Variety (Nov 1933)

14 VAJRIEiy FILM E V 1 E W * Tuesday, iVovembcr 21, l^^.i.*? BEN BLUE *H.ere Comes FI6s*i • Comedy 20 Mine. Strand, N. V. Vita. No, 1615V6 First of a iseries of twor'reelers Ben Blue is making for Warner Bros. Ho followed It up with a sec- ond and then got a contract for tour more this year and a,string of. six in 1934-5. W.B. did hot hand out the contract on the strength of tills onei, but" after- the second had been ncreehed. ' '' ' . Blue is iistlhctly at a disad- vantage In. 'Herb Coities Flossie' which has him on a farm as a rube, a character thatls not entirely hlS; meat, and callis upon him to work inituatlons out of which; no cpmedlari could .sqyeeze any but iperfuiiotory laughs, ', .. Script obviously liehtweifeht arid offers little opportunity ..to' Blue or., anyone else. The director. Bay Mc-i Carey,- has the CQmediah :out of "jlbaeups throughout. Janet Reade. Is the girl and okay. Fred Bfarp'er, as a rubfe, Is excel- lent and -Shemp Howard, 'former' Healy stooge; okay. OJiaV- 'ON AND OFF THE Al JANET READE *The Mild West' Skit 20 Mins. Strand, N. Y.- ; Musical Novelty' '18. Minis. Audubori, . This i.^' a'Mentone production, inr dependeritly; made, taken for distri- bution by Universal. It. employs a large and 'capablei. cast headed by Nick Lucas.:/ While it has missed Opportunities to be..bett«r thaw it is, entertaining capacity of the subject is sufficient: to insures Its favorable audience reaction. ; Considerable comedy, relief g6«>s with the singing, musical and other type numbers which are worked into the'short as though broidcast. At the opening a high-p.ressure salesman is trying to induce a board of directors, a comic lot, of the v&lue of adyertiqlpgr their.£oap .suds.on the ain Opinion seems divided, but the board agrees to a .. trial, and the broadcast goes on froiu .the hpme of one of . the offlclala, whose, two medr dl^sonie kidd ' upset the. .progr^irii. Novel i^dflst comes', when one of the directorp ttihes in' on-the.program, only to. lose it a'nd get In dn some other hour which he mistakes for, the on.e. his company is backing.' This all happens when the kids dis-. connect ;the wir,es. > As a.Vresult; the action switches from the: aituttering' announcer on the.soap duds hour to bits by others,, such as Lieon Belasco and his band; Hlzi Koyke, Oriental prima donnti; EJddie Garr in his Wynn and Che Vita. o. 1582-3 1,1.^ . ^t,'* t Fairly, amusing saga of. the mad y^her impressions rNiqk Lucas, with prairie country of the -old days Ws songs; Adelaide Hall in. a. hot whose women finally go in for face- One number, by a llt- lirtme and rejuvenation in.order to "«.:Slrl sitting on a piano -Htand.*! lay siege to the .man,they've rivaled | riwr for since faro evenings. Songs of a fitting character, specially , writ- ten, are woven into the travesty, | Com^d^ Janet Beade getting assistance on 5n MS«. the vocnllstics from Paul Keast. 1^ Short luifolds on. a western, bar- room of pioneer times- with all the LEAVE IT to DAD' Mayfair, Of the V. Educational Mermaid scries with «?'?f.o I',-i^^f.ninn«^ Li^w^^n^twrt {George Biclcel. Follows a familiar nasties and jealousy between \^Mpattern of the father who objects «nT»t"«v S i«fnt & inilJ to his son's.marriage, but Is talked tF^r^u^ Ji.Ht nnK'-hP? niAofl hu^ i^to meeting the daughter's mother. They meet "in advance through an nerself to Gentleman Joe m order to -.^ eucher the other girl (Olive Borden) ^^]}^^^Vi:,.