The New Movie Magazine (Jan-Sep 1935)

What to Expect in the New Films (Continued from page 71) "'Lady', huh?" Bette sneers. "Don't get ritzy, Johnny. I picked you out of the gutter and made you what you are!" She faces him defiantly. "I love you . . . and' I won't stay away from you! I killed my husband to get you, and I'll ... I" "You'll stay away from me, you little so-and-so ... or you'll meet the same fate as that husband of yours . . .!" Director Archie Mayo calls: "Cut!" Muni's face relaxes in a smile. Bette grins back at him. And that's that. Dissatisfied with life as a day laborer, Muni goes to night school and grabs himself a law diploma. Up against a smart lawyer, he loses his first case to the defense and his heart to the defendant, Margaret Lindsay. Across the . border, Muni pulls himself by his boot straps to a position of power and wealth as owner of a smart resort. To get him for herself, Bette Davis leaves her drunken husband. But, after the gruesome deed is done, Paul turns her down cold and continues to pursue Miss Lindsay. Repulsing his. honest advances, Margaret leaps from his car and is killed by a passing motorist. Seeing the folly of his greed for wealth and position, Paul returns to find happiness and peace among his own people. JEALOUSY COLUMBIA Here's a "different" story, all about what goes through a prizefighter's mind from the time he takes it on the button right up to the "nine" count. George Murphy, our leatherpushing hero, is almost late for his own knock-out because he's had a private fight with his girl friend, Nancy Carroll, because she won't duck working overtime with her handsome boss, Don Cook, in order to watch him fight. Right in the middle of the fisticuffs, Murphy looks over the ropes, and what do you think? There sit Nancy and Don . . . just as plain! For a minute, George sees red. Then he sees stars. Because while he's leering at Don, the other scrapper drags a haymaker up from his ankle, planting it where it'll do the most good. Waking up in his dressingroom, George knocks Don loose from his bridgework, marries the girl, and they almost live happily ever after. Nancy carries on with her job because their funds are practically non-existant. Finding his wife with Cook, after hours again, George shoots him and is sentenced to the chair. As a last request, he asks that, for old times sake, the chaplain count ten over him as the current is turned on. . . . ■ — five — six — seven — eight — nine. . . . And Murphy finds himself back in the ring . . . saved by the bell at the count of nine! It's a novel idea, so don't blame the author, Argyle Campbell, too much if George gets up and knocks the champ cold in the next round. IT'S A GIFT W. C. Fields is up to his old paramount ^icks (and a lot of new ones!) in this swell tale, by J. P. McEvoy and Charles Bogle. The story is a simple one about the crazy adventures of a Hoboken family on a cross-country trek to sunny Californ-i-ay, but, the dialogue is something that ought to keep you gurgling for a long time. That's if you're a Fields fan. We are. When W.C.'s Uncle Bean died, Fields is all for taking his inheritance and moving out West "where men are men until they meet West!" His wife, Kathleen Howard, won't hear of such a notion. Jean Rouverol, their young daughter, sides with her mother because she doesn't want to break up a nice romance with Julian Madison. But, Tommy Bupp, youngest of the family (and a rascal if there ever was one!), thinks it's a great idea. Eventually, they set off, with young Tommy getting in everyone's way, the missus driving from the back seat, and Jean weeping silently all the way across the country. On the set, Fields had everybody, including Director Norman McLeod, in hysterics over his crazy ad libbing! MAX WHO RECLAIMED HIS HEAD • UNIVERSAL, Claude Rains fills in the white outline he made in "The Invisible Man" and gives the public a generous sample of what he can do "in the flesh." Stooging for Lionel Atwill, a famous publisher, Rains writes pacifist articles while Atwill collects the glory. Then comes the War, and while Atwill crawfishes on his" pacifist standard, Rains shoulders a blunderbuss and courts cooties and pneumonia in the Allied trenches. Safe at home, Lionel keeps the kettle boiling by making up to Claude's wife, Joan Bennett, trading on her passion for pretty clothes and rich surroundings until she takes her little daughter and moves in with the bounder. Bitter and disillusioned, Rains returns from the war, calls on his betrayer and, while wifey looks on, draws his bayonet and follows through