Variety (Sep 1933)

Tuesday, September 26, 1933 FILM REVIEWS VARIETY f 15 Talking Shorts SCREEN SNAPSHOTS Star Novelty 9 Mins. Tran^fux, N. Y. Columbia For a.- charige this .Snapshot gets a little away .frdm regulatloni with the S. IrieporterV vacatlohiher on .a. tiarm and .answering Inquiries'of a fan as to this an^d ..that, wi^h film cutting to ^yhat he'is talking about. '■ Pola gjinliE!^ with stars participat-, Ing, bridge game, Mary: Plckford in connection with a t)arade, the T'our . .Marxes putting their footprints into J the Chinese theiatre's concrete, and a strong mah doing, his stuff, figure.. Every now and tKeii, the film .^juts back to the farm-.vacationing m.c.': Latter provides a liaugh-finish, top-? ping the . strong man sequence by -walkinjg up^ ^to a bull, takinis it. by the tail and* by trick photography'; .tossing it into the air; Char. $20;t)06,O0O CAN'T BE WRONG With Smith and'Dale Cdmedy 18 JVIins. Translux, N- Y.. Coiiimbiia Hokey Snlith and Dale Item that draws the laughs . .by ■ the usual.' Smith and. Daiie methods, with the aid of a .few g'ags that" Mrould be tunny . ih;. anyone's hands. Peffett comedy relief for the shorts end. of bills. ••. Smith and Dale. are. bankers* One is making an address .before the board, attended by only two, arid the other a^le.ejp. .-The napping member" goes into a dream and short Cuts to a plan of how to lose money fast and " thus, -irii reverse ■ English; be successful. Diflflculties bankers have in losihjgr money fqrins " th(? screwy , backgrouitd; ' -" A bit is provided by a panhandler that's very funny whllfe it lasts.: Jo- seph Santley directed. Char. GOOFYtONE NEWSREEt 8 Mins; Criterion, N. Y» Universal Several photographic clips, par^ Qdying newsreel freaksi but . top much alike in treatment for the best results, though it was received with much favor here by the first nlgtit- •ers' ■ Standout is a parody of a Euro- peatiL chancellor telling why .b6 can't pav the debt to Ainerica that is a "wow.. Idea ls capable of expansion, but variety Is needed it It is to avoid sameness; Chic. .. *H0T FROM PETROGRAD' Dave ApQllon and 'Band. 10 Mins. Strand, N. Y. Vitaphone No, 1&47 Nothing more than Dave Apollori aCnd his band in a productional set- ting. Opens with, the Riiss leading his , band In the steerage while the icabin passengers look oh. One rer marks he must hire him for his nite club, so the next; flash shows him In the .night club,, where he runs through most of his act,. including Norah WillliarilS. Picturesquely done and well photographed and recorded, but just a; band in spite of the billing. Vhic. CLARK and McCULLOUGH ^The Gay Nineties' Comedy. ' 18 Mi lis. Mayfair, N. Y. RKO Succeeds fairly well in Stirring laughs even if the mateirlal pirovlded Clark arid '. McCuHough break noi records for originality -pr punch. Largely the interpretation of the material by Clark arid McCullpugh, plus their regulation comicalities, .th?tt makes subject worthwhile. Action is laid in a hotel, head-^ CLuarters ■. of $i political carhpaigh; Only connection with the title, 'The Gay. Nineties,' is in the costumes and dress,^ ' James Flnlayspn. . and Dorothy Grainger in supporting cast. Direc- tion by Mark Saridrich. ' Char. WALTER DONALDSON With Betty Keane and the Fitzgib- bohs Songs lOMihs. Strand, N. Y. Vitaphone No. 1548 Another of- those Vltaphorie exr ploitatioris of coniposeirs, with plen- ty Of tuneful; bits which- "are inter-, preted by a dancing team> a quartet and a pair of singers. Quartet, is the jRevelers. . ^ Opens, on a steamer deck with DonaUlson in a chair .and the other passengers gazing on him with awe. Breaks' to: the inuSical sequence with duo and solo dancing,, not par- ticularly well done, but the popu- larity Vof the numbers saveS: the effect. Pleasant enough 10 