^ J^u^rJ,t\}^^ out of the way. Wtcr Vows she'll f^t^ti?^h*tl«. ^lfi^^^^ t^ke Joe away'some day and after ^ h^f^.^J^Jc^he y^^ long Iftpse of time, with Miss Beade ^iS^w!C«i^gl?fS^ married instead of the her face lifted to snatch her oppor- K°^"fv;war'tf.<»*., >»„i,i«nflo 1= tunlty. She runs: away to the big L^^^^Wng^new ljUt t^^^^ town with Joe. the other woman well worked u^^^^ tollowihg for..'the- same modern .^^P^^P^^^^^^ Miniature Reviews treatnxent, thereupon winning* Joe Particular, Miss Beade, photb^i'aj>hlng well, does a number-in the barroom se- quehqe, 'I TaJte 'Em- Every .Time' and near to the dose another in the night club,stretch. Keast does •Westward Ho* and- mixes Into the ;Dnale. with Miss Beade In. the' beauty . parlor seciuenco ^irls in dance routines of an agree able nature .routined .with a view to novelty. f^Mr im.o' (MG). Native Arc- tic cast production with Iglp'o whoopee variations but not .sufficiently botcha to spell b.o- 'Little Women' <Ba<lio). Su^ perb screen renderlnig. . of Louisa Alcott's old story of a long past day. Captures and holds adult interest, but whether the ypunger. element win go for its Bom.bre .senli-. ment only. experience will tell. 'Invisible Man^ (U). A chill- er that's difEerent aiid refresher In,, beisides gruesome. Well mttde " and full of - intentional and unintentional Id-ukhH. Should do well. 'Cradle Soho' (Far), picipus debut enti*y. Dorothea WJeck . as a Holly- TVood star. Too \SecUlar pop appeal. 'Blood Money' (UA). George; Bancroft in a better-than-ay- erage Bahcifott underwortder. 'From Headqtiartera' (WB);. Entertaining a-nd, by virtue of an. Inside on : modeni -police methods, ~ Interesting murder mystery. But will have ;to work hard to get its just due at the boxofflce^ 'Midshipmani Jackl (Badio). Fine -views of Annapolis;, but scarcely enough plot to hold res,l interest. Mafy draW in . the hinterland. 'White Woman^ Par)". Bro midic South Sea stuflT. Dcspitf good cast names is lessei' miv- terlal and seems best for dual bills. 'By Appointment, Only' (Chesterfield). Middle aged man falls in love with his young wttrd; No -novel touehe.s to redeem a slowly paced re- hash. Marquee names but that's all. 'Ship of Wanted Men' (Showmen). The girl'on th(n hell Ship with Fred Kobler and capital support. . All right if St stays In the loweir channels. 'One Year later' (Allied), Cibod caist a,hd story. ..Ought to get- a . break in the nabes. a background of native linguistic I essence of flesh and blood realiiy. action. That in itself is a bright, It's as though somebody put Littli> idea and adds much to inipress the Lord Fauntleroy on the stage as a sincerity and authenticity of the un- real human kid instead of an im- dettaking; The photography, credit- possible cherub in tight voh^n ed tc a battery of throe, holds breeches and. a. lace collar. ehouKh to permit Icris honors for Story is fiill of tearfully Kcnii- all; it's grand stuir. mental passages, but. thpy .'u-t-. The theme, is hovel to say. the rhanaged tvlth beautiful restmini. lenst; lirimoralfi^rtecordini,' to Cau-. There is. the heavily tearful >pi. casian standairdS^but ■ not immoral, haode of Beth •& sickroom scene, in If one . brave Eskimo confesses to I which the pathetic p6ssibilitlc;s aji f his friend that he 'has had 20 sleep- [realized to the last extreme by tlitj Ings without ;\^rifc,' it's nothing for regid restriction of obvious actiiiB, th(v other Eskimo tp lend him one [as tenderly moving a. picture- s«'- or both of his sauaws for the night, queiice as the screen has shown in yet wh^n the. cheating skljjper of many ^ day. the trading vessel abuses one of notable company of : standaiil ^alas, wives,.tte harpoons him in ,gci,oen names supports the .star, vengeance -as.