Variety (Oct 1932)

Tuesday, October 18, 1932 ■ * FILM REVIEWS VARIETY 15 SMILIN' THROUGH U-G-K production and nleaM, aUrdng Vom» Sb»arer. Dlreoted t>r SIdmr Fnutk- IJn. F»atarod are Fredrlo Maroti and Ii«a- Me. Howard, Story from tha play of the same name by Jane Hurfln and Jane CqwI. . Adaptation 'by Brnest Vajda and Jamee Bernard Fatran. Camera^ Lee Oarmea. Film editor, Uargare* Booth. At the Capi- tol, Oot. 14. Rannlnr time, M nlnutea. Kathleen.. • <No(ina Shearer Kenneth Wayne, M><>><<.Predrlo Moroh John Carteret..,.,,•t>i<r>,«>liealle Howard .Or. Owen., i •••..•••••••••IK.O. P. Renfle WHUe Atuley.>••...;«,•••«I.tlUlph Forbca .'sire. Cronoh,.',.«••.<•••, Botyl Mercer Gardener ,.,r,,,...Dayld Torronco Knien...>..•«•> Marsaret Seddon .br^erly... • .,>>,,. .(Fonweter Harvey Sjilent pictures r«newed thissen- timental stage play; now talking pictures have givetf it new life aiid vitality. Presently there may be on- othec medium and the piece %U1 live again—^rlval, perhaps for gener- ations, of 'Bast Xiynne' as a stand- ard tear-compoUec. / In Interpretation, In acting and In ;the fine presentation of all Its poet- ically romantic qualities/ this new .■version Is a worthy succesBor to the . earlier transdrlptioitii first the stage' '.play^ with Jane 'Cowlr the Inartlcu- ■late^^^reen play with Norma Tal- inadge< and now with Norma Shear- er, who reveals a fine feeling for this old-fashioned but perennial ro- mantic role. - The part is away from this very modem star's vein of isbphliBtlcated -characters. The • Capitol release comes while she Is appearing: In *Strange Interlude' 4uet down Broadway at the Astor. Two J>art8 '-B0 widely apart as the Nina Leeds «£ O'NelU and Kathleen of 'Smilln' lO^hrough' make an acting t-ange that k:6mes to few actresses in a lifetime, not tO'spieak'of a week In an aa« tumn season. ' The Jiew picture's box office will take care of itself abuAdantly. It - comes opportunely spotted .among 'cycle: themes* sexy ilngle^ ' iand a ^multitude of screeii experiments, bringing a fresh and utmple emo- tional story, superlatively produced and adted^ In a satisfying mood 'of 'artftil dli^ctness, and with respect- ful deference to the original. At the Cal^ltol It started th* pre-re- lease engagement at a holdover pace, aiid it Is the kind of subject that will build, for its intrinsic ap- peal is to the woman fan of all ages. C^i here assembled will have weight at the box obce with the iiaukeii of Miss Shearer, Fredrlc J^arcta and lieslie Howard. A list of standard, names makes .iip ihia support—namejj that prob ably won't mean much on the marquee but players wnbse pres ence contribute to a thoroughly sat isfylhg performance, a performance ;ad near flawless in emotional appeal 'aa.Is attainable. .' . There can scarcely: b^ any difCer ence of opinion as to the superiority of this particularly story in picture totm over the stage presentation. .jlesources of the ..ftitudlo enrich It vasily In Its sentimental appeal Not that the producers have gone overboard on 'angles,' for the pic- ture Is singularly tree of studio flourish, whlcb they have rigorously foresworn in the interests of an art- Xully simple treatment. Dialog has ibeen skillfully remoulded into the .Idiom of the tnlnute, taking on a neat tone of bainter for thei love pas- eagres that is enormously fetching. Story is about as sentlmenttd as It could well be withput spilling over, and the literary trick ot casting the <clialog in the love scenes in the pat- ter of the day serves to emphasize !by its very nonchalance the depth of the feeling it. thus Indirectly conveys. Test of the story's grip was the behavior of this audience on the first night of the picture at the Capitol. Even though the runnnlg time exceeds the hour and a half that has come to be about the limit, some of the later passages, notably that in which the war-torn hero renounces his sweetheart, kept an audience spellbound and hushed, save for the flutter of women's handkerchiefs. The cutting has not been done as iexpertly as the other details. Many sequences are a bit overdone, for no good reason save, that of plctoflSl eftect and the episode of the tragic wedding is held a fatal instant too long. Rush. Phantom of Crestwoocl 'Radio producttoh and release; featurioil Klcardo. Cortea and Karen Horley. David O. Selznick, executive producer. Merlan C. Cooper, aaqt. producer. J. Walter Bu- cen, director. Story by Bartlett Cormack and J. Walter RiAen. Soreen play by Bartlett CorinacU. Carroll Clark, atr. IHeniy Oerrard, camera. Caiiny Cutler, sound. Jaraea Hartnett, aaaL dir. At the UCayfalr. M. T., atartlns Oct; IS. Running time, 77 mine. Jenny Wren Karen Morley Gary Curtis.. RIcardo Cortes Priam Andes H. B. Warner Fnlth Andes..'