Motion Picture Reviews (1933)

Motion Picture Reviews Five HER BODYGUARD » » Edmund Lowe, Wynne Gibson, Edward Arnold, Alan Dinehart. Direction by William Beaudine. From a story by Corey Ford. Paramount. Light comedy of the back stage, all about the star, her “Daddums” and a young Irishman who is hired by “Daddums” to guard the lady’s jewels and incidentally to keep her from making engagements with her manager. The humor is somewhat too dependent upon drink in large quantities. The musical numbers are unimportant. The production is mildly entertaining. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Not recommended Not recommended v HER FIRST MATE » » Zasu Pitts, Slim Summerville, Una Merkel. Direction by William Wyler. Universal. Slim Summerville in the role of a peanut vendor on a river boat pretends to his gullible wife that he is first mate while Zasu Pitts as the wife displays a touching faith in her impossibly egotistical and boorish husband. Out of this situation is developed a rather tiresome slapstick comedy which will probably disappoint all but the most naive audiences. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Harmless Fair LIFE IN THE RAW » » George O’Brien, Claire Trevor, Greta Nissen. From a Zane Grey story. Direction by Louis King. Fox. In this exciting Western the conflict is between the outlaws and the eastern man who comes west to run a ranch. It bears the ear-marks of a gangster plot, but healthy outdoor scenery is substituted for the sickly atmosphere of most gangster pictures. As a whole, it has a stimulating vitality. Sympathy is entirely with the right element, and bravery and honesty are triumphant. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Good Yes a newspaper reporter. The fisherman, played by Ernest Torrance, is also a smuggler of Chinese. Contrasted with a murky background of crime is shown the beauty of moonlit water seen through the eyes of the girl who loves the sights and sounds of the waterfront. As in the book the plot is subordinate to the atmosphere. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Questionable No IN PERFECT UNDERSTANDING » » Gloria Swanson, Lawrence Oliver, Genevieve Tobin, Michael Farmer. Direction by Cyril Gardner. United Artists. What is sauce for the gander is not sauce for the goose. Gloria Swanson (as the goose) and Lawrence Oliver (as the gander) decide to be free though married. Of course the plan is a total failure, but it takes five long reels packed with illicit love and heavy drinking to prove the point. Even with fair acting and photography it is wearisome and without emotional significance. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 No No KING OF JAZZ » » Paul Whiteman, John Boles, Bing Crosby, Laura LaPlante. Direction by John Murray Anderson. Universal. This picture is a series of musical numbers presented in a most lavish manner. Paul Whiteman’s famous numbers, such as “Ragamuffin Romeo” and “Rhapsody in Blue” are set to musical backgrounds and most elaborately staged. It is all done in color and should prove pleasant entertainment. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Yes Yes ■w LADY FOR A DAY » » Reviewed in July under title “A Beggar’s Holiday.” I COVER THE WATERFRONT » » Claudette Colbert, Ben Lyon, Ernest Torrance. From the book by Max Miller. Direction by James Cruze. United Artists. Adapted from the book of the same name, this picture keeps pace with the original story in its vividness and in its power to portray the real romance of the waterfront. It is a beautifully photographed and skilfully acted story of a fisherman and his daughter and MARY STEVENS, M.D. » » Kay Francis, Lyle Talbot, Glenda Farrell, Thelma Todd. Direction by Lloyd Bacon. First National. This picture is an odd mixture of idealism and advance modernity with Kay Francis giving a moving and sincere performance as Mary Stevens, a fascinating combination of alluring woman and intelligent woman doctor. The outline of the story follows a well known pattern, a boy and girl friendship