Variety (Jul 1934)

Tuesday, July 10, 1934 FILM E VIE WS VARIETY IS •I'l Talking Shorts I8HAM JONES ORCHESTRA With Vera'Van, Eton Boyi 10 Mins. Paramount^ N. Y., . Paramount Conventional nille clubby revuet.te, opening-sttaletit, wl,th Jones ;conr ducting his orchestra In a trie! medley of some of his;own composi- tions. .,He's -written mo:ny iuor^ than Indicated but it's wisely held down. Scene irises Into a roof garden setting bringing on; Vera Van and the Eton Boys for vocal spedialties. They, like JoneSj are CBS radio artists. Miss Van looks nice and Ve^jisters vocally with her. specialty while.. the Etonites, ..po strangers .to the'camera .cut up with one .of. their novelty vocdl arrangements.. An anonyhioUs dance team also' COn- 'tri^s a visualization of :on^ number 'Finale Is a^ symphonic syncopated' tarrangementr of : Liszt's ''.2d . Huhr garian -Bhapsodyv .Sbi6rt,-.ia-;«apr tloned. 'Underneath the BroJ^dway Moon,' Pair filler .material. Fred Waller credited' for direction; he's in charge'Of Pkr'shorts' prod-uctlbh in the eiist. • " ' AfteL- • eo LOWRY '■■ 'Well Cured Ham' •i Coniedy^ 18 Mini.' ' > Palace,, N* Ym- ' . RKO-Radio Al BioaMbcrg wrote tliis sho^t and id himiielt a swell Job: l-Here isii't an. sense to it, tiUt it's! funny .'One 'Of thos9 shorls'that will'mean noth ■ ing to the star," the. actors or any body except ■ the writer-^if. 'people happen to notice .who the. writer is. . Ed Liowry is a ham yiiudevlllian who annoys thte nibb at the •Vaude- ville Players'- 'Club' (did you 'hear - lhati Mr. .Cheisterfleld?) so they de- ■ /cide to-give him the busin&ss. - Get .:.'hlm up to a nut house and give him the works. : The antics, of the, nu^s _ are. very funiiy; ' \ Kauf. 'LOVE AND HISSES' Clark and McCullough 2Xi Mins. . R. C. Music Hall, N. Y. Radio ; A .Lou 'Brock 20-min. short^ for .,RKQ Radio, another in the piark ii^. and McCullougli series. iSani. White -./director; story by Ben Holmes. All ' are equally guilty. One of C-Mc's silliest, with per- 'halps three real lafts in it. 'Abel. SHOOT THE WORKS 'Paramount production and release. 'AlbeH Uewls associate producer. 'Fefitui;e^ Jack Oakle, Ben Bicrnle and Band, Dorothy Pell, Arllne Judse.'- Directed by WesTey Ruggles, .Screen play, Howard. J. Gre^en; .dialog, Claude Blnyon. From a play (not credited .but It's 'The Great Magoo') ■4)y Bon He'cht and Gene Fowler. SQngs by Mack Gordon and Harry. Revel;. Leo Robin and Ralpb Ralng'er; camera, Leo Tover; At Para- mount, N. Y. week July 0. Running, tlqie 82 nilna, Nicky Jack Oeiklc Joe' Davis < Ben Bernle Lily Raquel Dorothy Dell Jiickie , i.... .Arllne Judge The Counteas.......Alison Sklpworth Sailor Burke. .i^o&coe Karns Larry Halo William. Prawley Bill Ritchie Paul Cavanagh Axel Hanratty Lew Cody Wanda , Jill Dennett Professor Jonas Lee Kohlmer Jack Oakie and Ben Bernie carry, will have to, and probably will carry 'Shoot the Works' to acce^ptablO b.o. returns. There's the ..unfortunate angle in the cast presence of the iU- . fated Dorothy Dell and Lew Cody. It's Miss Dell's best of her all too = brief film : career. It's proba.bly> also Oakie's best straight role in his career. He's.lQSs hoke and more legit; a right, if not too bright giiy who—unlike the. ex- purgated casanaovaish 'magoo'' of- ^the flop Broadway play by|'^Be>i ' • H6cli f ■ an d" Geri<b TTowler-^lalces Tiis k-omance with Dorothy : Dell' 'very much on the.up 'n'. up. Thafsythe I-backbone 6£..;a' none, t0o-..stuv<iiy script w.