Judge — February 15, 1930 — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

JUDGE JUDGING TeMOVIE?S 6 By PARE LORENTZ ENJOYED Considering the fact that he belonged at the foot I that has come to town in months. It is an adaptation class that found itself out of work when the talkies of Barrie’s “The Old Lady Shows Her Medals, nd long, he has learned in a remarkably short time how it is to the everlasting y of the producers that they — to deliver lines easily. George M. Cohan wrote the play cast’ Beryl Me the most entertaining and and time has not withered its well-knit situations. The experienced ch tress in Hollywood, in the tit movie was directed at a good pace and the t must have role, Barrie himself could not have found a woman more — included some of the old-timers. If it didn't, then they perfectly suited for the job. were the best-rchearsed talkie cast I have ever seen. The play develops the theme of mother love—certainly As you probably remember, the action takes place in an no new motif for the movies—but it stee middle ground — old country hotel, where a young author has gone to win a A between the emotional matricide of the Greeks and the bet that he e: bedtime-lullaby mother sentiment of the sort of mov we usually get. If you belong to the anti-Barric n write a novel in twenty-four hours. From | the moment he enters the house until the break of dawn things start happening. In this respect the plot does not Milne school, you will find some few lines of coy dialo differ a great deal from a hundred other mystery mo in the play, but for the most ps tion of but Mr. Cohan is responsible for the one great distinction a cockney charwoman who er the front for en Keys to Baldpate.” The things that the sake of social distinction, smells more of the pub t > some sense and interest to them. Most movie and the nursery. I defy you to find a more entertain : producers go on the theory that so long as you have moment in a month's run of movies than the little cony an old house with dim lights and off-stage noises there is sation in the basement apartment where Beryl Mercer no point in laboring over a story. Just put a Hindoo proudly discovers that her self-adopted son has “’ nt and a couple of clutching hands in the drawing- legs.” room and there is your mystery. Until the last few min- Richard Wallace is one of the few good young directors utes “Seven Keys to Baldpate” is as amusing and inter- on the Coast, and what faltering moments there 1 esting as you could want, and if that isn't enough for you, be eredited to the slow f the play and the helpless- then you probably belong to that canny group that puts | airy are ness and inexperience of Gary Cooper, who, in all its money in foreign bonds and rubs its hands every time ] ness, tried hard but in the light of Miss Mercer's ability the market ses, and we might as well break off | could do no more than grit his teeth nd pretend that he relations right now. any sort of characteri- movie actor, was acting zation; Not once did he create s, in other words, just I don’t want to bring up that fa ra-room discus- sion of art and the masses, but I do know that I sat in an audience that must be representative of just about t lowest mean in movie audiences (the balcony of the P, tmount)—and they cried and applauded and in every w demonstrated that they enjoyed Miss Mercer as much as i. ue talkies have assumed such national significance that ent as Walter (Psychology-of-Happi- ness) Pitkin and Gilbert Seldes have written scholastic | pamphlets explaining their limitations and predicting that - the : just in their infaney. Yet all the criticism and ises to date have not diminished the Gold Coast on of mu comedy talkies, and I have been | Of course that might be a dead give y, but just the informed that they building enormous theatres and | same I advise you to see “Seven Day ye’ as soon as stages in order to increase the output. This is the unkind- you have a chance. est cut of all. Obviously the only people who could get any entertainment from such things as the recent “Hit the | . Krys to Batprate” is another one of those old Deck" are: (1) those who never have scen a s\ musical } ys that has its school of admirers and critics. comedy; (2) those who like even imitation musical come- | a movie, it is good fun. There is no reason why dies; (3) the maimed and the weak. I have also been shouldn't be. Richard Dix, despite his occasional work in informed that “Sunny Side Up” is making a fortune for high-school hero plots, has always been a very amiable somebody or other, so the awful conclusion follows that comedian, and this time he is given work that suits him per- movie audiences, after all, are (Continued on page 32) The Movie Guide “Applause” —Mamoulian does some fancy “Disraeli"—The pelantie Mr. Arlim ina “The Lady Lies"—A smooth comedy of — ““Shannens of Breadway”—Good vaude- tricks with the camera but Miss Morgan and careful re-creation of has stage success. ‘urtan life, with an excellent cast. Ne, with the original stage team, Cenk raat dent help bin math. “Hit the Deck”—In this issue. “The Love Parade”—Nething of impor “Seven Fares"—A bag of poor tricks. “Behind the Make-Up"—Nothing at all. except Maurice Chevalier. “Seven Days’ Leave”—In this isvue. “Hell's Herees”—A short story well pre ‘ance, except “Condemned”—Rooald Cotman and Dud- eerved. min Sth Locked Doer”—It wasn't good even "Seven Keys te Baldpate™ Ditto ley Digges make merry with a story that on “Malielujab"—This should be around the te Years azo. “Taming Shrew"—Excellect. wea BEE Tee kamen sroand We se, Wo, Manette” —Terrible. “The Veginian’”—Dull, 25. comicbooks.com