Silver Screen (Nov 1931-Oct 1932)

iABLOID R Norma Shearer and her husband, Irving Thalberg, being escorted by Sid Grauman into his theatre at the opening of "Strange Interlude," Norma's great picture. E VIEWS BACHELOR'S Adolphe Menjou is deAFFAIRS lightlul as the wealthy, Amusing old bachelor who gets (^"^) roped into marriage with Joan Marsh, a beautiful but dumb flapper. This marriage had been engineered by Minna Gombell, Joan's sister. An highly athletic honeymoon follows, which all but cripples Menjou. Alan Dinehart, Menjou's partner, deftly steers Joan into the arms of a younger man and then Menjou marries Irene Purcell, his charming secretary. BIG CITY BLUES Eric Linden comes to fair New York with a little (Warner-First Nat' I) money and a lot of dreams. He is taken for a sap, deprived of his money and his dreams and also falsely accused of murder. Joan Blondell plays a chorus girl with a heart of gold. She falls for Eric but will not go back to the country with him. Joan and Eric are fine but they can't do much with this yarn, even with the support of Guy Kibbee and Jobyna Howland. BLESSED E'VENT Reminiscent of the WinExcellent chell-Rudy Vallee feud {Warner-First Naf I) o£ last year is the columnist-crooner "mad" in this picture. Lee Tracy plays the scandal -disher de luxe, and gives you the low-down on the key-hole tricks of the columnists so that you may see just how those "blessed event" rumors get going. It is a fast-moving, fast-talking story, cram full of gags and wise-cracks that leave you weak from laughing. Don't miss it. Skill and brains and fists are called into play continuously in this fine animal picture— but no guns are called into action. Starting from Singapore, Frank Buck and his expedition traveled thru the Malayan jimgle capturing—alive—all types of \\'\\A animals. Amazing, thrilling battles have been caught at close range. It is filmed unpretentiously, and yet what a wallop it packs! Don't miss it. It is primitive realism at its best. GRAND HOTEL Meet the superb Garbo Perfect as Grusinskaya, the apa (AI-CT-M) thctic dancer, whose career is on the wane, and see how eagerly she responds to the love-making of the 10 BRING 'EM BACK ALIVE Marvelous (Radio ) handsome Baron (John Barrymore; who enters her room to steal her pearls but takes her love instead: and Preysing (Wallace Berry) the financier caught in a net of his oyvn weaving; Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore) the sick man who is spending his life's savings to enjov one real fling at life: and last, but not least, meet Joan Crayvford as Flaemmchen. the pretty stenDgraphcr who nonchalantly sells herself because, after all, money is so essential. Jean Hersholt. Lewis Stone and Tullv Marshall are also in this fine picture. a „ LADY AND A swell yarn about a GENT rough and ready paii Excellent who come to the uniParamonnt) yvorldlv village of Ironton to stay two hours but remain twentv years instead. Wynne Gibson gives a remarkable interpretation of Puff, the yvisecracking night club hostess, and Bancroft, her boy-friend, is grand as the dumb pugilist. As Bancroft's manager, James Gleason gives a deft performance. In Ironton Wynne and Bancroft adopt a yvaif and stay "put" until he is grown and educated. The storv is entertaining and different. Put it down as one of those things you "must see." '—4'" — PURCHASE Barbara Stanwyck plays PRICE, THE a Broadway torch-singei Poor yvho yvants to "get awav (Warner-First Nat l) fi-Q,,, ^ ^11." So she changes places yvith a house-maid yyho has ansyvered a matrimonial advertisement, and goes out West to become the bride of George Brent, a farmer. Hoyy true lo\e finally comes to these two is the nucleus of the rather yveak-kneed tale. Barbara and George do their charming best to make it plausible, but the result is so-so. . — MAN FROM YES Here yye find Claudette TERDAY, THE Colbert in lo\e yvith her Pair luisliand, Cli\r Brook, (Paramo:in:) ],„, t],c ^^m takes him from her. He is rcpoited dead and Claudette marries a siugcon. Charles Bover, yvhom she grows to love devotedly. Then Clive returns and tlisco\ers that he is the "third that makes ;i ciowd." Chiudctte wiuils lo do the right thiii'^ but CIi\e reInscs lo let her sacrifice herself. To free liei from her almost hopeless Une tangle, he deliberately courts death. REBECCA OF SUNNYBROOK FARM Good (Fox) RED-HEADED WOMAN Excellent (M-G-M) This time it's Marian Nixon yyho plays Rebecca, the incorrigible orphan who went to liye yvith tyvo maiden aunts in a New England village. The story moves slowly but is delightflil in a "homey" fashion. Ralph Bellamy is fine as Adam Ladd, and Louise Closser Hale provides many amusing scenes as the flinty aunt. As for Marian, she got this "break" because Janet Gaynor yvent "sophisticate" and refused it. And yve must say Marian made the most of it. Jean Harloyv coy ered her famous platinum hair yvith a red wig to play this part. As the redhead, born on the yvrong side of the tracks, she has aspirations. She tricks her "boss " into divorcing his yvife and marrying her. But his friends do not accept her and she finally goes to Neyv York and captures a millionaire, Anita Loos wrote the sizzling dialogue from this Katharine Brush novel. And Chester Morris, Leila Hyams. LJna Merkel and Henry Stephenson help Jean make this picture a breezy, highly entertaining hour's pastime. — This is a fine picturization of Eugene O Neill's poyverful play of the same name, "asides" and all. Norina Shearer is splendid in the role of neurotic Nina Leeds, yvhose uncompromising life yve arc privileged to follow from girlhood to old age. Through the years with her travel Clark Gable, as her faithfid lover, .Mexandei Kirkland, her devoted husband, Ralph Morgan, as "Good old Charlie," her patient friend, and last of all, Robert Young, hei son. It is a departure from standardized methods, and a highly dramatic one. George Arliss is ]ierfect in his role of a successful financier yvho, upon returning from a year's trip abroad, finds his selfish faniih alienated from him. 'Wise Mr. .\rliss thinks up ,i scheme that brings them all back to the familv fireside. Klarv Astor, Hardie Albright, Evahn Knapp and Randolph Scoii make up the fine supporiitig cast. Silver Screen STRANGE INTERLUDE Artistic Masterpiece (M-C-M) SUCCESSFUL CALAMITY, A Excellent (Warners)