Variety (Nov 1932)

VARIETY W IL M REVIEWS Tncsday, Ndvembier 22; 1932 LAUREL and HARDY *Th9 Music Box' Comedy 16 Mina. Capitol, N. y. Motro Lees than averioge subject for this 'PLANE DUMB* Cartoon 8 Mina. Camob, Now York Radio . One of those Tom and Jerry series that carries no particular prdgi'am comedy pair, who depend upon sock, 'but rates as good ■enough house wrecking for thislr laughs in- screen interlude for the medluin; stead of upon the laughs within the class houses and lesser spots. The situations themselves. Any pair of synchronization Is okay aind con- clowns can make haw-haiwa out of tains .some vocalizing beatdea the roTighhouse; this pair have reached I usual bone rattling episodes of distinction by reason of a comic quality within themselves. Besor skeleton figures. ^ Trick title apparently comes from to house wrecking argues lack of I the fact that Tom and JFerry stturt": resource in the 'script' department. This time the pair are piano mov- ers delivering: an instrument oh a out making an air flight to ATrioa, Something happens and they land in the sea and then bounce into the truck to a suburban residence that jungles, the caves and for«BtB of turns out to be at the top of a long l^fri(^ amid mildly humorous pei flight -of steps. When, thiey get the piano up, nobody is home, bo they rig up tackle and put the piano through, the open second-floor win- dow, and on down the stairs to the parlor, of course damaging them- selves and each other in the process, and tearing the house apart and ink gjrratiOns. ■Shan, MAGIC CARPET SERIES 'MICKEY IN ARABIA' Cartoon; 8 Mina, Roxy, N. Y.^ Columbia •Arabia'is an outstanding Mouser. In the end the than of the houije I ij^hgr^ {g mOre action penned into >TMUI.ni. furtlA out to be a musician. I ^vU^ ^t^\.*- ■^t*t%*oa> mnrfti nf M1<>1r<>V appears, tumB out^to be a musician, [ ^l^l^ eight minutes' worth of Mickey ^jjj^jj two average cartoons. ^ , Caimel characterization is the big by his wife unknow:n to him for a iaugij;.getter, the beast stewing up gift. Finish is only so-so and the at the start and from then subjwrt doesn't hold up pace^fpr_Jts | using bis humps instead pf hoofs to locomote. Mick and bia gal get mixed up in I a harem and from then on dodge speara and swords. Waly. 15 minutes. Rvsh. 'SNOW BIRDS' Sporta 9 Mina. Nwrt York, New York ■. Motro Pete Smith and his offscreen leo- turlng: do much to make this piece attractive. Surprising thing Is how .Metro Or: even Fox has overlooked 'COURTING TROUBLE' I Comedy ' .. . 17 Mina. Rialto, N. Y. . Paramount 'Mack Sennett twln-reeler, with Pete for their cotnblned newsreel I Chairlie Murray pi'oniinent in cast, chatter stuff. Smith is more' than Paramount released, half: of the entertainment value of- One of those 'Charley's Aunt' the ctUT^t Biiort, even It he. Isn't scripts with-Murray, as the chasing seen. I husband, sentenced to don woman's Has. to do with winter sports, clothes and keep house for a month, such . as skiing, bob sledding, and L^ife and mother-in-law compUca- skating.: Some trick shots and slow tlons. Has a modicum of fair laffs. A one-to-flll; strong. but KID FROM SPAIN motion stuff are utilized. Photog- hLesUe PeiBurce directed; rapby is good all the way,' and the piece ought to make the lietter prb- gramd anywhere. Smith brings in the laughs.wffh hiB chattdrj' '.After opening with an'orange tiee scene- in California, the subject switches immediately to the moun- tain tops, whei^ Gi^ck sledders and skii^rs are Bhown in action; For a I laqgh in the film an amateur camera hound is -inserted lii the action catching the eportsihen in ^Ight. Bhan. not overly Alel. (With Songs) Samuel GoWwyn production, anfl V. A.- >lease atarrlns Eddie Cantor. I-yila RolierU featured. Directed by I*o Mc- Carey. Story by 'Win. Anthony McGvyre, Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby; boobb by Kalmar ?ind Ruby,: Donees stased Iw Busby Berkeley: art dlreotloh, Richard Day; musical direction, Alfred Newman; camera, Gregs Toland; costumes, Mllo An- derson. Running time 118 n>ln"te«' Ing Nov. 17 at RKO Palace, N. Y., at T-f-20 as & road Bbonr. ■ „ Eddie. ...;..... ; -Eddie Cantop Rosalie. -i^y?