Variety (Sep 1928)

12 VARIETY F I L M REVIEW S Wednesday, September 12, 1928 Talking Shorts MOVIE-ONE, NEWSREEL Issue of Sept. 8. 10 Mins.; 7 clips iBtrand, N. Y. Spectacular pqnch Is provided by a regiment of U. S. Cavalry in field inianeuvors, whith clip lias been placed at the finish of a sisht-sound assembly otherwise j'ather mild. Troopers manciiver in open coun- try in battle formation, line of nia- chino gunners holding a position .>vhil(J mounted forces move about behind. Crackle of imachine gun fire, Bwirling dust iind galloping horses supply panorama of action with background of thrilling sounds. News interest centers In record of the signing of the world peace treaty In the Quai d'Orsay, Paris, preceded by a speech by Br land in French and then showing the not- ables sighing the document, lead- ing with Stressniah for Germany, and thien Kellogg for the U. S, Ap- plause of crowd - in the chamber gives actuality to affair. Later Kel- logg, after a spoken introduction by Ambassador Herrick, makes a. brief address . into the sound device for the benefit of world fans. "West Point football carididate.s in .practice was a brisk bit, with the boys hitting the dummy, and. push- ing the line-liitting machine ac- companied by the typical exhorta- tions .of the coach. Prize winning dance couple before the assenibled dancing-masters in Detroit, conven- tion step the .."ecstacy glide." " Mild clip, but, interesting to dancehall addicts. President Hindenberg, of Ger- hiany, christening a new liner had the. former general making a speech In German that meant, nothing, but the uproar of cheering and steam- .boat whistles as the new ship glides into the water is inspiring. Timely was a brief bit of the kids igoing back to school aftei^ vacation and being greeted on the school- house steps by the' teacher. Neat comedy. interlude. Charles M. Schwab shown on his stock farm. Introduces his prize bull, and throws a line of same about efficiency in the factory and on the farm. Then into the cavalry show for a parting kick, especially effective being' shots of the charging horse- men coming head on toward the camera with thundering hoofs. Shots of the same charge taken from a pit, also a. pul.se quickener. Ten minutes of the audible news- reel preceded by seven minutes of silent reporting here, divided be- tween Pathe and Fox. President Coolldge at the gun traps-and shots of the Americain polo team that is to mee:t the Argentine players (slow motion of play on the Sands Point, L. I., field good) were best for Pathe, while Fox had a dandy bit of May Sutton Bundy, once national tennis champ, teaching her two children, Billy, eight, and Dorothy, 12. Kids are great In action. The boy's tennis style for an eight-year- old would make an interesting ex- hibit on merit; Rush HAZEL GREEN and BAND yiTAPHONE NO. 2112 10 Minutes Strand, Yonkers, N. Y. Hazel Green, assisted by her Jazz Band in a quartet of instrumental and vocal numbers. After a musi- cal introduction by the band Miss Green sings a parody on "Ain't. She Sweet" to Introduce tlie band. Mild record from any aliglei "Bird's. Eye View of My Old Ken- tucky ilbme" is hei* second and "That's Why I Lkjvc You" concludes. The stout girl leads the band when not .singing and a male tap dancer contributes two clever hoof- ing interludes. Miss Green also hops the buck for the finish. Bryan Foy directed. Con. "TUNING IN" VITAF»HONE No. 2137 Radio Skit 10 Minis.; . Two Sets Clinton, New York A peep behind the scenes of a radio broadcasting studio, makes for whatever ccmedy and novelty exists in this frothy turn. : Hugh Herbert, Murray Roth and Bryan Foy figure as the creative and directorial triumvirate. Action switches back and forth from a receiving set in a home to the studio, where a sponsored pro- gram- by. a rollerr skate manufacT turer is on the air. Announcer is shown faking a lot of stuff. Be- sides announcing, he also pulls a fal.setto as a pseudo-soprano of re- nown, and also With cocoaniit shells fakes a difilcult tap dance routine, cautioning the fans to listen In on the difficult steps, A pompous far- mers' sensktor from the west is a so-so character. The V. symphony orchestra of 7,000 is actually a quartet. Finale has to do with a "Prison- er's Song" rendition and the f^irate listener-in back in the parlor set shooting into, the loud speaker with the bullet shown finding its, mark in the studio as it emerges through the mike. Idea could have been better devel- oped. Impressed but mildly; Abel. COOPER and STEPT VITAPHONE Noi 2159 Songs and Piano 7 Mins.; One Clinton, New,York Uud Cuopei', lyricist, and Sammy 'Stcpt.ci'niposer, aie the entertain- ers in this pianblog titled "Song Hit Writers." Koutine compri.sfvs three original numbers appropriately med- leyed for novelty interpretation. Cooper handles "Be.side a Lazy Stream" and the closer, "No- One ^^^ut-,^Ty To_ot.sie.