^^^ch nev^r .had much sub- std;nce to begin wltH. g'tripncii of. its tawdry a.tmosphere ahd brash brazenness in dialog and people, it's left little for scriptists Howard Green and Claude , Binypn . to. <3fo tricks with. . , ,. That's .where Bpn .BcrnjQ .anS Oaikle. contribute such yeoman dU-". ties. Bernie is throughout. .the. • actions, with. his ybwsahs and all his lads, playing himself, despite his celluloid tag as joe Davrs. He's the ole maestro of the air-waves and so addressed and played throughout. There's also an attempt to make audience capital of his kidding mike feud with a Broadway columnist, although Bill Frawlcy makes the c h i 11 e r writer's characterization pretty ornery. This may have • its repercussions sirice the ole maestro • and the gosslp-scirivener have had =^.^ccasion=to-explain=to"^he"^prosaic" nuike yokels that this is strictly a prop feud for mutual publicity. The ^vay li'rav/ley depicts the chattcr- .snatchor it may bring up unkind tho.ught.s again. The aura and the yarn are strictly Palace Beach. It starts from a mid- way and winds up in a oouvert nltery with caviar trimmings. Oakie /■?P »5 spicier at Hubert's museum (If the 42d St. proce.ss shots moan anything) who falLs hard for Dor- othy Dell. Latter sticks' to him oven 1 hough he selLs her out twic-e; first with a rln^, and then with l^he th^me song, 'Wjltti. My Eyifea Wide Op^n I'm Dreii3air«.' . ittncideht- ally . thia Gdrdoii-Rivel ditty, is probably an'answcir. to 9, tin . pan alleyite's prayer the way they plug it, reprise it, work It into.the action, thematicize'it and dramatize it). Arllne Judge .registers.a« the cute two-timer who gives RoBcoe S^arns th6 double-talk inOre than twice. The rest are bits, even Aliaon Skip.- Wbrth wh0 is Virtually' wasted, for the script Id all to the Oakie-Bernte- Stripped' of its'inside show eitiitt the story is thin but : Producer At Lewis hais fortified that with sorhe . smart realizations. The polb-isitter; the inside: of a vaude agent's'Office; this chowttieinery from which Bisr- hie graduates into the hotcha colie- glate" nitery, called the Varsity, and finally into the swank- Russe nite club,' afe other settings that lend themselves nicely to'staging,' iTlxere's also, softie authentic, albeit' brief •midway tind 'carny aitrhosphere. Songs with the' Exception ^of 'Dreaming' aren't overdone. The band'in the hltery lobales makes: it a "hatunsl for 'Do " I LOve You'?', "Bowl of Chop Suey 0ind TOu-ey' and- ■-'Were. YoUr - Ears Burning: Baby?' Two -oth6r songs' program- cre'dlted, 'Take a LessOn frOm the Lfirk" Bind 'Qood Old- Wintfertime;? ne-ver showed; ■ • i)resurn«(,bry ' a;x^di Running time" Of 8fe hvlns; might stand another-Id- rhiriutes' ' 'chopplhg in the forepart. ' Plfenty' 6f- footage unreels setting the atmosphere 'with nothing happening tip'front:'Abeh, ' ■■ ■ '■■ ' I I THE HEtt: CAT Columbia. , produetldn! and • .xeleise.- Pia- tttres. Robert Afmstrpjjg And -Ann. Sothern. Directed, by Albert. Rojeell.. Story, Adele Bufflngton; screih play, Vr&i Nlblo, Jr.; added dlaloe^. Jtoel-iSaiyre; ctimel-a, Benja- min RUne. At :Palace, N. iT.,' .week July;«. Running time,. ,70: mlns. . Dan Collins,....,.,,., It'obert Armstrong Geraldlne^;..'