Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1930)

Brief Reviews of Current Pictures I CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 ] • FASHIONS IN LOVE— Paramount.— Adolphe Menjou with .1 French accent. Amorous and amusing farce. All Talkie. (Aug.) FAST COMPANY— Paramount.— Baseball stuff adapted from Ring Lardner's play "Elmer the Great" and garnished with bright lines. Jack Oakie takes the honors and Evelvn Brent is miscast. All Talkie. (Nov.) FAST LIFE — First National. — "Still Life" would be a more accurate title for this melodrama. It drags. Loretta Young is lovely. All Talkie. (Nov.) FATHER AND SON— Columbia.— Doing right by Dad. With the inevitable "sonny boy" motif. Part Talkie. (Aug.) FLIGHT— Columbia.— The first flying talkie, and good, too. Love and adventure among the flying marines, illustrated by Jack Holt, Ralph Graves and Lila Lee. All Talkie. (Dec.) FLYING FOOL, THE — Pathe. — Hit-the-sky melodrama with Marie Prevost crooning a theme song — and howl All Talkie. (Aug.) • FOOTLIGHTS AND FOOLS— First National.— Colleen Moore's best since "We Moderns." She wears mad gowns and wigs and sings French songs with a naughty lilt. All Talkie. (Dec.) FOUR DEVILS— Fox.— Talk has been added to last part of F. W, Murnau's good circus film. You'll hear J anet Gay nor. Part Tal kie, (Sept.) • FOUR FEATHERS, THE— Paramount. — The story of a coward's regeneration grafted on a nature film shot in the Soudan. Excellent film, with Richard Arlen fine. Sound. (Sept.) FROZEN JUSTICE— Fox. — Hot melodrama of the cold North. Lenore Ulric and Louis Wolheim excellent. All Talkie. (Nov.) • GENERAL CRACK— Warners.— John Barrymore's famous voice is heard from the screen for the first time in this highly-colored and very entertaining costume drama. John is fine and Marian Nixon heads an excellent supporting cast. All Talkie. (Jan.) GENTLEMAN PREFERRED, A— Supreme.— From cowboy to earl in one badly-aimed picture. Silent. (Sept.) GIRL FROM HAVANA, THE— Fox.— A racy story of gentlemen who prefer diamonds which don't belong to them. Clever cast. All Talkie. (Nov.) GIRL IN THE GLASS CAGE, THE— First National.— The glassed-in girl, in case you wondered, is a theater ticket seller, played by Loretta Young. Pretty bad. Part Talkie. (Oct.) GLAD RAG DOLL, THE— Warners.— Mostly hokum. All Talkie. (Aug.) GLORIFYING THE AMERICAN GIRL— Paramount.— Everyone except ex-president Coolidge had a hand in the making of this — and it shows. But big names aren't enough and even an Eddie Cantor comedy bit can't save this feeble effort. All Talkie. (Jan.) GOLD DIGGERS OF BROADWAY— Warners. — Showing the girls at their pick and shovel work. Noteworthy for its beautiful all-Technicolor treatment and its catchy tunes. All Talkie. (Nov.) GREAT GABBO, THE— James Cruze Prod.— A corking dramatic story ruined by the interpolation of musical revue stuff. Von Stroheim and Compson save the pieces. All Talkie. (Dec.) • GREENE MURDER CASE. THE— Paramount.— -Another fine Van Dine murder mystery film, with Bill Powell an elegant Philo Vance. All Talkie. (Sept.) HALF MARRIAGE — Radio Pictures.— Another and duller one about companionate marriage, occasionally redeemed by Olive Borden. Sound. (Oct.) HALF WAY TO HEAVEN— Paramount.— This romantic story with a carnival background is one of Buddy Rogers' best and Buddy crashes through with a virile performance. All Talkie. {Jan.) • HALLELUJAH— M-G-M.— Striking epic of the negro, sensitively directed and spontaneously acted. All Talkie. (Oct.) HANDCUFFED— Rayart.— Poverty Row at its worst which is pretty bad. All Talkie. (Dec.) HARD TO GET— First National.— Corinne Griffith's excellent silent film "Classified" revived as a far-from-excellent talkie with Dorothy Mackaill. All Talkie. (Nov.) • HER PRIVATE AFFAIR— Pathe— Make it your private affair to see Ann Harding in this exciting tale. She's gloriousl All Talkie. (Nov.) HIGH VOLTAGE— Pathe.— Stupid and morbid. All Talkie. (Aug.) HIS FIRST COMMAND— Pathe.— A pretty sorry affair with the exception of some spectacular parade-ground shots and William Boyd's new and pleasing talkie personality. All Talkie. (Jan.) HIS GLORIOUS NIGHT— M-G-M— All talk and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Due largely to the fact that he is required to chatter continually, John Gilbert's first talkie appearance is disappointing. All Talkie. (Jan.) HOLD YOUR MAN— Universal.