Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1931)

44 MOTION PICTURE HERALD October 10. 1931 ing ... so take it easy on some of the names. . . . Otherwise your audience may expect outstanding performances that won't materiahze. Since most any mystery title is good "box office," you have that advantage to start off with, and, besides, this is a good "audience" picture because the story more than holds the interest right through, so none of your patrons will have cause for complaint that they did not get their money's worth. . . . This picture is one of a series of contradictions that only the big producers" can turn out good, money-getting stufif. ... It measures up to any standard ever set by any outfit and will deliver for you in receipts. . . . But, of course, it is to be expected that you will get it going with a real campaign of the sort that generally makes the customers want to come out and solve the mystery for themselves. . . . So . . . our advice is: go out after it just as big as your purse and budget will permit and we're reasonably certain that you won't be disappointed. . . . ALEXANDER HAMILTON" is a distinct credit to the industry. . . . It's more than that . . . it's really a marvelous piece of entertainment of the sort that most communities will accept . . . but we're sorry for those spots where action pictures are essential, because . . . like "Disraeli" and "Old English," they won't take any too kindly to another costume picture . . . even though that picture is "Alexander Hamilton." . . . It is hardly necessary for us to dwell to any great length on the exploitation possibilities of a picture v\-ith such an historical background as this one. ... It stands to reason that wherever a theatre is respected by the local education authorities, they would gladly cooperate to the limit of their power to bring the picture to the attention of the school children. . . . As for the newspapers, there are numberless angles for cooperative contests of various kinds . . . all aimed towards bringing about a most satisfactory' return at the box office. . . . Special shows for the grammar and highschool graduates ought to be productive of some fine extra revenue plus some valuable word-ofmouth advertising that should react nicely with the grownups. . . . Invitations to institutions to witness this picture will also help your campaign along by reason of the pictures' appeal to such institutions where the inmates rarely get a chance to see entertainment of this sort. . . . Where this sort of stuff goes ... it will be "box office" from scratch . . . for any patronage . . . except, possibly, the communities where Westerns are the chief diet ... it will most certainly be an "audience" attraction. . . . So, if your theatre likes George Arliss . . . has a weakness for pictures of this kind ... or can be sold on the idea that they ought to like this form of entertainment ... go out and plug it from every possible slant until you have built up sufficient interest to make them buy a ticket and enjoy one of the swellest shows thev could ever want to see. . . . Secret Service ( Radio ) Civil War Drama Thrilling days when Grant took Richmond provide background for the latest Radio-Richard Dix opus, "Secret Service," cinematizing one of the popular plays of William Gillette. Dix is summoned before General Grant in an impressive opening scene and ordered to go behind the Confederate lines on secret service duty. During an attack in which he is wounded, Dix manages the hazardous job of crossing no man's land and then, disguised as a Confederate captain, proceeds upon his mission. Being wounded, he is entertained with true Southern hosi>itality in the home of a Confederate general, whose young son he saved during the attack which brought Dix through the lines. There is a beautiful daughter, played gracefully by Shirley Grey. Naturally she falls in love with the handsome Richard, and there he is — twixt love and duty ! Dix, however, is soldier first, lover afterward. But in proceeding with his duty of securing information and sending it across the lines on tapped wires, he comes within an inch of a firing squad. The girl saves him long enough for Grant and his legions to win the war, whereupon it is assumed that Dix and Shirley were among the first to begin healing the breach between North and South. Production is well directed by J. Walter Ruben, and attractively mounted by Max Ree. Ed Cronjager provides some beautiful photographic effects. Dix is in the sort of role his public seems to prefer from him and is a manly, handsome figure in the uniforms of the Civil War. He receives adequate and interesting support from a group of competent artists. Produced and distributed by Radio. Directed bjJ. Walter Ruben. Supervised by Lou Sarecky. Screen play by Gerrit J. Lloyd. From the stage play by William Gillette. Adaptation and dialogue by Bernard Schubert. Photographer, Edward Cronjager. Recording, George Ellis. CAST Captain Thorne Richard Dix Lieutenant Dumont William Post, Jr. Arelsford Gavin Gordon Edith Varney Shirley Grey General Grant Fred Warren Mrs. Varney Nance O'Neill Caroline Florence Lake Jonas Clarence Muse Howard Varney Harold Kinney Israel Eugene Jackson General Randolph Frederick Burton Lieutenant Foray Carl Gerard Martha Emma Reed Leo Meehan In Line of Duty ( Monogram ) Northwest Mounted The Mounties come in for a good share of attention in this Monogram effort, which was greeted heartily by an audience at the Capitol theatre