.Ann Sothern .Snapper .BugfaVi;.. .v;.".. Benrty Balfer PaUllne McCfty. ..V:...........Minna GomUell Butler .,....... ..Purnell Prqitt Graham ..... .lOharles Wilson Joe ' Blorgii'ii.., Cdrrol Nal'sh Another saga of the rough, tough newspaper lads. They terrify every- body, including gangsters, society- people and the world in general; they always get their story in spitei Of all odds; they tallc rough and act rougher. And they- bore''the audience for .70 minutes." '• This is the -kind of silly 'slat>- dafeh that nev6r for a minute is u n d c r s t andable or forgivable. Without - marquee hameis to help .lt in the grinds it'can go as strictly one to-fill on .the lower, .bracket-of double fedture' programs. ' Robert Armstrong is the tough neiiirspaiJer' mug. fie' doyers a sot ciety - assignment. iiiid when " Ann Sothern socks him he -socks her back, 'SO jShe'decidesi to teach him a~ lesstOn,.' masquerades as another girl, gets .a -job'on- the paper and vamps hlrti. "Hfe goes out on a tough racketeer story'' and it turns out that her papa's- yacht is :being used by the-gangster^,'all unknowing to everybody, to smuggle Chinese into the U.-S. Between them Robert and Ann uncover the plot outwit the gangsters and Robert gets a by line again; Also the heiress, in the usual Horatio Alger finish. Th6 only- good impression in the picture -is made by Benny Baker, who used to be LoU Holtz's stooge, and garners himself a few laughs in a minor part, Kauf. STRICTLY DYNAMITE (WITH SONGS) Radio production and release. P. S. Ber^ miiT), prodi^cer. H, N. Swnnson, ansoclaie producer. Dtreicted by '. Elliott .Nugent. Screen adaptation by Maurice 'Watklns and Ralph Sp!eince,,Jr,om play by iRobert T, Col- well and Robert A. Simon; additional di- alog,' Mtit«h HAIaon- aiid Jaclt' HfrirveV. .Muslc .aTif^ lyylcs ,bM James Durantp, Burton Adamson,' Ir.ving ,Kahal, Sammy Faln;'cam- ierai^-E(Jward\ CroWjaieri' . • .,. .- .Ca.st: jimmy DUraate. ;L«ne ,V,elez, Not--' liiith 'Foster. WllIMm' CJa'i'gW,' Marlsln N-l?- on,. . Mills Bros^,ii.Eugenei.!FaUe.tte,: iMlnna Gombell, Sterling flollowoy, LeI.la Ben- nett-, >FrnnlcHh l^+igbArii;' Berttfn- Chirfchltl; itrene, Frf-inkllp,, . Jackie;. Searl. ..StanWy* Pleldd, ,Toih Kenp'oay and'M.i'fy Kornman. At ftlnrto, 'N-.' Y;,'i.w'oefc J»Jly=^. Runhlrig i:tlme,.: 71'l Iwtitesi ' Jlnimy >: Durante .may ■ not be:' ait 'his ..funnleat:'iin i-thls one'; but hie smacks.;.out <ia perky performancjj. >'Strlctly ,-Dynami te! • ijacks 'a:saga -anxi a .set pf situations. builb neatly 1;o his order, and. gchnot! with the aid of a doxtorously picked , cast insti- gates more than enough laugh fare to assure satisfaction among his fol- lowing. Picture has its thin mo- ments, and these aren't infrequent, but the punch scenes unlimber the momentum that it takes to make the. lapses a matter of small import to the average onlooker. In keeping the satiric intent of the original play well mufEIed the producers exercised good judgment. So far the stage and the screen have found the masses pretty impervious tD-attemTTts-^at^TJiying^the'lS^^^ of broadcasting with the between- the-ribs treatment. Underlying the plot Is the pid formula of the dumb guy who makes good by doing the wrong tiling. In giving form and life to this apitUcation of this story concept .to radio* tho.se responsible for the film version of 'Strictly Dy- namite' went high, wide and hand- .somc on the hoke and slap.stiok. And that is how It should have been. In its transition to the screen the play h.as undergone con.si'lprihle IwJ.sl.ing and revfunping hirt not Miniatiire Renews *8hoot the Work^ (Far). Backstage' stufC with songs- of light but pleasant texture,: bolstered principally by Oakie,- Bernie and bsind, Dorothy DelL The; Hell Cat* (Cd). Silly 'istory of how . 4 tough niewa-' papermttn gets his yarn and' the . heiress; For double itea-; 'Strictly Dynamite' (Radio).; With Durante doing hand-. . somely by the role of a .dizzy, temperamental, air comic, the laugh sources in this one should more than satisfy av- erage requirements. 