Motion Picture News (Jan-Mar 1929)

March 16 . J 9 2 9 843 with little vision may object to "Alibi" on the grounds .that it exploits crime. It they take such attitudes, they are doing the country and its citizenry irreparable harm. For "Alibi" proves, not in a softsoap manner, that it is the fact that Mr. Average Man would rather believe a criminal aginst a cop, which hinders the suppression of crime. By having a police sergeant's own daughter fall in love with the chief crook, Roland West gives a clear idea of how readily the general public will believe a gunman's wTail of "Framed" as against the indictment of police. Incidentally there's a grand exploitation angle for United Artists to use. Picking out one outstanding high-light or character in "Alibi" is well nigh impossible. Every scene is a high-light, every actor with one exception, gives excellence to performance. The exception is the leading lady, Eleanor Griffith. U. A. imported her from New York despite the fact that Patsy Ruth Miller was scoring a sensation in Los Angeles with her performance in the legitimate version. The other importations are praiseworthy. As a rule, a picture of great proportions brings one outstanding personality to the screen for future stardom. "Alibi" exploits several as tremendous possibilities. Firstly, there is Chester Moms. A juvenile on the style of Barthelmess, but without the drooping mouth-corners of Richard. He's more than an actor — he's an artist. Then there is Pat O'Malley, originally of the screen who has been playing theatres for a year. "Alibi" is a come-back for him equal to Bessie Love's in "Broadway Melody." There is a chap named Regis Toomey, whose smile inspired the theme song, "There Never Was a Smile Like Yours." A personality that is sure-fire and also star-material. Include among come-backs, one for Mae Busch, in a role not quite as big as the other principals. But she makes that role live. Irma Harrison delivers nicely. In fact, every one, the rest of the principals including Harry Stubbs, Purnell Pratt, De Witt Jennings, Al Hill and James Bradbury, Jr. "Alibi" also contains theatre and revue sequences. Not jammed in for no reason, but good basic premises with a bearing on the story. It gives opportunity for the cute songs of Irma Harrison and the beautiful vocal work of Virginia Flohri and Edward Jardon. Any house not packing 'em in with this will need an alibi of rare imagination. Produced by Boland West for Feature Productions, Inc., distributed through United Artists. Adapted and dialogued by West and C. Gardner Sullivan from the play "Nightstick" by John Wray, J. C. Nugent and Elaine Sterne Carrington. Music arranged by Reisenfeld, dances by Fanchon. Footage, eight reels. THE CAST No. 1065 (Chick Williams) Chester Morris Buck Bachman, Owner of Bachinan's Cabaret... Harry Stubbs Daisy Thomas, His Sweetheart Mae Busch Joan Manning Eleanor Griffith Toots. Cabaret Dancer Irma Harrison Billy Morgan (Danny McGann I Regis Toomev Brown, Crook Al Hill Blake, Crook James Bradbury, Jr. Soft Malone, Taxi Driver Elmer Ballard Trask, Plainclothes Man Kernan Cripps Pete Manning, Police Sergeant Purnell B. Pratt Tommy Glennon, Detective Sergeant .... Pat O'Malley O'Brien, Policeman De Witt Jennings George Stanislaus David Edward Brady Singers in Theatre. .Yirgina Flohri & Edward Jardon An embarrassing position for Wallace Lupino. The Educational .comedian is seen in a scene from a new Tuxedo comedy, "Husbands Must Play" The Devil's Apple Tree A South Sea Western (Reviewed by Don Ashbaugh) DOROTHY SEBASTIAN as a South Sea native is the most arresting feature of "The Devil's Apple Tree" — otherwise there is little reason for either the picture or the title. The plot, which is credited to Lillian Ducey, has seen service since the earliest westerns; only this time it has been transferred to the South Sea Islands, and spiced with some scenes of the natives at work and play. The native backgrounds are more like scenes of a cabaret show — except forthe costumes. The heroine doesn't look like a moron but apparently she was, because she stepped rig'ht into the unpleasant situation instead of appealiing to the two white men in Penango, who were obviously gentlemen. The poor girl had