Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1931)

40 MOTION PICTURE HERALD October 17, 193! a pretty young student (Maria Eisner) to conclude a match between the girl and the professor. But Maria is in love with another student, who happens to be the brother of Miss Dorsch. As a result of the effort, Maria and her student have a falling out and Miss Dorsch, seeing her professor with the young girl, leaves him in a huff. It is all straightened out, of course, and principally through the good efforts of Oskar Sabo as the father of the girl, who, at the same time, contributes a good bit of comedy to the film. One sequence pictures a bit of the beautiful Rhine scenery, and throughout is the background of the German inn, the students, singing of course, and the filled beer steins which seem to be fundamental to any German effort. The balance of the cast was termed adequate, with Fritz Schulz, as the student ; Hermann Schaufuss and Frigga Braut, as the German tourist and his wife doing particularly effective work. Produced by Tobis. Distributed by Associated Cinemas of America. Directed by Georgf Jacoby. Music by Michael Krausz. Settings by Max Heinbronner. Photography by Otto Kanturek and Heinrich Balasch. Release date, September 23, 1931. Running time, 90 minutes. CAST Annemarie Babinger Kaethe Dorsch Heinz Babinger Fritz Schulz Dr. Hans Trieborn Hans-Heinz BoUmann College president _ Karl Platen Dean Paul Henkels His wife Ida Perry Broemmel Oskar Sabo His wife Ida Wuest Tilly Maria Eisner Student Leo Schuetzendorf Tourist Hermann Schaufuss His wife Frigga Braut Girls About Town (Paramount) Comedy-Drama (Seen at Hollywood) Another version of how smart little girls entertain big business men from Michigan (for a consideration) so they will sign fat orders, is rendered on a gorgeous scale by Paramount in "Girls About Town." Of course, one little girl falls in love and goes straight, while the other one sends the visiting boy friend back to his wife, and then returns to her "profession." Lilyan Tashman and Kay Francis are the blonde and brunette who step out for $500 a night, or $1,000 the week-end, plus tips, or what they can dig. Needless to say, they are quite fascinating. There is a fashion-show ranging from the latest in lingerie and evening gowns to the smartest in bathing suits and yachting apparel. The sets are the last word in "moderne" as Lucille Gleason, in the role of the heartbroken mother back-home, puts it. Joel McCrea is potently convincing as the lover who won't fall for careless girls, unless they reform. Eugene Pallette does a most amusing job as the husband who is in from Lansing for no good purpose. "Girls About Town" is strictly adult fare. Handsomely, lavishly mounted, with a cast thoroughly competent to extract every ounce of humor, satire and drama from the story, it sets a fast pace and keeps it. Very fast, at times. It is from a story by Zoe Akins, artfully adapted by Raymond Griffith and Brian Marlow. George Cukor directed it with skill and Ernest Haller's photography leaves nothing to be desired. Experts who attended the preview said it was "box office." Produced and distributed by Paramount. Story by Zoe Akins. Screen play by Raymond Grififith and Brian Marlow. Directed by George Cukor. Photography by Ernest Haller. Release date, November 7, 1931. CAST Wanda Howard Kay Francis Jim Baker Joel McCrea Marie Bailey Lilyan Tashman Benjamin Thomas Eugene Pallette Jerry Chafe Allan Dinehart Mrs. Benjamin Tliomas Lucille Webster Gleason Alex Howard Anderson Lawler Edna Lucille Brown Webster George Barbier .Simms Robert McWade Hattie Louise Beaver Once A Lady (Paramount) Drama (Seen at Hollywood) The audience which saw "Once a Lady" at the Ritz theatre on the Coast recently was much impressed with the fine performance given, but was hardly enthusiastic about the story, which they seemed to think had rather too much talk. Those present were also very sympathetic towards Miss Chatterton, a player who, they felt, was entitled to better roles. The story of a Russian woman who marries into an English family seemed not to be the kind of a story most suitable to Miss Chatterton's talents. When Geoffrey Kerr, an Englishman, is married to Miss Chatterton, a Russian, his family objects and makes her life miserable. Finally she leaves England, her husband, home and babj', and goes with Ivor Novello, an artist. Realizing her mistake, she returns only to be an outcast. Her husband divorces her and she becomes a woman with many lovers. Some years later, her daughter, raised in the strict English family, runs away to Paris to join her sweetheart, Bramwell Fletcher. Miss Chatterton is able to prevent them from doing something they would be sorry for and later gets Kerr to treat his daughter more reasonably. Besides Miss Chatterton, Novello, Jill Esmond, Kerr and Fletcher give performances that met with favorable comment. It was felt that lack of action was somewhat detrimental to the production. Produced and distributed by Paramount. From the play, "The Second Life," by