Screenland (Nov 1929-Apr 1930)

for January 1 9 3 0 53 on Current Films The Return of Sherlock Holmes THE king of all criminologists, Sherlock Holmes, finds his ideal interpreter in the suave Clive Brook. All Sherlock fans must see and hear the master detective tracking down his arch enemy, Moriarity, in this, talkie. Sherlock Holmes, like Peter Pan, has perennial charms, particularly with Paramount's prize English star contributing his excellent voice and elegant diction to the role. Another Englishman, Basil Dean, was entrusted with the direction, which moves somewhat slowly according to Hollywood standards, but has some distinction nevertheless. Holmes is called upon to rescue Phillips Holmes no relation from Moriarity's clutches so that the young man may marry Dr. Watson's fair daughter. It will amuse you to see the immaculate Clive Brook assuming strange disguises. Harry T. Morey, an old favorite, returns with honors as Moriarity. "Marvelous, Holmes, marvelous!" "Elementary, my dear Watson — elementary!" A Hollywood Star EXCUSE me while I guffaw. Here's a really funny picture. It's Mack Sennett back in his old splendid form and up to new tricks at one and the same time. This short feature comedy is the first burlesque of the talkies. Mr. Sennett presents Andy Clyde as a smalltown motion picture theater exhibitor all a-twitter because Jack Marlowe, western star, is to make a personal appearance in conjunction with his first talking picture, "Rose of the Badlands." The local gentry turn out for Jack and the theater is packed; but alas, after a beautiful speech of welcome the talkie mechanism goes all wrong, and no sound issues from the moving lips of our hero. Anyone who has ever suffered through a talkie that forgot to talk and who hasn't? will have to be carried out of the theater along about this time. Harry Gribbon plays the comic hero in classic style. An original Sennetter with new ideas. Broadway Scandals THIS screen musical show will entertain practically everybody, with the possible exception of Georgie White. It is crammed with chorus girls and elaborate numbers employing a run-way over the audience oh, not your audience, silly, just the audience on the screen. Even so, this intimate number packs considerable kick as Carmel Myers leads it, and the costumes are the sketchiest so far devised for a film chorus. Sally O'Neil is the sweet heroine, Carmel the naughty vamp, and a new young juvenile is the man disputed. I thought he was Buddy Rogers for a minute; but Jack Egan only looks something like Buddy. Jack has a personality of his own, a nice voice, and the kind of appeal generally known as boyish which means it works. More back-stage stuff, the best scene being that in which the vamp forgets her French accent and goes back, figuratively, to the Bronx. Young Mr. Egan's fan mail will be getting heavier. Jazz Heaven NOT another back-stage picture. That's the time they fooled you! "Jazz Heaven" concerns itself with the output of Tin-Pan Alley; but instead of the usual theater atmosphere and endless chorus numbers it offers a pleasant diversion in the way of a boy and a girl in love against the background of a music publishing house. The boy Johnny Mack Brown has a voice and a piano and uses both, and Sally, besides the O'Neil charms, has a job as a song demonstrator. It isn't much of a story and it won't surprise anyone in the audience to find the young stars blossoming into radio broadcasters before the picture is over. Joseph Cawthorne as the senior partner of the music publishing company, walks away with the show. This veteran comedian can stay in Hollywood as long as he likes. The theme song, Someone, is hummable and croonable.