Indianapolis Times, Volume 40, Number 101, Indianapolis, Marion County, 17 September 1928 — Page 5
SEPT. 17,1928.
HOAKUM AND TEARS 1 IN ‘LILAC TIME’ Victor McLaglen Is a Very Tough Guy With a Big Heart in ‘The River Pirate,’ but the Ending Is Wrong. BY WALTER D. HICKMAN THE guy who directed and turned out the movie version of the stage play cf tears, “Lilac Time,” knew his “oats,” as they say, in mixing comedy hoakum and the sentimental-tear-love stuff. From a box office standpoint, the movie, “Lilac Time,” has all the necessary attributes to make it a best seller. Colleen Moore as Jeannine is a little cutup or, rather, a little flirt. She might be the life of every party. '• Miss Moore’s idea of Jeannine is just as different from that of Jane Cowl’s on the stage as day is from night. I doubt seriously if the stage version would work at all on the screen. In fact, I am sure that it couldn’t. Colleen Moore is full of cute little tricks and she uses all of them in a lot of hoakum fun in this movie.
She is much better in her comedy work than when she goes in for registering the effect of a heart made heavy by war. Os course there are moments of sentimental sadness in the first part of the movie, but it is the comedy antics of Miss Moore that gives life and sparkle to the story. And as filmed, “Lilac Time” is just a story of sentimental love with a war background and the background is aviation or fighting in the clouds. These airplane battles are thrilling and the introduction of the red colored plane of the enemy gives a striking note of daring to the story. But I believe that it is the first part of the movie that will please
the most because ;he American public likes to see Miss Moore act cute. She has a cute little eye and she is even cute when her face is covered with grease when she wants to clean out some airplane motor valves. Gary Cooper is cast as the English aviation officer, who falls in love with little Jeannene, much to the horror of his rich
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Colleen Moore
and aristocratic father and his fiancee, but the movie director has been good to those who love a happy ending and our hero and heroine are happy in each others arms as the story closes. But it is the element of hoakum comedy on the part of Miss Moore that makes this picture what it is from the box office stand point. I am not over looking the big airplane scenes, the advance of the enemy upon a French town and the complete destruction of this town. That has all been faithfully recorded in “Lilac Time.” “Lilac Time” is what is known as a sound picture. None of the principals do any talking in this movie. The bitl includes Fox Movietone News, several talking subjects and other events. Now at the Circle. a a a GOOD STAGE SHOW AT INDIANA “Blossom Time,” “Rose Marie.” and “The Student Prince” apparently have all been boiled down together and a little bit changed here and there with the result emerging
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as “West Point Days,’ the stage attraction at the Indiana this week. There is no getting around the fact that he show is splendid me-
serial for the eyes ’The chorus boys m their cadet uniforms are really hot looking examples of young American man--and, taken all together, can sing a good song when 4h e spirit strikes them. The girls have the edge *on the cadets however, along with their song numbers they have several formation dances that no male chorus
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Richard . Barthelmess
can hope to duplicate, and it goes without saying tha f this particular member of the audience would rather look at a peppy bunch of chorus girls any day that the same number of the opposite sex, uniforms or no uniforms. Two eccentric comedians, named Born and Lawrence, introduce anew method of song interpretation. They sing’em with gestures, and what gestures. Joseph Griffin and Virginia Johnson, both well liked, do all the sea - ture singing of the show and have pleasing voices. Charlie Davis and the orchestra again seem to have what tire audience wants in the way of peppy tunes. Charlie could hardly quiet the customers Sunday afternoon; they wanted more and more. “Out of the Ruins,” with Richard i Barthelmess, is just another war 1 picture without any reason or rhyme in its makeup. The fad used to be to put a lot of clothes on Gloria Swanson, take a string of poses of her and call it a feature film. The same idea seems to have worked here with the exception that it is Barthelmess this time, and a uniform and medals instead of Paris creations. We leave it to any veteran of the A. E. F. if a lieutenant was courtmartialed and sentenced to be shot for desertion, would it be at all possible that the entire firing squad would be such devoted friends of his as to miss when they shot? It just isn’t right, that supposition, and
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that is what “Out of the Ruins” depends on for its big kick. Barthelmess looks too good in this picture. If he had only forgotten to comb his hair once or twice he would have looked much more human, but we suppose he just must look that way. On view at the Indiana.—(By John T. Hawkins.) a a a DASHING ROMANCE IS “TWO LOVERS” Sometimes a director knows how to take a story of the days when Spain attempted to overrun' Flanders and handle it in such a way as to interest those of us who go to the theater today. “Two Lovers” is such a story. The director was wise when he selected Ronald Colman as the young Flemish officer and Vilma Banky as the
Spanish - looking person who nearly caused the death of her own hu s band before she realized that she' loved him. Here is" a story that you might sus p i cion that Sabatini was the author. It has all the swing and the romance of one of his yarns. As all good r o piances must have some hot love scenes,
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Ronald Colma
