Picture-Play Magazine (Jul - Dec 1929)

72 Tke Screen in ReViev? "Fashions in Love." "Broadway Babies." women who flock around Jim. How he blunders out of this trap as easily as he falls into it, is one of the reasons why the picture never drags. Every moment yields a chuckle or a laugh, and Mr. Withers' is by no means the only outstanding performance. Thereis Betty Compson's. As the shrewd wife of Jim's boss, with a desire to annex Jim for her own, she is vastly amusing, and while the role is an obvious one, the actress gives it amazing subtlety. Also there is John Davidson, as Miss Compson's husband and Mr. Withers' employer, whose voice is distinctive and whose drollery is civilized. Gertrude Olmsted, James Kirkwood, Bert Roach, and three charming matrons comprise the remainder of the cast. The matrons, by the way, are Vivien Oakland, who is Mrs. John T. Murray ; Gretchen Hartman, who is Mrs. Alan Hale ; and Irene Haisman, the former Mrs. Reginald Denny. I don't blame Mr. Withers for being flattered by their interest in him. Miss Bow At Her Best. Among Clara Bow's best pictures is her latest, "Dangerous Curves." It is her second venture into speech and her second serious role since she achieved stardom. The other, you remember, was "Ladies of the Mob." If you liked Clara wistful and earnest in that — and I did — you will like her even better as a circus girl in the new one. For she is, to put it mildly, just about the most delightful trick that ever slipped into a pair of tights. More than that, she shows herself quite as capable of pathos as she is of pertness, and she uses her voice far more effectively than in "The Wdd Party." Altogether I see no reason why any one could go wrong in giving the palm to Clara for a fine performance in a rattling good picture. Nor do I know of any one able to wrest Clara's particular palm from her. She's the only one of her kind, bless 'er ! As Pat Dclancy, an unimportant member of the troupe, she adores from afar Larry Lcc, the star wire walker, who has eyes for no one but Zara, his partner. Meanwhile Zara is deceiving him in an affair with another performer. From this familiar tangle come mildly unexpected developments, including a big sacrifice on the part of Pat which opens Larry's eyes to her true worth. It's trite in print, I know, but really it is poignantly set forth on the screen and Clara shines in every incident, her eager, breathless voice adding greatly to the pathos of her devotion and her determination to rehabilitate Larry after his accident, to say nothing of saving him from the toils of Zara. Believe me, Clara has the strongest possible support in Richard Arlen, as Larry, whose performance as the conceited wire walker is quite as fine as his prize fighter in "The Man I Love." It places him among the top-notch screen players to gain instead of lose by speech. Then there is the intriguing Kay Francis, as Zara, and David Newell, another newcomer, as Tony, Larry's rival. The circus atmosphere has speed and glamour only equalled by "The Four Devils. You really mustn't miss this one, children. Adolphe Menjou Speaks. One of Adolphe Menjou's most engaging pictures is his first talkie. "Fashions in Love." It happens also to be his last for Paramount. And that is too bad. For he contributes a rare performance with the aid of speech quite as good, it seems to me, as any actor of the speaking stage could deliver. Better, really, for Mr. Menjou's wide experience on the screen gives him an edge over any actor trained on the stage. So you who like Mr. Menjou will see him at his best, and you who have perhaps been lukewarm will find much to raise the temperature of your regard for him. "Fashions in Love" is based on a play popular years ago, called "The Concert." It might be said to be the forerunner of all the sophisticated, Continental comedies which Mr. Menjou has made peculiarly his own. But it is played with such intelligence, deftness, and charm that it seems as new as any story of a philandering husband could be. The husband in this case is Paul dc Rcmy. a virtuoso of the piano, whose patient, understanding wife sees him safely through innumerable affairs with adoring ladies, and applies hair dye to his musicianly locks with the loving care of a bride on her honeymoon — or a particularly competent valet. She is