Judge — December 21, 1929 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

JIUVGIWG af Dye present-day gods of our Republican land run up and down the Olympian hill with the celerity of a French cabinet. Here today and gone today is their slogan. Nowhere is this as marked as in the movies and its associated industries. Jnless I underestimate the idolatry of Sir Rudy Vallee’s admirers, his glory has been diminished by his dramatic attempt in “The Vagabond Lover.” This blond god, fur- nished by the courtesy of the Radio Corporation and the Western Electric, is just about as awkward a lad in his first movie as you will sce ’s round. Fortunately, in a day's the producers put Marie Dressler in the show to tuck his tie in and make him smile for the customers and to handle most of the lines. Sir Rudy, for the most part, just croons s his saxophone, and if you like that, you'll like abond Lover.” i is perfectly logical that radio entertainers should be granted the mass idolatry that hitherto was handed y to movie stars and athletic champions. Since the first prayer meeting at Plymouth Rock we have been pe destitute of color, romance, and glamour. First, t neers supplied the nced for the “stripped Europeans Mumford calls them. Later the two-gun men furnished the show, to be sup- planted by the railroad thieves, the oil bad men: the first captains of industry. Today, with commercial theft re- duced to polite parlor codes, and bad men existing only in restricted rum-running circles, the Buddy Rogerses, Booths, Clara Bows, Mabel .Willebrandts, Rudy and Graham Me} favor. If any of these boys and girls had the dignity and wis- dom of, for instance, Robert Jones, I see no reason why they shouldn't be given places in the Cabinet and the Hall of Fame. If a man is rea hero to three million Amer- ns, and if we are to believe that this is a democracy, I see no reason why we shouldn’t go the whole hog and give them Congressional medals and proper monuments. There isn’t any reason except the boys and girls them- selves. So long as Sir Rudy tooted his horn over the radio and maintained his priest-like devotion to his admirers, it was none of my affair. I don’t listen to radios, I never sit through movie stage shows, and if the pride of New Haven ran for President I couldn't logically object. However, they never know when to stop, So Sir Rudy lees mees wear the purple robes of popular JUDGE THE MOVIES By hires a broken-down hack to write articles about 3 Dream Girl,” he makes speeches, and he stumbles around before a movie camera, The article was trash and the act- ing ham, And I am happy. It would be dangerous if one of those fellows ever proved to be bright. y real animus a nst football players, saxophone heroes and movi rs is a contempt motivated en- tirely by jealousy. Here are these lads immortalized by a crowd of dyspeptic writers who, strive as they ’ remain writers. I can sneer at Rudy Vallee, but how are my constituents to know that I am a handsome fellow, 1 to my mother, and chivalrous to our flowers of woman- hood? It’s all very unsatisfactory, and you cannot blame me for clapping my hands when I sce one of the day’s favorites falling over his fect under the spotlight. “T te Forward Pass” came to town after the Army- otre Dame game so that, even if it were good, it would be of little interest except to those fans who would walk through snow drifts in February to argue over the merits of Booth and Marsters. "H karts in Exile” is another one of those Russian stories. Dolores Costello is as languid and dull as ever and the plot is almost as trite and stupid as the movies the Russians themselves ship to us every week. Byres Hollywood has failed to diminish the grandeur vas John Barrymore. No matter how bad his lines may be, he has the glamour, the knowledge of make-up, the diction; all the tricks that once made the stage a colorful and romantic method of illusion rather than a side-line for truck drivers and football players. He is a great actor in the old sense of the word. For that reason see “General Crack.” You will find he has to utter old movie figures of speech such as “And will you give yourself to me?” but he does them so well it i rth while listening. “General Crack” was an interesting book and had good movie material in it, but the scenario writer threw the book away and wrote just another movie story. I seem to remember a play called “Hamlet.” If the dull manner in which “General Crack” is written is the best they can give John I suggest that the Warner fréres give Shakespeare a trial contract. The Movie Guide “Arvenat”—Ove of those happy Soviet Hallelujah” —The best movie of the year. things. “Hearts ia Exile”—In this imue cane he Sick iden behind the “The Kine" —Greta Garbo in nothing at all, Pe asta cat trying to "Tbe Lady Leg” —X sound plot, a goed bbe funny with a serious story. cast, and well worth your while. “George Atliw in a good repro: “The Lave Osetor”—It was good in 1912. duction of bis stage play. “Love Parade” —Werth sevice. “Frozen Justice” —Cold busines “Paris Bound” —The smart play well done, “Footlights and Feets”—Just that. by Ana Harding and Frederick March “Parts” —Gool music, “Shanghai Lady” — Rotten. “Prisoners”—A Molnar story done well “Show of Shows” —Worthlew. enough to see. Half-talkie. “The Trespasser”—Gloria “Piccadilly” —1 don't know where it ix, but s brave effort, but all in vai woe it if, Lana Pisgre “The Vagabond Lover” —In this imue. “Romance Grande” —Territic. “Wry Bring That Up?"—Moran and Mack “Seven Faces” —None of them worth see- never mis. “Sweetie” —Pieasing. 20 SToang Mevteres"—Richerd Bartbelnas works well in a fragile romance. comicbooks.com