Variety (Nov 1928)

22 VARIETY FILM REVIEWS Wednesday, November 14, 1028 Marriage by Contract (Continued from page 17) Miss Miller, In her make ups alone, «imvilatinff the different age periods of a girl of 19 to a grey haired . woman, she conveyed the proper age at all times, while the acting kept step. At 19 she married a boy near her age and.she declared for a marriage by contract, peirmitting either to dissolve it at any time for any rea- .Son. Three weeks later her bus band came home stewed, arid said he. had been out with another girl. It was 3 In the morning; She remon- strated and questioned. He an- swered but In defense pleaded the contract, which she thereupon tore up and went home to her mother. It was then 4. Flinging herself upon the |)ed, the young wife cried her- self to..sleep.. ,. ; A jump in time. . She has isecurcd a divorce and a newspaper printed the • ex-hiibby, was to again marry to the girl he had taken but. . So Miss Miller ■ got herself an- other husband, but not the one She wanted. : The one she wanted,- in her set, all of whom had joked about the marriage trial, was will- ing to make but not marry her. He took the girl he had told he would marry Ayhen freed from. her trial htisband, to a private dining room in a joint. The girl got the idea even before , she entered, as .another girl was just escaping from another room. So she had to take the next best, a hulking hick, who thought two years long eriotigh for a trial lady and kept his word. At the end of two years, he walked. Then an- other, and this time older, rhuch, but with dough. He wanted ,her on the level and she Wanted the coin. Married, the yoiing wife of the elderly chump picked up a giglio, with the A. IC. ontb Jt, but letting: it ride. Another divorce at the so- licitation of the giglio and the wife with $250,000 cash in ' hand from the settlement. She married the gig. ,. He. wanted his much older wife to, buy him speed roadsters arid slip him chahgo. And then her checks Carrie bouncing back. She told him • they were broke. He answered like a true gig, she was broke, and. why should he be tied up with an fid dame without coin. Packing his grips and starting to leave, the giglio saw his wife with- her back to the door, holding a gun. Not for him, she said, but for her- self If he tried to leave. He tried, a tussle for the gun, explosion, and the gig was but. . . . Cops come In, see the dead man on the floor arid the wife with the gun in her hand. One of the police- men approaches to place her under arrest. She's terrified when a dis^ Bolve brings her back in bed, strug- gling out of her nightrriare.- The folks rush In to learn the. trouble. It's morning and also: comes along . the original husband, then the. plea of the wife for them to be again married, this time in church, and the screen's injunction for the Women not to monkey with the only protectlq^n they will ever get. R.C.A. Photophone Recorded Sound . Is slight,, t^t has, an odd thing in the musical synchroniza- tion. The music. Inclusive of the theme song, has been adjusted to the picture's situations to bring a smile or laugh' here and there. It's the music fitted to the story's moods and very good. . The theme song, "When the Right One Comes Along," by L, Wolfe Gilbert and Mabel Wayne (Feist's), sure fire as seller, A couple of vocal.' choruses sung during the action, off stage (screen) but in the record. One is sung while the action continues and with a caption coming out In the centre of it. Funny. The E r n e s t Miller direction stands ,up, although the . cuttirig rooiri does appear to have speeded tip the running but without Injury, arid there can be no complaint for that: , Well produced picture, mostly. In- teriors, "rs can take a bow on It. No one of espiecjal distinction other than Miss Miller in cast, ex- cept iRobert Edeson ai5 the elderly hUsbarid: SI WILLS "Wanted by Everybody—Even the Police" with "Pickin' Peaches" Unit This Week: Harding, Chicago DlrcrtJOili WM."- MOIUUS OFKICIO Agnes Gillroy with <<BiTs OF BROADWAY" A Publix Unit This iWeek: Paradise, CJhioago Direction 'WM. SIORRIS OFJFICE npnhlliiR nt n«nu Monti Cafe, Cliiciifro WOMAN DISPUTED . (SOUND) United Artists profliictldn anil release- Directed by Henry King and .Sam Taylor, leased on tlio p!ay by D'enison Cllft/. p.ddp- tution and scenario by C» Gardner. SalU- van. Starring Norma Talmadge, Gilbert Koland .featured. Photographed by Oliver Mar.<=h. ■. At the. nivoll, .New York, Nov. 0, for run on . grind top; nunnine time, 87 nilng. .;• Mary Ann Waghe>.Norma, Talmadge Paul Ilartman .Gilbert Roland Nika Turgenov,.Arnold Kent The Passer-by......'