Variety (Dec 1929)

32 VARIETY FILM REVIEWS Wednesday, December 1929 HIS FIRST COMMAND (Continued from page 30) 49CrIpt and direction permit him to l>e. Had this non-com been allowed to take a sock at the wisecracking hero, the picture would have gained tax more realism than even the volor guard in one colored sequence. Average audience will find plenty of laughs in the dialog, all Inspired 5Li^J''**lJu1SS%^^Slt'^^^'*SS I Pretty tough on the exhib If he's Of hlfiess^to afml e?iqiett| rSS ||ottej^nsider^is. Ih maMhs the the most hilarity. DARK SKIES (ALL DIALOG, with Song*) BUtmoro prodncUoo. Relaucd by Cildtol I Film Co. XMreeted by Harry S. Webtfc Story by JPraneU Nateford. XMeordeo I by Tel*nim» In cart: Shirley Uasoa. Wal- lace HcI>oiiaia. WUIIam V. Monff. Tom O'Brien, Josef Swiekard. At I^oerw'a 3<«w Torlt, one day, Dec. 10; one batf oonble bUL Rmualni; ttahe, 68 mlnnte*. Steeplechase is given a new twist for a thrill, despite the ohvlousnesa Of tiny Jane talking a spill Just he- f<>r© pounding horses reach the final harrier. Terry, of course, rescuies the child to come back with an arm in a slin? and a commission. : Off screen scrap between a llcut- and Terry earlier in the footago IS i^ell handled for suspense, Woly. CHRISTINA (20% PIALOG) (2d Review) Pox's "Christina" Is at the Roxy, New York, this week (Dec. 20) with producers doped' tt up plenty. Bversrthing,. from hula-hula danc- ing, rum ruhhlng; Chinese dancing girls, Mexican greaser, and U. S. Navy—so It's sot iiothlnff. Stbiy still hashi Sihglns toward close by hero wouldn't fit in Harlem night club but that evidently makes no dKt, because next to the exhlb the guys who suffer most are the fans. Opens in smirky California flsh- InfT village. Few minutes later same vlllagie Is fashionable Riviera. Rum running Mexican hero meets gtrl by knocking her down in a big city where she goes for no good reason. Six months later the two me^t again In ciisual intimacy In the village. SiKdaiDBMr (Continued from page •> Miller. Bernard Maurcus, Jack Tennant. Charlea S. Hand, John H. Mc- Cooey, Jam«s H. CuUen. Jos. v. McKee. a Stanley Mitchell. Court- landt Smith, Sam S. Harris, David S, Rendt. Edward B. H&trick. R. I* Goldberg* Job. U. Hannan, Geo. M. Cohan. ^William Seeman, James J. Byrne, Walter R. Herrick; Barnard F. Glm- bel, Qninn Mirtin, William J. Flynn, William J. Daffy. Father Duffy. James J. HInes, Joseph Bn>wn, H. Warren Hubbard. Si A. Droege. Ar- thur J. Phllbliii Kewton D. AlUng. Michael RIeta, Hvrry Boxbanm. Jack P. Leo. Jbseph Bro*nstone, Capt, W. J. Pedrlck. Fraiik J. Prial, J. Charles Park^ Hamilton G. Stenersen. Joseph Ptncus. Clayton Sheehan, Major John Zahft, James P. SInnott. Harry Cooper. Jos. A. Fitzgerald. P. H. EnnIss, Fred Hall, F. I* Prendergast, Martin Green, William Finn, Daniel L. Ryan, Dr. Herman Reiss, William B: Walsh, James Pkhnre PossibiEties **R«I Rust**—Uhfavorabia rRBD RUST" (Drama, Theatre Guild'Studio. Beck). I*ot of Soviet Russia propaganda unsuitable from .either theme or story for American screen. «pon. "Inspector kenntjdy^—Unfavorabla «aNSPIX3TOR KENNEDY*' (Wm. Hodge^ Milton Gropper Uid Edna Picture producers look on cHmo mysteries aa outmtoded. which slim- Inates thIa«one. although It has a good deal of merit M * stage play. ■ ... . jKIW/l., : "Half G«d«r!—Unfavorabis _ •'HLALF GODS'* (Comedy, Arthur HopWns, Plymouth). A love story of married life, one with suggestive Incidents that would no little delicacy if used for the screen. > i 17-minute dialog finish, more than f^JS? St^«^^*£LffWhalen. I. T. Flatto, Sid Solo seven months after a M run without V'"?