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HERE IS YOUR GUIDE TO
BEHIND THE MAKE-UP— Paramount Another backstage yarn and yet a good one. The
romance and tragedy of an egoist who thinks he is a genius. A happy-go-lucky vaudevillian meets the last of a long line of Italian pantomimists and, between the slap-stick of one and the skill of the other, they work out a variety act that becomes a big hit. The Italian takes the hoofer's girl, marries her and breaks her heart. He steals all the glory for the success, but in the end tragedy crushes him. Bill Powell gives an astonishing performance of the Italian. Hal Skelly is excellent as the hoofer. Fay Wray is colorful as the stolen sweetheart.
SON OF THE GODS— First National Richard Barthelmess has yet to give a poor talkie performance. Here — in this story by Rex Beach — he plays the son of a fine old Chinaman. Everywhere in America he is confronted with racial prejudices and he flees to Europe. There, again, he comes face to face with the barrier of race. We will not tell you how this problem is solved, but Dick gets the girl, after all. The young woman, by the way, is splendidly played by Constance Bennett. Hers is a corking pez-formance. Dick gives a fine characterization, of course. As a story, this isn't up to one or two of his recent pictiu*es.
THE BISHOP MURDER CASE— Metro-Goldwyn Another one of S. S. Van Dine's swell mystery stories comes to the screen. Since this was made by MetroGoldwyn and Bill Powell is a Paramount star, they had to find another Philo Vance. Basil Rathbone plays him well — but his performance doesn't equal Powell's characterization. The production is excellent and this story of wholesale murder to the accompaniment of mysteriously worded nursery rhymes is absorbing in movie form. Excellent performances by Alec Francis, George Marion and Leila Hyams. You will miss Bill Powell, but this mystery film is well worth seeing.
PLAYING AROUND— First National Not Alice White's best picture by any means, but not a bad movie yarn, at that. She plays the daughter of an old store clerk who plays around with a bad boy of the underworld without realizing his real character. Of course, there's an honest lad who loves her, but she spurns him for the time. When the evil youth shoots and robs her dad, she realizes things. There is no undress to the star's role in this film. The nearest to decollete comes when Miss White wins a leg contest in a big cabaret. Billie Bakewell and Chester Morris are prominent. Morris is the best of the cast.
IT'S A GREAT LIFE— M.-G.-M.
The Duncan Sisters aren't for the screen. That seems to be pretty definitely proven by their first talkie, "It's a Great Life." Here— in the screen story— you have two sisters who have worked and struggled for success. When one falls in love, the other does everything she can to break up the match. She is jealous and lonely — and wants love to fly out the window. Vivian is the ingenue in love with the piano player, Lawrence Gray, while Rosita is the comic sister who hates the intruder. All this is pretty dull, unless the hard-working comedy antics of Vivian get you.