-be would any other joan Bennett,. Frances Dee an<i scavenger. . ■ . , . ^, , [Jean Barker complete the. feminihu Then come tbo Canadian North.'.j4uartet all playing wlth^a perstlaf?- west . Mounted 'IHJlice who . have es- hve charm that argues at once their tabllshed .an outpost in that deserted troupership and the skill of the aiirea to impress .the standards of direction. Paul Lukaa contrlbute.s the Crown on the natives whp seem U, characteristically portrait as Prof, to know, na other allegiance than j Bhaer and Spring Byington, who that of their stoniachs. This lat- Isn't as often on the screen as sht ter equation has iriadiei Mala the [should be, is a conspicuous .point head man of his village; Mala is a [of casting strength." fine hunter find: flureflre on hax^^^ Production Is splendid on ing enough whale, caribou, walrus,.L^^i,„t^^i*Bi^ etc., to last the entir^ community L^^nt is remarkably in the book's 'J^I * mood, a really notable clrcum- 'Eskimo' unreels in 120 niinutea stance. Adapted books, particularly ^''^/^S^^?^' "will those mellowed by long tradition have to be cut, and . there's. v.bom en'oUgh'for that, although, Strangely enough, the lengthy footage doesn't bore as might b'fe expected. Obvious- ly in a i'oserved seat house 'Eskimo' has a better chance than in . pop. re- lease. :.A.k- a. commercial venture, Metro may come out all right In view of the non-Holly wood bu dget- are commonly lacking in this .' spect. Tf'tish. THE iNVISIBtE MAN Universal production ..ind-.,.re)!(>nBQ. ..Vcn-- turea Claude nalna, aiorla Stuart, "WlllUin Hari'Isaii; Henry Travere. and . Dudley DiKges. Directed J)y Jamea' Whale.; From ed overhead, Even counting the [novel by H. a. Wella; adaptation, 11, c c0.st of the - expedition's trek and sheriff; photogrAphy, -Arthur-Kdeson. At the year and a half consumed that's old Rosy. N. T.^ \7cclv Nov. 17. KunnlnK nothing compared to the average minn.^ ■ cost production .out of Culver City. ^I^^J";!: What.s more ?Eskimo' may even:fpol Doctor Kemp............Will lam liurrjjsai, many and emerge a freak click, ai- Doctor .Crunicy......; Henry. Travers [though that .seeins unllkeljf. Aheh Uira. Hall....;. Una O'Conno: LITTLE WOMEN Mr. Hall.;.....,... Chief of I>once.v... .Taffoni. Chief of Detectives. Inspector. Bird....:. Inspeotor I^ine Mllly...... .Forrester .ttai-v.ey . ;H61mes Herbert ..K. K. CUy«r ,.; .Dudley JilBgL'." .... Harry. Stubbs ..; .Donald Slunri . erl'o Toite-nhnnri. Il«(llo I'lcluros pioductlon a)\d vclc4sr: Stura Katherlhe Hepburn. Directed by Cjeof«e Cukor. Features - Joan Bennett, l*aul IjuIcob, Frances Dee, .Tean Parker, Kdna May .DUvOr. Screen play by I Imagine a person being able I o do Louisa M. Alcott; cameraman. Henry ^^^^^ -A-dd to that the oh.incf Gerrard; fl|m editor, Jticit. ititchin. At the man Is a maniac, bent oii mnv- Kadlo CUV Mueie Hall. N. 7., weeic ?v'ov. [del'. Mix it into a story that ha.s Runninpf time, mina reasonable conViction,remember thi- Jo ........;...,.....Katberine^ Hopbmjn | theatrical license ./Something like Amy ., yfHtz ' Bhaer. Meg Beth Aunt MArch. » « • > 4'» • • ESKIMO I Paul Lukas tJiis ™ust.'