slicing just a notch above Mister Atwill's Adam's apple! Taking the head, he puts it into a valise and goes to call on the family lawyer. Imagine his surprise when the family lawyer slaps him on the back and wonders why somebody hadn't thought of it before? It seems that Atwill has been in the dog house for a long time, with the entire French republic just waiting for someone to up-and-at him! Joan walks in with Baby Jane, asking timidly to be forgiven; and, with the prospect of exoneration in the offing, Claude takes her in his arms and all is well. CONCEALMENT WARNERS by E d w a r d Ludwig directs this slightly hairJean Bart and raising play Sam Ornitz. Leonard Ide's play about political entanglements took on all the aspects of a first class mystery when we came to this part of the plot: "Barbara Stanwyck has secretly married Warren William, Attorney General, when an investigator in William's office informs his boss that the secretary of a big financier, who had been convicted of embezzlement and pardoned by the governor (Barbara's father), had deposited $10,000 to the Governor's account." It seems that this looks pretty bad for the Governor, especially when Warren goes through the dead man's private papers and finds a note, presumably from our worthy statesman, soliciting a bribe. Before you can get your head out of water on the first batch of dirty work, the investigator is mysteriously murdered and, to keep his girl friend, Glenda Farrell, from taking the rap for it, Stanwyck goes on the stand, admits that she's married to Warren and tells enough to clear the girl. After a lot of complications, the guilty party is finally brought to justice and Barbara and Warren settle down to live happily ever after. And we'll just bet Director Wil leading (fugitive) lady in this Columbia story by Albert De Mond. Caught (innocently enough, too) in a stolen car, Florence is packed off to San Quentin in charge of a police matron. When the train, on which they are riding, is wrecked, the policewoman is killed, and Florence, with another woman's letter in her hand, is packed off to the parents of a man to whom the letter says she is married. Neil Hamilton comes home, expecting to have it out with the wily adventuress who has trapped him into matrimony, and when he sees Florence . . . well, it's a pleasant surprise all around. The kids fall in love and, not wanting to disillusion the old folks, plan to slip away and be secretly married. But, the crooked brother of the dead adventuress shows up just in time to complicate matters, that is, until Director William Nigh calls in the police force and shows the scoundrel up. THE PRESIDENT VANISHES From Hop Lee's Gab Bag Anyway you look at it — those millionaire film producers can thank their lucky stars! liam Dieterle enjoyed a good night's sleep after untangling this one! After her bad luck in being hospitalled out of the cast of "The Captain Hates The Sea," Florence Rice finally comes into her own as FUGITIVE LADY • COLUMBIA Walter Wanger presents this as the first of W ALTER W ANGER his produc productions tions. The idea is a daring pioneer venture. Arthur Byron, as President of the United States, is beloved of his people because he has brought prosperity to them and kept them sanely out of war. By propaganda and subsidized press, a group of war profiteers flood the nation with such slogans as "Collect the War Debts by Force," "Save America's Honor," etc., until the gullible people turn against their peace President and demand war ! Suddenly . . . just two hours before he is scheduled to address Congress . . . word is flashed around the world that the President of the United States has been kidnaped ! Startled out of their frenzy, the people turn their cries of "We Want War!" to a howl of "We Want Our President!" Rioting breaks out. The profiteers frenziedly try to thwart the people by declaring the President "officially dead" so they can place the Vice President (who is their tool) in the White House. While Edward Arnold, the Secretary of War, works day and night investigating the abduction, Paul Kelly, young secret service agent, follows a long-shot hunch and catches up with our President in the hide-out of a pro-war fanatic, who is just about to murder him, as Paul appears and shoots first. With the return of their leader, the people about face and rally round their Chief as, over the radio, he pleads for preparedness for war, only if America is attacked. The story, while problematical, is quite pertinent and ought to give us something to think about. 72 The New Movie Magazine, January, 1935