minutes. Chic. Thunder Over Mexico (Mexican Made) (SILENT) Proiucod by a syndicate headed by Upr ton Sinclair tni distributed by l>rlncipal Pictu'rea. Directed' by Sergei Elsensteln, with an entire native cast. ' Musical score- by HURO Riesenteld. At this Rlalto, N. T.", week Sept. $2. ^Running time^.OO minutes.. "there have been, are yet, iso many argunients revblvlrig aDQut this him, plus any numoer ot. right, .and wrong storied .connected •with , it, it might be best-to classify it right off the bat. Tlie picture/ as. is, will not get to first base, either as a critic's picture, or In straight box-office parlance. There arie many fine things about the film, so that it does deserve pretty complete analysis. When Eisenstein started the pic- ture he Intended calling it 'Que Viva Mejico' and he wanted it to be a case-book of Mexican life, and history. He made about,. 220,000 feet of film. What he would have done^ with it all, had he. been ,al-. lowed to, is a moot question.. He Was .-^riot allowed to. .After 220,000 ie&t Upton Sinclair,- with his. last Tilckel in the venture and his home mortgaged, lost soriie of/hl^ literary •.Red ari4 Went a completely physical red. He sent the Russian packing and t.rreii to collect,the. filni on his •".ciwn. '. . , ■' Sinclair deserves all-the syrnpathy • arid understanding in the World. He was. in , a tough spot: But, ■un- ,fprtunately, he .hasn't helped his condiFiori any. It took a more ex- pert man . than he, or any of, his friends, could, corral to turri 220,000 feet into a six:reeler. Especially since Elsensteiri saw the whole film, planned , it, dreamed it; apd shot it for memorial purpoiscs. Picture is pret^ much travelog, Ithough soriietl^g of a story run- riing through ifts^ It's silent with titles and a musicltl scdre .(a very fine musical score, incidentally). It'3 beautiful, slow, and dull, with only one really exciting moment. ■ .That. =-^.q^itno?Jt=imntfffii=tlnit^^ cause it ftives the exploiteer spme- thing. to use. It's a scene Where three .Mexicans are punlshfed. They're buried alive,', with only heads and, .shoulders above ground and paCke.d in solid. Then a troupe oC wild^and woolly- tnders arc sent riding hrtck find forth over the throe heads until tlic three are quite com- pletely dead. Eisenstein mnnapod to photofrraph this srene' with nil Its hnitnlity and cruelty .<5o. it Is bound t<> stick in the merir.ory Cor: a long time. How he managed it, ac- tually, doesri't matter. It looks like the McCdy. .In this film Eisenstein goes in for sentimentality and ' emotion to a greater extent than ever before. But, hi$ hold on,the camera is still something. From a trade starid- polnt it ought to be seen by every- one connected with film, biz just as an example of wha.t can be done with a cariiera. . Film is now in the intdst of an Miniatiire Reviews 'Thunder Over MexieV (Ind). Serge Eisenstein'a much dis- .<:ussed film. Grand photog- raphy, but riot much else.' 'Emperor Jones' (UA). Bea,u- tif ully made picture, Paiil Robe- sori giving a strikirig .:perform- ance, but for the classes rather: than the masses arid.questlori. able .commercially. Welt pro- duced, with no skimping; Any- thlng, but a shoddy treatriierit . of the Eugene O'Neill charac- ter study of a' Napoleonic Negro., 'i Loved a Woman' (1st Nat). E, G.: Robinson out of his class as a Napoleon, oit the..provision bliz. May ciit grosses;. ♦Too uch Harmprty' (Par). .Musical' .with . enough its. >riiusic and- cast to o'viercoriie story, handicaps. Should be an easy. pleaser. ^SOS iceberg' (U), Mostly visual :appeal but "with soriie poignant moments. Will, please mostly as a scenic. y Weakness^ (Fox). Iritrb- ducies Lilian Harvey in a Hoi- lywobd-niade screen iriusical, and favorably.. Fox's new. ptar -will impress personally and film will be liked. 