Picture-Play Magazine (Sep 1928 - Feb 1929)

69 A Confidential Guide to Current Releases WHAT EVERY FAN SHOULD SEE "Singing Fool, The"— Warner. Al Jolson as singing waiter, with "Sonny Boy" the theme song. Thin story, but the star's voice is excellently exploited. There are good speaking parts for Betty Bronson and Josephine Dunn. David Lee, a child newcomer, is nothing less than a sensation. "Patriot, The"— Paramount. A story of Russia in 1801. As magnificent and inspired a production as any that Emil Tannings has done. Shows masterly direction of Lubitsch. A perfect cast, including Lewis Stone, Florence Vidor, Neil Hamilton, Tullio Carminati. Harry Cording, and Vera Voronina. Sound effects are least commendable part of otherwise exceptional picture. "Mother Knows Best" — Fox. A picture that gives a side of mother love hitherto untouched by the movies — the loving domination of an ambitious parent. It is entertainment cut to the pattern preferred by many. Beautiful performance by Madge Bellamy, another by Louise Dresser, and Barry Norton's fan mail will grow. "Cardboard Lover, The"— MetroGoldwyn. Amusing comedy concerning an American girl's quest of autographs— and a tennis champion. Fluffy yarn with farcical complications, superbly produced. Marion Davies, Nils Asther, and Jetta Goudal brilliantly successful. "Air Circus, The" — Fox. Pleasant, somewhat thrilling picture in which aviation is treated from a peace-time angle, refreshingly played by David Rollins, Sue Carol, Arthur Lake and Louise Dresser, all of whom speak dialogue. "Submarine"— Columbia. Honest-togoodness thriller, showing horrors of impending suffocation in submarine and at. same time glorifies deep-sea diver. Players include Jack Holt, Dorothy Revier, and Ralph Graves. As "Snuggles," the wife, Miss Revier is clever. "Camera Man, The" — Metro-Goldwyn. Buster Keaton, as a tintype man, lets ambition lead him into the news camera game, and gets mixed up in a tong war and things like that. He creates a big guffaw in taking a Lindbergh demonstration for his own. Marceline Day, Harold Goodwin, and Sidney Bracy are in the cast. "Docks of New York, The"— Paramount. A water-front picture, with stokers and their ladies. Honest realism. Doubly important to admirers of George Bancroft, Betty Compson, Clyde Cook, Mitchell Lewis, and Olga Baclanova. Sudden marriages, equally sudden separations, brawls, all devoid of usual sentimentality. "Trail of '98, The"— Metro-Goldwyn. Magnificent glorification of the historic gold rush to Alaska, directed with great care and skill. .Effective performances given by Dolores del Rio, Ralph Forbes, and Harry Carey. "Sunrise" — Fox. One of the best of the season. Skillfully directed tale of a farmer, his wife and a city vamp. George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, and Margaret Livingston. "Tempest" — United Artists. A story of the Russian Revolution. Moments of great pictorial beauty. John Barrymore excellent. Camilla Horn, Boris De Fas, and Louis Wolheim. "Lights of New York" — Warner. Regardless of merits or demerits, picture stands unique as the first of its kind ever made — entirely in spoken dialogue. Not much of a story. A trusting country boy duped by a couple of bootleggers. Gladys Brockwell excellent in her part. Cullen Landis is effective. Robert Eliot and Tom Dugan are fine. Mary Carr, Wheeler Oakman, and Helene Costello. "Four Sons" — Fox. A simple and superbly told tale of the effects of the war on a German mother and her four sons — three of whom are killed, the other migrating to America. Margaret Mann, James Hall, Francis X. Bushman, Jr., and June Collyer. "Man Who Laughs, The"— Universal. No one should fail to be engrossed by itj strange story, or fascinated by its weird beauty. Conrad Veidt's characterization is magnificent, Mary Philbin pleasing, and Olga Baclanova gives distinctive performance. Brandon Hurst, Josephine Crowell, Sam de Grasse, Stuart Holmes, Cesare Gravina, and George Siegmann. "King of Kings, The"— Producers Distributing. Sincere and reverent visualization of the last three years in the life of Christ. H. B. Warner dignified and restrained in central role. Cast includes Jacqueline Logan, Joseph Schildkraut, Victor Varconi, and Rudolph Schildkraut. "Laugh, Clown, Laugh" — Metro-Gold1 wyn. Lon "Chaney gives one of his finest portrayals. Story inspires entire cast to do their best. Loretta Young plays with heart-breaking quality. Nils Asther is good, as well as Bernard Siegel. "The Racket" — Paramount. Thomas Meighan gives a fine performance in a fine picture. Best of recent underworld films. Louis Wolheim is superb in the role of "Scarsi." Marie Prevost, now a blonde, is wholly convincing. "White Shadows in the South Seas" — Metro-Goldwyn. Filmed on authentic locations, and has much to offer in natural beauty and pictorial loveliness. Purports to show the corrupting influence of white men among the islanders. Monte Blue is capable in the lead, and Raquel Torres makes the native girl, "Fayaway," vital, naive and charming. "Perfect Crime, The"— F. B. O. The story of a detective who, in despair of there ever being a perfect, unsolvable crime, commits one. Don't miss this picture, especially if Clive Brook is a favorite. The cast, as a whole, is A-l. "Lost in the Arctic" — Fox. A photographic record of the recent expedition to Herald Island. Picture is distinguished by remarkable photographic scenes, moving in rapid and interesting sequence. There is a Movietone prologue in which Vilhjalmur Steffansson describes the object of the expedition. A fine musical score, directed by Roxy, comprises the Movietone accompaniment. "Forgotten Faces" — Paramount. Underworld melodrama, shrewdly directed, interestingly photographed and well acted. First honors go to Olga Baclanova, the fascinating Russian and consummate screen artist. Good work is also done by Clive Brook, Mary Brian, William Powell, Fred Kohler, and Jack Luden. "Hot News" — Paramount. This picture crackles with spontaneous combustion. It is a story of the rivalry between two news-reel camera men, Neil Hamilton and Bebe Daniels— really a camera girl. Story is peppy and thoroughly engaging, giving Neil Hamilton an outlet for his comedy possibilities. FOR SECOND CHOICE "Whip, The"— First National. Society melodrama laid in England, in the hunting and racing set. Wrecks, forged marriage certificate and the hero's amnesia provide a diverting, if old, mixture. Ralph Forbes, Dorothy Mackaill, Anna Q. Nilsson, Lowell Sherman, and Marc McDermott. "River Pirate, The"— Fox. "Sailor Frink," played by Victor McLaglen, goes up and down the river robbing warehouses and displaying his muscular prowess. "Sandy," a young recruit, is doing well at the trade until he responds to the influence of a good woman. Effective, particularly to those who have not seen too many underworld films lately. Nick Stuart and Lois Moran are the young people. "Oh Kay"— First National. Colleeu Moore in a cream-puff story based on musical comedy. "Lady Kay" runs away from an unwelcome marriage and, picked up by rum runners, is soon in the midst of complications on Long Island. She gets another man, right out of the arms of his snobbish fiancee. Cast includes Lawrence Gray, Alan Hale, Ford Sterling, and Julanne Johnston. "Heart to Heart" — First National. Thoroughly pleasant little picture, with characterization more important than plot. A princess visits her old home in Ohio and is mistaken for a seamstress, among other amusing things. Plenty chances to laugh. Mary Astor, Lloyd Hughes, Louise Fazenda, and Lucien Littlefield. Continued on page 120