Motion Picture Reviews (1934)

Motion Picture Reviews Five more careful working out of plot and characters would have resulted in a play revealing the ability of women to achieve and to suffer in silence, but content, apparently, with the making of a fairly entertaining “program picture,” the producers have left much to be desired. When all is over, one wonders whether, after all, such flabby domesticity was worth suffering for. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 No No HANDY ANDY » » Will Rogers, Peggy Wood, Conchita Montenegro, Mary Carlisle, Robert Taylor. From the play “Merry Andrew” by Lewis Beach. Fox. In a laughable and often hilarious fashion, Will Rogers shows us the predicament of a business man forced to retire at the insistence of a socially-ambitious wife. His minor and major pecadillos become so numerous that he is the despair of his household; even golf and the New Orleans Mardi Gras fail to consume his bottled-up energy. Meanwhile he has time for trenchant observations on the failings of the average American. Good fun for all. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Good Good HOLLYWOOD PARTY » » Jimmy Durante, Laurel and Hardy, Jack Pearl, Lupe Velez, Charles Butterworth, Polly Moran. Animated cartoon sequence by courtesy of Walt Disney Productions. Direction by Allan Dwan. M-C-M. With such a collection of so-called comedians, it is strange that anything as completely vacuous as “Hollywood Party” could have been produced. It is an indiscriminate hodge podge of comic sequences and songs framed by the slightest suggestion of a story. Interpolated Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony cartoons stand out exquisitely above the stupidity and vulgarity of the rest of the picture, but these only accentuate the boresomeness of the whole. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Not recommended Not recommended HALF A SINNER » » Berton Churchill, Sally Blane, Joel McCrea, Mickey Rooney. From the play “Alias the Deacon” by Leroy Clemen and John B. Hymer. Direction by Kurt Neumann. Universal. This is an adaptation of the stage play “Alias the Deacon,” and while it must have been livened up considerably to suit our modern tempo, one cannot fail to recognize that it is outmoded. A bogus deacon, actually a card shark, enters a small town and by his skill and generosity is able to smooth out a series of highly involved situations. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Doubtful No HEART SONG » » Lilian Harvey, Charles Boyer, Mady Christians, Maurice Evans. Eric Pommer Production. Fox Caumont. A charming, romantic musical comedy with delightful bits of acting and song. The settings are so lovely and the details so effective that one regrets that more masterly direction could not have made it completely satisfying. It is incoherent at times and slow in action, but on the whole enjoyable. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Good Little interest THE JOURNAL OF A CRIME » » Ruth Chatterton, Adolphe Menjou, Claire Dodd. From the novel by Jacques Duval. Direction by William Keighley. Warner Bros. A wife shoots her husband’s mistress, and thereupon follows a most unpleasant psychological exposure of the mental and moral disintegration of a murderess who cannot bear the hidden knowledge of her guilt. It is a distressing spectacle for any audience. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Absolutely not Absolutely not LITTLE MISS MARKER » » Adolph Menjou, Dorothy Dell, Charles Bickford, Shirley Temple. From the story by Damon Runyon. Direction by Alexander Hall. Paramount. An old plot which has for its theme the axiom that a little child shall lead them. It attempts to illustrate that the most hardened characters can be softened by innocence, and to do this, injects the unwholesome atmosphere of a race track and the persons who are attached to it. The child adopts the jargon and behavior of those with whom she comes in contact, and Shirley Temple is very clever in her response to directorship. It is amusing in its way, occasionally very sentimental, but undoubtedly vivid enough to have popular appeal. However, it is not exactly worthwhile. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Perhaps No