. •,....... Horl^i do Fas Father . Roche ..;..... .Mlchaisl Vavltoh Otto Kreugcr......Gustav Von .Seyltertlz The Countess. i . ...Gladys Rockwell In its transition to the screen, Deriison .Clift'a stajje play has ob- yibusly lost some of Its sophistica- tion and a great deal of its charm. The directors, Henry King and. Sam Taylor; With the- aid of ' the con.- tinuity,. have not done as well as a clever motif of thi.s nature pro- videa for. JBut there is little doubt as to its possibilities In the de luxe picture houses for a week's, run and in the bookings following. There are Just enGygh . o't those qualities retained which are indis- putably recognized in the trade as of sufficient interest to draw con- siderable attention to any box of- fice. Especially so where the pic- ture is allowed to run as shown in New York without further cute. The story opens and continues with, a fallen woman as its major subje<}t.. The treatrrierit is such as ^vill practically insure matinee business. Following the opening sequencea, which include a suicide in the girl's room, action slows until the iritro- ductiori of the war theme, running concurrently With the story of the sacrifice a woman of loose morals was prevailed to make oh behalf of her nation. The picture tells of this girl being adopted by two young officcrg of the Austrian and Russian a;rmies, lifted out. of the slime of street life and given some covering of re- spectability through their friend- ship. Each tails In love with the girl and wishes to marry her. She choofjes Hartman (Roland) arid as a result the latter incurs the hatred of Nika Arnold (Kent). The supreme sacrifice comes when the Russian army Is shown Invading Lemberg under the lead- ership of Nika. Austrians are fbr- bidden to leave, the city. A priesrt. Father Roche, and three prominent citizens of the town are caught try- ing to get away. They-are sen- tenced to be shot for disobeying military orders. Unconcerned about her own welfare, Ma-ry Wagner re- fuses, to accede to Nika's proposal that she come to him willingly and he would release all of those con- cerned. The prie.'Jt, Austrian spy, reveals his identity to the girl, Im presses her with her duty to her nation, shows her how his freedom and a chance to escape would give the. Austrian army victory, and ahe goes to Nika. Paul nrrlvcs the next morning at the head of the Victorious Austrian army. .He finds MsLty in church, praying. Nika is dying, but con- scious and still Imbued with a stroiiR" hatred which impels him to give I'aut an idea of what occurred. Paul Icave.T th^ gli-l, bu^ hears of her ob.iective^!in her connection with Nika from" the commanding officer. . In molding the character of the bag swinger the directors have worked skillfully. She is changed firmly and unhurriedly into a brave, wholesome, likeable person. Her re- latioris with the two young men, on a, basis of friendship only," despite their knowledge of her jj)revious life, seems logical. But "hStt^ dur- ing this process, the picture Is not very Interesting. It Is as the fright- ened, Ill-mannered, foul creature of the night and then, later, as the changed . woman r that the story rou.ses interest. Too much has been allowed for the changing process. All the arts of photography fail to protect Miss Talmadge in riiany of the seqiiences. Hard lines and faulty posing from different anglea detract from her performance. Kent, as the menace, does well until his final appearance in his death sequence. It id too heavily overdrawn, out of proportion to the smooth, even direction which char- acterizes the general tone of the picture. Roland serves a^ the lead. Mori. SHOW PEOPLE (SOUND) M-G-M production .co-starring Marion Davies aiiil William Halhes. Directed by King Vidor.- Original story ' by- Agnes Christine Johnston and Laurence Stalllngs. Adapted by Wanda Ttichow, - Titles by Ralph Spence. ' At Capitol, New York, wfeek Nov. 10. Running time, &3 mins. . Peggy Pepper..,.. ', ..... ^Morion Davles Billy Boone....... .William Hulnes Colonel Pepper.....i.......Dell. Henderson Andre. Paul RilU Castlhg Director. Tenen Holta Comedy Director..Harry Grlbbon Dramatic Director.,....,.,.. .Sidntiy Bracy The Maid,.,,, .........Polly Mot-aD Periodically Hollywood crashes through with a screen story about Itself, thereby branding as Insincere Its own frequently stressed propa- ganda for restless femmes to stay away. ■ "Show People" Is enough to dis- count all the stories the Hays office can send out in a year's time. There never was a girl who got into the movies so easily ias this heroine. Her