Motion Picture Reviews (1934)

Motion Picture Reviews Three MOTION • PICTURE • REVIEWS Published, monthly by THE WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY CLUB LOS ANGELES BRANCH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN Mrs. Palmer Cook, General Co-Chairman Mrs. John Vruwink, General Co-Chairman Mrs. A. M. Marsh, Bus. Manager Mrs. Chester A. Ommanney, Preview Chairman Mrs. Charles Booth Assistant Preview Chairmen Mrs. Thomas B. Williamson Mrs. Lucile R. Eastham, Circulation Manager EDITORS Mrs. Palmer Cook Mrs. J. Allen Davis Mrs. George Ryall Mrs. Walter Van Dyke Mrs. John Vruwink Address all communications to The Women’s University Club, 943 South Hoover St., Los Angeles, Calif. I Oe Per Copy $1.00 Per Year Vol. V MARCH, 1934 No. 3 FEATURE FILMS ADVICE TO THE LOVELORN » » Lee Tracy, Sally Blane, Sterling Holloway. Direction by Alfred Werker. Twentieth Century Pictures. United Artists. Lee Tracy seems destined always to play the same type of character, and his name heading the cast is a pretty reliable index to what sort of entertainment is offered. In this picture, a hard drinking, brilliant and audacious newspaper reporter is detailed to the advice-to-the-love-lorn column and in his resentment, tries to wreck the column by the outrageous flippancy of his advice. The results of his policy are many and complicated. He gets into trouble with a gang and indirectly causes the death of his own mother, but as usual his bumptiousness brings him out on top, and in spite of tragic incidents the picture is boisterously comic. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 No No BOLERO » » George Raft, Carole Lombard, Sally Rand. From a story by Carey Wilson and Kubec Glasmon. Direction by Wesley Ruggles. Paramount. There is nothing particularly novel in the plot of this picture. It depicts the life story of a supremely egotistical young Belgian who sets out to convince the world that he is a great dancer and succeeds after a struggling ascent from beer garden to fashionable Paris night club. The map of his progress is dotted with a variety of dancing partners, and the one detour on his road to fame is the World War shown in realistic pictures of bursting shells and toppling figures. The story, however, is of secondary importance. It is only a link between various dance numbers climaxed by the final bolero. Unfortunately this is disappointing. The nature of Ravel’s composition requires a far more subtle interpretation than the one given by George Raft and his partner. The picture is enjoyable enough but falls short of its aim if it was intended to eclipse others of its kind. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 No; ethically uncon No interest ventional •w THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE » » Ramon Novarro, Jeannette MacDonald, Frank Morgan, Charles Butterworth, Jean Hersholt. From the play by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach. Direction by William K. Howard. M-G-M. Though the film does not measure up to the stage production this is a delightful effervescent bit of nonsense with light music and mischief-making which pleasantly tickles the sense of humor and leaves the brain just as pleasantly dozing. The story of two song writers and a manager is undeniably banal but it is offset by the freshness of the humor, catchy songs and picturesque settings. The picture is good entertainment. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Yes No interest