Motion Picture Herald (Oct-Dec 1932)

34 MOTION PICTURE HERALD October 2 9, 1932 entertainment that will stir their emotions. They, particularly, should get a kick out of May Robson, playing the grim-visaged, scathing-tongued old dowager, and Mrs. Stewart, who adopts little Mickey and comes to love the tot. There are several ways in which the picture may be exploited into better than average box office business, despite its lack of outstanding cast names. First, naturally, come tieups with the "Orphan Annie" newspaper strips. The editors should be easily persuaded to work out all sorts of tieups ballyhooing the picture. There is much that can be done around Mitzi Green. She continues her imitations — this time with the four Marx Brothers, in "Horsefeathers," as her subject — which suggests that you might start contests for your own juveniles to imitate Mitzi Green imitating the stars, or let the youngsters pick the favorites they want to mimic. If you try to sell this picture solely to child audiences, you will get only the returns that accrue to children's admissions, but if you go after the adults with a human interest appeal in both the story and the cast, you may get results that will surprise you. — McCarthy, Hollywood. Produced and distributed by RKO Radio. Executive producer, David O. Selznick. Directed by John Robertson. From the comic strip by Harold Gray. Screen play by Wanda Tuchock, Tom McNamara. Musical director, Max Steiner. Art director, Carroll Clark. Cameraman, Jack MacKenzie. Sound recordist, D. A. Cutler. Assistant director, Charles Kerr. Release date, Nov. 4, 1932. Running time, 70 minutes. CAST Annie Mitzi Green Mickey Buster Phelps Mrs. Stewart May Robson Mrs. Burgin Kate Lawson Dr. Griffith Matt Moore Daddy Warbucks Edgar Kennedy Butler Sidney Bracey Six Hours to Live (Fox) Drama In a 'measure fantastic in conception, and rather unsual in treatment and theme, this offers the exhibitor excellent exploitation possibilities, and at the same time is executed with sufficient dramatic effectiveness to assure an entertaining feature for the audience. There is much to work with in the title, indicating as it does the theme of the picture, the action and reaction of a man, strangled to death, who is restored to life, but knowing that that restoration must be only for a period of six hours, after which he inevitably will return to his state of death. There is no reason why the exhibitor, in capitalizing this focal point, should not spread a bit, dramatizing the idea in his selling with a view to arousing the curiosity of his prospective patrons. Names are not lacking, with Warner Baxter in the lead, Miriam Jordon, a screen newcomer, performing ably and attractive in appearance ; John Boles, who doubtless has a certain following, despite a more or less protracted absence from the talking screen. George Marion, as the physically warped scientist, gives an able characterization, while Beryl Mercer and Halliwell Hobbes offer famiilar names in the support. The story : Baxter, diplomat from the mythical state of Silvaria, stands in the way of a complete accord at a world commerce conference which he believes would ruin his nation. Numerous agencies as a result are after Baxter's life. Miss Jordon, at whose home he is staying, is in love with him and consequently says no to persistent Boles. On the eve of the final vote, Baxter is strangled to death and the great scientiest, Marion, through a ray he has invented, with much electrical display, restores him to life — for six hours. Miss Jordon misunderstands his sudden reversal of feeling when he tells her to go to Boles and forget him. Gifted with some sort of divining power, he sees into the future, visions past occurrences at which he was not present. He arrives at the conference exactly in time to cast his vote against the treaty, thus destroying the work of the meeting, and frightens his murderer into a state, we gather, of perpetual dread. Before he dies he destroys the machine, believing it a terrible instrument of mental torture. The story is a bit far-fetched, perhaps, but the audience will fall into the spirit of the theme and, having done so, will be entertained. The capability with which Baxter handles his role makes for greater plausibility. Strike the note that nothing is impossible in the realm of science, and put before the patrons the thought of what each would do if, after death, he were restored to life — with only six hours to live. A fair return may well be derived from the picture if it is sold on the basis of the unusual, the strange. Nothing it in should be objectionable for children, but at the same time there is probably little in it to interest them particularly.— Aaronson, New York. Produced and distributed by Fox. Directed by William Dieterle. Story by Gordon Morris and Morton Barteaux. Screen play and dialogue by Bradley King. Cameraman, John Seitz. Sound, Al Von Kirbach. Release date, October 16. 