'Wild Boys of RoadV (F.N.), Distressingly viyld picturizatiori of .hardships of kids thrown on their owii and hoboing. Thoroughly depiress- ing and lackirig. in . entertain^ ment. Not a comnnercial picj- -ture,- .'Ranger's Code' (Mono). Bod Steele in a pictorial but ay^r- aig'e western. *The Solitairo Man' (Metro). Diverting crook melodrama in the drawing room manner. GoQd deluxe programnier "with some doubt- on :the box ofllce pull, but none on. the general, entertainmeniy values; 'Shanghai 'Madness' (Fox). Not a particularly bright film : drama but ha? plenty of ac- tion; Hokey stuff, but enter- tairiing. .except to the super- cUltivated. Oke for kids. I LOVED A WOMAN Vlmt National production and tflcase starring lidward.G.' Robinson; Kay l<"raticls featured. Directed by Alfred. B. Green. Adaptation by Charles Kenyoti. and Sidney Sutherland from the novel Uy. David , ICara- ner. Cameraman, James Van" Trees; film editor,. ncrt Levy. At Strand,: New Yorlc, Sept. 21.. Running .time, 80 mlhtites. John. Hayden....;... .ISdward •.-O. Robinson .Laura " .McDonald'........... .". Kiiy Francis Martha 'Lane..,........ .Genevieve .Tobin Sliu.ster,,...,...,..,.j. Furrell MacDonaid .Sahborhi..... Henry Kollter Ciiarlia Lane.....;...."..: Robert Barrat Henry..;, ^,.. .'i;GeorBc .Bl.nclcwobd Murray 'Innel) Davenport. Larliln ........, Oliver ,... . i,..., Farreli 1.;... Maid ..ii..v.. Wairen . <.,. ;1..-.., Theodore R'ooseVelt. Hotel Proprietor;.. v Bowcn i.., ......Robert cWade • r..:.'.."Walter WalUer ... V .Henry 0"NellT .. .torena trf»y9on . :. i, .Sa'nx Godfeey •:. .J. Ratcliffe ..■ ..Paul PorcasI ...i.,"Wllflam ..v.. Monfe argumerit, Jjossibly nurtured along by the distributors. Communists are deriding it because theii: hero was put: out before being allowed'to fin- ish it. Others can't forget that it is Russiari ih concept and even has one. of those Russian 'new day is, coming' finales.. At the Rlalto, in Ne'w; York, Doc Joe Lee handled It in such a' way as to get a. terrific turnout and front page pul icity in. several dailies. It'll bring that house, a bit of business for A couple weeks: But by and large it will have to stand on its own, as a film, and it can't do that. • Knuf. EMPEROR JONES John Krlmsky-dllfford Cochran produc-- tton - and. -United Artists release. Stars Paul Robeson, with Dudley DIgRes. Frank Wilson, Fredl W'ashlnBton and Rub.v Elzy in suipport.- Directed by Dudley. Murphy, .nn.ied on play of same name by .EuRenc 'O'^fPlll. with adaptation by DuRose Hay- ward. Mu.'lcal' arra'rigempht by ..tto-samond' John.son. Photography by'. Ernest Htiljer. Recording by J. Kane. At RIvoU; N; T,, Sept; 10. - Running time, SO mliis.. Rrutus Jones... ..,..... - J',.. .Paiil Robeson ..:..,...,.. , .Dudley Dlgges .J........... i.Frank. Wilson .i.,Fredi ■Vt'h'shlngton .... . .".,,.-.;.:.., .Ruby Elzy .;'..Ge6r£c' Hay'mid Stamper. . . Jackie Mayble ...;.luoboy ■ O'Cimnor . ....v........ .Brandon Evans ..'. .. .Taylor .Gordon Smlthers.; . Jeff..;:..... Undine.... .- Dolly....... Le'm....... llarcelia ■;. Trensu'rer.. CarrinKton. atlck-Man. ArtLstlcally 'iamperpr Jones' ranks high .in cincnfiatic achievement and for Paul Rot ?son it marks' a per- sonal triumph, but as a commercial i>roperty it is doubtful. Picture's circulation will be greatly' 'limited, Tixit^only—in=appeal=bUt^in=exhibitpr; acceptance. The .south is entirely lo.st to it for consumption by whites, while in the colored theatres down in: Dixie some que.stinn ari.s.s as to .whether It will not rticot oppos-ition. It is under.stbod already that colored operator? l>elOH- the Mason-Dixon line are objecting to the u.se of the term 'nifirger/ which may have to 1)0 cut where ooourrlng if exhibition i.s wanted fov the I'Xhiopian trade. Wh.'it 'I'Jmpfror -lonf.' I()sr*s In