**^*^ ^^le lashes her tiL^n2^ S. Gregory, Inspec f^lk at the Gaiety j just, the same. ' Question of taste as to whether L„^d ,«f-«»i°PPy„^ the verbal ending improves the flhn ^^J^jS^S^lt!^^^^^ dramatically, but that It Increases I seq uences In the film. -^'Christina's" sales value to exhlbs r ^ And audiences Is hardly to be doubt- ed. A dialog line in "Christina's' billing la unquestionably better present than absent, ' Oiddly enough, because of the talk, .^Christina" in its pop grind at the Roxy Is about eight minutes longer than when a two-a-daying at the .Gaiety, where it ran 75 minutes, .X4ttle change noted In the action In the switch from silence to talk, but the actual spealtlng consumes the Sudden insertion of talk after more than an hour minus dialog brought [;the audience up with a start and tit- tering resulted- when picture was caught at: tl|e Roxy. Sileuce is broken without warning when, in the story, Christina returns to her hoffie ^fter being tricked into be- llevlhg' her wounded sweetheart Is drunk. From theu on until the un-^ Ohanged ending, all Is chatter. The talkers are Janet Gaynor. Charles Morton. Rudolph Schild- ittaut, Harry Cording and an un- billed woman in a. landlady role. :Miss Gaynor has proved herself vocally before and does as well herein. Sohildkraut as ah eminent i9tage player needs no comment as to his voice. ; It records well. Mor- ton talking Is remindful of Charlie FitrreU. whom, he resembles In other /ways. Sia^ With Car and Camera Around the World (Silent) TraVelos piodaced by AIc^ Wanderwell. At 0th Avenae Playboase -week Nov. 14. Runnlns time, 68 mlnatea. Purely geographical.^' Cut down would make sn' Interesting short If sounded, but In present shape doesn't mean a'thing for box office. Mrs. Wanderwell, accompanied by her husband and two children, coV' ered moir6, than IOO.OOOl miles over a period of 10 years In filming these scenes. Apparently the sequences were completed' about seven , or. eight years ago. Starting out from France, Mrs. Wanderwell camaraed the European continent, c<>vierlng fopo< graphical and character features, then proceeded to the Orient. Tra versing over every principal city through Japan and China, the expe ditlonists gathered a lot of unique tor John O'Brien. Sheward Hagerty, Bert Swett, James R. Grainger, William Wad- dell, Judge Thoa A. McAndrews, Howard A., Shiebler, Edward F. Kealy, Saul Rogers, Walter J. Moore, Jos. Meehan, Capt. Thos. O'Connor, G. C. Jlobles, John Dun- can Dunne. Mr. Kealy holds the credit line of having, been William Fox's first vaudeville booker. He is now con- nected with Fox 10th avenue studios. Cronies for 25 Years AH speeches referred to Mr. Shee- han and his political cronies. Mere mention made only by the speakers of Mr, Sheehan'a achievements in the film industry, they evidently looking upon that tis accepted. Most went back to when "Winnie Sheehan, a rosy-cheeked cherubic boy, came here from Buffalo 25 years ago. and became- a reporter on the New York 'World.'" That from Mr. Curry, who added: "In my district at the time was a pretty hot campaign. 'The World' assigned Winnie Sheehan to cover the fight. Winnie did It very well and as I didn't get any the worst of It We have been friendly ever since.'