1932. Running time, 80 minutes. CAST Paul Onslaw Warner Baxter Valerine Von Sturm Miriam Jordon Karl Kranz ...John Boles Prof. Otto Bauer George Marion The Widow Beryl Mercer The Woman Irene Ware Baron Von Sturm Halliwell Hobbes Police Commissioner Edwin Maxwell Kellner John Davidson Ivan Edward McWade Blucher Dewey Robinson David Colder (Protex Trading) Drama A French screen drama, this production must of necessity face a selling obstacle in this country by reason of the French dialogue, though the use of numerous superimposed subtitles in English makes it possible to follow the story without knowledge of French, yet whereas there are a considerable number of people who understand German, there are comparatively very few whose knowledge of French is at all workable. Consequently, the intimate theatre in the large metropolitan center may best offer this film to fair return. Again it must be noted that the action of the film, also from the standpoint of the audience in this country, moves slowly, with highly emotional sequences dragged out. The story, in brief, recounts the manner in which a former Polish-Jewish immigrant boy, David Golder, who has risen to a position of industrial and financial power in Paris, is drained of every cent by a hard-bitten wife and her paramour, and by a lively young thing who is his daughter. In bad straits finally, he suffers an attack of heart trouble and decides to give up his work. The daughter, about to marry a wealthy elderly man, pleads with Golder that he give her sufficient means to marry the young man she loves, and Golder assents. In Russia he concludes an important deal with the Soviet, but on the return by boat falls ill and is assisted by a boy of his own kind. Seeing in the lad the boy he himself was once, he gives him money for a start in life, and dies. The emphasis on the internal struggle of individuals as recorded in facial expression and the like, is carried to an extreme which in many cases appears unnecessary. Harry Baur, as Golder, offers an excellent and difficult characterization ; the others in the cast cannot be rated as highly. There is a definite possibility that high school students might be drawn to the showing for practice in the study of French. — Aaronson, New York. Produced by Marcel Vandal and Charles Delac. Distributed by Protex Trading Corp. Directed by Julien Duvivier. Adapted from the novel by Irene Nemirovsky. Running time, 80 minutes. CAST David Golder Harry Baur Marcus Gretillat Soifer Franceschi Gloria Paule Andral Toyce Jackie Monnier Fishl Jean Coquelin Alec Jean Bradin Hoyos Gaston Jacquet Tubingen Camille Bert Red Haired Alibi ( Capital) Drama Though its climax and conclusion hardly carry through in the fashion one is led to expect from earlier sequences and the film as a whole, this independent picture, a Tower production, contains considerable entertainment, is handled rather effectively and should stand up reasonably well in a midweek spot surrounded by a well-rounded program of diversified short subjects. The only really advantageous selling name in the cast, which on the whole is good, is that of Grant Withers, who recently has appeared in but few pictures, but did at one time have a tollowing which perhaps has not forgotten him. It is in a measure unfortunate that Winters has a rather minor role, but nevertheless it will not be stretching the point too widely to bill him conspicuously. Merna Kennedy, in what amounts to the title role, turns in a good performance as the small town girl who comes to New York, becomes innocently involved with a gang leader and is forced to pose as his wife. Leaving him when he is in danger of arrest for murder, she marries wealthy Withers, without telling him the story. The gangster returns, attempts to extort money and she, meeting him at a night club, shoots him. Accused of murder, she is about to give herself up, when the detective, an unusually human sort, discovers with too great simplicity that the gun which killed the gangster was not the same as that Miss Kennedy had used. Thus the day is saved and the picture ended. Theodor von Eltz demonstrates ability as the suave gang leader, while Miss Kennedy's work w arrants a top spot in selling the picture. Purnell Pratt and Huntley Gordon are familiar names as well. The others are more or less unknown. The title is intriguing, and is borne out in the instances where Miss Kennedy becomes the redhaired alibi for von Eltz. The fact that the film is an adaptation of a novel by Wilson Collison may mean something. At any rate, it is worth noting in copy. Hit the angle of the girl who accidentally becomes involved despite her earnest efforts to toe the line, and finally gains happiness only to be in danger of having it snatched from her. A fortunate accident saves her from the consequence of a criminal act for which she unquestionably was justified. Midweek and good shorts is the best play, with no appeal for children. — Aaronson, New York. Produced by Tower Productions Distributed by Capital Film Exchange. Directed by Christy Cabanne. From the novel by Wilson Collison. Photographed by Harry Forbes. Release date, October 21, 1932. Running time, 75 minutes. CAST Lynn Monith Merna Kennedy Trent Travers Theodor von Eltz Rob Shelton Grant Withers Regan Purnell Pratt Kente Huntley Gordon Corcoran Fred Kelsey Morgan John Vosburgh Bee Lee Marion Lessing Gloria Shirley Temple Margoli Paul Porcassi Henri Arthur Hoyt The Pride of the Legion (Mascot) Drama Including a portion of fast action and based on police vs. gangster complications, this picture contrives to be entertaining and is reasonably well done for its kind, chiefly by reason of the capable performances. For the juvenile appeal Rinty, the offspring of Rin-Tin-Tin, late famed dog star, takes a prominent place in the cast. The animal assumes the place left vacant by the death of his father not long ago, and seems to carry on in the best tradition of the sire. Specifically, the theme of the film centers about the efforts of a policeman, whose nerve has been shattered by an explosion of which he has been the victim in preventing a holdup.