Variety (Dec 1926)

12 VARIETY PICTURES Wednesday, December 1, 1926 FILM REVIEWS WHAT PRICE GLORY "William Pox Production from th*» ntapo play by Laurence Stalling* and Ifgxwrll Anderson\ Directed by Haoul Wnlsh. Fea- turing Victor McLnglen. Edmund Lowe and Doloros Del Rio. Titled by Malcolm Stuart Boylan. At tbe Harris Theatre. New York, for run beginning Nov. 23. Running time. 116 minute*. Captain Flngg..' Victor MeTjtglen Bergoant Quirt Edmund l,owo Charmaim' Dolores Del Rio ••Cognac Pete" William V. Mong Hilda of China Phyllis Haver Carmen of the Philippines B14SS Juar.lo Lieut. M -oro Leslie Fenton Private Lewltohn Barry Norton Prvat.. Liplnaky Sammy Cohen Private KU>or Ted McN'amara rren« h Major August Tollaire To settle the question right off the bat let it be said that the event of "Tho Big Parade" a year ago has not taken the edge off of "What Price Glory." As a matter of fact *The Big Parade" has made an audi- ence for "What Price Glory." More than that, the latter film has nothing to fear at the box ofllce ©f the effect of the first one. From the looks of things it is safe to pre- dict that the Fox picture is going to be just as great a hit in the legitimate houses as the Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer one is. Yet while they are both by the same author and both are war pictures, still they are totally unlike each other. You can mark "What Price Glory" down In your little red book as one of those pictures that is "in" and look back at that book a couple of years from now with the satisfaction that you picked a winner. The chances are that "What Price Glory" will be Just as big at the box office as "The Big Parade" was, pro- viding it is as deftly handled as a road show. One thing the Fox peo- ple do not want to do and that Is to rush in all over the country with road shows right off the bat. The thing to do with this one is to lay back, pick the spots and play about Tho New King of Jus BENNY MEROFF AND ORCHESTRA OF 25 At CHICAGO MURRAY BLOOM. P six of the big ciths this season. Philadelphia. Boston, Chicago added to New York and L*>s Angeles al- ready opened, and possibly San Francisco should be all that are hit this season, and then late next August strike out with about 12 companies in tho week stands and get the money. "What Price Glory" is a picture that they are going to talk about. They are going to gag that "bird" thing around. They who see the picture are going to start tipping off on the cuss words used, words that can only bo gotten by lip reading, but the bunch that goes to see the picture will watch for that rough stuff. And that word of mouth ad- vertising that is going to result is the thing that is going to get about tho country like wildtire and go a long way to make tho picture. Tho more one thinks of this pic- ture the more angles there are to judge it a surelire money maker from, it's a picture that has every- thing except an out and out love story of the calibre of the one that there was in "The Big Parade." But where it lacks in that it certainly does make up in sex stuff and com- edy. And comedy that is comedy. Comedy that will appeal to the variest lowbrow and still click witli those who have no hair at all. There is a wallop right in the be- ginning in the two short sequences showing both Flagg and Quirt as sergeants of the Marines in China and tho Phillippines. Kight hero the conflict between the two men whose trado is soldiering, over women is set down and in the sexiest manner possible, yet with a light touch of comedy that hits the audience right between the eyes. Then the picture goes right into France. The world war period be- gins with tho arrival of the marines the first of our soldiers to get "over there." They aro in a little French village back of the lines, and it is here and in tho trenches that all the following action takes place. Flagg, captain now in his own be- Joved U. S. Marine Corps, takes his company into the village and com- edy begins from that moment. His striker Privajto Kiper (the fellow with the ever-rendy "bird") and Privato Lipinski hat the bowl arolling. Tho action alternates, a laugh, a bit of sex stuff and a thrill and heart-throb from then on. Tho picture keeps moving along at a pace that has ono on edge al- ways and wondering. The wonder- ment does not start until Flagg's old rival with women, Quirt, appears. He is stUI a sergeant, but the best in tho Corps, the only thing is that ho Is "too wise," and that's why he can't rate a commission. But from that point tho audience begins to wonder. The question is which of the men. or maybe both, has mado tho grade with the charming Char- mainc. Of course they never find out but they do a lot of guessing. Both men are on the make and both aro trying hard. They are free with their hands and kisses. Charmaine does not appear to repulse either in this respect until tht^ final shots of tho picture, when