Variety (Apr 1929)

VARIETY FILM REV I E W S W«^esda7, April ^, 1929 CHRISTINA (Continued from page 11) caviar appetites. Picture has a vast amount of pictorial beauty in the quaint settings of Holland and some actlngr of the first order, but the net' effect Is lukewarm, due to a placid story, one of tliose pictures the Wlilte Ldst people Recommend, but nobody goes to see find nobody talks about. No dialog and little sound effect. Film's best assets are Its beauti- ful backgrounds and the playing of Janet Gaynor and Rudolph Schlld- kraut. Some of the sentimental passages ore effective and some of them are maudlin. Of action the subject has none that really delivers a punch. Story Is light weight. Christina Is a Dutch lass who passes up the rugged locEd swains and dreams of a hero-wooer on a white horse. First thing that seems to measure up to her Ideal Is Jan the HoUandalse eqijlvalent of a circus The two fall promptly In love. Woman circus proprietor Is In love with Jan and it Is her scheming to keeb the youngsters apart that fur- nishes the feeble plot. A plot that has to be whipped up cruelly to keep moving. Much crude theatre In de- vices such as' the circus woman shooting the boy. and posing In his embrace while he's - unconscious to make the girl think he Is false. -.Rudolph Scblldkraut -has sonic sentimentally' telling scenes as the indulgent old father of the heroine and manages tomakethe early se-. quench Interesting Dy hla suave humw- But wbeh they make him go blind-while taH beloved daughter ls.,trylng on her wedding dress, if s ft little tboi heavy to really bite- Worda cannot «T«ra^te the charm pt the settings aor" the captivating' pictues of Mfra Qaynor aa^-a Wide- eyed' apd^wld^pCiHIrtecl DutcH- maid; ■ Backgrpnnda' eXpt^etiB the desirable quaUit atVuoKqihere;' but the storied epl8(^es'never''are''C<tnteint with. Jtist ^ reasonable qtialnthess. Xhey make jittae action too quaint to be possible. ' lAboirlhg through an hour or so ■ct preparation. ,they' managed to create one molirfent of fair suspense towaird'the'end.' This was the epi e(lde.:where ^hrlstlna accepts a sub retltute suitor'to keep from her father tiie trutb that tiie believe herself Jilted- by. Jan. At- the moment she ^ and'.fh^-couhterfefit wooer were In ;:betrbthal 'ceremony. ' J&n himself .'. was recovering-flr<»m'^a pistol shot -'.and 'unaw'qre Of what was hapiwh- . Ing. ' Betrothal ceremony conststed '.of the palR'sitting before i candle ' vntU It burned bat.' If Its flame died , the betrothal didn't go. .. Suspense- consists of .a question whether Jan will arrive in time.. He does, and ydu knew he would, so It isn't niuch of a situation to wait an hour for. Besides the capable play- ing of Miss Gaynor and Sohildkraut, Charles Morton reveals himself as an admirable young leading man who will one of these doyp step Into a part and become a screen , person- age over night Horry Cording Is a new type of heavy, likewise of promise. picture is wltheut dialog and em- ploys sound effecta^paringly. Mus- ical accompaniment is agreea|)le and tlieme song has possibilities as a ballad plug, being pure musical hoke, but sounding better than It really Is in constant reprise by a soulful tenor. (DIALOG) Paramount production and release, atar- rlng Clara Bow. Directed by Dorothy Ar»- norT All talker on dlske. From Warner Fabian's story. Dialog by E. Lloyd Bhel- don. At the Blalto. N. Y.. lor grind run otartlng March 30. Running time, 77 pilna. lrSllm'^«.^^^^^^•.^^^^^^^FVedVr^l^>|^^ Helen oJvens Ifi^if/uS^"^ Faith Morgan J-^^^^ Eva Tutt Joyce Coiroton n»hq .. Ad rlenne Dore tSm ■ . Virginia Thomas i*n Jean Lorraine Th?taa..... '^/iT^^jaK" ^IcS:::: ...:. Rene* -Wbliney Jean. . . . ■*■"«> nerim awen...., :::?*^!?.''j^S*^«5S?5 Phli.".*.".'.'.'.'.".'.' PhllUps R. Holm€« M Ben HendrlfkB, Jr. g£;™*. , jack liUden BalaliB .