^with Stept^oloing "High. Life Made a "LoNv X;ir6 Our=6r M<.'" as the mid-section number. Stept ha,s. appeared in other Vita short.s witli Al Bernard and Frank Kamplain as the Record lioy.s. . Striflly a lyric turn, the full value of the songs i.s gotton across for < xcellent cffecti Figures a pleasant li|.;lit entry if at a minimum rental. Abel. TWO POVES V Weems and Gar VITAPHONE NO. 2178 10 Mins. ,. Clinton, N. Y. Brutal. Not a laugh in the whole thing; Id^a Is of two. negro aviators wrecked in the polar region-s. After picking themselves up tHey go into chatter that trumps everything for. pointless gag-s and general flatness. Walter Weems and Ed Gar, indi- vidualijr clever monologists, are feeble in their united effort to do a Moran and Mack without either in the delivery or material of that pair. Weems -wasn't even sure of his lines. W^ole thing slipshod and carelessly edited. One long ya^yn. Land. . JOSEPH E. HOWARD VITAPHONE NO. 2596 Songs 6 Mins. Sigma, Lima, O. Joe Howard singing his song- suct cesses of years ago. Means nothing unless Howard personally stage known in town and then not a great deal. Jiist a song act, to be u.sed as if needed, but if Howard. unknown, wasted. Howard sings among four num- bers his dope "Dreaming" number and "Who's Kissing Her Now?," popular in their day and their day was. 20 years ago. H6ward looks alright on the screen arid plays a piano accompaniment for one song. Parlor set. Sivic. WINNIE LIGHTNER VITAPHONE NO. 2591 7 Minutes Strand, Yonkers, N. Y. Winnie LIghtner is a hot number for a talking short program. She sings three songs in her character- istic nut manner, bouncing from one into the next without stalling. Mob pleaser. . .Her:_numbcrs.:here are, chixfriojogi-^ cally, "Heaven Help a Sailor," "Raise Myself a Papa" and "We Love It." All three have double entendre lyrics that see,m to be sure fire be- fore a pop audience. Although much of the LIghtner personality is lost in the trahsitloh to the one-eyed monster, enough remains. Con. JIMMY LYONS VITAPHONE NO. 2409 7 Minutes Strand, Yonkers, N. Y. This is the third or fourth talker Jimmy Lyons has made. His Dutch dialect and personality register un- usually well in the articulate photos ;ind he gets as m.any laughs with his canned monolog as he does on the vaudeville , stage: Good number Cor any program. For his latest Lyon.s essays the familiar political speech a la the late"'eliff"Gordon;--m.s^^gag.s^onwtopi-:^ c.il subjects are sure fire and his delivery is flawless. Lyons gets every point acros.s. llis articulation is fine and the pacing of the laughs, through fa- miliarity with his material. Is just as aocuratf as. though he were de- livering In person and could hear the reactions. Con. WEBER and FIELDS VITAPHONE NO, 570 10 Minutes Strand, Yonkers, N. Y. The famous veterans offer some of their familiar "argument" ma- terial. The scene Is the exterior of a Parisian cafe. W^eber and Fields walk into the .scene in evening dress and go Into their argument. Good name record. They use the "Mike I Love You" bit in which Lew Fields chokes his diniinutlve partner, Joe Weber, to illustrate his regard. They laughed at the pair but the medium didn't do them their usual justice. Much of the. mugging -was lost because the entire scene was played in a medium shot. Weber and Fields first, recorded for a talking short on the lDeForest Phonofiim. From memory tile same material was " employed. DeForest records were not widely circulated, nor was the wiring for talkers In that, time (about five years ago) the same as at present. Con. "LUCKY IN LOVE" (10) With Clyde Cook VITAPHONE NO, 2284 15 Mins. Clinton, N. Y. Good. Hugh Herbert and Murray Roth authored and Bryan Foy directed. Husband takes his last $200 to enter a ppker game in the flat above. When ahead in -^yInnings he is to stomp on .floor and wife is to . come upstairs, feigning anger, and drag him from the game. She falls asleep and; when finally ar- riving hubby has been cleaned. Former, vaude skit. Clyde Cook on the Vltaphone is entirely different from, the silent picture personality. He does a com- bo goof-Engllahman. Alice iKnowlr ton screen-credited as wife. . Funny ideas with some. clever touches during and after poker game. Land.' ABE LYMAN and Orchestra VITAPHONE No. 2338 10 Mins.; Draped Set Clinton, .New York This is Lyman's, second Vltaphone short. He does • three numbers, "Waters of the Perkiomen," a waltz for the opener; "Did You Mean It?" tenored by Phil Neely, from the orchestra ranks, and . flashing a violin and guitar either for effect or practical purpose, and closing with "Varsity Drag." This mimber was in Lyman's previous short played as musical accompaniment to a tap dance, however. Now it's a torrid jazz entry arid a snapper for the flrtale. As before, Lyman's voice is too high pitched and his mannerism too self-conscious to warrant his as- signment of tialklng bits. He an- nounces his numbers in person, and is downstage at the traps, cutting up with drumstick fol-de-roL It's a good band entry, but not particu- larly distinguished, as a presenta- tion, one way or another.. Lyman will mean more to Chi 'arid Coast exhibitors. Ahcl. HEART TO HEART First. National production' and release. Mary Astor, Lioulse Fazenda and Lloyd Hughes . featured. Directed by William Beaudine from story by' Juliet W. Tomp- kins. Supervised by Wld Gunning. Cam- eraman, Sol Bonlto. At the Paramount, N. Y., week of Sept, 9. Running time, 03 minutes. Princess Delatorre;.; Mary Astor Phil Lennox.. .I.,loyd Hughes Aunt Katie..... Louise Fazenda Uncle Joe ;........LiUclen Llttlefleld Aunt Meta Eileen Manning First National has niade a festival of^hokuni out of a story .of. some novelty. Absence of artistic re- straint does not, howe-ver, interfere with the picture getting laughs and lots of them. This advantage, plus crackerjack performances by Louise Fazenda, .Lucien Littlefleld: and Mary Astor, will put the film across. "Heart to Heart" is especially good for outside the de luxes. It is spotted at the Paramount on the bill with Jackie Coogan's personal appearance arid subordinated there- to in advertising. Much of the hu- mor is based on the dpubtftil prem- ise tliat stumbling into or over any object is highly comic. Louise Fazenda, who has at last given up those slapstick domestics, does a splendid piece of acting as a warm liearted small town house- wife completely bewildered arid mentally paralyzed by learning that hor hu.sband is supposedly carrying on with another woman.. In sev- eral recent pictures Miss Fazenda has contributed geniiinc character- izations cleverly embroidered with a^-we.al th- of-natu rail sm r^^-- —n .^^^ Millortown, Ohio, after an absence of 14 years. Arriving On an early train and dres.sed simply,-, nobody recognizes her althougb the town is festooned with signs and ban- ners, "Welcome Honie, Princess." At the home of her near-sighted aunt she Is mistaken for a seamT .stress and put to work. Only her uncle and her boyhood sweetheart, now a window washer, recognize her. Developments establish comedy. Land. HOME, JAMES Universal production and release. Directed by William Beaudine. Story by Gladys Johnson. No other credits given on billing or main title. Laura LaPlante starred. Charlps Delaney leading man, Comedy old man played by George P<<arce, At the Hippodrome, N. Y., week of Sept. 10. Run- ning time, 72 mins: Lucien Littlefleld, alwuy.s the> de- pendable character man, haH to do most of-thc stumbling Int^ and oyer things. His pcrformnncc. 1h also carefully detallod for luimarincHH. Mnry Astor wtands out on bea)ity and charm. Story concern.'! an Am'Tlfan jfl'l who marries an Ttallnn peine ?mfl being widowed, docldca to reylHll A light comedy romantic subject modeled aftei- the O. Henry mianner, but badly made. Only virtue is a certain Irigenuity in wlridirig up hoke comedy situations for a laugh. All story logic is subordinated to this end. They drag In most unconvinc- ing things for a comedy twist. You resist the impossible situations but you do get a mild sort of comedy effect. Titles contribute nriuch to the light treatment. an<i titler enr titled to credit. Director has been at much. pain.