the south 9,rtd elsewhere. In America where it may be considered too highbrow and CNeillish^ it has chances of making up in the foreign markets. With Robeson popular in England arid Europe, these markets will undoiiMedly bring it a good re- turn; I The O'Neiil play always enjoyed a class rather than a mass appeal and thus , its best grossing'possibil- ities are limited, to the larger urban centers of the tj; S. In the medium- sized ana sma,iier .localities; it is not Another of the pseudo-hisforiciil series with which 'Warriers appar- ently'seeks to steer Edward G. Rbb- insort out of the treacherous shoals' of gang: pictures and into the pre- sumably more, permanent waters of respectability. -Robinson troupes gor- geously at times, but he is handi- capped by an "pverlong.. juriipy arid exaggerated story Svhich Atirts bb- fbre the Spariish.';American war and ends in l?i28: a .span Of thirty years, which permits hitting only the high lights. .It-is rather surprising that the authors have nianaged to retain as riiuch as they have of the intimate touch .in the rapid speediner ' of events. . A gerierally' good produc- tion . •will probailjly ple.ase a riiajority of the patrons,: but . one more, of these in the series, which begari with 'Silver Dollai-' wilrdivorce, his gangster loving following and leave, him with a far less solid constitu- ency. He could doubtless win. back many of- those who formerly, ad- mired his. character actinep, but he will have to do it with a ;better knit and more corripabt .story than this. The stbry starts off -ivlth Rpblri- son an impetupus and rather ideal- istic son oi a Chicago pork packer. He marries thei daughter of . an- other member of the canning fra- ternity, ,a narrow-.i.visioned, self- centered and spitefui ypang wbriian of the early nlnetlies type. He turn^ for relief to an aspirant for mu- sical honors, furthering her .success and being led by lo^, for her to seek supremacy in his field. He heads the packirig trust wrhich sup- ■plied the embalriied beef -to the troops in Cuba' and when Roosevelt coriies into the Presidency he is iri- dicted* but acquitted/ He becomes •the provisioris^overlprd of the "World War, but crashes tvhen peace is suddenly effected. Broken, he flees •from a second indictment arid ends •his. doddering days in the Greece where he first .learned to love ro- mance. The; meat packer makeup does, not completely disguise the re- semblance to Sam InguU. With the." ground to be covered there is little time to dwell upon those finer details which ITelp to build up characteriaationi RoT>iri- sori riiust paint his:. huge canvas with broad strokes and only in- herent taste prevents him becom- ing too wildly medlodramatic and ranting. His reading is remarkably good and he invests the character with almost a isemblance of reality iri.spite of the bombastic linesi, Kay SOS ICEBERG Universal liroduotlon. and ~ rolo.ise. .- .Dt» rected by Tny. Gamett.. Features Rod Rooqu'e. Dr. Arnold ■ ITunok, story and head of. Greenland expedition; :Toni' Reed, screen play- - and cotitinuity; Edwin' H. Knopf, dlaloi;;. Paul Kohner,. (isaoiiiate pro* duc^r; Zoltan O. Kagl, sound; Robert FeJ- lowes, asst. director; Alfred- Stern; prodiic* tion manager;. Paul' Desan, imusic; Dp. Fritz , Loewe, Dr. -Ernst' Sorge,. te'chnical advisors.; 'Hans gohneeborger,- Richi' : Angst,, camera;. Andrew Marton, .:editor;' Maurice Plvar, .editorial supervision. Made i,n GrefeTjlahd. At the jGriterlort, New,York,- on (I: twice d?»lly. run^ st-arting ^Scpt.- 22i Running—tiihe.—lrli-mlns..': '.■ Dr;' Carl 'Lawrence...... f .Jtod' La^ Rocqua Ellen Lavrrehce. . ' Dr. Johannes. Brand. ...: .T0hn Di-aRran ,;...;.... Dr. Jan Matushek, ■... -.;. Ernst UJct. ,■,. ... .'»• .v Lent fteifendtahl .. .....Sepp Ri6t. Ilbert Gowland r. .Max Holsboer.. . .'