* Rlcardo.« ^^^^.J'iS^S AMlta. ..........> Rnth Hall . .John . Mlljan 'FlREHOUSE HONEYMOON With Hvry Sweet . ' ^ Comedy t$Mins. Ciimeo, .New York ' -t' ^. '. _i.. .. I «kncno. *• •"'i',"'**; Not a particular novel slice of Aionzo aomes...V '•••••i?"*^ 5*?t comedy and gOofy in spots, but tractive enough to make the second- c^wiord..........Robert Bmm^,<>c^^.-^S ary house programs, It's about a SonzaiV8V.\V.V.V.V:::.\V..V..\ J^^^^ bride and. bridegroom who land ln I Daimor&s......... Julian Rivero Niagara with the hotels full up on Marth* Oliver Tieresa Maxwell Cwioyep account of conventions, and an old 15!^ Areman friend of tho bride Invites sidne:^'FranwVn*!!"!!'^.'.sid^^^ rrankiin the pair to bunk In the flrehouse. ' From that point the action Is ob- vious but not too slapatlcky. Pho tograiphy rates okay, with tho finish The Gbldwyn-Cantor 'Kid from Spain' is not a $2. picture. It's a .. . .swell flicker, and as such, in the showing the fireman washing out I grinds—big keys and subsequents— the.,the newly married couple, who it'll get a lot of money. But it's not are caught in a fire-alarm Jam after I two bucks' worth. the pair finally found a quiet spot { to sleep, Bhan. 'MISSISSIPPI SHOWBOATS' 10 Mina. Embaaay, N. Y. Fox Movietone Carpet gets aboard one river boat, visiting everything from, the engine room to the ship's theatre and pilot house. Actloii, drags,, however. Too much footage la devoted to a play by the boat troupe. It would have been more complete had the camera turned more frequently on the audi- ence for a character study of its reaction. Waly, BETTY BOOP'S KER-CHOO , Animated Cartoon 6 Mina. RlaHto, N. Y. Paramount Another in the Max Fleischer series, animated this time by -Sey- moui« Kneltel and Bernard Wolf, and having to do with Betty Boop's speedway exploits. . 'Code in the Node' is the song Ifinatire ReYiews theme, as she ker-choos all oyer the defy translation. Cantor seemingly knew that, as witness this little conversation in the Palace theatre foyer. Just be- fore the curtain, between the star and Al lilchtman, the gen; mgr. of United ArtistB, which will evehtu ally dlstrib the 'Kid.' (For the new Palace policy, for a run, Qoldwyn is road showing it as an individual venture apart from t7A). Al: Tm second to yoU, BSddie,' In the number of tickets bought.' Eddie: ''Well, you'U be It wOrae second when my wife gets In and I have to get tickets for my father In-law's lodge. Biit speaking of tickets, Al, I'd bo happier if this were in the Rivoll at 76c. Believe me! A guy making a small salary must give up 10% of his income to see me in a picture^ That's too tough nowadays, Al.' And that about tells everything, The 'Kid' is said to have bit the (1,000,000 mark on its production budget. That's a lot of bucks to get back. &ut it has In its favor strong International appeal which win extend the market without lln guistic restrictions, although there are certain Americanese lines which motor track, this resulting ultimate- ly in her winning the race. Bright nonsense up to the usual 'Boop' par. Al>ej. 'BABES IN THE WOODS' Colored Walt Dianejr Sifly Symphony 6 Mins. RKO Palace, N. Y. Uniited Artiata A charming short in color of the 'Walt Disney Silly Syzriph series. The Technicolor is one of the best color jobs of its kind and the Dis- ney artla^ and conception are ex- cellent. / It waJ^enthusllUitlcaJly received at the Falaceb 4^eh Still, there's so much room for cutting that 118 minutes that should shape up even better. In truth, for the subsequents, 'Kid' will have to be axed considerably, and it'll be greatly for the better. Sub-billed with Lyda Robertl are the Goldwyn Girls, a galaxy lookers that require no lines other thdn their own physical ones for international comprehension. This glorified girl show In celluloid' will be not tho least of the film's assets They are tastefully presented in the now familiar school of Berke ley choreography which is bullish on the overhead G«iD«ra«hotfl. T4iere'-s a nice variation of this from the opening, with the formations done 'The Kid from Spam' (UA). QoMwyn ppod«iOUon -Btarathg Bddie Cantor lit a coi1t4nK''eom- edy; swell as aa evening^ en- tertainment, hat not at $2. Will do plenty oke otherwise in the. big league spots. Has ■comedy, action, romance and l>eai!i- coup lookers, 'Moat Dangeroua Game' (Badio). Futllo stab at horror • film classtflcMion, ine««otlve aa entertlnment. and mlnuis caist names to compensate. 