<3 to build up such coriiedy scenes as a shop girl crawling on hands and knees through , a crowded depiart- ment store in order to escape the eye of a nagging floor walker. An- other gag worked lip elaborately is girl climbing on high step ladder to get article from high place, with swaying' perch and ultimate fall. All labored devices like that, They, get their laughs from the pop mob, but they're scarcely worth .while. Story is pretty ihiplauslble. Son of millionaire falls in love at sight with shop girl and to save her from enibari^assment poses as a chauffeur, brings h.ei" to his home in the sup- posed, absence of his bpsis arid then gets her involved In all soi'tsof com- plications. . In this case Jiero'g father, returning. unexpectedly, has girrarrested and tbe misunderstand- ings are air smoothed out when li6 causes her to be arraigned before the judge, supposedly to be sen- tenced, but as It turns put to have the judge marry the pair on the theory that any woman, who could niake that hair brained boy work even for a day gave proniise of ac- complishing . something with him. Miss La Plante dpes not make a happy hoyden^ . She overdoes the cute stuff dl.sgracefully, but she is good in downright gag comedy; Here she got laughs with too energetic methods, but lost out. completely on the sympathetic . romantic side. Young Delaney is an agreeable juv- enile with an easy style about him and a likeable slow smile. Pearce's old man is iEalrlywell balanced, and two rather good character sketches of a couple of small *to.wn vixens were well enough done in the famil- iar manneir by two type actresses. Slsslfied bully floor walker was a . gem pf filni gag comedy. Strictly for the neighborhood dally change.s. Rush. KREUTZER SONATA (GERMAN MADE) M. S. Fiima (German) production, mado in Berlin from Count Leo Tolstoy's hovel, directed by J. Machaty and featuring Eva Byron and , Jans Petrbvlch.' Presented In America under auspices of the Russian Student Clubs .of AmSrican Universities lii celebration of Tolstoy Centennial Week this week, current at the Fifth Ave. Play- house,. New York. Ituns' 40 minutes. Made by a Russian-German cast in Berlin, the Tolstoy, novelizatlon is a. dreary cinematic transmutation of the great Russian novelist's study of matrimonial Jealousy. As. a flicker feature, its ixppepA is princi- pally limited to contrasting picture values with contemporaneous Amer- ican standards. Which is another way of stating it will not please the mas.scs, although tho Ru.ssl.an derivation may be utilized to two- fold exhibitor advantage^both Iri the arty sure-seaters like the Fifth Ave, Playhouse and fpr jjhetto neighbor- hoods with a Jewish following. Whoever titled and edited the American versibri did sonrie yeOman cfiopplflg to speed thing.s. The short 45-mInute feature evidences his. radical cutting, some of the scenes projecting jerkingiy and falteringly, Eva Byron, the flirtatious wife, la. Pola Negri-i.sh in makeup sind. sug- gestion but safe from Hollywood annexation. At times she is quite effective, but a toll-tain double chin nulUfle.s her celluloid future on this side. Like most foreign thesplan.s, she overacts, contrasting the more to .Tans Petrovich's reserved charac- terization as the victim of the green-eyed monster. The violin vir- tuo.so who completes the triangle is unidentified, doing little but appear oillly menacing. Production cost a herring .and rental fee should be ditto. In cele- bration of Tolstoy Centennial Week, the IlUHsLiri clubs of American llni- ^verH 1 tlc.s=aiui^snbnaorlng -th 1 .s.1 m rxir^ tatlon in America. Abel. Coniplft'' cdHt of "Intcrforenre," I'ai", InchidcH Kvclyn IJront, William row<'ll, Cllve Jtrook, r)orI,s Konvon, Brandon Ilursf. Cly<l(' (^ook, 'i'om K.lfl(.-ll.'