<iemand, tos^t In a littl«' ..Francos Dee [love.«ihtcrest, and ybu have 'Invi.s- Jean Pft^ker Man,' a picture that develoy.s Laurjo „ „ , .„ . Mr. , I>auronco»...,.Henry Slepheiinon nlm irignteners. ter!'Xrch:v::;:v;^:::::::':fS^u^'^MS . uniyeraai, which has shown >i uu- Hannah ....MabeS Coicord png for screamers,; and had the John Davis irf>dge nerve to put the first one over, is Nydla wcstnian I cieitvcring something here which will more, than satisfy audiences. ■ • • • • • « HARftY'WARREN Musicfal Novelty 9 Mine: Strand, N. Y; ' Vita No 1544 Harry Warren came to Warners'| tWs from de^^^^^^ ♦LUNCHEON AT TWELVE^ With Charley Chase Cbthedy 20 Mins. Rivoli, N. Y. etl*o Charley Chase's particular brand of lunacy is hoked up quite a bit with the Laurel, and Hardy: sort of clothes-ruining.' White paint used Instead of. soap-suds. When the painting Is over, the characters are splattered head tcf foot with an un- even coat of, white. It Will convulse 'em ill Keokuk iprobably. Chase bas a following and a style. A certain buoyancy of humor keeps Metrb-Qoldwyn-Mayer production and re. , _ ^ lease.. Dltected by W. S. Van Dyke. H«nt Strbmberg associate Jproducer.. From the | Mom.ie •i books, "Der ESskimoV and 'Die Fliicht Ins 5on?^John"Lee'*MaWftr«^ Anyone would like to predict for I Ohlllers were sometime ago pre vlnno. Joslah itoberts. George iJogle. At [this'intelligent,^-grown up rendltlori "sumcd to have ispent themselves as the. Astor. .NL ^.. tv/ice dally »^20 top. the Loul8^,^Al<jott classic a box- boxofflce. That may be true and ih?M^#ufM of thtaulhorF^^^^ futwre?K6<iual to its artistic therefore require urgent campaign Van Dyke, who does a bit, plus d couple of merdt. But these •practical, hard hig, but so far as entertainment other \vhlte players. Kunnlng l^M) pjpiied times"-cpotljot'supply an es- pvalue Is concerned, 'Invisble Man' I peclally fortuftajte- setting for the will take care of itself. . sedate. conteiiapiati»n of a house- Tho strangest character yet we sex life among the^^l^^^ girls moving ated by the Screen roams through attention with At Dubln. through ness th^^^ M2nd Street' tunes, and.out of it all tempte alo^ parOJtelJlnes pro^^ Mo»med the idea of putting War- Picture ends^ In comp^^ ten Into a shorts novelty based on when the painU hit sohgs he has composed. Hence, «»f ^?*wv*"^,iL*a L^^^^ an agreeable nine-minute subject f»e with J^ho guests m a topsy-t^^ produced with more than just a I ^i^^^^^nB party. Lanfi. piano and backdrop: Building: an apartment or intimate Np/^si* Fl speak setting around him—^it could gtcetch be either of the two^Warren lurks .|q Mine, behliid the ivories' playing bits of lyjayfair, Y. numbers ' carrying his name and [ Columbia joining, in a .minor measure, the pirst of a series based, on the vocalistics attendant upon their pQ^dney crime prohleins syndicated presentation. Most pf. the singing h,y the dailies. Is by a prima, a male trio and 6th- Fordney is approached by .a re erS'who also provide atmosphere, porter^ .starts to tell him the story A mlied dance team appears to- Uf the crime, which is acted out, -ward the end. as in the old Bums series; There Warren winds UP with. 'Flower hg a 10-aecohd pause and the spec Waltz', from.'Golddiggers' and M2nd Uator ig supposed to figure the an- Street' from the picture of that g^er or be considered slow.: Then itatne, finale becoming a cut fro^n the answer is also#icted oUt. , th atrtun e fllm ^ . ■ ——— [^<3«od--w-heju>-the_sia!i£aJ>fl^iDLQli^^ Warren appears a little /camera but. not apt to be regarded as hot 8hy at times i)ut that'.