— Tsch, tsch— and just when Laura LaPlante was coming along so nicely, too. Miss this one. All Talkie. (Jaw.) International They call Olive Young "the Mary Pickford of China." She's studying talkie-making in Hollywood. And she was born in St. Joe, Mo., of Chinese parents. Does that make her a lady Elk? • HOLLYWOOD REVUE OF 1929— M-G-M. — A great big merry girl and music show, with all the Metro people from Gilbert and Shearer on down. All Talkie. (Sept.) HOLLYWOOD STAR, A— Educational-Sennetf —Two reels of hilarious satire about a Western star who makes a personal appearance at a small town theater. A bulls-eye. All Talkie. (Jan.) HONOR — Sovkino. — Interesting because a product of the Armenian studios of the Russian Soviet National Film Company. The leading man is an Armenian John Gilbert. Silent. (Dec.) HOOFBEATS OF VENGEANCE — Universal. — Even worse than it sounds. Rex, the marvelous horse star, has a ramshackle vehicle to pull. Silent. {Oct.) HUNGARIAN RHAPSODY— UFA-Paramount. — A real beauty. This simple rural tale is exquisitely directed and superbly acted by an ace-high German cast. Sound. (Nov.) HURRICANE — Columbia.— This old-fashioned sea yarn seems new and stimulating midst the present crop of talkie-dancie-croonies. It's a clean cut and convincing thriller and Hobart Bosworth is just elegant. All Talkie. (Jan.) IDLE RICH, THE— M-G-M.— Literal translation of the stage play, "White Collars," with good acting. All Talkie. (Aug.) ILLUSION— Paramount.— Buddy Rogers as a man about town may disappoint the girls — but Nancy Carroll is excellent. All Talkie. (Nov.) IN OLD CALIFORNIA— Audible Film Corp.— Love and hate Under a Spanish Moon (Theme song.) Ho hum. All Talkie. (Nov.) IS EVERYBODY HAPPY?— Warners.— The answer is emphatically "No!" As an actor Ted Lewis is a fine saxophone player. All Talkie. (Jan.) ISLE OF LOST SHIPS, THE— First National.— Scenically this fantastic melodrama is a triumph; conversationally, not so hot. Noah Beery, Jason Robards and Virginia Valli handle the leads well. All Talkie. (Jan.) • IT'S A GREAT LIFE— M-G-M.— A riotous comedy of the life of a vaudeville sister team as portrayed by the Duncan sisters who ought to know. Rosetta and Vivian deliver snappily and Larry Gray clicks again. All Talkie. (Jan.) IT'S EASY TO BECOME A FATHER— UFA.— The German idea of a funny farce about an American girl running wild abroad. Silent. (Sept.) JAZZ HEAVEN— Radio Pictures.— If your resistance is low you may be touched by this sentimental little tale about a sone writer and the girl who helps him make good. Pathos by John Mack Brown and Sally O'Neil and comedy by Joseph Cawthorne. All Talkie. (Jan.) JEALOLTSY — Paramount. — De mortuis nihil nisi bonum. It is unfortunate that Jeanne Eagels' last picture should be so unworthy of her artistry. AH Talkie. (Dec.) JOY STREET— Fox.— Oh. how the kids carry on I Younger generation stuff and possibly you'll like it. Lois Moran, Nick Stuart. Sound. (Sept.) • KIBITZER — Paramount. — You may have to buy a new vest from laughing after you see this. Harry Green's comedy is grand. All Talkie. (Nov.) KISS, THE— M-G-M.— The mysterious and silent Garbo, still silent, still mysterious and still Garbo. Sound. (Dec.) KITTY— World Wide.— First foreign-made picture to be synchronized with talking sequences and music. Good entertainment against a beautiful English background. Part Talkie. (Oct.) • LADY LIES, THE— Paramount.— Magnificently acted and staged drawing room comedy. Walter Huston and beautiful Claudette Colbert are stunning lovers and Charles Ruggles is a delightful drunk. All Talkie. (Dec.) • LAST OF MRS. CHEYNEY, THE— M-G-M. — Norma Shearer as a charming and wily lady crook who plies her trade amongst Britain's bluebloods. All Talkie. (Oct.) LAST PERFORMANCE, THE — Universal. — Conrad Veidt as a magician in a much over-acted and over-directed film. Part Talkie. (Sept.) LAUGHING AT DEATH— FBO.— Bob Steele, the Western actor, in curls and ribbons as one of these mythical princes. Whoops I Silent. (Sept.) LIGHT FINGERS— Columbia.— Nice balance between action and dialogue in this melodrama about a gang of jewel thieves. All Talkie. (Nov.) LONE STAR RANGER, THE— Fox.— A Zane Grey epic garnished with theme songs. George O'Brien as the picturesque ranger hero and Sue Carol the pretty heroine. All Talkie. (Jan.) LONG, LONG TRAIL, THE— Universal.— Fast moving Western drama. Hoot Gibson goes over big in his first all-dialogue. All Talkie. (Jan.) LOVE DOCTOR, THE— Paramount. — Richard Dix's last picture for Paramount. Dix and Jun** Collyer are pleasing. All Talkie. (Nov.) LOVE, LIVE AND LAUGH— Fox— From New York to the battlefields with a tear every step of the way. George Jessel scores as the little Italian hero. All Talkie. (Jan.) • LOVE PARADE, THE— Paramount.— Sparkling as Burgundy. Director Lubitsch conquers light opera, and Maurice Chevalier conquers all. Jeanette MacDonald is a treat to the eyes and ears. All Talkie. (Dec.) [ PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 132 1 ISO