Variety (Aug 1932)

Tuesday* AuguBt 2, 1932' riCIH BE VIC ws VARIETY tr Jhe Man Called Back (Continued from page 16) peat to lenil vigor to a few lines of dialog, and the usual precise per- formance by Conrad Nagel start the picture a.Uttle too/quietly.- But it continues this way throughout, re- vealing a story patchwork of bro- mides arranged in chronological prder. " 1 There are ^f^5_a few flashbacks to remind of the oI^_^iBctorlal and cutting roomi school, ■ this In- stance they are excusable, since they facilitate a trial sequence and ex- plain how the playboy, St. Clair, took the poison himself and was not murdered as a couple of flsishes of newspaper headlines indicated. Rea- soning here is almost laughably il- logical, the suicide being checked up to the playboy's motive for ven- geance'although St. Clair all during the action has openly flaunted his own Infldelities. Reginald Owen lis the picture's |>est bet. In a lesser part as Dr. Atkins he mt^nages to arouse laughs with" every gesture. His work on the witness stand la es- pecially. good. Porls Kenyon is not revealed as Mrs. St. Clair until after she has rehabilitated the derelict doctor who In turn has given her courage to leave.the island, .The playboy hus- band Just happens along with a bad appendix, and spirits the doctor back to London after a successful operation on the yacht. Waljf. HELL FIRE AUSTIN TlRanr production and World-Wide re- lease. Directed by Forrest Sheldon, Story by., Sbeldon. Stan Ken Mayhard. Cast: Ivy Merton, Mat Pendleton, Alati Roacoe, Jack Petrin, William Robyns, 'Lafe' Mc- Kee/.FargO'Bussey,. Charles I<eMoyne. At I,aew's.^r0:7.York, N. T.. as halt oC double btiLtor one. day,^ July 20. Running time, 70 mins. ■ --^ . • . . digs a witness to dear the man af- ter the purchased wife.' who la a lawyer* pleads his caa9 In court. "WltUe not highly original . In theme, .th<« story is developed with falr bklU, though the dialog is fre- quently weak. ■ Most of the meat goes to Raymond Hatton as a hard- boiled reporter who eventually saves the day. .The character is overatr^ssed, apparently more In the direction than through Hat- ton's own idea, for. the same fault is noticeable in all of the characters, Miss Wilson does fairly weU in the early scenes, but fails la.mentably in the big trial scene, where she never gets . into character. The other players are negligible, several good names being introduced In bits merely to strengthen the advertis- ing possibilities. The settings are good,-but the photography is uncertcdn and the sound generally poor. . Man from Hell's Edges Trem Carr production released titrough Wolrdwide. Bob Steele starred. Story, adaptation and direction by. R. N. Brad- bury. At .Loew's New Tork one day, July 10, on double feature bill." Running time, M mtnutea Bob Williams...;...............Bob Steele Betty. .Nancy Drezel Lobo. Julian Rlver» SherlR...... i-. .Robert Homans Shamrock Oeorge Hayes Halt PlDt.....i.. ;.,..Peewee Holmes Morgan .Earl Dwlre Drake Broi9...Dick DIcklson, Pery Murdock . KfCort to dress up a western with atmosphere^ foreign to the.average horde opera has met with fair suc- cess-in this latest of the Ken May-' nards. It Includes a soldier touch and a horse race for relief, plus more than the usual amount of laughs. Appraises high eoough to deserve wider booking and better playing time than most westerns. While majority go Into double bills. In some smaller spots this, one might stand alone and get by rea- sonably well. Picture opens with soldiers wait- ing for their discharge, including Maynard, who seems to have aroused the envy of some of his war buddies by , bis riding ability. The first laugh' arrives when a .Tenth' avenue type of mugg ' Is framed into a flst flght.with May- nard, the two landing lii a hospital. There they become close pals, Maynard finally dragging the former . bartender-soldier out west. The story has paid considerable atten- tion, to comedy details, with the re- sults in that direction on