^ a compoiser's entertainment by hon-cnthnsia.f'tH. may be a highly intej^estlng scree^^ You can invisible Man.' Sometimes br^ is document, but it doesn t impress as only. wish. .*the' ..-venture well with seen, dressed and bandaged up into particularly palatable cinematurgy certain reprei^eia^; mlRffivIngs.. a fantastic, eerie-looking figure, at for jpurposes of box offi ce. It is in- Sub ject i s bound- to do goo d buSi- ntw timA g >,« TrtAving t>,i.»v,gv. terestlng-ln almosWv^ry other .re-, ness. I'rcsenee.ut the head of the thb adtlon unseen. When not Vls- spect. If the. stand^ds of. novelty; cast- of -Kat^irethie Jiepburn Insures ible his presence Is imparted by a and;, the dare to be different count as much, taiat. haw. star being one cleverly conceived and novel man- for anything it should emerge on of the .-most debited and provoca- Uer. At the same time this helps the right side of the ledger, except-. I tlyo figures on', ^he: current screen, to enrich the picture with the many ing that occidentals are curiously but by tho v6ry.-nature of the story iaughs it contains, some of them, partial to the woes and joys of their It seems doubtful that it can look [perhaps hot intended bv the nro- kltid. What strength of nostalgia, for a signal-Qommerclal success of ducer ' -> . • amour.or venom.that the.red, yel- smash rating, although it is also a« Vi,« ir,„«o«KiA «,o/i«.,o« s. low, or black man experience may subject to revival. - ' invisible madman i.s mo\. be sympathetically accepted fleet- Oh its : ingiy, but as the central thesis that's | raves and something else a^li?. igloo life in the Arctics for the I one from the frozen north locale. Efforts tor Uie younger generation a little , to inject anything ejse are chilled by ^^Y^'^ ^^"i"" ^^''^'^ that ^Eskimo' tabi Liike most of the books recom- tne invisible actor in such scenes • . _ ^ , . ,1—J -a*-.:. t._t__ . —-"ority the ^5*f«-i?f •^mJf«^,'ia I better"f"or'its"apiSl^ec^^ the j when thTTnvisibio one" removes hi? sympathetla leads an . .villainous niature 'I.,ittle Women' is a pi'o- bandages and clothes, leaving noth menaces. There is a caribou stom- foy^^iiy moving history of youth ing but space.. Another funny one pede, a hapdrto-hand fight with a Und. in" this ; ctelluloid trahscrlptioh was to see him take off the band ^Iw'^..'':^^' ■ ,5 4. f ^i? h*s deeply .spiritual values are re- a^res of what is the head,, leaving ilu I • -walrus hunti a fight y^^ift^ ^^y^t^ p f-iwr-pi^- ^prnf-fitnT-nn only the pajamas yislble-and-goihsr with the Arctic elements, a whaling .that capture and hold absorbed in- to bod that way. license^ Char. Chic. The Woman 's Angle food Money' (UA), Although a gangster picture this one holds in- terest every rtiinute. A true comeback for George. iJancroft. 'Midshipman Jack' (Badlo). For the young .and old, who enjoy the antics of the young. . Much of It takes place at the Naval Aoad^my at; ^ AhriftholiS--andAveniAbe,,MldjaiM:-Sb^^ ^ ^ "•.From Headquarters" (WB)i Crime detection a« a Jaboratca-y aolenco via. a flash-back murder mystery. Technical dotails iLsin-p hio.st, of ^he footage and so femme appeal fades. fLittle Women' (Badlo). All the matrons who have kiiowij the book will be enchanted. Its sineercly and tenderly wrought .sontiniont a boon to the family trade. iThe Invisible an' <U). Npvol, sutiponsi^fiil slio.