career is a series of lucky breakSi She Is a,green hick in one reel, coriiedy wow in the next arid dramatic actress 800 feet later. If Is all immensely colored, glamorous beyond reality, and calculated to sell plenty of one-way tickets going west. • As an entertainment "Show PeoRje" is ,a good number. It has laughs, studio atmosphere galore. Intimate glimpses of various stars, considerable Hollywood geography, and Just enough sense and plausi- bility to hold It together, As -a document of Hollywood It presents some peculiar angles. When Peggy Pepper (Marion Davies) gets the w. 1^. swell head she is siBcn to be , the cq.mplacent girl friend of her leading man, ivn insufferably conceited iatuffed shirt. The odd part of this leac^ing man character is tha,t he (Paul Ralli) looks, dresses and acts like Jo^n Gilbert, star of the company which produced the picture. The - satire seems pretty sharply pointed at times,. Miss Davies is obviously mlmick- infir the peculiar pucker of the lips Identified' with Mae Murray, fojrmer M-G-M star. This is broad bur- lesque. However, at other tiriies the story suggests the career of Gloria Swanson, particularly with emphasis upon the custard pie gal becoming an emotional actress. Bebe Daniels is also suggested. The authors have probably drawn upon their knowledge of Hollywood personalities and have made Peggy Pepper a ■ composite etching, half- clowning, half-sarcastic. It is not a pretty picture of human nature that is drawn, and despite the re- curring slapstick, even in the seri- ous parts, Peggy Pepper's distended ego_has_a faniillar quality about it. Audiences are' mbre -apt^to believe in her going ritz than in her eventual return to perspective. William Haines was reported as squaw"king when assigned to co- star with Miss Davies. His fears were weH founded. He Is nicely submerged In "Show People" with the story revolving about the femi- nine character. Luncheon' time at a studio club Is utilized to get In a flock of celebs. Most 'Of the screen folk were stupid when trying to improvise "action" as the camera eye slowly pro- gressed down the table. Gilbert and Miss Murray were anriong •'.he lunchers. Picture was > synchronized at M-G-M'3 nev/ Manhattan sound studio iand is a good Job, although two opinions will exist on the point of having a tenor siriglng the theme song while^ silent sub-titles are on the screen. General quality of production, photography, etc.. Is good. • Picture obviously aimed for quick popu- larity succeds in Its purposie. ' Land. MATA HARI , (The Red Dancer) (GERMAN-RUSSIAN MADE) Brlskin company prbductl'on, in .aBsbcla- tlon with another foreign. producer, name not caught: quickly enough on . 611de. Re- leased over- here by .National Big: Three, an exchange in. New. York handling for- eign" fllm product. Directed by Frederich Peher. Three pt'lnclpals programmed, with none starred or featured! At CanteOi New York, small class grind on 42d street. Run- ning time, 73 minutes. Mata Harl. .Mo'gda Sonia Count Rakovskl........ ..i... .Fritz Kortner Archduke of Austria..... .Wolfgang Zilzer This episodic picturization of Mata Hari and her death will only interest such localities or audiences as may be aware of this alleged spy who was a professional Continental dancer and met death through court martial. It looks like a whitewash for the dead girl. The story is niade. con- fusing, if a histOfical record. At the finish one can't'decide if Mata was In the Russian or .Austrian se- cret service. Nothing, to indicate.the girl; had done any spying, up to the period commencirig early in the picture during which the alleigaLtion that Mata was framed is easily made to stand put on the screen. That niay be the whitewash, Or- the cutter may have taken out too much or the wrong stuff, even with the pic- ture i^unning 73 minutes. Romance is shoved in through Mata falling in love with a boob farmer boy, with this Mata (Magda SOnia) seemingly so much older than he she would have fallen in love with hinl or anyone else with niuch difficulty. A Girand Duke of Russia, impor- tantly cast, is not programnied. His agent in the Mata matter is Count Rakovskl, Russian attache at VI- ehna. Rakovskl has most of the dirty work to do and is always around/ even at the executibn. Lat- ter is in shadow for Mata at the finale; but with the shooting squad of soldiers in view. This may not be unlike the . scene In "Dawn,"^ the story of Edith Caivell, accused and shot by the Germans as. a spy. Mata Hiari as a figure in the World War was quite a figure. Many stories have been printed of and about her. Known profession- ally, the