entertain- ment value sufficient to carry the pictUie. Nat Pendleton, teamed with May- hard,, is a type that's' odd but not out of place in the story as written. He dres^iea as a cowpuncher except for the iron hat which he refuses to give up, and throughout talks with that .Thold. avenue accent, which in itself la diverting if well 'done... ' The Usual heroine Is Involved. She's Ivy Merton, and not particu- larly effective on the screen, but serves %he purpose of owning a ranch ta well as a horse she wants to enter in the county's $26,000 sweepstakes. Maynard and his Noo Tawk pal wend their way into her company in protecting her against a plot to cop her horsed They get Involved in some novel story plot leading up to' the race itself. There is one sequence having to do with prisoners on a chain gang for added novelty. Char, DRIFTING .Tower production and Powers' release, featuring Lois Wilson. Story - by - Doue^eis Z.. Doty. and N. Houston.. Directed by M6rrl8 R. Schlahk. Cast includes Shirley fSrey, ;Theo.. Von Bltz,- .Raymond Hatton .and. Edmund BreeBe. At the Fox, Brook<- lyn,' one > week, commencing July 29, . Run- ning time, 04 mIns. That the Tower production, orig- inally titled 'Drifting Souls,' Is at the Fox is less Indicative of the merits • of the picture than the acuteness of the prodiic't isltuation. It is the type of production more often found heading a double bill than the feature In a deluxe'oper- ation. It. lacks strength for the' .more Important spots under normal conditions, 'aiid Is .more Or' less! queistionable as a single even at thfe lower "end of the A classification, or the top 3 spots. It Is a good pro- duction in its class, but that isn't class Aj. • ■. ' There Is a fairly well-told story of a schemie to entrap a wealthy man ■ in a tough sp6t» from which he is supposedly saved by: the alibi that he was getting mafrled at the time he is supposed'to have hit a work- man while drunk driving. He mar- ries a girl who offered herself to anyone with $6,000 to pay for an operation which Will save her father's life. The man Is arrested .aind tried, but ia newspaper^ reportef A little less boyishness and exag- gerated modesty replaced by occa- sional flashes of the hard western front would help Bob Steele consldr erably. 'The Man from Hell's Edges*^ is better than Steele's aver- age, not because of the actor, how- ever, but. duo to the., fact that the story was developed with skill. ■ The . popularity of professional wrestling probably is responsible for Steele Introducing a body twirl along with fisticuffs. The struggle at grips is better than tlie blows which loudly record six In a row, and on the Chin, before the bad man tumbles. Audiences, even in thea- tres like liOew's New York, laughed at such fistic demonstrations.' The crowd Jsn't going any more for this one-man-against-an-army type of action. • But 'EJdgesV has a tricky theme. Every payee knows that Steele can't be wrong, and it looks as though the story will take the usual turn when the hero escapes from Jail and goes the deputy sheriff route. Holding up his boss, however, and passing up his girl seem to tie the story up in a knot; But all the time Steele, it is at lerigthi revealed, was Just making believe in order to get evl denc^ that ;he was innocent of a murder and holdup of a decade before. Waly. LA BONNE AVENTURE ('The Nice Adventure') (FRENCH MADE) Paris, July.14. Armada. Diamant Berger production Obso release. - Directed by Henri Diamant Berger... Scenario, by same. Music by M. lionolr. Made in Eclair Studies In Epliiay, near Paris. Recorded Tobls Klangfilm. Running time, 06 mlns. Olympla, Paris, July 12. , . , Cast: Boucot, Roland Toutaln. Jules Uoy. HieronlrouB, Blanche MonteU l<ulu Vatler, Calvl. Parleys, Another proof of how unexpect edly audiences will react They like this one and laugh a lot. / That this .wtts not anticipated is shown by the fact that the Olympla management had arranged to. have some police handy on opening day, for fear, of