she does express her preferment for the sergeant, al- though ho marches right off to the Experienced Manager, Orchestra Leader, also Organist for Chicago's Newest Three Thousand Five Hundred (3,500) Seat Picture House, "The Piccadilly." Seeking the unusual organist capable of presenting novel enter- tainment. Answer by letter only, stating fully experience, age, former position, photo and salary, to H. SCHOENSTADT & SON 1120 So. Michigan Avenue CHICAGO GABY RASSANO LYRIC DRAMATIC SOPRANO >AUL 08CARD'S "UNDER VENETIAN SKIES' PUBLIX CIRCUIT KB AND DFAllY ADOLPH ZUKOR RADIATES Ability Confidence Perspicacity RADIATES Intelligence Far-sightedness Kindliness RADIATES Square Dealing Happiness Integrity On the occasion of this glorious anniversary I extend my sincere appreciation and heartiest good wishes to the wonderful man, Adolph Zu- kor, who has spread so much sunshine throughout the world. Emil E. Shauer. 'f <; APPEARING OVERjENTIRE j I (• I s: . J 4 vol/rt of aWiMrV JrowEB front again though suffering from a wound. A titlo just before the ending tells the story better than words here set forth could. It is to the effect that they go to the front once and come back, they go twice and come back— but the third time, never. They are uttered by Charmaine as she watches the two men that have bat- tled each other for her favors march off arm in arm to fight together the common enemy. So much for the story, itself. Now for the picture "What Price Glory." In the first place If this is a sample of what Winnie Sheehan can do on the Fox lot in the way of making pictures for that organization he should never be permitted to get away from the lot. The result will be that William Fox will not only run up profits of a figure that he has never had before but he will get his pictures in houses where he never expected that they would be unless he could drive up with a ma- chine gun and force them to book. Then as to the cast. It is one of the most perfect things about the picture. Victor AlcLaglan stands out bigger than he ever has in any picture, and this production is going to "make" him. He is the hard- boiled Capt. Flagg, and the women are going to love him. His role gets far greater sympathy from them than that of Sergeant Quirt, which Edmund Lowe plays, and Lowe in this picture is doing his greatest bit of screen acting. No one thought Lowe could get away with Sergeant Quirt when he was cast for it. Lowe has fooled them, he IS Quirt, hair cut and all. And as for the Charmaine of Dolores Del Rio, that girl doesn't have to go any farther; she is made if ever an actress was. Of course it may have been due to a great ex- tent to the direction, but she regis- ters like a house aiire. It is no won- der that she had the wholo army after her! She's worth it. in the picture. Rut with It all one cannot over- look Leslie Fenton, who in a brief seeno in a dugout dressing station certainly gives the impression of a shell lire crazed man if there ever Was one enacted before the camera. With tho comedy in the hands of Ted McNamara (the "bird" artist) and Sammy Cohen as the Little Heb private, there is nothing more to be asked for. In the early sequences Phyllis Haver slips over a dame on the "make" that will send the boys walking right up to the screen and lay their dough on the line, and Elena Jurado, the Phillippino' lady who is also a member of that pro- fession, isn't hard to look at either. William V. Along as the father of the girl gives a corking character- ization to the grasping inn keeper who wouldn't hesitate to make a few francs even at the cost of his daughter's shame, while August Tol- lalre as the French village mayor was good for a^ouple of laughs, one when the boys*/"took" him in the crap game and tho other when the "striker" went down to "dust him off" for the wedding. To Raoul Walsh a great deal of credit will havo to go. Ho has turned out a picture that places him right in the front nwik of directors. His handling of tho war stuff is little short of marvelous. In the ■hooting of those scenes tho camera staff, which comprised J. 11. McGill, .lohn iMarta and John Smith, must o iittO in for a full share of praise. II tying seen the picture twice, once with and one without the mu- sical accompaniment, one must say that Erno Rapes did compose a masterful score for tho production. True, there arc times when the music seems rather too forceful, but in the main It does lift the pro- duction tremendously. No ono can go wrong playing "What Price Glory/' no matter what kind of a theatre it Is. Any of the legit house managers, especially those that played "Tho Hig Parade," who don't go after this ono, are fast asleep, It's a natural, anywhere, east or I (Coirtinued on pAc« 301 >) A HUMAN, TRUE STORY By DIXIE WILLSON Across the shimmering, magnifi- cent foyer of a New York City the- atre a quiet little man, soft hat In hand, gray hair, deep dark eyes, one evening approached the hoy at the door and asked to go inside. "Have you a pass from the man- ager?" the boy wantea to know. The quiet little man hesitated a moment, then said "No. he hadn't." "Then I can't let you in," the boy politely replied. The little man brought % dollar out of his pocket. "The manager won't object to my going in," he said. 