international show busi- ness was interested during the time of her trouble and up to her death —and after. Here at first she Is a dancer on a, Vienna stage, with the Arch- duke a bit wild over her, while the Count Rakovskl, ficting for the Grand Duke, has authority sufficient apparently in Vienna, it seems, to order her arrest and return to Rus- sia. The Grand Duke is anxious to again see her. ■«» An inside is given here of p, Rus^ sian wild party of nobles arid offi- cers and how they handle their women. This scene, however, is not big enough for box office, nor is there any one distinctive thing ab- stractedly linked with . the story itself that could be depended upon to draw.. - Mata doesn't like .the .wild "stuff. She haa too much trouble holdjhg off the Grand Duke. So skips from the party, takes a sleigh, is stuck in a snOw drift and rescued by the farming boy, with a nfiustache. That starts the love affair, arid in this picture starts the jfirst intima- tion why Mata Hari Was shot as a spy. To secure the release from prison of her farmer boy lover, she agreed with the . Count to get the plans of Leriiberg (Austria) from the Arch*, duke.' Her boy friend had been im^ prisoned by'the Grand Duke's in^ structlons In jealous revenge. She saw the Archduke, in Lem^ berg, where he had gone. He re^ fused the plans, but agreed with heij suggestion that he give her a false set. A Russian war council hadi decided to invade Austria; the plana of Lemberg were an urgent heces- .Sity. ("This Bounded like before the- war, in action and captions). . A Russian spy disguised as a por-. ter In that particular hotel that never had anyone but the film's principals In the hallways, over» heard Mata'S: conversation with tha Archduke, who had called: at her rooriis. The ispy listened outride the door, not taking the time to place- his ear iat the keyhole. When Mata returned with the Lemberg plans and secured the re- lease of the boy, the porterrspyr shortly followed to expose her to thet Russian council. That is a part of the confusing portion, arid brought; out in this way possibly, to denote: . to what extent Mata Was framedl to foi-ce her to act the sjpy, althought here again her Grand D.ukie seeriiecl! iinconcerned. as to Mata, spying or fate,, for he faded aWay. " . Following the exposure and again; through the arrest of the boy, Mata was coerced into signing a confes- sion, to prevent the guards continu- ing to beat the prisoner, "This was made a sound P.oi'tion, alorig with others, by funny' effects by 'the Cameo's drummer or back stage. It sound has hit 42d street that : hardr. the Cameo really should be wired. It's a smiall Keith hoUse," After the .confession came the court-martial, then the. execution, with the farmer boy, released, going hoirie, probably startirig off again there with, his accordion, the one he could , amuse Mata with. That was a chance for thankfulness for non- wiring,. Iriiagine accordion playing- in a wired house! .The ferry boats would lose all. of theii' Orchestras in the suminer tlnie! "Mata ilari" over here may do for the sure seaters, with, the proba- bility-that audience, will recall the case. Otherwise nothing to attract. Neither acting nor production will do that unless the soldier, fraternity Is interested enough to attend the liicturizatlon, which didn't happen with the "NAirse Cavell'V picture on this side. . Perhaps "Mata Hari" with more fidelity would have been a Wuch bigger story and picture. GOOD-BYE KISS Mack ,"3ennett comedy-drama, distributed" by First National, directed by Mack Sen- nett. ■ Johnny Burke featured. Photog- rapher John W. Boyle. Titles by Tom Miranda.. Running time, 80 minutea. At Cplony, -week Nov. 11. . Johnny .'. J,ohnny Burke Sally... .,. ..; .Sally Ellers Bill Williams.... .Matty Kemp Serg. Hoffman.,......... .Wheeler Oakmanr' Mile, Nannette.... .... ,CarmelIta Gera.?hty "Toots" Alma Bennett Much better picture than you'd expect from the scheme of blending slapstick Sehnett comedy and straight dramatic Intei-est. Sums tip as good program material for split weeks with that about its highest aim. Absence of names takes .If out of the de luxe category. Other (Continued on page 26) FRANCES WILLS SUPREME DANSEUSE "STEP THIS WAY" Direction: tVM. MOKRIS Harry Howard STATE, NEW YORK Next Week (Nov 19) BORN TO BE LAUGHED AT FIRST APPEARANCE IN THE EAST GOGO DE LYS Just a little different WHO SINGS BALLADS AND BLUES In her own injimitcible -way PUBLIX UNIT Featured in "VOLCANO/^ PAUL OSGARD'S. Production PARAMOUNT THEATRE, NEW YORK-WEEK NOV. lOlh Direction WILLIAM MORRIS FANCHON and MARCO