disturbances. Film is not an operetta, but not-a straight comedy either. Apart from the music, it is crazily unconvincing and acted in that spirit. Special music is plentifully used, and though the lyrics are meaning' less, one tune at least is catchy and is often repeated with slight altera- tions. Technically the production Is hedge podge. No close-ups, but plenty of outdooE sequences, in very long shots, with film nearly appear- ing t(i turn to a scenic at times. Direction, photo, some of which is trick work, and sound all most ir- regular; ' Sets are very good. Mostly real stuff, either open air or Riviera ho- tels. But those done In- the studio are nicely made. Story hangs on a fake seer who, through mistaken identity, orders a liiiddle-aged physical Instructor to marry, because he will soon die. In- stead of prescribing that to one of his ■ youiig frl6nds whose nilstress framed the Job. ^ The older- nian is frightened;, decides to enjoy the month he has/left to live, plunges at the races, in the market and a.h Monte Carlo, becomes wealthy, and when'he-finds he did not die at the. appointed time, proceeds to enjoy life. However, the girl he was to marry goes to his young sporting friend. Girl Is done by Blanche Montel, whose acting is as satisfactory on tlie screen OS on^the stage," She plays opposite Roland Toutaln, who as the rich young sport displays his usual antics. The physical Instruc- tor is done by Boucot, popular stage comedian,,who burlesques the part. He gets away with It and In one sequence at least, when he prepares his death bed, gets a general laugh. Balance of cast satisfactory, Rider of J>eath Valley trnlTersal prOduoUoB and releaaa; Stars Tom Hlx. Aswdata ' pioduc«r. Stanley Bergermaii, Directed liy Al RogeU. Stoir by Stanley Bergermaa «iid Jack Cunning- ham. Dialog by At BCartlB. Photography by Dan Clark. At Loewr'a Clicle, N. T., aa halt of. double btU for one dajw Banning time, '76 mln^ Tom '"'*•»"' I " I UIz. Helen ^"y"* - - -1. r- m i m , i r '' "'* Wilson tiew Grant..«iikM**M»«M«'«.>.Fred Kotaler Doc Xarrlba.M.M..«M» Forest Stanley Bill Joyce..... >i.«;..Wlllard Robinson Betty Joyce,.MMMMM«....Edith Fellowes Tony ...a......»»i.»<>agi»........... Tony Dance Hall Qlrl. ;...Hae Buacb Cltlxena: Otta Harlan. Max Ascher. Pete Morrison, .Eldmand Cobb ' Much more than the usual .atten- tion accorded westerns haa bedn given. 'Rider of Death "VaUey.* That it's not merely a plains opera fol- lowing a conventional routine pat- tern may explain the interest tJ, Tom Mix and others concerned in Its making apparently liad In seeing that it got .that attention. Westerns of recent years have be- come tiresome even to flielr large followings mostly becausij'they're all alike. Not this one, muc^ of the appeal of which Is. drawn from the stark drama of s'tarvatlon in the desert. In all, it's one of the best Tom Mix pictures to date and in it Mix turiis in a swell Job. He goes dra- matic in the desert sequences when he and companions are dying of thirst; These scenes were photo- graphed In Death Valley: in that portion of the bleak sandswept des- ert which is free of any vegetation and long has been used for stories locale of which It is the Sahara, such as Foreign Legion pictures etc. Thus, this western at least differs greatly in bacltground from the rest. Mix's horse, Tony, which prob- ably has nearly as many fan wor- shippers as Mix does, is very much in evidence. He has the biggest peurt ill his career., being called upon to sa've his. master and. the others from the desert and the buzzards. He fulfills the task admirably. And that nearly makes the picture some- thing more than a routine western, Tony taking much of the spotlight toward the last • The direction, by Al RogeU, Is clean-cut and intelligent Among the virtues 'Rider of Death Valley* possesses is its adherence to detail. The story, even to the regulation heroine, who comes from the east after her brother has been shot by a man plotting to steal his gold