. .Paulina Frederick Walcott... , i. , .Rc4>ert McWade Mrs.--Walcott. ;....Alleen PrlnKle Maok Skeeta aallasher Dorothy Meara Mary Duncan Will Jones. Gavin Gordon Esther Wren.... Anita Louise TaU Man' ....Robert'Slliott Henry T. Herrick Ivan Simpson Carter..,..,.., Hilda Vaughn The Cat ...George E. Stone Pet* Harris ; Bam Hardy Frank Andes .Matty Kemp T)ie Boy Tom Douglas ^Ight Eyes,..'. .....Eddie Sturgls Radio's widely advertised mystery fitory, which has beei) on the air in connection with a prize contest, has been given a handsome pro- duction, offers a plot with ample motivating, carefully avoids clutch- ing hands and enlists the services of an exceptional cast. Probably it is not going to be In the heavy money in the major boxofflces, but below the deluxe cla.ssiflcation it should give good account of Itself flnanoially; and at the same time satisfy those who like the mystery type. It is good of Its class,.but it la not the type of picture the top spots can draw with. One notable production feature Is the return of the flashback in- stead of the employment of Jpng talk sequences. It Is the heaviest use of this once standard device since the talking picture came to the fore. Various members of a house party are being interrogated. As each starts to tell his story there is a blurred effect which shifts the camera to the sceni^ which is being described, and it is acted out in- stead of creating the modern horror of long scenes^tn which two or moi;;^ characters sit around and talk in- terminably. At times there is silent action with the voice of the relator reciting' the reasons' for the pic- tured action, which adds somewhat to the camera technique. From 25 to 86% of the footage is given over to this device to the betterment of the picture. Structurally the premise is well laid out. An adventuress requires one of her victims to'ehterta:in her over the week-end and at the same tiiMe dentands that three others. be Invited. At the party the four axe told that -she is dropping her ac- tivities and each Is taxed a suni supposed to be *withlh his means. This provides four substantial sus- pects when she is presently ihut-. dered. But the situation gets a trifle Improbable with the arrival of RIcardo Cortez and a gang of men with the suggestion that they are thloves, Owtez promptly undertakes the Inveatlgatlon of the murder,. quite unofllelally i&hd.not altogether con- vincingly, '.It develops that he Is a private detective seeking to recover some^lemrB from another victim, but tm audience is held in the dark for some time. The interest is well sustained and the suspense con- tinues blmost to the end, with a quick and logical solution. There are one' dr two bits which are far fetched &nd one episode is over- drawn, the haunting of the girl by the phosphOrlzed death mask of one ot her victims. Outside of this the "Btory is better motivated than the average. . Acting honors go to Pauline Frederick Who flts admirably Into her character and makes it the standout, but the bulk of the work goes to RIcardo Cortez as the de-^ teotlve' and Karen Morley- as the vamp. Cortez, plays briskly, but seldom convincingly. . The charac- ter nev^ gets human,' in spite of his efforts. Miss Morley, on the other hand, makes a competent Garboish vamp, playing with incis- ive strokes. The use of the flash- back enables her to reniain in the picture long after her murder, to the picture's beneflt. though her beat work has been done In. the earlier scenes. These three carry the story. The others merely get in as they are needed to foil. Kven H. B. Warner sinks into the back-' ground most of the time. Maitty Kemp and Mary iiouise take care of the tenuous love Interest. Photographically the picture Is excellent both for technique and de- vice, the sound is uniformly good and after a rather slow start the picture has been edited to swing along at a fast clip. 'Phantom' should be one of the best sellers in the mystery class, but questionable whether it fully lives up to ttto rather ambitious ex- pectation.. There Is a brief prolog in a broadcasting studio with Graham McNamee identifying the production wiUi the air contest. Madison Square Garden Charles R. Rogers production and Par-i amount release. Jack Oakle, Marlon Nixon. Thomas Melghan featared, Directed by Horry Joe Brown. Adapted by P. J. Wolf- son nnd Alien Rlyfcln from story by Thomns Burtls. Henry Sharp, photos. At the Rlvoll, Now York, commencing Oct, 11, Running time, 70 minutes, Kddle Burke Jack Onkle nee...... Mnrlnn Nixon Carley ; Thomas Melghan Sionne William Uoyd Plorrle .