten Cents a Dance" is just a poor imitation of "Honor Among Lovers," and "The Hot Heiress" is a good two-reel comedy. "Gentlemen of the Press" is still a good show. Ditto "The Criminal Code." Good story, well handled by Walter Huston. And the Vitaphone acts are getting no better fast. I still think "Strange As It Seems" the best short on my program, and one-reel comedies better than two, because you don't get so tired waiting for them to be shown. — Chas. Lee Hyde, Grand theatre, Pierre, S. D.