mine, carries conviction. Mix him- self doubtless had a hand in the making so far as sticking to exact- ness of detail'was'cohcemed. Picture has been exceptionally well cast with Fred Kohler as -a great heavy, Forrest Stanley as his partner in crime and Lola Wilson as the girl. In the flirst few reels many other characters appear, but for the second halt it's"juBt these charac- ters. Mix and Tony, that tell the tale. In the casting for the first few .reels U has chosen excellent types, including some for the purpoae of comedy. A little girl (Edith Fel lowes) is also involved In the earlier portions. " Probably for the first time a team of runaway horses looks on the level, and the gravity of being lost in the . desert without -water becomes strikingly convincing. Story is largely concerned with Mix's efforts to protect the secret of a gold mine away off. In the des- ert from two men who have killed its owner and are scheming to take It away from the dead man's sister. There's ' plenty of suspense and plenty of action, bUt with latter in telllgently restrained. Running time is 76 minutes, long for any western. Nevertheless, the Interest holds to the end, and picture In many spots should solo it rather than play as half of a double bill as here. New York la no town, for westerns, however, regardless of how well made. The exhibitor can give 'Rider of Death Valley* everything he has and It will stand by him, at the same time Increasing fan interest for Mix and his boss. ' Char, every movo .ln advance, shows the secret vault, combination^; jewels, etc., to his guests. The old bromides of a crook m&de to confess by a phoney letter, the girl taking the Jewels from the real crook, and the real crook being shot by the pal he doubliecrossed—all come out in the wash. , Glenn Tryon is shown In only a few feet of the action. Lloyd Whit- lock is the suave crook who mas- querades as the detective. He does the best Job in the cast Waly. ON OUR SELECTION (AUSTRALIAN MADE) Sydney, June 24. CInesound production released by Greater Union Theatres. Features Bert Bailey, Alfred Bevan and Fred MacDonald. Di- rected by Keii Hall; scenario from play same title by Steele Riidd. Photography by Walter Sully. Privately screened at State, Sydney. Running time, 86 mlns. Ken Hall made hiis debiit aa a talker director with this his first full-length feature for CInesound. Previously, Hall had a ;ted as editor of the CInesound. newsreel. 'On Our Selection' ('On Our lilttle Place') 1^ really corking entertainment for lo- cal audiences. It; is 100 %. Australian in atmos phere, direction and cast- Undoubt edly it is the best .thing yet turned out in an Australian studio. Every scrap of dialog is local and good for solid laughs. In other countries the picture would hardly mean a thing, but over here it should .be a sure box-office bet. Story is simple, telling of, the tribulations of a small rancher and his family. The acting la oplendid, and the exterior shots are really beautiful.. Photography, by Walter- Sully is the equal of any foreign picture presented here. . After viewing both 'The Senti- mental Bloke' and 'Selection,' it does appear as if Australian producers are setting forth to make g66d solid fare for the local market. RicK FLYING SQUAD (BRITISH MADE) lio'ndon, July 20. ' British Lion Film production and release. Directed by W. Kraomer. Sound recording, RCA Photophone system. . Carol Goodney and Harold Huth featured. Running time. 80 mlns. Reviewed Piccadilly theatre, liOndon. ' THE GORILLA SHIP, Ralph M. lilke production reletaed thconrtf Mayfa-lr. Directed by lYank Strayer. N* story credits. At Lioew'a - New Tork on* day, July "10, on double featur* prograi^ Running time, 00 minutes. Captain lArsen 4.. Ralph Inoti Mrs. Wells...Vera Reynold* Dave Burton Reed Howe* Mr. Wells «.... .Wheeler Oakmaa Dumb Sailor...4....••.James BradbutTf 3r, First Mate.........George Chesebon* Cabin Boy.......... Ben HoU WOMAN IN SCARLET Ralph ' M. Like production and May fair release. Directed by George B. Sells from story and- continuity by Norman .'Battle. At.Iioew'S M. T. one day. Running time, OO minsi Baroness Orsanl.....