Rudolf Oesterreicher and Rudolf Bernauer. Directed by Guthrie McClintic. Adaptation by Zoe Akins. Screen play by Zoe Akins and Samuel Hoffenstein. Photography by Charles Lang. Release date, October 31, 1931. CAST Anna Keremazoff Ruth Chatterton Bennett Cloud i Ivor Novello Faith Fenwick, the girl Jill Esmond The child Suzanne Ransom Jimmy Fenwick Geoffrey Kerr Lady Ellen Doris Lloyd Roger Fenwick Herbert Bunston Mrs. Fenwick Gwendolen Logan Alice Fenwick Stella Moore Caroline Gryce Edith Kingdon Allen Corinth Bramwell Fletcher Miss Bleeker Ethel Griffies Harry Cosden Theodor von Eltz Sir William Gresham Claiide King Jane Vernon Lillian Rich Terror By Night (J. G. Buchman) Mystery (Seen at Hollywood) A pet ape, murders under strange circumstances, false phone calls and a host of other happenings served to keep the preview audience at the Stadium theatre in a turmoil of tense excitement and appreciative laughter when they saw "Terror by Night," a J. G. Bachman production, directed by Thornton Freeland. Una Merkel, Zasu Pitts and Purnell Pratt contribute what was termed sterling performances to head a cast of competent players. The story concerns strange happenings in a penthouse, a suicide leap by June Clyde, and the subsequent discovery of the body of Hooper Atchley, from whose apartment the girl had jumped. William CoUier, Jr., the girl's brother, is caught as he breaks into the apartment below, occupied by Una Merkel. He is suspected of the murder, as are several others including Ralf Harolde, Nat Pendleton, Rita La Roy and the pet ape. All but Collier have good alibis, but Una Merkel is not satisfied. The lights in the penthouse go off and the engineer, Clj'de Cook, is sent for. He is shot by some one in the room. This gives Una Merkel a clue and, after several adventures, she finally tricks the murderer into giving himself away by breaking down his perfect alibi. Rather than give up to the police, he kills himself. The audience seemed highly amused at the antics of Zasu Pitts as the telephone operator who figured so prominently in the action. The settings were well done, and Robert Planck's photography enhanced the production. Thornton Freeland was accorded unanimous praise for the way in which he maintained the suspense and the deft manner in which he handled the comedy situations. Produced by J. G. Buchman. Directed by Thornton Freeland. Story, adaptation and dialogue by Sam Spewack, from his novel, "Murder in a Gilded Cage." Edited by Ed Sackin. Photography by Robert Planck. CAST L^na Merkel Nat Pendleton William Collier, Jr. Rita LaRoy Zasu Pitts Clarence Muse Furnell Pratt Mike Donlin Clyde Cook June Clyde Ralf Harolde Greta Grandstedt Paul Hurst Hooper Atchley SHORTS Medbury Series ( Columbia) Travel, Curiosities (Seen at Hollywood) John P. Medbury, the well-known chatterist, has broken loose again under the management of Walter Futter. Three new travelogues show interesting scenes from Africa, Turkey and Death Valley, while Medbury does his stuff' to put humor into the study of geography. The funniest of the three is the burlesque on African adventures, which is riotous in. spots. The Death Valley burlesque contains some trained animal shots that are unique and highly entertaining. It seems a shame, however, that a man of Medbury's ability as a humorist should so often resort to humor in its lowest form, puns on words. The subjects merit better effort. Walter Futter also has issued three more of the "Curiosities" subjects, and these, too, have monologues by Medbury. These are unusually interesting short subjects because they bring to us oddities and odd people from all over the world which are often both entertaining and instructive. Futter is doing a good job with his shorts, which are released through Columbia. Leo Meehan The Great Junction Hotel (RKO Pathe) Only Fair Despite a wealth of names and histrionic ability, this production of the Masquers Club of Hollywood, falls rather far short of good comedy. William Beaudine directed from a story by Lew Litton. Edward Everett Horton and Patsy Ruth Miller as a honeymoon couple and Harry Gribbon as the stupid house detective, have the leading roles, but they have little enough that is really funny with which to work. It all happens in a hotel, with a plenitude of chasing up and down halls and stairs and peeping into keyholes. The girl goes for a walk in her sleep and the husband is accused of murdering her. It is noisy and strong in slapstick, but not really an amusing comedy attempt. Running time, 18 minutes. The Girl Rush (Educational) Good A college campus comedy, and of course, coed. The two boys are thinking of the same girl, and both get mixed up in a midnight party in the girls' dormitory. Trying to evade, they are both in bad, and when one stages an elopement with the other's girl, the other goes after him, followed by the dean and the boy's father in an ancient automobile. The most amusing spot in the film is the wild car chase and the antics of the dean in the old car. Some good laughs. — Running time, 20 minutes.