- ZaSu Pitts Roarke ,. .Lew Cody Doc Williams; William Collier. Sr, Miller.. Robert Elliott Brnssy Randall Warren Hymer Cast also includes Mushy Callahan, I.ou Magnolia. Jack Johnson, Tom Sharkey, Tod Sloan, Mike Donlln,' DlUy PapUe, Stanis- laus Zybysxko, Tom Kennedy, Spike rto1}- inson, Tammany 'X'oung,. Dnmon Runyon, Jack Lalt, Qrantland Rice, Ed. W- Smith. Westbrook Pegler, Paul Galileo, Jack ICearns, Teddy Hayea. Very much above a:verage for a prize flght picture in all depart- ments, being quickly paced enter- tainment up to and including the reverse finish; Final twist has the. boy lose the big fight, but it's none the less- satisfying since the defeat amounts-to a moral victory (the winner used loaded glovies) and brings about the reunion of the likeable leading characters. Charles R. Rogers, who produced 'Garden' for Paramount, had a head start with a superior ring yarn. He gave it a competent and interesting cast and enough proper atmosphere to square the usual plot exaggera- tions. ^Prbductionally the picture looks inexpensive as pictures , go. It ought to make money. Treating with sports activities, mostly boxing, in and around'the famous Garden, the yarn, glorifies the arena's matchmaker^ It may or may not be a coincidence that charges made against him' during the course of this story are strlk-^ ingly similar to those currently be- ing .hurled in real life at. the real Garden's niatchmaker, Jimmy John- ston. The picture's matchmaker Is accused of having retained ^ piece of a fighter whom he formerly man- aged. ' ..Around this hub the plot's spokes branch out to a love strain and a racketeer angle, both of which rest upon the basic theme. They're not dragged in without ceason. Jack Oakle delivered a honey performance as the smart aleck fighter, a^j-ole that was tailor made for him. He has the color and the manner that It called for. "There are other good bits by such stand- ard people as Marian Nixon, Thomas Melghan, William Collier, Sr., ZaSu Pitts, Lew Cody and Williara Boyd, but the sparkler of them all to many minds will be the trouplng ol Warren Hymer. Hymer is. a big dumb cluck of a wrossler and a stablemate of Oakie's under Collier's management When Collier is offered the Garden . matchmaking Job he realizes a life's ambition, but he turns It down when informed he must get rttl of his boys. Oakle, the smarter of the two muggs, frames an e^llbi and walks out on the manager. Hymer follows suit and during his share of the runout scene- ha combines pathos and domedy so shrewdly as to make this the outstanding sequence of the picture, ThO romance phase is sustained by Oakle and Marian Nixoh as the girl at the hotel telegraph desk. The reuiketeer angle is carried out by a flock of heavies headed by Boyd and Cody. 4'hey are the directors of a mob that flxies fights for betting purposes and dabbles in staging 'em as blinds for boQze transporting. They frame Oakie in the big bOut by painting his opponent's hand bandages With cement and Oakie losea. • But the hoax is discovered and the fast moving finish is a free- for-all between tlie racket gang and a bunch of old time sports celebo wlio play Garden employees in the picture. .Pi*esence of sucli old timers as Jack Johnson, Tod Sloan, Billy Papke, Stanislaus Zybyszko and others in the cast will chiefly inter- est the men. There are a few linos In the script for some sports writers also. . •Both Hymer and Oakie, while wrestling and boxing, respectively, have to stand for some , action close-ups f^nd they . look good enough to get by. In the big fight Oakie takes an unbelievable beating from the coment-fllled niltts of Mushy Callahan, another ex-pug in the cast, and stands on his feet at the end. Technically that's pretty far-fetched, as ia the fact that Cal- lahan's hands stay intact, but these faults are easily overlooked. There's enough action at all times to cover such deflcionciey. Numerous scenes are long shots taken at the real Garden. They're neatly shufOed in with the studio stuff and do a lot toward establish- ing authentic sports a:tmosphere. In audience appeal 'Garden' ^ will attract mostly masculine trade and attention, but there is no reason why the action and all round enter- tainment qualities of the picture, besides a lovs story that everyone will understand, should make this entry a talker of general Interest. That should take in a satisfactory number of women and about nny kid who sees it. Bige. Le Billet de Logement : ('Billetino Order') (FRENCH MADE) Paris, Oct. Synohro-Clne production. Distributed by Gaumont Aubert. Directed by C.'F. Ta- vano. Starring Andre Berley. Jeanne Hel- bllng, Arlelle, and others. Running time, OO mins. Gaumont Palace, .Oct. 4. Stage play of many years ago was a distinct