'NTidnight Alibi' (FN). Bar- thelemess . as a gangster in" an,-, unib.elievable ^tory. An also ran. , 'Letr* Be Ritey' (U). Do- mestic comedy; drama' too' slowly paced. Small appeal 1 in spite of good cast names. 'Murder in the Private Car^ , (M-G)-,' Melleri'sh murder mys- tery hok,ed up and possessing a .few laughs, getting hxost from . Cha.rlle Ruggles,- but on w^P^^. .60 minutes of weakish enter-- tainment. < ity Limits' (Mono). Amus- ing .pidture materially aided, by '■. presence, of EYank .Craven. Nice double .bill material.. ; ■ .'Cross Streets' (Inv). Mod- erate indie Effort, with ai couple; of familiiar' cast nahieS. enouigh to becloud the main charac- terizations and situation's as .created by Robert *r. ColweU and Robert A: SimCbn, both- on the radio staff 'of the J. Walter Thompson agency in ■New York. As a stage work 'Strictly Dynamite" did not get beyond the summer tryout -stage. In the Colwell-Slmon script the temperamental mike .comic was .a combination of- goof and bruiser, whose only ans-vi-er to an argument was a clout ort the jaw. In the .film •version this character as played by 'Durante has his socking .done-hy a couple of~ bodyguards, wlthi' these roles dlvertingiy catrried out by Tom Kennedy and Stanley Fields; Cour tributing heflily to the pace ahd hilarity of the plcturiS is Lupe "Velez w>ho' functions as . Durahte's ether partner, and the main cauSe of the plot's complications. .Norman Foster does "^well as the smallrtown poiet who gets mixed'up'with, the wrortg:. side of New York's .50*s and-finds himself suddenly top material coh- fector (with a strong .reliance, ori Joe Miller) for' radio's funnv men. Slick also is the 'work of 'Wiiliahi Gargan as the flip booking .agent whose interest In the young poet's wife (Marian Nixon) • preOlpitktes the writer's rise into '.the ..big inoheyi Action depends for its mainstay oh. the entanglements, that «nsUc When 'Velez, out of a desire to get fatter parts for herself -written intO' the radio s.crlpts, attaches hers^f to Foster. Interplay between Velezfs aggressiveness and th^ ex-highbrow author's shy nature is deftly han- dled, by the director. Slyly , woven into the proceedings are the siirprise twists. Outstanding among them is the incident, ih ,which .'FOster, ex- pecting to be berated by' Durante f6r running off with' his partner, finds himself ..hallQd. a's 'a llfesa.ver. .. By mi^taike some of .the lad'^ poe.try had .been mailed, to liurante and. the' cOmic discovers that the .stufl^'knoplcs '&Tfi out of their rockingohairs..' . Mills Bros, ."are blended in fpr a co.iipie harmonizations,, while - more -warbling Is contributed, by Durante ii'nci Miss Velez, Orfee. MIDNICHt ALIBI First National prbduptlon arid. release. Stars- Richard'-Bsjrthelineas. ' Dlrecte'd . by Alan'-Croslandi I Screen -play by Warren Duff, from short story 'An Old Doll,s %.U3e.*. .by Dampn • Runyon; camera,. WU- ll.itn .Red.'j. Ak' tne Strand, N. .T., w«ek July 8. Running time, 00 mlta's. I I^nce Richard Barthelme^s Joan V.; ,;,; Ann Dvoraik Abigail .......Helen Lowell Ablfeall, Helin Chandler Hugh I e Marry Taylor AMaloy- , v.,'.i. ;'.•..'