* Dorothy Revler Peter Lawton-Bond ..Kenneth Harlan Mandel ........Lloyd Whltlock SpufCy .Glenn Tryon Alice Lawton-Bond .Myrtle Stedman Bradley Lloyd Ingraham Hymie o........Harry Strang 'The Widow in Scarlett should serve* as another reminder to indie producers that the best sets, sound, photbgraphy, as well as some estdb- .Ilshed names of a lesser category, are Inconsequential if the story is slipshod. Add to that, in the case of 'Scarlet,' a performance by Dor- othy - Revler and Kenneth Harlan that is strained, stiff and often arti- ficial, and the reasons for 'Scarliet* being Just a little more than one of those things are apparent. . lilke the clowning magician who shows what he has in his hand aiid then asks, his audience what he has In his band, so unfolds the 'Scarlet' tticfne. ' A barones.s^ who constantly re- minds in the dialog that she is crazy, makes a bet with a couple of gentlemen that she can get the Jew- els. Then Lawton-Bond, although warned by the i>olice, who. know Adapted from play of same name by Edgar Wallace. This was one of the earlier Wallace plays arid, pro- duced at the Lyceum at popular prices, it ran over 200 performances. The story ia old-fashioned '10. 20 and 30' melodrama, tellirijs: the tale of a boy whp had. become. Involved with a gang of smugglers, and when he wanted to. go straight was bumped .otf.> His sister cornea from her art studies lii £>aris and is greeted by the leader of the gang, who narrates a story, of her brother haying been kUled by a police In- spector. She Joins the gang to re- venge herself, and falls in love with the inspector. ' The main criticism'Is the slow teiripo with which the picture pro- ceeds. Even the fights are lacka- daisical, and when the inspector wallops the villain it is not convlric- ing." The photography isn't altogether clear, and while the sets on the river front are good, there la no sepse of richness In thQ contraaUhg drawing-room scenes. The cast, though small. Is gener- ally competent but the production, as a whole, seems destined for the cheaj^er priced picture houses of England, where it should draw on the strength of the name of the late author. Jolo, NUMBER SEVENTEEN (BRITISH MADE) London, July 23. British .International picture, released through Wardour Films. Directed by Al- fred Hitchcock. In cast: Leon M. Lion, Ann Grey, Donald Caltl\op, John- Stuart, Bary Jones, Garry Marsh, Running time, 05 mlns. Previewed Hippodrome, .London, July.ltt, Written aa a' mystery play and produced by Leon M. Lion adme years ago, it took two - scenario writers and the director-to endeavor to make a talker iSut of it, Lik^ the play, the story'is vague and, despite Its intended cerleness, unconvincing. It is asking a lot of an audience— even a picture one—to make them believe a woman accomplice of a band of thieves will fall in love at first sight with a detective and pre- vent his being done in by her asso- ciates. All about a stolen necklace, con- cealed in an unoccupied house, with the crooks eiscaping and hiding in a freight train destined for the Con- tinent. They clamber from one car to another while train is in motion, which mean.s little, until it culmi- nates in the train crashing onto a ferry boat at .full speed, and is badly smashed and su'hk. This is very good, but riot sumcient to riiake It anything, but a program feature. Better than most English picture casts, with only spasmodically good photography and usual slow tempo British direction. Wonder why they can't speed up a picture over here? Even American trained directors seem to be unable to do It in this country. Maybe it's the tea. Jolo. The Gorilla Ship' is a pretty In^. slpid piece of film. Strictly second end for lesser subsequent runs wlttt the twin policy. The sooner indie producers learn' that names mean nothing on the screen when the story Is nil the quicker they will be able to turh out : pictures which will warrant a larger market - Stuff such -as In this one Juat wearies the fans and hurts the :Players.. Slipshod theme in the oft-used formula of the indie meller yam " factory when sound wasn't known. 