* In - Introducing Mr. Adamson. a form'er New York-fire commiasioner, Mr. Johnson, alsp unce the city's Are "Family Affairs"—Unfsvorabta "FAMmT AFFAIRS" (Comedy, Arthur Hopkins , aiid I*. Xi^wrencs Weber, Maxine Blilotfs). A light comedy a. bit too much so for the acreen. It presumes sltua^ tlbna which probably would fit as gracefully In picture form as on th» stage. "MeteoH^T-Favorabls •'METEOR'' (Comedy•►Drama, Theatre GiiUdi GuUd). . Play of a sublime egoist. Curious, Impossible story but interesting. ' •, Ibee. COAST NOTES shots. From the Orient, Mrs. Wanderwell I commissioner, mentioned the .Inci- traveled to Harbin, Manchuria, after dent, saying photographing the Great Wall of [ . "But Mr. Adamson had bigger and Chlh^ and fiasbing a peek at Pek- | better fires than I did Ing. Harbin. Is the spot wttere Rus- sia and China had their latest con- flict, Sah Francisco Is the next stop, showing landscape of the Gun Parking Station During the dinner a couple of pros -gave «KhibItion's on the little complex golf course. Following the American coast town, with Holly- gpeakipg iiiterval.. which concluded wood appendlxed in close-ups. From the dinner proper,.a tournament was there to Mlaihl during .the hurricane played on the course by those of the there several years ago, getting gr^esta who wished to enter. . some nifty clips of land and water. in the reception room upon enter- Cuba Is. next, then the Jungles of | {^g the first thing to be noticed was Africa. Considerable time must have been spent by Mrs. Wander- well In the wild animal regions, but aside from skimming the deserts and jungles no outstanding camera work .of beaatSi last lap Is Portu- gal, wlh Its quaint customs and people. a table holding four or five prop guns and a sign reading: .• "Please park your guns and valu- ables here with* safety." It went for a smile two ways, for Itself and the recall of the Judge Vltale a:ffalr. In watching the speakers, nearly Photography as a whole Ijs poor. I all probably appearing before the Here and there some shots display miked camera for the first time, uniisual color and effect, but It ap- ea<:h, excepting Sheehan and the pears that Mrs. Wanderwell was Mayor, stared directly into the cam- handicapped a good deal by. climatic era. A couple admitted fright evep. : conditions. Span, JONES and HULL Featured in F. A.M. "SWEET COOKIES*' IDEA Tbailk* to FANCHON A UABCO Direction SHALLMAN BROS. In the studio. > Later when Mr. Sheehan. who nicely timed an opening acknowl- edgement of the expected salute, which was'glven, was asked hoW he felt when going Into his canned talk, said he was frozen. . AH of the speeches wore interest- ing in a most enjoyable evening. Governor Smith made the shortest talk. Mayor Walker the longest, and the Mayor also- kept up his other record—late again. Title of "Come Out of the Kitch- en" changed to "Honey"' by Par. James FinlaySon added to 'TToniog, Eagles," Par. Option on Kay Johnson exercised by M-G. Betty Compson and Prank Mc- Hugh for "Bright laghts." FN. Gino Corrado added ''His Wom- an," FN. Buddy Wattles and Vera Marsh to "Only the Girl," WB short, Roy Mack directing, Roy Stewart tp "The Girl Who Wasn't Wanted," Fox. Ula Lee and Robert Ames to "Yonder Lies the Daisies," Fox. Eddie Kane and Chiles Judels to "Tonight at Twelve," Fox, Cornelius Keefe, "Bright Lights," FN. Noah Beery, Daphne PoIIar<^, Ed- die Nugent, Maxine Cantway, "Bright Lights," FN. William Janney, DeWitt Jennings, "His Woman," FN. Ned Sparks, Thomas Jackson, Montague Love, "Yonder Grows the Daisies," Fox. Reginald. Barker, back at TifC. To direct "Song of the Island." - Tom Dugan and Barbara Leonard, WB ishorts. . James Flood, directing "Cyclone Hickey," "litC. .