.......». .Henry O'Neltl Angle, ..Robert B.arrat EllrifR Mllce.., Incent Sherman Watts , .;....i..,...ErIc Wilton •Senator ;....Robt. McWadO Uiil)e ;..iFaul Hiirst ^llm — i..lJoothe iloward last minute, the old lady comes' to court, perjures herself by swearing .the kid was'with her at the time, of th© murder and all ends well. Trimmed down to essentials, the story's pretty sappy and uncon- vincing, and that's what was done In the filming. It was pulled dOwn, rather than built up. All the dhr vious story fiults remain plus .th© .use of amazingly bad dialog throughout, and the mentioned mis- casting. In supporting roles, .Helen Lowell as the old lady is best. Both Heten .Chandler and Ann Dvorak in short bitsv are haindled : vruelly by the photographer. Other , parts are pretty much all walk-^throughs. Kdnf. . UNA VIDA POR OTRA (One Life for Another) (MEXICAN MADE) Ha-vana, Jiily 2. Inter-Americas production, released by Columbia Pictures.. Directed by John A. .\uer, . with.'Ramon Peon, assisting. • Story adaptation by Carlos Noriega Hope; Alex Phillips, camera; .featuring Nancy. Torrtes, Gloria Ittirbe and Julio Vlllareol. At the El Encanto, Havana. Running tllme, . 80 mins. Pretty much of an all-around miss. Barthelmess* name may help the picture somewhat In the grinds and duals, but plo.ture won't help him anywhere. Gangster yarn that's badly mis- cast. Barthelmess in the cen- tral role just adds one more to the series=Df'=-imprDba:miitieBr-«bO"trt=^^t3r5r- nim; he's never for a moment be- lievable as a tough guy and the slang never seems to fit his lips. Story tolls of a night club gam-, bllng joint hucketeer who start.s running around with the sister of the big .shot. In escaping from the mob,- he meets an old lady who's never left her house in 90 years because her youthful romance has been bl-asted.. Later the big «hr>t i.<» killed and the buofceteer I.s charged with the murder. liook.s lilc.ft th(Te'.s no way out. hut at the This is one of the many Mexican films which have been'coming here lately. If the Mexicans want to get into the Spanish market, they'll have, to do better, production. a.s- a whole ' is too' a;mateurish. Actors, with the exception of Villareaj, ^ill sound like kids' in the. ilrs't grade reading' their' lines. . Them«! is not bdd, Jt has. already 'bden used in films. Girl Who, need- ing money, confesses to a crime sjie never committed, so as to shield 4n unknown- lady who happen^'to be the wife of her- attorney. Interiors are in modern style and all the ex- teriors have been taken from streets, courthouse, jail, , etc. ' ' Nancy Torres, In the featured spot, has less lines than any of the bit players^ Sound Is clear and pho- tography, oke in certain scenes. . One of the greatest slip-ups in the .film is. that is starts by showing the girl. walking arm in arm with her sweetheart; who waits , for her at the-entrance of the department store, and then they take a walk through the park and sit by a tree very romantically. They carve their initials .and kiss . and then go home and they :are very. much, in love. . Right after that the girl g^ts m trouble,.gets sent to jail for mur- der and goes through the terrible ordeal and tbe mugg never shows up again, And there's no explana- tion why, arid of course, the croii^d was wondering if the kid. was cam- era shy. • ' '^ T. And still, the Spanish film pro- ducers wonder why Spanish speak- ing countries prefer American, talk- ers* Reason is that, as . they. are used to American jproduct, where actors do things naturally, Spanish talkies are overacted, which makes them ridiculous. Anothdr big mis- take is that producers engage'ai- tors of different nationalities, "With pe;culiar drawl or singrsong, ' i Rene.] LET'S BE RITZY WnS"^^',^'?''