'Kongo' 'fMetro). Walter Huston In talkerlzatlon of for- mer stage play he create^. Velez, Nagel, Bruce, others In cast. Horror and troi>lcal stuff 4!ombfoed. XTaiaipressive and unconvincing. Chiefly for Uie -dally ^ndiB. Tom of the Storm Country^ XFox). Strictly deipendent on the QaynorrFarrell fans. *The Cenqtwrora* XRadlo). Historical treaitfldOnt ■of great Americaa imnics done alter the 'Cimmaron*. Hianner, •hut lacking the epic quality <jf «hat stalwart drama. Richard Dlx and Ann Harding make It as good ias a dep r es si on story^can be, which isn't, much box ofr flee. 'Woman In Chain*' (Asso- cited). Brltliih -quota, produc-- tion. Can Bto|> a bookinjg gap, but no . name draw. fYou Said a Mouthful' (Joe Brown-FN). Fair money pic- ture and this comedian's near- est approach to his local Boy.' (Comedy more restrained and more legitimate, and conse- quently funWer, Well sus- tained laugh releass. 'Faithleaa' (Metro?; Anotber of those dramas based on for- tunes and lives wrecked by the Depression. 'Why do they do it? Pumped up effort for, tear Jerking and falls flat.. For the tall-endero. A jBankhead- Montgomery. ♦That's My Boy' (Col). For the general market away from the bigger first runs. Pleasing entertainment, but in need of a atroner campaign to build it. Football matter, much of it legit, a selling angle. 'Girl From Calgiry' (Chad- wiCk). Fifi D'Olrsay h.uried. In a poor scenario, long, color sequence of the Calgary Stampede wdn't help any. Can Just about scrape over in the cheaper houses. 'Breach of Promise' (World Wide); Chester Morris and Ma« Clarke miscast in a stoiry of small town life. Most Dangerous Game Radio Plcturea releaae produced by Her- lab 0. Cooper and Bmeat B. Schoedsaok. Directed by Sohoedsaok and. Irving Flchel, Joel McCrea featured-. Adapated by Jamea A, Creelman from story by Richard Con- n«U Henry Oerrard, photog. At the Far* amount. New Tork, -week of Nov. 18. Run- ning time, 61 minutes. - Bob Ralnsford. •. .Joel. McCrea Ehre Trowbridge Fay Wray Count Zarofr......:.........;.XesIle Banhq I^artln Trowbridge..i..^.Robert Armstrong Tartar Servants— Steve' Clemento, Noble Johnson in a swimming pool instead of on. a daiice floor. Doing it aquatlcally is a new wrinkle although in the later cafe scenes they are ^gain utilized In the more conventional manner.. Picture has everything for the popular gate. There's romance, action and comedy—what, more is to be desired for an evenings en- tertainment? It moves fast, start- ing with Cantor's and his Mexican playmate's (Robert Young) expul- sion from college—^the co-eds are thus Introduced pronto—and the un- witting mlxup In a bank robbery which forces Cantor across the bor- der as aa Innocent fugitive from America. To dodge the cops he becomes Don Sebastian II, scion of a fa- mous bullfighting family, and his complications hetwejen Jealous sen - ors and the ferocious hull make for corking^ tomfootoy. Toung and Ruth Hall distinguish themselves In the more legit roman- tic elements and Lyda Robertl is at her hoydehish best opposite Can- tor for the love stuff. .The rest are excellent In relatively unimportant support. Among them is Sidney Franklin as the toreador. John Miljan is also an outstainder ais the heavy. The bullfight scene climaxes the funning, being properly pitched for a riotous top-off. The isongs are well-fltted to Can tor although they're hot ^rticularly 'commercial'as pop songs go. How- ever, from the Goldwyn Standpoint, they suit the star's antics and if they should happen to click as pop ular sellers that's okay too, but not essential. The picture is all Cantor's. Al most every scene, save the opening co-ed stuff, has Cantor in it and, to biB credit, he .indro than nun taliis the tempo. 