■ H. jJ Green doing the dialog on "If I- Were Alone with You," Sidney Lansfield's first directorial assign'^ ment for FoS. Eddie Kane and Charles Judels, "Tonight's the Night," Fox. Waldemar Young to write -fo»' FN. ■ Buss Brown, 'T)one in Oil," ,WBV short. Bessie Love, "Good News." M-G. Dale Van Every has joined Max- well . Anderson and Lawrence Stallinga In writing next story fop John Gilbert, M-G. Clive Brook borrowed from Par for "Other Men's Wives," FN. "Dawn Patrol," new'title of FN's 'Flight . Commander." Howard Hawkes will direct. Kenneth Thompson, "Songwriter** M-G. ' :■ ■• .-. Paul Bern will produce "The Circle" for M-G, David Burton di- recting. Paul Cavanaugh.^Marar Forbes, Lewis Stone, Ernest Ter- renes, Anthony Bushell in cast. William Holden in "The Jail Break," Mcrvln LeRoy's next for (FN). Robert Ede^on for "Sin. Flood" (FN). Marguerlta Padula for singing part In "Dixiana," Radio. Complete cast "Moran and Mack in the A. E. P.," Par; Charles Mack. Bert Swor (Moran), Joan Peers, Neil Hajpilton, Walter McGrail. Walter Weems,. Betty Farrlngton. Paul H. Fox writing "Sisters'* lor Sally O'Neil and Molly Q'Day. Col. George B. Seits finishes "Murder oh the Roor' and wlU direct an- other for Col, ' Cyril Chadwick and Ivan Linow for "Temple Tower,^*. Fox, Richard Keene to "Golden Calf," Fox. .-; Eddie Nugent. Regis Toomey, "Bright Lights," FN. COSTUMES ANIMALS NOVELTIES Kxclwlv« fanMahen 9t all watcapMMT iBa««tfaar «• VbUU TftoatrM Hopinieal Bnbber Kfg. Co. 19 WMt Mth St. Wa«UM UtJ New Twa I AND THEODORE FEATURED DANCERS IN F. A M. "ACOOBDION" IpBAS THANX TO AUOB OOODWIN HERBERT STOTHART COMPOSER OF "ROSE-MARIE," "GOLDEN DAWN," "SONG OF THE FLAME," "DAFFYDIL" AND MANY OTHER HITS HIS FIRST TALKING PICTURE PRODUCTION, "DEVIL MAY CARE," FOR RAMON NOVARRO, A METRO-GOLDWYN PICTURE N. Y. TELEGRAM By William Boehnel The score, which was com- posed by Herbert Stbthart, it should be added by now, is tune- ful and charming. ... "Charm- ing" is an especially atti-active number, and so for that matter -is4he-i'March ofr.the^01d -Guard,J^ which is sufficiently martial and lilting to stir the emotions. . . . With a tuneful score and one that should provide more than Just a few moments of pleasant diversion. Opened at Astor/ Nbw York, Sunday, Dec. 22 PRESS COMMENTS EVE. GRAPHIC By Julia Shawell **DEVIL MAY CARE" Novarro Sings and Everybedy Cares ...ITlievIlJtfay.. Caxe!LmQV-e.d._ to the Astor Theatre for Its first Broadway showing last night with Ramon Novafro. Watch the Novarro fans grow after this exhibition of his talents. THE MIRROR Bland "Devil May Care," Best Picture .Bet "Devil May Care," at the Astor. . Ramon Noyarro'a first talking: movie. The best bet oh Broadway. If Ramon ever was good, he's 100 per cent better in "Devil May Care." ENTIRE SCORE COMPOSED BY HERBERT STOTHART N. Y. SUN By John S. Cohen, Jr. Herbert Stothart has written the music. . . . Some of it is original, delightful. This is particularly true of "Charming," a song sung by Mr. Novarro, Which is bound to be the most talked of piece of the seas on. N. Y. EVE. JOURNAL 1^.. - .^Jly .R«MLPel»Mdelc^._^. _ Novarro's role is gaily Insou- ciant, and he plays it with an in- gratiating ease. Besides giving him a chance to be adventur- ously acrobatic, the part is cued for several tuneful songs that range from soulful serenades to martial choruses. Personal Direction 234 W. 44th St. N. Y. C.