-k.'P, dignified by the Validity of its.atmo.sphcro and incidonlal oli.iraPto.rR, and relieved by nat- ural blimo)'. Flv.st I'laps.onlort.ninmont.fnv r.-iniiv tlti-Ulor «<i.1ii-(.«. that ^Eskimo' tab most of the books recom- "-"e invisioie actor in suen scei ■«r««. +1,0 o i«+ mi,^^„ I mended for'i-eading by boys and and often bring laughs. A major f„I^L«t»ri ««;r?li^h^ really addressed to of rlb-tickllng, as manifested by the- rrtore hiatnre the Boicy audience'when caught. i;a considerable hunt and a thawing of ice floes that terest . > t 1 v are_beautifully caught-for thescreen rj^j^^;.^ ^-^^^^^.^ ^^^^^ picture In comedy So, Jn sequences at awe SSon- ^^^^^^^^^^^ consider- recent 111m history produced with so . sSaH &untiT inn wSf tS ink ^ Mfttft the ihaie 1^^ turns hi „ y"co"iP'-0'«»^^^^^^ one secui^a lodging and in swell SerformTncG The twi^fer^m^r^^^^^ w""* ^J" wholeheartedly dulgos In his first murder. The inn t- swell performance, ine two rommc alms at an honest realization of a keener and his -wife Forrester Har excellent, ana both suggest a treK utterly innocent .pf studio de- ar«. swell- comedv tvnec. ohd make to Hollywood away from the Arc- vice and in serlpt treatment and Vho S oTuio onnortunttv &t tics—in truth the souvenir booklol detailed direction it lean.s backward JVco inor " opportunity. Miss confesses that much of. the. frigid-| in avoiding theatrical effect, lie ' ^""""^ aire cast has already had its bap .very , .suit is a superbly human doouincnt, tism of cactus and palm tree.s for sombre in tone,-stately and hIow in the added • scenes, process, .shots, mbvemont, btit ahv.ayn eJocmont i^i etc. --'—"— ---i^^- .. ■^..^;^=.;=:^.^;^^[4fa==.jntei7)rctat-irm^^ i;oli(!.s. a lot on shrill scream. Lovo interesl,, odd for a piuunv oi' this typo, is. played down to oiifc" fc ;(MMl0..in A V.)ljclJL-i^^rl-^;^l.^l...^Jr■1U■v! ^ll^ — invi.siblo man; and another at Ihf finish y.-hdn he roinc^s out of th<-- (itlior iliat. nindp hlhi that way. Ai tlif! outset it is learned that a youni.' chemist lia.s (li.s(;overod a Lorrlb.h- The cast Is all native, save .the 1 <lasting of Mis.s IJei>l>uvn as ..lo heavy, played by Peter Fn^uclieii, is liKtiiy to provolu- a K'ood deal of the author, from who.se tw<» (-{erniiui hiisi-u-ssimi. 'Pho («loi'1rl<j ivatc dis books 'tesklmo' is adapted. W. -H. turbs ,1hi« Ak-ott ti-adilion. }Tnlly Van Dyke also essays a l)lt as a wood <'(»irM liavn provided .a .wvc,. . . Canadian Mouritle Official, and the of {rr.:»i:«'ful, i'finiriiijf. Jo.s who would K^^'J^"''". nuiJiuliiiH-a very danKt"-«jiit- ship's crew, other mouhties and }»itK havo .salisllod iln' prooohceivod |'^V".^'*, <-l»«',''<'^jO''^k^s hiniiari-flo-sh. in - are played by .Caucasion.s, The. [tyiio; Hut lliis iu'lr(>.««s <'re.'ites a ' " ' femmes also turn iu corking p<»x'- new and stunningly vivid clxaractoi' trayals whether the mccoy a.s na- strij)s tlfti "Victorian hoyden of. her tives or not. ton ,syrui>y goody-goodinfs.s and on The old-fashioned .screen title is dows tlic rolo wllli awltwardlj* ongag MtiHz'^d to fOns'oy th*» vJtary-fR-nin^t ina- yi>i)tli (yni^ray that ni-ikr.v Jt ilio yisiblo. His: hitercfft had i^'".' •strictly scientific bul. tlie driii.< lifu;, tlu! effect,'ai'for-DSo, of Lunjin-.r Iiin'i into a maniai-. AL aliiAit i]n- liiiit' he .starts the nniKloi--* lie-'is 1o>.\;iik (('ovHinno<l on i>:ij--'--