Picturegoer (Jan-Apr 1935)

On the Screens Now by Lionel Collier I The PICTUREGOER'S quick reference index to films just released PICTUREGOER Weekly Jane Baxter plays the feminine lead in the Sydney Hotoard schoolgirl comedy, " Girls, Please." Tjr AST week, in a sixteenrl page supplement, PicfU TUREGOER dealt in ever>' r" r detail with the release of the month. The Merry Widow, Lubitsch's brilliant picturisation of the world's most famous musical comedy. Little remains for me to say, except that I consider it to be a triumph for the director, who has gradually gained as pre-eminent a position in the talkies as he did in silent films. He, as much as anyone, has assimilated the essential creed for successful pictures : that the screen is a medium of its own, and is only hampered by stage conventions and microphone domination. The picture was pre-viewed in our issue of December i, 1934. •••THE CAT'S PAW h'ox. American. "A." Runs 99 minutes. Harold Lloyd Exekial Cobb Una Mebkel Petunia Pratt l.EORGE Bakbikr Jake Mayo Nat Psndletoh Strotri Grace Bradley Dolores Dace Alan Dinbhart Mayor Morgan Urant Mitchell "Silk Hat" McGee Fred Warren Tien Wang Warren Hvmer "Spike" Slattery J. Farrell MacDonald Shigiey James Donlah Red, the Reporter Kdwin Maxwell District Attorney Neal Frank Sheridan Police Commissioner Horiarity David Jack Holt Esekial, as a boy Directed by Sam Taylor from a story by Clarenee SmUngton KeUand. Pre viewed September 20, 1934. THAT Harold Lloyd has struck out in a new line, that of straight as opposed to slapstick comedy, redounds to his credit, and while many will sigh for the Harold of breath-taking gags and hilarions, fooling they cannot help but be intrigued by his excellence as an actor as opposed to a gagman's dummy. Dialogue, rather than action, develops the comedy in the artiste's new venture; but. nevertheless, it is .skilfully produced and ccmtains quiet gags, as well as an uproarious climax, in which Lloyd clears up the gangsters in his home city; this is in the old style. 'You see, he plays the role of a missionary's son who had been brought up in a remote Chinese mission station. In order to perpetuate the mission by finding "a mother for his children," he goes home in search of a bride, where his simplicity and Oriental philosophy astonish the natives as much as their ways do him. ♦♦♦THE CAT'S PAW ♦♦THE LIFE OF VERGIE WINTERS ♦♦GIRLS PLEASE c^THE CIRCUS CLOWN ♦MOST PRECIOUS THING IN LIFE ♦JANE EYRE A pcditical boss, looking for a cat's paw to put up for the mayoralty, picks on Harold ; and no one is more astonished than he when his figurehead is elected and, moreover, refuses to be a figurehead. Instead, he starts to clean up the town; hence the hilarious climax. Of course, there is a girl in the case; a hard-boiled sf)ecimen, who urges him on, played excellently by Una Merkel. Lloyd himself gives a clever characterisation, and is brilliantly supported by George Barbier, as a blustering jwlitical boss with a heart of gold, and a cast that is full of well-known bit players. The opening is rather slow, but it succeeds in its object of achieving the right atmosphere, and its development is logical as well <is human and interesting. Indeed, Lloyd could not have chosen a better vehicle for his happy excursion into the realms of straight comedy. ♦•THE LIFE OF VERGIE WINTERS Radio. American. "A." Domestic drama. Runs 81 minutes. Ann Hardimc Vergie Winters John Boles Job) Shadwell Helen Vinson Laura Shadwell Betty Furness Joan (19 years) Frank Alrertson Ranny Truesdale Creichton Chaney Hugo McQueen Sara Hadbm Winnie Belle ♦LOST IN THE LEGION ♦SHE LOVES ME NOT ♦THE MAN WITH THE ELECTRIC VOICE ♦WHAT HAPPENED TO HARKNESS c^ROCKY RHODES TO BE A LADY Molly O'Day Sadie Ben Alexander Barry Preston Donald Crist Mike Davey Maidel Turner Ella Heenan Cecil Cunningham Pearl Turner Josephine Whittell Madame Claire Wesley Barry Herbert Somerby Edward van Sloan Jim Winters Wallis Clark Mr. Preston Edwin Stanley Mr. Truesdale Directed by Alfred Santett. Story by Louis Bromfield. Pre-viewed October 27, 1934. For story freely based on tke film by Marjory Wittiams, see page 63. THE story of the woman in a man's life who effaces herself in order not to spoil his career has become rather hackneyed, and this picture is reminiscent of Barbara Stanwyck's success, in For6wi<2«M and Bach Street. In this case it is Ann Harding who plays the role of a woman who lives with a successful man and keeps her relationship to him secret. Their child is adopted by his wife, and all goes well until she discovers the affair and shoots her husband — a crime for which his mistress is accused and imprisoned. Eventually the truth comes out, and the unfortunate, broken woman goes to live with her daughter and son-inlaw. It is a sombre story, relieved by touches of human comedy, and relying on Ann Harding's finely sympathetic and well-graduated performance for its appeal. She is extremely natural, and January 26. 1935 Virginia Brttce in the title role of the film based on Charlotte Bronu's "Jane Eyre." expresses all the emotions in a manner which is at once natural and sincere. As her lover, John Boles makes heavy going, but Helen Vinson is effective as the selfish wife, as is Betty Furness as the daughter. Edward van Sloan is particularly good as Vergie's father, whose lies about his daughter's condition prevented her from marrying the man with whom she afterwards lived. American small-town life is excellently pictured, and the scandal and gossip caused by Vergie's affair is well developed, with good attention to detail and characterisation. Sp>oken thoughts are used by Alfred Santell in some sequences with good effect and his direction generally is polished. ••GIRLS PLEASE V.A. Brilislt. "A." Broad farce. Featurirtf Sydney Howard. Runs 73 minutes. Sydney Howard Trampleasure Jane Baxter Renee van HoSe&heim Muriel Forbes Ann Arundel Edward Underwood .Jim Neva Carr-Glyn Jan; Peter Gawthorhb .Van HoSeaheim Lena Haluday Miss Prout Cecily Gates Miss Kinter Sybil Arundalb Matron Edna Earlb _ Edna G. Moore Marriott OMest Inhabitant Directed by Jack Raymond from, a story by Michael Hankinson, Jack Marks and Bastl Mason. SYDNEY HOWARD has evolved a certain type of fooling and a vehicle in which to exploit it, and here is the well-tried and popular formula again in a slightly <hfferent setting. Syd is a sports master at a girls' school, who is put on charge of a new pupil who has announced her intention of eloping with a young sailor, when the head mistress goes away. How he engages in a battle of wits with the resourceful lover, and finally is forced to persuade the father to agree to the match to save his own skin, forms the background for the comedian's humour. He is in element as the harassed temporary head master, surrounded by a lot of attractive and scheming young ladies. Jane Baxter is rather colourless as the heroine and Edward Underwood weak as the sailor lover. The supporting cast, however, works well together. The fun is all very ingenuous and broad, and scores its laughs by its unsophistication rather than by an subtlety of dialogue or situation. The whole thing is well staged, and the settings include school and village (Coniinited on page 66) What the asterisks mean — •••• An outstanding feature. ••• Very good. •* Good. • Average entertainment. c Also suitable for children. 66