< ."W.llttr Riinid ....'.:•,Maj. Udet ably explains why the O'Neill play, produced 10 yea,rs or. more ago on the stage, and highly successful in New York, was never purchased before for filming by any of the major producers. " A character study of a colored gentleman with a Napoleonic com- plex, it is niore strictly the portrait of an individual, perliaps, than any- thing O'Neill has done, comparing closely to. his 'Hairy Ape,' rather than a situation piece, with plot, as 'Anna Christie' and 'Strange Inter- lude,' both of which have been "filmed. .- -r- ihe/Kt-imsky*Cochran twaiij,..who lined their, already well-velveted pockets through 'Maedchen in Uni- form/ h^ive atteriipted to build ac^ ceptable film plot;around.the Brutus Jbries who becomes' an island em- peror. While. achie"vlng this in a degree greater than others might have, the picture is still a character study pt a Negro whose audience .acceptance will either be sympathe- tic or unsympathetic, according to viewpoint; ". . The forest settlng.s eerily eftec- tlve and ,the riionotohOus thumping of tom-toms adding to it, Robeson's perfPrrnarice of a madman, shoot- ing at apparitions which appear in the darkness uritll drawling.into the hands Of his followers to receive the silver bullet, is one Of the best things ever contributed to, the screen. Picture vvas produced at the Par A.storia studio^, where the biidget obviously wus riot encumbered to the detriment of production value. '^he^setttrigr^heinselvesTare'imposf^ Ing, notably of the emperor's i.sland' castle and the forest. ■ Rbbeson is the entire picture, ut in Dudley pigges. as a whlte-trosii Cockney trnder, he ha.s chief of .sup- port that i.s. excellent. Minor per- formances are cbntributed by col- ,ored .artists, including Pr.mk WU- .port, I'-rpfli W.i.'shington and .KuIkv Klzy. . . •In a Couple .se'iuenoi's the record- luv; is nnt ■la rlf»ar >is desired, hiil not .s'^ripu.sly a fault. Ch'if. ^'rancia ia a grateftn and^ynipa- Made chiefly In Greenland under the aegis of Knud iEtasmussen, polar authority,'deputized by the Dariish. government,-. Universal, had the fur- ther advice biC two liiferiibers of the. ill-fated. Wegerier .expedition for correctness: of . cblor.. The. result is an autheritic and authoritative series of: - polar , pictures^ •which' scarcely rieed the prei^is book assurance that no miniatures' •were used to supple-' ment; the straight shots. , No^ miri- iatiirist possibly; could achieve the startling efCects showri; For grandeur of scenic investiture 'Iceberg* stands alone in the Arctic- category. It: is erreatly. to. b& ,re- greitted that the ' resourcies., pf v the scenarist did not even approximate the Inrtri^ensity bt the locale.. As is, Arripld Farick. .follows the lines o.f least reslstarice: -with airplanes brought in to supposedly raise the suspiense toward thfr close pf thei' picture, •which prop!ptly goes Holly- wood.; "This, will be somewhat b^itrr tereii when the fllrim is cut for regu- . lar showirig. for then, probably, the extirpated footage' will consist chiefly 0^ the flying scenes •which rio^w hamper the;- action and delay ,the. finish. )' Even as it stands. 'Iceberg', is prte of the- really notable productisi. of the screen. .It id Dot motloii t>ictUr& entertainment aa generally Con- ceived.