®' J^''^"- Dlrtctea by Ed- ward LUdwIg. From tbe stag^ pliy by Wm Anthony MtGulre. Hafry Sauber Ch^L *^*Pt*tlon and "contlnukyl ? ,*'o camera. At Loew's N. Y n mins.' * Runnlne. ti4. '^^J?:'* ■• • • • r•...........Lew.Ayres '• • ^ • f • Patricia Ellis nni 11' '■ .Isabel Jewell h.IS.''*'*' •'' • • .Frank ■ McHugh c^iT.Vi^f'*'' ...Berton ChurchlU bl>ie\jn ... ....Robert MoWade Mrf T?'"^^"" „• Hedda .Hopper Mr. Hlldreth clay Clement ISvldehtly aimed at the B the- atres and below. Not for the r.opbi.Stlcates at the de luxe houses, -As such It's pretty fair .entertalw- ment in spite of a draggy develod- ment and frequent implalusibillties. A.S a .whole .lt sounds. convincing, in spite.of a.number Of rubber stamb characters jlhcluding a ■Showi-off radio artist who gets the hero:.into most Of his trdublesi the girl - hje .h.et.s be.en engaged to for eight years- and who is oufspoicen about it, soi- cial pretenders; apd the employer 'on the make. ' i .'1 ; As an!, offset it has Robert Mc- Wade, who holds the story, when he comes, on tlie screen and without whom tills would probably fall pretty flat. He has been given some good lines with ingenious twists to the conver.satioft and he almost ex- cu.se» tire long draWn out chat which brings the story to a draggy close. In less capable hands the role would have flopped and the story with it, sirice. Lew Ayres and Patricia Ellis do little to hold it up. Not their fault that the story Is written to rob them of much of the .sympathy, but it stands agairist :lh£ni=.nQliejthfitless,^Fmrilt=MG.IIugh- get.s some laughs for the radio muETg, but they are not earned. Too mufh lilce so many previous .show- off p.'trts. Several others ' are I'irsjely wasted. .Slory i.s not Class materlal and it never f^otH out of a gentle lope. The List s"quence seems interminable lhr()u>,'h its talkirie.ss and slow pace an<l never develops much punch. Not much to punch with on the- old social pretender b'x.sis, I)ut follow- in'.? I he play outline If^.ss closely infill have permit led more con- virifirnj motivaHori Chir Murder in Private Car Metro itrodiictlon and re1ca.se. DlroctoA by Harry Beaumont; From play by lOdwan E. Rose. Screen treatment, Ralph Sppncflw Edgar Allan WoolC and AI Boisberg: adap- tation by Harvey Thew; photog, Jnmes Van Trees and Leonard Smith. At Metropol.. Itan, Brooklyn, week July 0. Running* time, GO mins. Scott i..Charlies Ruggloa Georgia,. ;., Una Merkel Riith. k.....1,,.Mdry. GarlisM Blake... Russell Hardto Murray,. .Portpr Hall Hanks...WlUard Robertson Carson.....................Berton Churchill Allen;.... .... ^.CUfl Thomp.son ■;Tltus ....^..., ~. ,,■...Snowflak« ■ A hokey murder mystery with Charlie Ruggles for laughs . and plenty of liberties for plot coristruc- tiori. It is the kind of comedy mur- der mystery meller that's Small towii in'most of its essentials and at best never niuch. in the way Of diversion. Rates somewhere between poor and fair. . ■ . Rugglies does a screwy type of amateur detective who stunibles into credit finally after little atten-, tl6n has been paid him and several laughs have been excavated at hi expense. His lines are of the flip- pant type and ih themselves provide a little comedy. From the point of view of . i>lau- sibllity. 