Picture Play Magazine (Mar-Aug 1926)

04 The Screen in Review Belle Bennett, James Kirkwood and Lois Moran in "The Reckless Lady. Monte Blue in a scene from "The Man Upstairs." Reginald Denny and Marian Nixon in " What Happened to Jones. " But the story is not the thing, this time. Mr. Brenon has pinned together a succession of incidents, and made it into a consistently entertaining film. Mother and Child. When I saw the triumphant reception accorded to "Stella Dallas," I had a horrid premonition that Miss Bennett and Lois Moran would again be ■t^v thrown together in mother and daughter roles with indecent haste. And that's just what happened. Picture producers have BL. n°t learned that just because a thing is T H| fine one tune, it doesn't necessarily follow i^^^ that it will be fine if tried again. With an almost childlike simplicity, they strive to repeat their triumphs. Thus, hot on the footsteps of "Stella Dallas," Robert Kane and First National offer "The Reckless Lady" to an expectant public. They should have chosen another picture. For "The Reckless Lady" is too embarrassingly suggestive of her fortunate sister, "Stella Dallas." I do not mean that the plot is the same. It isn't. But some of the scenes are almost exact duplicates of scenes from "Stella Dallas." There is a scene where a trunk is packed for a hurried departure, with the daughter pleading to stay this time instead of the mother ; there is a scene where the mother attempts suicide, and she very nearly succeeds ; and there is quite enough of Miss Bennett and Miss Moran as mother and daughter. "The reckless lady" keeps her head above water by playing roulette at various gambling resorts. Her husband has left her years before because she was untrue to him, but since then, he has rather repented of his hasty action, and so tries to find his wife and daughter. He is pretty well discouraged with his fruitless search for them, when he finds them in Monte Carlo. The story is by Sir Philip Gibbs, and it is very sporting and English, though rather involved. The cast is a spectacular one. There are Belle Bennett, Lois Moran, Ben Lyon, James Kirkwood, Lowell Sherman, and Charles Murray — everything, in fact, to make a perfect picture, except, perhaps, a story. English Melodrama. Warner Brothers did very well with "The Man Upstairs" as long as they, clung tenaciously to the story. The story, called "The Agony Column," appeared in The Saturday Evening Post some time ago, and it was a good one. It still is, for that matter, but some ambitious and literary young person added more plot onto the very end of the film, which improves it not at all, and trips up the whole idea. The fall at the finish is terrific. A young man is attracted to a young lady as he eats his breakfast at the Carlton in London. He sees that she is reading the Times, and he thinks he can amuse her by putting something in the personal column where she will be sure to see it. She does see it and replies that if, in five letters, he can prove himself to be an entertaining person to know, she will meet him, so racking his brains for entertainment, he makes up a blood-curdling melodrama to amuse her. The rest of the picture shows his melodrama acted out, and it is a very exciting one, too. Unfortunately, however, leaving well enough alone never has occurred to these ambitious people, and the picture continues far, far into the night. Monte Blue is the desperately busy young man, and John Roche steps in briefly as the man upstairs. Dorothy Devore is the girl. A Bad Waiter and a Good Duchess. Something ought to be done about Adolphe Menjou. He is so consistently excellent that he gives me nothing to complain about. His latest picture, "The Grand Duchess and the Waiter," is so fine that I regret that I saw it only_ once. Malcolm St. Clair, the director, has" brought out the best in both Mr. Menjou and Florence Vidor. Miss Vidor, far from being the good girl of Hollywood, is almost as foreign and indiscreet as Mr. Menjou himself. And not once does she cease to be a duchess. Not so very long ago, screen actresses were either little romps or ladies ; now the}' have found it possible to be human. Mr. Durant, played by Mr. Menjou, is a French roue and race-track owner. He sees the beautiful Russian Duchess in a box at the theater one night, and all his past experiences fade away at the sight of her. He sends her a note, and she tears it up. He follows her Olive Borden and Tom Mix in "The Yankee Senor."