- It smacks more often of tho. sceriic.. than the ' dramatic, but it has its riibmerits; of high Insplratlonl stark drama, and both .vlisual and mental appeal. Briefly, a ypurig sicientlst seeks to recover the records of the. lost Weg-. ener expedition; He achieves his; purpose with the aid of three; friends,. experienced ice men, . arid his financial backer, who goes, along f or :the fUn of the adverituire and is. dtiveri mad by the a-wful perils. They are .marooned: on. an iceberg. The hero's wife, a noted, flier;- goes to . the rescue ..and, crashes. against- the berg in landing. They are res- cued by Maj. Udet. and a fleet ot Eskinio In kayaks. Three of the five have died. . The . scenes In the . ice pack with the party, of five are grim reality, tense, well knit and niagriificently played. LaRocque, who do the hero, drives. ahead to gain the rec- ords, and the others follow. In spite of the protests, of the backer, •^ho wants to seek safety before the ice breaks up.: .'Until-the .arrival of the girl there 's a grip in every scerie, bUt from there on the picture' sags regulation screen fareJ "That prob" opera singer who holds inter ■ est even; when she is caught double- crossing her benefactor, and Gerie- vleve T.obln. put's catty force h^ck Of a seeriilngly colorless character E.: J; Ratcliffe does a brief but ef-. fectlve bit as Theodore Roosevelt, not stressing the teeth, arid Robert Barrat plays the father-in-law with a suggestion of the early Corse Pay- ton school. The others are scarcely important.. i?hotography exceptionally good, with stress ort camera angles, a number- of which are novel. The -staging shows the result of careful: research work., but sometimes i? so faithful as to distract frorii the story; • ^'1 -Loved a Woman' should be good box office in the deluxers if they can be dragged in. on the assurance It Is not a gang.ster stbry. Its'fate lower down , is problematical. Slrice Robinson; has. already broken from the gang.gter cycle, it Would be jri- tercsting to see him in .-a compact and defiriltcly riiotivated dra;ma of tho:business •w-orld. Ho'oannot weil- do the society hero. • Chic. slK.-p l y and winds ' . '" I'h tlm'ni s ig- nlflcent spiectacle of the kayak .flo- tilla speeding to th6 rescue: a dupli- cation of the ride in 'Birth of a Nation,' the chariots in 'Ten Com- riiandments' and similar massed ef- fects; .striking th:. tricalh- but .bearing no relationship to the utter simplicity and conylctlori of the prior actlori. It Would seem- that where the technical advisors sat iii on the story they ga-ve it reality. Where the script way intruded tho tension falls: There are some splendid bits pf photography, including the birth pt iar.. iceberg •which, is Infinitely . ber- ydnd earUei' .efforts In this direction, Severail .tlnies. bergs are caught .turriing. turtlte, and th^re.ls a strik- ing, bit where Sepp ttl.qt goes into the-w'ater to swim to the.'■•id-for aid. No paplev icie^ here. It's the real article. Froi.i ia pur '"'.plCr- torlar.yiew the flotilla of kayaks is speetacularly striking, but. riot to compared to the majesty of the ;ce masses vth ich form the. backgrounl , for the major portioji of the scenes. La., RocqUe fs .shunt^xi iril''' th •(Continued on "poge" 20) The Woman ^s Angle 'Berkeley Square' (Fox). 01as.s production and ca.st in a iitory too rariflcd and cerebral If or mass femme consumption, 'My .Weakness' (Fo^)r l-ilian Harvey works hard/at.,difii>laying 'her musical cbriicdy laients in a .smartly dressed up routine yarn whose love- story .suffers from a hard-bolied slant on dariies and an ungallant hero. *l Lpved a Woman' (FN), G. Rohlri^bri lives ariother life story. ■Lajj<ing.fl Qw...and,.,basIcany .-S.vmpathotie-jn'f>t.Lva.hiV>n fair share of mature .femmo^ attention With its intore.sting. poru>d -back- grounds arid robust charactcFlzation.s. 'Wild Boya of the .Road^ (WU),. On too -fiiiv! .sweep of .so'cliolo.gical compassion inherent.in it.s tlii'me,. ijig a.s is f'jr fomrne picture enteptaitimerit. 'Top uCh Harrnorty' fl'ar). T*"(^"r.sonantr-'v- -lO'l lit,'Ur-hf>-irtf>'l goings- on belovf'd in a b o why by thf» young'>r infi.ur" .s<-'t. VMct-ro).. Ilfijulation gcnilf.rii.'n 'rook ni'Mler in mod- (.' ist rii.ses 11 to nrlc'tnntK, progr;im f.'ire.for the ladies.