Universal Weekly (1933-1935)

28 UNIVERSAL WEEKLY Jan. 13, 1934 "EXCITING MYSTERY ON PALACE SCREEN IN BOMBAY MAIL, " Says REGINA CREWE in the NEW YORK AMERICAN RATTLING over rails running pretty parallel to those that carried "Shanghai Express" and "Rome Express" speeding o'er our screens, "Bombay Mail" provides entertainment as colorful, confusing and exciting as any railway station scene recently camera-captured. The confusion, perhaps, militates against the picture's full perfection. The action lacks precision and the script itself cohesion, but atmosphere is well established and suspense nicely sustained. As you've guessed, the drama takes place aboard a Calcutta-Bombay special, the passengers of which are as sinister a cargo as ever filled a film with sudden death. And death is present in great variety — by pistol shot, poison and snake bite, with a fine collection of suspicious persons from which to guess the guilty. Thus the task of Mr. Lowe, cast as a sort of British-lndian Sherlock Holmes, in solving the murders is complicated as the mystery itself. But if you know Mr. Lowe, you're at once assured that solve them he does, and that by the time the blood-stained train rolls into Bombay's Grand Central Station, Vice and Villainy receive their just desserts. Mr. Lowe as the principal pretender in this make-believe comes off best of the cast, but Onslow Stevens and Shirley Grey contribute sincere portrayals, and excellent support is provided by a large cast which includes such troupers as Hedda Hopper, Tom Moore, John Wray, Jameson Thomas, Brandon Hurst, Ferdinand Gottschalk, Georges Renavent, Garry Owen, Huntley Gordon, Herbert Corthell, Douglas Gerrard, Walter Armitage and Harry Allen. Mr. Marin's direction keeps the story from ever becoming static and makes the most of the locale. + + + “Gay Comedy Says Bland Johaneson (Continued from Page 21) kas, as butler to a flirtatious Prince played by Nils Asther, greatly admires his master's amorous technique. Bored by the lady's maids and nursegirls who cannot appreciate the finesse he has acquired from his master, he impulsively enters upon a more exciting conquest with a "lady." She is a genteel but provocative traveling companion on the Monte Carlo express. At the resort, he determines to meet her again and impersonates the Prince in order to dazzle her into submission. Going through the Prince's careful routine he has a success which develops astounding situations. Aristocratic employers and ambitious servants are mixed in a series of delightful accidents. Elissa Landi is bewitching as the "lady" who coquettes with the bogus nobleman. Asther is splendid in the engaging role of the naughty Prince. Lukas gives a delightful, spirited performance as the romantic butler, played by Esther Ralston, Dorothy Revier, Lawrence Grant and Warburton Gamble. “AMU SIN G” Says Mordaunt Holl ( Continued from Page 20) tempts involving another man's wife sends the Prince from Paris to Monte Carlo, to which place Josef precedes his master. On the train the handsome Josef encounters Marie and she thinks that he is the Prince, making her deductions from the coat of arms on what she presumes to be his baggage. Thus soon you have Josef entertaining Marie as the Prince and it follows that they are surprised by the nobleman himself, who promptly officiates as butler, which is obviously quite a painful experience for Josef and somewhat disconcerting to Marie, who, of course, really believes the Prince to be a servant. The audience yesterday afternoon chuckled with glee when the Prince in brass buttons brought in the champagne, doing the butler's duties in a meticulous fashion. Notwithstanding Marie's fine clothes, she is bound to arouse the audience's suspicions concerning her true identity, for her speech is not always precisely that of a countess, except when she is very careful. Added to this there is the complication caused by Josef giving Marie one of the Prince's monogrammed cigarette cases. Mr. Whale shows a fondness here for wines and brandy, for whenever, he wants some action, either Josef or the Prince indulge their fancy for a bottle of wine or a glass of cognac. Marie does not dislike champagne and neither does Countess von Rischenheim, nor the Baroness von Ballin, who appears in the early part of the story. So far as the title is concerned, it is derived from the candles that are brought into the room when the fuses are intentionally burned out. The Prince always favors the mellow oldfashioned illumination. Elissa Landi gives a graceful and satisfactory performance as Marie. Mr. Lukas is ingratiating as Josef and he is especially clever in the episode where he is taken unawares by his master. Mr. Asther handles the role of the Prince pleasingly. Warburton Gamble adds to the tone of this light affair by his impersonation of an easily deceived husband.