'Gorilla' has little more than ita title. .■ Dialog has to' explain that the husband is Jealous of his pal. The shipwreck of the husband's yacht is taken care of by conversation. The'gorilla ship doesn't move, and looks like the .one Mack Sennett used years ago; Wheeler Oakman has a tough-: time to be viUainouBk while Reed Howes and Verai Reyn- olds don't seem to know why they are Supposed to be in love. Ralph Ince Just socks people around at will, and that paisses for dramatlo action, Waly, ' ' Le CoflFret de La<|ue ('Lackered Box*) (FRENCH MAD^)' >. \ Paris,'jTuiy 20. -Oceanic pro'duotlon, Halk release.' D|i^cU ed by Jean Kemm- f rom the English play. "Black Coffee." by Agata Chrelstle. Mad« In Halk studios. Paris. Recorded Photo« .tone,, At the Olympla, Paris, July. 15; ' <No star, featuring Rene Alexandre/ Mazlme Desjardlns, Maurice' Vamy, Marcel .Vlbert. Andre Laurent, Gaston'.Dupraj^ Alice Field, Daniel Darrleuz and others. - I^ilm has the unique distlrictlon of having in Its cast threei actors of the Comedie Fraricalse, 'Alexandre, Desjardlns and Varny. But Oaaton Dupray, who plays the gentlemanly idiot, steals the film completely from them and through burlesquing his part puts the audience In a re- ceptive mood which otherwise might have been, decidedly reversed, so cheaply mellerish is the screen adap^ tatlon. Film title comes from the box which contains' the poison which, aa in the atage play, is put In 'black coffee' to permit the atealing of a secret, formula from a scientist Acting all round ia. sattafactonr* though possibly due to the large In- jection of Comedie Francaise talent there is a tendericy to overact Tbia is saved by Dupray'a burlesque which brings some laughs just about when the audience would get an- noyed at the childish transparencjr of it all. Femmes are Alice Field as the reformed crook whose screen chances seem-bigger than the ataga on which she has mostly been seen so far. Also Daniele Darrieux. cur^ rently the best local juvenile bu( miscast here. Sets are okay, direction fair, photoi and sound most Irregular. JftuN^ ^ Jonny StieUt Europii ('Johnny Steala Europ^jL V (GERMAN MADE) Berlin, July 23, Ariel Film production and Deutsche Unl<i versal release. Manuscript after Werner SohefC's novel. Direction Harry piel. PitH ductlon management Joe Paatemak; Huslc^ FrHz Wennols;-photography, Ewnbid Ddub; .sound, Charles Metaln; settings, OuMaV. A. Knauer. Cast: Harry Plel, Alfred Abel, Dany Holm, Margarete Sachse, Walter Stelnbecl^ Hermann Blass, Carl Ballhaus, Charlr. Berger, Kurt LlUen, Wolfgang V. SchWin^' ' Gerhard Damann, Hans Wallner, Frits Spira, - Bruno Zlener. Running time 64 - minutes. At Tltanla Palost, Berlin, One of Harry Pell'a best pictures* A well-earned box oflQce success. . . The story : Etirdpa Is not the con< tinent, but a vffipAev mare which is to rtin the Grand: Prix at Nice, Johnny, her owner. , haunted by. creditors; succeeda after inany ex- cltirig adventures arid intrlgrues te win the Grrand Prlx^and with it » beautiful, young, ari°d, of course^ rich American girl. . ■ A true. Harry Piel ■ picture. Many* good and funny gags. Lots of thrilla and . original ideas. Besides Harry . Piel, who playfl wittily and holds' himself bach;' Dary Holm, Walter. Steinbeck, Herx mann Blass, Alfred Abel, Carl Ball- haus and others, merit favorable riientlon. Piel's direction is speedy, film ia cut well; good photography and sound.' Film answers the wishes arid ex* pectatlons of the European publloki Magnus, P. A. Parsons at Cofumbia P. A Parsons has Joined Column bla as assistant to George Brown, pubilclty : and at: manager for the company; in' New York; Parsons was the former p. and tU. chief for the old Pathc company and more recently with Fox.