come to the island to marry a man she had corresponded with through a matrimonial journal. When he proved to be slightly the worse for gin and climate, she promptly assumed the name of a girl she supposed dead and vamped the son of the Colonel the other girl was coming to visit. You can guess the rest — the other girl turned up and Dorothy hit for the jungles. But it ended with the usual clinch. Larry Kent is the nice young hero, and Edward Martindel his father. Ruth Clifford plays the other girl: Elmer Clifton directed, and apparently struggled with an impossible story, finally doing the best he could with the script in hand. Drawing Power : Nothing to speak of, with the exception of Dorothy Sebastian as feature name. Produced and distributed by Tiffany-Stahl. Directed by Elmer Clifton. Story and scenario by Lillian Ducey. Titles by Frederic and Fanny Hatton. Photography by Ernest Miller. THE CAST Dorothy Ryan Dorothy Sebastian John Rice Larry Kent Jane Norris Ruth Clifford Colonel Rice Edward Martindel George Owen George Cooper Nancy Welford Signed First National signed Nancy Welford to play the lead in "No, No, Nanette," slated as an all musical Vitaphone feature. Miss Welford appeared in the coast company of the musical show several years ago. Broadway Fever Not Too Contagious (Reviewed by Don Ashbaugh) BROADWAY Fever," Sally O'Neill's latest Tiffany-Stahl production, runs pretty "hot" in spots, and in others it is decidedly subnormal. It's a picture that has average entertainment values, and can be classed as program calibre. Several others turned otit by larger companies recently have been considerably below this one in audience values. The story is an original by Viola Brothers Shore and is one of those old tales of a small country girl trying to get a "break" on the New York stage. She gets it, of course — but "how" is the basis of the picture plot. It seems that Sally has been trying for weeks to interview the leading New York producer. She Anally gives up and answers an ad for a maid's job. Imagine her surprise when she finds it is in the home of the bachelor producer. He is busy rehearsing his latest "find" for the starring role of his new play. Sally immediately falls head over heels in love and bounces up and down stairs and hither and yon in a great state of anguish whenever the blonde lady is in the house. By giving wrong directions to the leading woman, Sally rids herself of the opposition. Taking Sally's word for it the blonde buys a railroad ticket for Oakland, Calif., and is heard from no more. Sally, in the meantime, packs her grips and appears for rehearsals at Oakland, N. J., impersonating the blonde. The producer doesn't discover the deception until the dress rehearsal of the play — it doesn't say whether this was a week or month, later and one wonders why the blonde woman does not appear or at least let the producer know where she is. When the producer discovers Sally playing the lead his ire knows no bounds, and he orders her off his stage forever and ever. Sally hides in his auto and after it starts crawls from beneath a robe to the seat beside him. The rest is the usual thing, although it takes some time to reach the climax. Roland Drew plays the part of the producer and spends most of his time looking dreamy-eyed and romantic. There are a couple of scorching bedroom sequences. The manner in which Sally gets rid of the blonde star forms one of the chief comedy highlights of the picture. It takes three reels for the story to get started, and the first part is slow in tempo. Through the middle the picture is exceedingly pleasant, finishing with enough saccharine to send everybody home happy. There are a number of places where some clever titles would put over the specific sequences in great style. As a whole, the titles are rather flat and meaningless. Drawing Power: Star Sally O'Neill in a tale of Broadway backstage. The picture will get by as average entertainment with audiences in the general run of houses. Produced and distributed by TiffanyStahl. Directed by Edward Cline. Story by Viola Brothers Shore. Scenario by Lois Leeson. Titles by Paul Perez. Photography by John Boyle. The Cast: Sally O'Neill, Roland Drew, Corliss Palmer, Calvert Carter.