'I'll explain it to him. I don't want to wait for a ticket. The box office Tne's a block long." The boy motioned him out of the way. "I'm sorry," he said, "but I can't let anyone in without a pass from tho manager." "I'm Adolph Zukor," he said. "I'd like to go in. It's my theatre, you know." "I'm sorry, sir," the boy eaid again. "I can t let you in without a pass from the manager." The evening crowd came faster, surged in from tho box office The boy watched that li-.t e man stard- ing back, looking keenly at ih~i peo- ple who came in, listening to what they were saying, observing the things about the lobby that pleased him. Zukor Yessing And then tho manager came across the marble floor — became suddenly aware'of that man stand- ing where the boy had put him— began pushing tho crowd back to make a clear space! "Mr. Zukor!" he exclaimed. "This is a great surprise! Won't you come inside and see the show?" "The boy at the door has kept me waiting for your permission," Mr. Zukor said. The manager's face flushed with annoyance. "He shall be discharged—now," he said shortly. "Yes, I hope so," Mr. Zukor re- plied. The manager took Mr. Zukor into the theatre, placed a velvet chair in tho center loge box, and there Adolph Zuzor In Adolph Zukor's theatre saw Adolph Zukor's show. When it was over. Adolph Zukor looked for that boy at the door, but he wasn't there. Someone else was in his place. Mr. Zukor asked for the man- ager's .office—was taken there with the greatest of deference. "Did you discharge that boy who was at the door?" he asked. "Yes, indeed," the manager told him. "Immediately." "That's fine," Mr. Zukor said. "I've been looking two years for a boy I could depend on. Will you ask him to report to me tomorrow?" LITERATI "Hot Dog" Suspends "Hot Dog" has passed out. Per- haps the first of the sexy publi- cations, it had an unbelievably large circulation for its size and small contents. With risque text it remained alone in its field for a long time, but as soon as it started using nude and semi-nude photos, a host of imitators followed, leading up to the "art magazines" of today. They eventually served to put "Hot Dog" out of business, as it couldn't meet with the competition. A new "true confession" type of monthly Is "Sex Stories," issued by a New York publishing concern. Tho tales contained in the initial Issue are said to bo the last work in sexiness. That Graphic Again! If Macfaddon's New York Graphic isn't getting itself laughed at, it's getting Itself discredited, so it's getting something all of the time, with or without added circulation. The latest "bust" the Maefadden dream sheet ran into was Bum (Continued on page 20) All Records Broken at Stanley-Fabian's CAPITOL-NEWARK Booked for Entire Circuit with IKMic cii.idwl.k tnd J»ek Mulhall ITS Will Rent Your Theatre or Flay You Percentage STATE RIGHTS FOR SALE Public Welfare Pictures Corp. 723 Seventh Avenue NEW YORK West Coast Motion Picture Directory of Players, Directors and BARBARA BEDFORD FOR FIRST NATIONAL "New I,oves for Old"—Tnnrneur. "The Spur Mm: Lover"—Hale "What Fools Men '—Arcillnl Management EDWARD SMALL COMPANY A! AN ROSCOE "Flirting With Love"—First National "DrniBfouH Currpnts"—Edwin Carewe —First National "The Texan Strenk"—Universal Management EDWARD SMALL COMPANY MARY CARR fits Wise Guv"—Frank Lloyd— First National "The Fifth Commandment"—Eniory Johnson—Universal "Drusllla With a Million"—Harmon Welsh t—F. B. O. Management EDWARD SMALL COMPANY 2 GASTON GLASS FOR FIRST NATIONAL Sweet Daddies"—Snntell Subway Sadie"—Santell "Molasses"—Mike Levee Management EDWARD SMALL COMPANY LIONEL BELMORE "Return of Peter Grimm"—Fox . "Bardclevs the Magnificent"—Yldor- M. G. M Management EDWARD SMALL COMPANY GEORGE IRVING "The Goose Hangs High"—Famous Players—.lames Crnze "Pigs"—Irving Cummings—Fox "Three Bad Men —Jack Ford—Fox Management EDWARD SMALL COMPANY WALLACE MacDONALD FOR FOX "Hell s Four Hundred" "Light nln' " Management EDWARD SMALL COMPANY ROSE DIONE "Mile. Modiste"—Corinn© Griffith— First National "Du« hess of Diiffnlo"—Constanee Tul- mudgc—Sidney Franklin—I nited Artists "Mauon Lescnut"—.lohn Barrymore— Alan Cms 'and—I nlted Artists Management EDWARD M1ALL COMPANY JOHN MILIAN 'The Devil s Cln us"—< hrlstianson— M. G. M. 'The Amateur Gentleman"—Itarthcl- ii), ss—nimtt—Inspiration 'Footloose \\ idout."—Warner Bro* Management r.Dtt \KI> SMALL COM I! ANY EDITH ROBERTS "There- Yon Are"— M. O. M. "Seven Keys t«> Baldpale"—Douglas Mai-Lean "Crimes of the Arm Lliair CIuli— 1 nUrrsal—Bracks Management EDWARD SMALL CtXMFANY —