\...Jacli Raymond Rush, THE WILD PARTY Box oflSce plptore with^ a- !>•. 0. title, .a bo^. office star, and*, more box - office than ever, Clara, con- tributes fi'er voice. lAugblng, cry- ing or condemning; that Bow voice won't command -as much attention as the Bow this and that, yet Its a voice'. Bnough of a voice to In- sure a general belief that Clara can speak) a9,;well as look—not as well, but-enough. "Warner Fablan*a story fits the redheaid like a wetrvathlng suit, . • ' ^ It's Impossible, though. So fuU of all the things that everybody knows/ But tak« or leave It, there's still Claara. Champ necker and flame of the campus falls In love with a young -and good looking professor. He In tunr makes It mutual. That's rea feonablO but who wants sense? Sense-'ls-' seldom box office. 'When Clara flashes a gam^ all senses are deadened. And when she flashes a pair of 'em. Talking of gams, there ar0 more In one blt-ln this film than'In half a dozen "Follies" choruses. ,Toung professor of anthropology, entering his class rtom for the first Ume, is Asther, more robust^than asual. Im- greeted by a forest'of lower limbs, personates a sleek Javanese prince. All shapely limbs. Anyone bother- Women In general will probably Ing to look at the fices will pefe the appreciate*..the absentwrnlnded nun- most comely all-girl class ever as- band, the pne time lover now lust sembled. If it were possible to rope |a -sleepy guy. They'win teal 'with together such « student body aa this FMIss Qatbo the sense Of ouaiiera- it would be more of an asset to a fUon at hubby's I^ik •rt"*'f?«^'? school than- the best fotoball team In Burotcton. And they (the ««mra) history. And thla young Professor -wlU irobably feel that baying their Gilmore, teachlQK - anthropology, marital fidelity tested and ^mpted which Is tho study of man, was by so iiatty a sheik as Asttaer is teaching it to a class room full of a possible source of pleasurable gals who knew more about them I tremors. and what It takes than any prof. In "wild Orchids" Is fundamentally anthry. " . . 'la wjoman'a picture. It's a femlnlnlzed A valiant thing lor OMra to do pi^t all . the way. Sex la the meat when she pulled an 'Til take the Un^ p^^o^ ot itg drama,; the pro- blame" upon discovery of her innor tagonlst of its characters. Miss cent room mate's love letters. I^- Gar^ gives,' with satisfying fem- ters mentioned "that night on tHe l)„i,j^ continuous closeuji beach" and Clara-hopped a rattleri^f .^ygry^y ^u^iy reactions to the homeward.. Who should "knock on-^i^roijiein of the .lndbleht spouse and the drawing room^dopr, but young Ufae fascinating Icemlui.- Gilmore. Ho chucked the teaching I very Interesting and aUllfully Job and Is Joining a Jungle expedl- [contrived Is the atnaospherlo stuff tlon. Clara makes it double. of Java. It will be awe-lnducing for £]. Iiloyd'Sheldon'f dialog Is as filp lthe local stops. Especially novel Is and broad aa permissible, much of | the group ■ of-. oriental. dancers, to It forced humbr.'and most of It to which considerable footaige Is wisely beTaken seriously by the flaps. - devoted. 'Whether-authentic Java- Performance of Frederic March fnese or not they constitute an lOX- as the prof, la the picture's best, pioltable angle for alert hOpsfr. man- Vo'Cally.'^he reigns supreme. Blonde agers. Stills 'on this. one Itein of girl whose name cannot be correct-1 "Wild Orchids" will help fasten an ly .selected: from ttfe llneryp Con-1association of ldedB..la':the;,pabllc trlbuted. another yery; good: one, per-[mind. ^ . BonaUy-^lifiii'dllng 'an unsympathetic I Three actors only In catit, but role of a tattling, catty - dame each a favorite. Asthdr Is a oomer, through properly ^playlng-it. After [or more exactly a ne^ 'arrival, with that thjey 'are down the line, none the gals. Miss Garbo's vogiio needs prominently.'