'Kid from Spain' is one of t)ic year's stronger pix, but. Hot slronf,' enough to last long at the $2 gait, although it'll probably serve its pri- mary purpose of an auaplcloun sender-offer for the Colntor film. After all, a |2 picture these days most aJeo be considered in' direct ratio to tho proposition an to how many p«ot>le have fl. AteJ. Fantastic would-be thriller whose efforts at horrifying are not very effective. It's not so much that the cycle has passed, but that 'Most Dangerous Gaine' is lacking in that which superior picturoa of this type possessed. Names strength is misB"^ ing also, which makes the box office chances doubly doubiiul. A crazy Russian count who de- rives move pleasure from hunting human beings than lions and tigers since a wild bull kicked him in the head, is this one's baby-scaring Frankenstein. He operates alone on a deserted tropical Isle, using ship- wreck victims for game. False channel lights that steer vessels upon I'bcks insure the count'a good .supply of customerb. When he gets 'em he fattens 'eni up. The routine then is to send them-out oh the jungle-like Isle with a few hours' start. Count stalks them with his trusty bow and arrow. A sporting guy at heart, he agrees to let them" go free if they're not found and killed by . sunup, but up to the arrival of Joel McCrea on this isle of crazy notions, the count hasn't had a losing night.. It's a.foregone cinch all'the way that McCrea, as a big ga;me hunter on his way to India when tossed into the count's triap, will hand the man hunter a trimming.- * It looks,for a moment lilte the count wins this one;' too, when Mc- Crea goes over the waterfall with a hunting dog at his throat;. But he shows up at the house, appar ently no woi-se for the soaking, Uayoes the count and a flock of equally batty servants and makes off with the girl friend, Fay Wray —free. Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B, Schoedsack, the producers, liave heretofore specialized in animal films with a more qr less natural background. This time they stick mostly to the studio, and although the swamp and Jungle settings serve, considering the Hmitations, they're frequently obviously phoney. Leslie Banks, as the crack count, grabs everything worth grabbing among,performances honors. Miss Wray has no opportunity to be any thing but decorative. With Mc Crea and Robert Armstrong mis- casting is evident. Mc.Crea, who al ways looks better in strictly roman tic themes, is too cool amidst all the excitement. He never acts like a man whose two jumps ahead of an arrow or a bullet propelled by maniac, while the branches that tear his clothes during the chase do a better job than a tailor. Armstrong plays a booze guzzling simpleton and never looks at home. For his photography Henry Gar rard rates a big nod, despite that his efforts were wasted. Bige. KONGO Ifetro production and rvleaae, Wnlte* Huston, lAipe 'Veles, Conrad Nagel and Vfav glnla Bruce featured. Directed by William Cowen. From the play by Cheater d« Vonde and Xllboum .Gordon; screen play by liSon Gordoo. Camera, Harold Rossoii; Dim editor, Conrad- A. Nervlg. Runnlns time 86 minutes; at tiie Rialto,* N. Y.; «oiti« menclntr Nov. 16. ^Fllnt .'• .Walter Hustqa Tula ; Lupe Veles Klngeland..,.. i .Xlonrad Nagpi Ann .Virginia Bruce Gregg. C.Henry Gordon Hogan «............... vMltchell LevMla Cookie. Forron'er Harv6y Fussy.. .Curtis Neh> Another of those tropical, horror Alms, made more so by unnecessary 'gruesomeness and general lack of sympathy, Considering the lateness of both the tropical and horror stuff, this picture, as has already been , preyed by prior release in the ou,t|- . lying keys; misses completely for the ace houses. A Metro film, it w«iii kept but of Loew's Broadway de'- luxer. the Capitol, and SQotted inj^ the Riajltd as a stop-gap pntll Par*s. own 'Sign of the Cross.' ■ i; ,[ 'Kongo' is recreated for the. tallc- ers by Walter Huston who was fea- tured in -the original stage Version ■ more than, six years ago. It's the same story although ao- centuated for the screen, and made the more rldic as a result. There's Liipe 'Volez as the deformed trader's -.' 