-, Loul.s P.'iyno, Wilfred Nov. Dori.'ild Stiiari and Raymond Law- rcjico. Good Men and True FBO reissuing old timer made by p. \ Powers. Story credited Kugcue M. Rhodes! Harry Carey starred. In cast: Noah Bcfry Thomas Jefferson, Tully Marshall, Voia Vale, William Steele. At Stanley, New York, one day, Sept, 10, Running time, 70 minutes, In the pre-war days "Good Men and True" would have been a hum- mer, but today, with Its poor light- ing, obviovia acting, yellow titles, and ancient wardrobe, this re-Issue got razzed even at the .Stanley, 25c. grind. Only chance is in houses that will pull antique day or iri arty centers where they might like to get a line on old timers iri their youth. It's too long: to get by as second half oh ordinary, bill and too musty to be featured uriless public is advised of its age. Noah Beery, as thei cigar chewing scum politician,. scowls with true villiiiny and .changes caps arid coats as occasion demands. Vola Vale goes pop-eyed over Harry Carey, who wins the election after kicking a strlrig of waiters in the belt and being fi-amed for a couple of mur- ders. Tully Marshall as the henpecked pa pverhears the plot in an elab- orate chink joint in a crude western village, and thus it roils on. Audi- ences in an agreeable frame of mind will get a lot of laughs over the dusty directorial technique, but those fans who pay, expecting to find something modern^—top bad. TIRE AU jFLANC (FRENCH MADE) Pa*is, Sept. 1. This is a very amusing pictul-e of French military life in peaceful days before the war, adopted from the successful farcie of Mouezy-Eon and Sylvane, which held the stage at the Dejazet for 1,000 perfbriharices. The origirial talking show is better than the screen edition, notwithstanding the. excellent eifCorts of. the producer, Jean. Renplr,-for the Neo-Film (P. Braunberger). ■ "The picture version, distributed by. the Armor concern, is brought up to date., Action is sure to delight the French fans, nearly every rinau having been through it in. the bar- racks, and he will appreciate the adventures of Dubois, the spoilt child, feeling the pinch wheri he reaches, the regiment; "Tire au Flinc" is a sort of local idiom for "passing the buck," but chiefly em- ployed in the army. ... . Michel Siriion . Is diveriihg in tho: part of the valet Joseph; Michael Poriiies is thie young nobleman, and Jeanne Helbling (Georgette), Esther Kiss, Kinny Dorlay, Fridette Fatten, -Mm. Felix Oudart (the colonel), Jean Storm, Zellas, Manuel Ralljy. hold the other iroles. Amusing French picture, for exportation pur- poses doubtful. Ecndrew. 5 and 10 Cent Annie Warner Bros! production and release. Directed by. Roy Del Biith. Story by Leon ' Zurade. Screen' plav -by Charles Condon.' X<oulse Fazenda, Clyde Cook and ■William. Demareist featured. Cast: Ger- trude Astor, Tom Rlcketts, Douglas Ger- rard, Andre Beranger, . Flora Finch, Bill Franey, "Eddie Hafther. At the TlvoU, 'New York, one ' day, Sept.. 6. Running lime, 50 mins, . Mildly diverting comedy that will acceptably round out a double fea- ture program. Heavy dramatics should be its running mate. Story based, on the romance be- tween Annie (Miss Fazenda), clerk in the five and ten, arid Elmer Peck (Cook),: a street cleaner, Js strictly slapstick. When the meek little White Wing inherits a mil- lion and ai, |(alet from his eccentric Uncle his troubles ^.gin. Qne pro- vision of the old man's- will is that In the event his nephew dies un- married the money goes to the valet in recognition for faithful service. Brlggs (Demarest), the valet, sha.ng- hies his new master In order to pre- vent him from acquiring Annie as a ball and chain. Annie, however, slips aboard ship dressed as a sea- man and rescues her lover frojn. his captors with the aid of a revenue, futter. ,^illy. but good enough as a com- edy filler in the neighborhoods. TESHA (BRlTISH-MADEj , Hrlll.sh International Pict'uirs' production. Diipiled by Victor Saville. Atliiptcd from the novel of the same title by BurOness Harcynalta. Photography; Werner Bi^indes. ('rn«ors' CorLlflcate "A." Distrlljutcd in the V. K. by AVardour Fllm.s Ltd., and in America by Wide World Film t'orp.,- Inc. Uunnlng time. Oil minutes. Pre-vlewfed at the Ixindon JIl])podrome, Augu.st 21. To.Mha ,Mnrln Corda Diibrcc jam'psoiv Thomns Lcnune .Paul Tavanagh ; If ccn.sors pass this film it will create a much more favorable im- profcision towards British pictui'^u Ih.an any that have yet been .seen. A delicate th^me has boon han- dled with delicacy, yet with a robust- ness of direction which makes it 100 per cent entertainment. That it «houl(l^J)c_ only the second film of "t1io~dlroctorrVictoi^SaV'lllP,"i5-~soine-= thing .approaching a wonder. But that it should have been made by the man who directed thtit awful atrocity, "The Arcadians," is nearer to a miracle. There is nothing of lifjhtin^'. sets, locntion.s camera work or acting (with one exceptiori) that is bt-low (Coutiuued on page ^T) \