in Glendale, on the Coast. The producers took full advantage of the opportunityfor picturing the ways of the Mounted and their dangerous work, as well as the colorful geographical atmosphere in which they work. Particularly lavish praise was bestowed by the patrons upon the many splendid animal scenes, which formed an excellent part of the background. The featured members of the cast, Noah Beery, Sue Carrol, James Murray and Francis McDonald, were all noted as especially suited to their roles, and they are all old favorites and popular. The yarn is typical of Northwest Mounted tales, concerning Beery, a trapper of the far country and his daughter, a role handled competently by Sue Carrol. Beery has murdered a man who he believed had wronged him, but kept the knowledge of the deed from his daughter. Murray, one of the Mounted, is dispatched to bring in Beery. Traveling through the difficult country, however, he falls from a clift" and breaks his leg. Beery finds him helpless, sets the broken limb, and sends Murray on his way. After much aimless wandering, the Mountie reaches the Beery cottage, where Sue meets him, with the more or less anticipated result, they fall in love with one another. Murray finally discovers that Beery is the goal of his manhunt, and the trapper, rather than bring to his daughter the knowledge that her father is a murderer, goes out to fight with Francis McDonald. Deliberately, his gun is empty and he is killed. Produced and distributed by Monogram. Directed by Bert Glennon. Story adaptation and dialogue by G. A. Durlam. Edited Ijy Len Wheeler. Photography by Archie Stout. Sound by Balsly and Philips. Release date, September 1, 1931. CAST Jean Duchene Noah Beery Felice Duchene Sue Carrol Corporal Sherwood James Murray Jacques Dupres Francis McDonald Hugh Fraser Richard Cramer Inspector Henry Hall Constable Frank Seider Heartbreak (Fox) Drama Too much talk, insufficient action and a cast which detracts from, rather than builds up the star, mitigate against the latest Fox production, "Heartbreak," at the Alexander in Glendale, on the Coast. To get the "heartbreaks" which the story called for, required the delicate notes of a violin. It is as though the chords were struck upon a grand piano. Once again it is the story of a boy and a girl separated by the battle lines of the World War. Charlie Farrell, not so happily cast in his role, is the boy. Madge Evans, charming, svelte, graceful to an unusual degree, though not as deeply emotional as one might believe she could have been, is the girl. A strikingly tragic note is introduced when Charlie, as an allied flyer, unwittingly kills in sky combat the twin brother of his sweetheart, fighting under the Austrian flag. And it should be said that this twist of the plot was made particularly poignant by the splendid performance of Hardie Albright as the twin brother. Before America's entrance into the war, Farrell, an attache of the embassy in Vienna, falls in love with Madge Evans, in the role of a lovely Austrian gentlewoman. He has been an aviator, so when Uncle Sam enters the fray he takes to the forces of the sky. Ultimately, he is transferred to the Italian front. Here he meets in mortal combat the brother of the girl he left in Vienna. Crazed by the knowledge that he has killed his sweetheart's twin brother, he flies to Vienna to apologize and explain to the girl that he did not know whom he was killing. In a not highly patriotic speech he declares to her that he would have killed himself first, had he known. When he returns to his own lines he is court-martialed, sentenced to military prison for the duration of the war. After the armistice, well, he returns to Vienna and the girl. In addition to Albright, excellent support is given by John Sainpolis, Albert Conti, Paul Cavanagh and Claude King. Produced and distributed by Fox. Story by Llewellyn Hughes. Directed by Alfred Werker. Adaptation and dialogue by William Conselman. Photographed bv Joseph August. Release date, November 8, 1931. CAST John Merrick Charles Farrell Countess Vilma Walden Madge Evans Count Carl Walden Hardie Albright Count Walden Claude King Captain Wolke Paul Cavanagh v. S. Ambassador John Sainpolis Liaison officer Captain Albert Conti Leo Meehan Up for The Cup (British and Dominions-Gaumont) Amusing Stellar Comedy Chief interest in this one lies in its clever exploitation of Sydney Howard, most popular of present-day comedians. Built as farce, it has no weight as a story, but provides Howard with plenty of gags, and shows on the British screen for the first time in a feature film, the most famous of our "low brow" sports meetings— The Football Cup Final. John Willie Entwhistle (Howard) is a Lan-cashire sap, with inventive turn of mind. He schemes a new cotton loom, but everybody laughs at him. Any way, he takes his "g'irl" up to London for the Cup Final. His arrival starts a constant round of funny complications. Of course, he gets relieved of his wallet, losing money and tickets to the game. He also loses his girl, who leaves with the boss's son, and all but loses himself. His ingenious attempts to get into the game without his ticket — first as press reporter to "Old Moore's Almanac," and later as a "faint" case, nearly land him in the hospital, but after about SO minutes of laughs, he traces his girl, rescuing her (in the nick of time) from her would-be seducer, and with his last penny — earned in singing to the theatre queue — buys a paper, only to learn that his invention has