. '1 • • no emphaslis while the alwtays-re- Femlnlnb Wst of players read3 like freeing X*wla Stone may - be, ij- nMt sreai's rflglWUty llne-w for garded as holding unto himself the the WMnpaa duke. ^ admiring regard of the upper strata The girls* four years at school aret of fllm-goerB. . desertiS* hy the^young prof, who . "Wild Qrchlds" la «trong progwm also preaches to young girls,, as one fare, off-screen vocal- wild party,.. An; combination .mngs song at intervals. Wild party OaL" TOURING PUBI^X *'FORE'' " DlreeUeit WlilLlAM MORRIS ; tWoMra, NAT KALCHetM,-iM[AX TURNER ' light theme Title Is "My WILD ORCHIDS (80UNDV i il-O-H piodncllo* «t«rripk Oreta. Qaibo with tevls StODS and NUi Aetlier featured. STRONG BOY (SOUND) FM pn)dueUon vtarHnk Victor UpLaslen with L«atrl«e Joy featured; Directed by John Ford. - Btory by Frederick H. Br«n- naiK Continuity by Jdhn Mtaliaiii. Titles by Haloolm Stuart BoyUn. At Roxy, New York, week ..of Jfarolr-aa, Running time 78 minutes. ° Vlotor McLaglen ^lels. Titles by MbiIob Alnslee. At Capl-|Ul«' ^ .tiyae. uook tlons. It's an In-and-out fltckeiv ■potty In Its impressions, and alto^ gather missing fire m a satlsfyinc . •ynchronouB featnra. It marks Wal- lace Beery** debut In the talkersu •Ithotigh he essayed a hobo song and a-«natch of dialog In a prevloua Paramonat release. It also Intro- duce Plorrace Vldov in .dialog. 8o many, glaring deficiencies In "Chinatown Nights" that ia captloua critic could devote paragraphs ta itemize them. For one thing, the manner of intrdduqlng the title with Its equal 'division of Utulax dlspl^ to "Cblnatown Nights" and Ito cap- tioning; as being taken from "Tonv War," lends the tanpressIOB the pro- ducers ; themselves- were 'uncertain anent the aptltu)le: of either title. Style of billing permits exhibs. to make- their 'own,.-cholce^ possibly^ too, there are. fwo aeta of - paper available. ■ - = Paper (rtarts and: finishes with a rubberneok. wagon! ballyhoo, tho means - fbr the thrill-seeking Joan Fry (M^ VldorjAbielng Introduced to Chinatown. ■ (presumably San. Francisco's: celestial .sector), whero she meeta'ChuOk Blleyr^e Cau- causlan leader, of ofie tong. Wal- lace ^eery-plays Cbttok lUley. War« ner Olahd Is iBbston Charley, chief- tain f^^ th^ rival. tong;. Against'this vordid background'a . colorful' 'enough' auro for melodra-: matlcs, .oomes. a series of. Incongrui- ties that does anything but fiatter the average Intelligence. If the<Var- amount authoring staff had to get ten-twenty-thlrt. with, their, hectlo hokumi.lt see'ma .that a clnema-Ilt- erary-' combination, 'of Qmitz^ Gar- rett, yohii and' Iiittoi, not to men- tion 'Welhnan, ■ the' director^, could have dope lt.-a 'l)It nurire glibly and with 'gr«atto planstbtUty. . Mies' Viaor, :aa; th« .hit-and-mn thrill-seeker, accused by Beery to havO theM|>ead ' 0f - ''upt6wh'*' and a Barbar^.iCoaat body,'decides to cast her lot with Chuck and stay In tha diownt'oTi'ii Chinese sector. She be- cometf rather-Indirectly Involved in ' : (Continued on page 28) tol,. New Torti, week of Uarch I time 00 mtns. UUle Sterllos... John Sterling.-J' Prince de Gaoe. L Running "Wilbur Watklns Kent SandMson F. xiumnBB I .^^^j^y Dougl* Scott n.Jw, Slim , aum Somervllle ?.OT.l?^efeg;^»«ter.. . Artitk -AMher IBaggagem^n.... Baggageman... Queen of Lolilaonli^..; imer Tom Wilson ....lack Feifialoli ....Robetl Ryan ..'