'wom^nP; .'Virginia Bruce, the sup- posed taughter, whom Huston de- grades, after being carefully shelt- : ered nr til maturity; Conrad Nagel as the dojfke-maddened medico who finds physical salvation at the will of Flint (Huston), the trader, who acts .'for a selfish reason of possible self-rehabilitation, physically; and C. Hepi'y. Gordon as the lifelong arch-enemy, who discloises that the girl whom Flint sent from a convent . to a Congo 'house,' is his (Flint's) own daughter, and that his warped plan of revenge has gone astray-^ she is hot Gregg's (Gordon) dalugh^i ter whom Huston abused so nefai> lously as a means for bitter vent- geance. Huston is shown with a Karloft makeup as the crippled tyrant who rules the natives with Voodoo bun- combe, his chief protection for a radius of ni'any miles, sg; tjl^at; iQJI the ivory in that Congo,' stsclpr J0 hijacked for his own personal gain. The general bitterness of' this thesis of hate and revenge ^.{tlmp^t wholly ..nullifies its enteijtai'nment value. And while it has its g>>lpping moments of tense drama, there" lis much that is ridiculous, recurring every so. of ten to the general detri- ment- of the sum total. Huston's histrionic, assignment must nec- essarily be . tense aiid dominating! with the result it reflects negatively so far as the rest of the support .itf "~ concerned. So much so that one can hardly y work up any sympathy for the others. Nagel tries hard to keep his dlfllcult assignment lucid and bal" anced, but it becomes silly. Samel * goes for .■Virginia Bruce as the vic- tim of this hatred between hei* pseudo and her actual father. Lupo Velez has. little opportunity. .- The rest on a same par. Not for fast company. A dalW changer. The Woman ^s Anglie 'Air Mail' (U). Heroism of the. couriers of the air portrayed by an attractive but box-ofllceless cast, led by appealingly hard-boiled Fat O'Brien. An action drama whose title, disasters and stoic self-sacrifice are not aimed at the feminine audience. 'Kongo' (MGM), Vengeance wallowing through the mire of the Kongtii and a series of revolting, unwholesome sequences. Contains no mitigate ing feature for the ladies. 'The Conquerors' (RKO-Radio). Cheated of greatness by the. hokuqi flag-waving that motivates its hasty conclusion, an epic of American development stirred by genuine national pride. Fanettes feel deep fond- ness for the characters whose intimate Joys and sorrows reflect largei' events in the history of three generations of Americans. .' ' 'The Most Dangerous Game' (RKO-Radio). A suspenseful horror-film that depends on its ability to validate a psychopathic villain who lUsts to stalk and kill his brother men. Though, charged with sympathy foir Its attractive victims, plot Is too fantastic and unpleasant to. count oh strong feminine support. 'The Kid From-Spain' (UA). A lavish musical whose uneven produc- tion, ineffectual love interest and lack of memorable tunes placie a mighty burden on liic slight but heroic choulders of Eddie Cantor. A thin plot, containing no Bigniflcant lure for the matinee trade, benefits appreciably by the wistful Impishness of one of the few gag comedians capable of enpnging genuine feminine sympathy. 'Faithless' (MGM). A cold-hearted millionairess, catapulted into de- classe, splondoi, then into hardship and poverty, finds that true lov.e may be bought with eelf-sacrlfice and will thrive on a 'family budRot of ?60 a weok. An audicncc-wiso thcnie that invites tender devclopiv.-: .it, has been chllU'd by supcrflci.il treatment, a pleasing but half-hearted pcr^ formance by .Robert Mont/Tomery and Tallulah Bankhead's inability td command .<<ympathetic respon.«!e. 'Tos» of tho Storm Country' (Fox), Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, adrift in the unrelieved shadows of old fashioned melodrama, unable to translate their box-office charm into solid entertainment. Older fanettes will delight in Miss Gaynor's selfless devotion to the needy ond dlHtrcsBod, but the younger element will classify her film as a dls* appointment—sweet, slow and humorless.