hit. and very •high' in flavor, capital scene taking place In a brothel. Toning down for the scredn, and substituting for the Joint the house of the lady who hostesses a few beauties, practically kills the play. Bad continuity, dir rection, cutting and tempo flnlsh it. Only a few situations and bits of dialog reclaim it somewhat. Act- ing is generally good aU round, especially by Andre Berley, Jeanne Helbling and Arlelle. Story shows a. very Quakerish captain during army maneuvers, at- templng to avoid being billeted with a seductive widow. He ex- changes his billeting order with a subaltern, to find that he goes to a brothel Instead. Subaltern himself marries the niece of the widow. Well-known title and a vogue for military stories which Natan's 'Galetes de I'Bscadron' is currently booming, will he!lp the bookings In the provinces. If***. ONE WAY PASSAGE 'Wnrner Bros, production and release. Directed by Tay Garnctt. Based on story I y Robert [.ord. .with adaptation and dia- log by Wilson MIzner and Joseph. Jackson. Vllm editor. Ralph Dawson. Co-a^ara Wil- . Uom Powell ■ and Kay Francis. . Photog- raphy by Robert Kurble. Bob Fellows, as- Eilstant director. At Strand, N. T., for week stnrtlng Thursday night, Oct. 13. Running time, C7 mIns. Dnn Hanlesty ...William Powell Joon Amos , .Ka>- Francis Sklppy•. • .Prank McHugh Detty. Aline MncMnhon Steve Durke.. .Warren Hymer Doctor. ;.... .Frederick Burton Sir Harold. Douglos Gcrrnrd Steward. .Herbert Mundln PASSIONNEMENT (FRENCH MADE) (With Songs) . Parle. Oct. 2. Paramount production and release. Di- rected by Rene Quissart. From the musi- cal comedy by Maurice Hennequin and Al- bert Willeraeta, Music by Messager. Re- corded Western Electric. Paramount, Paris, Sept, 20. • Robert Perceval Femand' Qravey Ketty ;.,.ITIarelle Le Barrios Baron Fila The Commandant..Urban Helen Le Batrlas., '..Danielle Bregis Julia .Davla Augusta .Carrette U. Stevenson Koval A comedy with operatic sequences, and amusing until the very last se- quence, which > mokes the whole thing appear like publicity for the French wine merchants' syndicate. Story shows an American'millioh- alre arriving on the Riviera In his yacht with his wife to try and gyp a Frenchman who owns some land in America. To avoid the husband's jealousy, the wife must wear a white wig and goggles, but some- how the Frenchman gets wise to it and seduces her; but the French wines have such a kindly effect on the American millionaire that he gives his wife a. divorce, so she can marry her lover. •. Then corner the last sequence, looking like. a - real ad, showing a French map with names of the places wh^re different wines grow, and more fit for an educatlonal plUg Uian a feature. Cast is locally impressive, with Florelle doing vef'y well lier double part. She just got some extra ad- vertising from having a motor acci- dent, and starring in the next Folies Bergere revue. Her maid is done very , nicely by Davla. Danielle Bre- gis, who once tried Broadway, has only a small bit. All men are excel- lent. Direction is fair, but continu- ity has been made to Include many songs in which principals break in and out of time, with music rather too subtle for the screen,. Fair en- tertainment, and names sure to mean b. o. anywhere in French ter- ritory. Maxi. Not a big boxofflce picture, but generally worthy entertainment largely through its laughs and novel situations. It will do average or a little better than average busi- ness, teaming of Bill Powell and Kay Francis aiding at the boxofflce. A striking front oh the engage- ment at this theatre, plus a small bar inside at which free drinks are served, wlii attract attention. Whole idea of the front Is that of a ship, with a ship's bell huniST over the boxofflce which a uniformed' at- tendant keeps ringing. It's an effective front in the. face of the restrictions recently imposed by the New York authorities on theatre managers. 'One Way Passage' starts In Hongkong and ends in Cailehtc, 95% of the action occurring oh the boat between China and Son Fran- cisco. The picture never lags, yet it never intrenches Itself as strong romance. Nor does it arouse much more than passing sympathy for the plight o£ Powell, who's being taken pack to San Quentln to awa:it tiie hangman's noose. Before leaving Hongkonjg he meets up with the girl (Kay Fran- cis) who falls for him a little stronger than seems plausible under the circumstances. In their, first encounter as strangers, Miss Fran- cis particularly overplays On the love interest side, later also «eem- Inig to carry her interest In Powell a little too far. While the story holds Its audience in plot it offers nothing very un- usual. It carries no suspense aside from odds that Powell will ntver reach San Quentln. Tay Garnett. who directed, has done much to lift a not impressive story to an entertainment level which thoroughly pleases, . Shorn of that direction and,the comedy touches, 'One' Way Passage' would have had difficulty boldlhg up a week onywhere. 