.EQ1&I16 Jjtns^n David Torrence ADoralsed In its totality; this. one president t - » .. Is g^STefitOlSlnSient aril probable WmA Po°°a. Dolores Johnson S2i^'i«i*td\ t^^lc^^M^^^ lonfer J°hn Fotd, who has directed many *^^«/„^fcrt fluSSSh in temw^ pictures, was given a fiock of tacteround sffins thl"tot lioke-^ and told to make a picture S^?r ±hf SSrf mH<Ss oSnlte^^ McLaglen. JSearlng SrjitJn Ifl^a SwMfcf prod^ aslhln? story.' Ford's SSnVMn • especially in. a trade sense, leaving GMtTaarbo's repressed mode fits the arttoUo out ot the eguaUon. He perfwsOy thV^le of a wife, very has In f«st demonstrate that a dl- fommUc wid sentUnental, who Is rector of finesse and ttaaglnaUon can, mSSS^ to->* preocoSpiod Jbnerlcano If thb.produdera inalpt « wasUng Sidv^o utteVly refusW to bo Jeal- him,, take unadulterated h«*um and ouii until the iast{risei; l«WlB Stone, knead It iirto soine sort of toim ap- that reltalile and gifted. iThesplan, preaching downright merit. Is topnotch as the chap who forgot "Strong BOy" has to bo ap- to be oallant to his wife. Nils [ preached objectively. Showmen are ' ' not apt to like a plcture.of its type W« Do Everything in Connection With Sound Pictures Trafler8---Talking Shorts—Personal Recordings S6iHid'and Etfects Added to Shorts and Features Studios Operating 24 Hours Daily Can Be Rented by Hour, Day or Week (Disc Method-33 1-3 and 80 RPM) STANLEY RECORDING CO. OF~AMERICA,-INCr—— Producers of Talking Pictures and Records 1841 Broailway, at 60th St, New York Gty Colmiibiis 3181-2 p^rsonall^, but they mu^t, and will, concede.it.nosslble-audience that re- acts happily to such undiluted-blah. For mich audiences'-(with doubt ex- pressed that'the Boxy Is one) the faot that DirOctor .Ford has sneaked a little, not too much, 'class is therefore a favorable factor, "Victor McLaglen Is presumed to have a following with the extent as yet unfixed In '^bo'ondarles. His jbreezy, virile personality and genu Ine capacity for pantomine comedy is squandered In "Strong Boy" as Is the directorial skill of Mr. Ford Also. wasted, and for her fans it must be sad Indeed, is Lieatrlce Joy doing a mere bit as the keeper of a depot news stand. "Strong Boy" Is minus on the ro mantle element and zero on gorge- ous clothes, trim females, and the other Ingredients commonly pre sumed neccessary to the box ofilce. It offers as its hero a muscular dumbbell who lugs trunks hither and yon in a railroad terminal. His adventures are uncommonly puny and silly, climaxing with his besting a. gang, of brooks out to steal the royal Jewels of - the' visiting Queen of Graustark. ' . £tory and cast all founded on bits, Consequently acting is fintmportant Production detail okay although ed Itlng toward end of spool is pretty poor. Picture leans entirely upon McLaglen's popularity and a few giggles of the slapstick school. In toto, very moderate. Land. CHINATOWN NIGHTS (DIXLOG) Paramount production and reledse. W. recording. 'Wallace Beery, wltb Florence Vldor, featured. W. A. Wellman directed ittoiA Samuel Omltx's story,' "Tong War." Adapted |)y Oliver H. P. Qacrett, .ecenarl- sed hy Ben Crauman Kohn -with dialog se- (iuehces by William B. Jutt6. At the Para, mount, N T. week of March 80. Running tmle, 88 mlng.. Ohuck Rlley 'Wallace Beery Joan I^....!.^ Boston Chtirley Warner Oland The Stiadow...... Jack'UcHugh The Reporter.... ...'......Jack Oakle WOO' Chung Tetsu .Komal The aBni1)ler.;..<:,...i...>...Frahk Chew The Maid.........' i.......Mrs, "Wing The Bartender...... Peter MorrUon aetald.,..i<. (..........Fireman 'Wood "Chinatown Nights," heralded .as eai alt-talker, actually Jiae about i60 per cent dlalogyWitb the rest in cap CHIC SALE'S due .Bale's contribirtioD, TAiu'HX OCamni 'VO QIBT IOB,'- nems «aslly tb«{ DiMi. iuocen^ul 'eScrt'. at humor aeejginpUtlied to-Oatd tiy W of <he talklDit piotores." / —"Variety," July 1}. ItlT^ , *THB BTAB WITMBSS" "A Winner for any sound program: probably the best sketch not yet done In the talkie?," —New Tork "BlUboard." rrHK LADlBS UAifi" : , . designed for loir comedy laughs and gets tbem . . . tor . a pro^ gram that calls tor a vigorous laugh. Ing Interval, It's, a great short" —"Variety," Nov. 19, •VABCHINO ON" ■^e best Ulking mm Fox has made and one ot tba'llnest made any- where." _ .. ., —"Pllro Dally." Direotioii £E0 KOBBISOR JERRY ROSS I i"^^ Producing ■ H. 0. AND BAND UEADER CAPITOL, JACKSON, MICH. INOEmNITELT Dlreotl^n WM. UOBBIS OFFICE T