'Murder in the Private Car* is anything but. Starts Out by tak- ing a telephone operator .off her chair and placing her in the. lap of luxury as the ttjissihg daughter of eC yery rich man, Froiri here on skullduggery figures* first in an attempt at kidnapping, then through murders and attenipt- ^d. mu'rders .on a private car wtiich is taking,, the girl and her small party" eastward to' meet the long- lost father, Aniong other tilings, an ape' ciscapeis from a circus-wreck and barges through the car, finally pli^nging to his death after little more tlisvn scaring people aboard^ ]Ppr the final big scene, after the giri;s father has Joined the party oh the train', the private car . is un- coupled- and begins to roll backward down a long grade In the path of an oncoming express. High explosivefl are abOard to further meller;yp the situation but the mariner in which, .fast switching, keeps .everything off. the death tracks and an engine later speeds Up close :enough for'every-' body to jump oriito It is strictly of the. 1905 vintage: Ruggles towers aibove everyiane else, getting the best break on lihea. which wasn't much.. His support in- cludes. Una M^.rkel. aind Mary .Car- lisle, the . two telephone operatoria (Qne now rich), Russell .Hardle, sweetheart .of the dollar princess, and a c6ior,ed port | v Snowfiake,'W'hft manages, to stir, a couple , of gigg;le9. Char. CITY LIMITS ' Monogram production and release. 'Di- rected by. William Nigh. Features Frank Craven, Ray "Walker. Sally Blane. From nevel by Jack:,'Woodford. Screen play, 3eorge Wagftrier; i>hotograt>hy, Jerry Ashe. A.t Times, N. T., fhree days, July 9. rtUnnlng time, dS mins. J. B. Ma,tthews ,...<.. .Frank Cravea Heleit Matthews.,..,...., Sally Blans .nmmy Dugan .- Ray Walker Oliver : laude GllUngwater May not sta.rt so fast but gathers momentum and while not a solo performer, picture sizes as a sup- porting feature. Frank Craven plays an ill railroad prez With a sense of humor arid does a good Job through- out. - A reporter, under guise as the old ■ riian's medico's assistant, gets into- the prez' inner councils, until the railroad man decides to roll off his- private train to escape. He gets into the compiariy'of two goofy but harmless hobos. Everything winds up-jake, With the newshOund copping the old boy's, daughter and the pre2 returning' in time to hand the - reporter's sheet another scoop iand at the same time save the= rail- rdidi'- . ..'■ .t»iaIog is nothing to brag about but i^'s ihtelFiglblb. Peculiar qUlrk is. that the train, on which the isicr tlon taTdes plaice, is sometimes lohgr e^ and shorter. ' " ^fhan. CJ^^ STREETS ^nv.lqclble - i>.rodUcll9n.- Independent leose. Story by Gordon Mdrrfs. Directed by'Frank Strayer,' l^eatufes Johnny Mack Brtwn; Antta- .lyofulse, Cn&lrc ' Windsor. .Sqreen .play'and dialog, Anthony Goldewey; photograpliy, M.. A; Anderson. .At Strand, .Brooklyn, on double bill, July J. Running time, <r> Vnlns. Anne Clement .......Claire Windsor- Adam Blythe..........Johnny Mack. Brown. Clafc Gratlan Anita Louise Mort Talbot Kenneth Thom.<fon Ken Batclay Matty Kemp Dean Todd. . .Josef Swicknrd. Jerry Clement ; Miles Welfh To comment too minutely on this vvfould only hamper an honest b. o. interitiori. It's just another pic- ture -vvith story of an embryo .sur.. geon who, after hoboing out of pi-ac- tice for more than 12 years, re- =tu rn.s=to=pei-f<>rm=^ori=;--of—thoKC^mir.^^ acle opera tion.s. Hoc Is too honest to accept a big job and in the win ' ip i.s shot by a .iealous husb.'uid wl- > doesn't mind Ills (laughter bf^inpr i" love with the lioho doctor, but resents that bi.s wife foel.'j that w-ay too. Hut be- fore j)oppin;- off, the (loo make.q the magnificent gesture of framing liis death to ap))'*ar a.s suicide. Nothing- to the setting.s and little iriore to the lU'ting. biit f-iir onough where ii. cm he tak"n seriou.sly. Xot f;)r wi.sf"! up filrngOf»rs, however. flhan.