'The casting from Powell aiid Miss Francis down is excellent. Three supporting as- signments ore carried off extremely well by Frank McHugh, as a drunk and thief; Arline MacMahon, phoney Countess and Warren I'"- mer, 'Frisco, cop. . Manner in . which McHugh i Miss MacMah6n contrive to up^^t the well-laid plans of the 'Frisco cop In holding Powell as his pris- oner is the basis for most of the comedy. In spots It approaches, slickness. Picture can stand strong adver- tising and exploitation by the the- atre playing It. That it's the second from WB with Powell and; Itflss Francis .as a team mi&y help, ais the press book suggests. Chan The Woman Angle 'Rain' (UA). Glamorous propaganda on the screen advent of Sadie Thompson intrigues all fanettes who pride themselves on being well- informed picture patrons. Joan Crawford's stardom creates interest in a, wordy, labored/version of the stage play; the play's elemental doctrine and her own prestige save Miss Crawford from the ridicule that might otherwise greet superflciaMnterpretation. and ghoulish make- up, assumed in lieu of the customarily chic Crawford wardrobe. ;'One Way Passage' (WB); Romance threading its way through a grouii of tony confidence workers oh a trans-Pacific liner. A fascina- ting theme devitalized by the colorless performance of Its leads, and a vague, unsatlsfacitOry ending. >Smilin' Through' (MGM). Real characters living a romantic fantasy that sweeps across the years with a tender, beguiling love story. Theme, cast and treatment will appeal to fanettes of all ages. 13 WOMEN RKO-RadIo' production and release. .Irene Dunne ond RIcardo Cortez featured. Di- rected by George Archdinbaud. Adapted by Bartlett Cormack from Tlltany Thoyor's novel. .Leo Tover, photog.. At the P.oxy, New York, week of Oct. 14. Running time, 50 minutes. _. . « , Sergeant CUfe RIcardo Cortc;: . I,aura Irene Danne Ursula • ■ Myrna I,.oy Jo .Jill Bumond Grace. Plorenco KIdrcdge Helen....' • • • .Kay Johnron Mary Juplle . Haydon May Harriot Hagman June Mary Duncan Hazel Peg ISntwfcy.Ue Xon , i. .Elslo Proasott Bobby. -Wally Albright Swamt ■...C. Henry Cordon Burns ........13d Pawley Teacher .Blanche Predcrici 'Madison Square Garden' (Par). The excitement that lures women to the ringside will draw the. sainei minority group to a fllm that contains all the characterful sidelights of prize flghtlng. Though far from uni- versal In appeal and only vaguely devoted to romance, Its well contrived sympathy/amusing characterization and suspenseful climax are an agreeable change from sophisticated drawing room drama. '13 Women' (RKO). Bogus astrological predictions hoping, through the power of sugge^stlon, to wreak the vengeance of one of the most in- credible viUainesses in picture history. Feminine interest in occult dem- onstrations cannot overcome the boredom that settles about crude and fantastic development. 'The Big Broadcaaf (Par). Radio listeners, particularly those in towns off the personal appearance route, will embrace this opportunity to make the acquaintance of ether favorites. For this novel privilege fanettes will tolerate unbelievably befuddled production that forces attractive Bihg Crosby to give a sorry account of himself. Tiffany Thayer's *13 Women' in novel form gave this talker a bettor than average break on advance ex- ploitation. Ordinarily that would be a help, but it doesn't look as though the fllm version is of suffldent merit to cash in. Between covers it was fast light reading, thanks to the writing, but on celluloid it deterio- rates into an unreasonably far- fetched wholesale butcher shop drama which no amount of good acting could save. The picture version's half caste and completely cracked young East Indian lady Who nurses a grudge for childhood slights and engineers re- venge by death and other w.lse through the uise of force and the power of suggestion, is little more than bait for facetious audience snickers. Her plot is to methodically dispose of 12 women who,'as school girls, had slighted her for her color. As each victim succumbs the plot Is thrown for another loss. The girl's motive might have, passed as fairly plausible, but the details are on a scale of exaggeration beyohd all reason. M.vrna Loy, constantly under the handicap ot being an unbelievable o-^r.-QTi, mo.Uea the best of the killer .ole. She lo6!:s -ind acts the part, (Continued on page 19)