then you will discover many of this brand in “Two Lovers.” It is all very proper because the characters that Miss Banky and Colman play are married. That is the Spanish invader decided that his niece should marry the son of the high bailiff of Ghent. It was a marriage of state as well as of conspiracy. The high Spanish gentleman knew that his niece was in love with a Spanish officer, and that she would betray her husband and make possible the strong hand of Spain in Flanders. There? is a mysterious element in this story. There is a character known as “Leatherface,” who always turns up just in time to protect the life of the Prince of Flanders and also in time to do a lot of damage against the Spanish armies. I guess it wouldn’t be fair to tell you who “Leatherface” is because lot of the mystery hangs upon this character. Anyway “Two Lovers” is filled with romance, some nice acting, beautiful sets and splendid photography. Here is a costume or period movie that has real box office drawing power and it will please those who enjoy a mixture of romance and mystery. The entire cast has been well chosen. The bill includes Lester Huff at the pipe organ and a Hal Roach comedy. Now at Loew’s Palace. a a a “THE RIVER PIRATE” IS A GOOD YARN, BUT— Am sure that you will agree with me that “The River Pirate” is a good yarn. It was first a good story in a magazine. The movie is a good yarn right up to the finish and then something happens—the director or somebody knew that it, was going
THE HEW STYLES
Verdict of the Movies APOLLO —“The River Pirate” is interesting entertainment up to its ending, then it becomes ridiculous because some misguided person wanted a happy ending. INDIANA—“West Point Days,” with plenty of men and women, is every bit as good as it should be, considering that it is the only stage show in town. CIRCLE—It is the hoakum comedy antics of Colleen Moore that gives the sparkle to “Lilac Time,” a war story, dealing with the lads who fought in the air. LOEW’S PALACE—It is difficult to bring a costume period play successfully to the screen, but “Two Lovers,” in spite of its box office title, shows that such stories can be made mighty interesting entertainment today And popular too.
to be most difficult to get a logical ending. And directors, you know, generally have a weakness for the happy ending, whether it is logical or not. And so when the chief character, a river crook, but a guy with a good heart, is caught by he detectives robbing a warehouse, and his pal, a young lad, gets on the right road because of the love of a good girl, the story stops '.nd a guy with white hair .seated on an easy chair or something like that, starts talking and tells you that even where the action stops the story goes right on. He tells you that the young fellow actually does go straight and that his pal, the river pirate, gets out of prison in time to act as best man at the wedding of the youngster and his girl. All very sweet, but when I was present many people in the audience were laughing out loud at the ridiculius situation. Here is a movie with an interesting story and a lot of good gang acting on part of the cast that goes wrong at the very end. This is the first time that the talkies have been
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THE INDIANAPOLTS TIMES
used to tell about an ending which would have t been terrible if acted. As it now stands it is only ridiculous. But all the rest of “The River Pirate” is good entertainment as far as this type of entertainment goes. It is made even better by a cast headed by Victor McLaglen as the pirate. He is just the type for such a role. He looks tough, but' he knows how to make you understand that he has love in his heart for his pal. And he knows how to develop the comedy idea. There is a young chap in this movie by the name of Nick Stuart. He has that look, that innocent kid look about him which may make him famous on the screen. And the lad seems to know how to register genuine emotion as well as honesty of purpose. Lois Moran is the chief female character. She hasn’t much to do. I guess about any one of her age could have played the lole as well. But you will enjoy the work of McLaglen and Stuart. The chief apealing factor on the
Vitaphone subjects is the appearance of the Notre Dame Glee Club in several numbers. The boys register splendidly. Another subject has the services of the Foy family, that is the youngsters. They are good in their hoakum offering. Bill includes Fox Movietone News. Now at the Apollo. Other theaters today offer: Bicknell at the Lyric, “Sporty Widows” at the Mutual, and "Giants of the Ring" at the Colonial. STUDY CHARITY METHOD Tokio, Japan, Asks Details of City Community Fund. The slogan of “Indiana—World Famed” is borne out by a letter just received by Homer Borst, executive secretary of the Indianapolis Community Fund, from Hon. T. Hiratsuka. Governor of Tokio Perfecture in Japan, in which inquiry is made into methods of raising funds for social service agencies. At the present time 315 cities in the United States follow the Community Fund plan of providing for worthy social service agencies. From the letter received here it appears that Tokio citizens are about to inaugurate a similar plan under the name of “The Charity Organization Society of Tokio Perfecture.” SORORITY BUYS HOME Zeta Tau Alphas Purchases House on Hampton Dr. An English style stucco house at 329 Hampton Dr., has been purchased by the Zeta Tau Alpha So rority at Butler University.
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Melon Liquor By Times Special KOKOMO, Ind„ Sept. 17A load of watermelons leaving a trail of odorous liquid led to the arrest of Charles Marley, 56, and Guild Wasson, 16, both of Sims. Grant county. The town marshal at Hope. Ind., investigated the source oi the liquid and found a gallon of liquid hidden in the load. Marley was fined SIOO and given a suspended sentence.
4 DIE IN COTTAGE FIRE Three Children and Girl. 22, Are Burned to Death. Bn United Press OTTAWA, Ont.. Sept. 17.—Four persons were killed when fire destroyed a summer cottage today at Brittania. eight miles west of here on the bay. The dead included Miss Jean Agnes Lenihan, 22. oi Syracuse. N. Y„ and three children of Miss Lenihan’s sister, Mrs, Joseph Waters. JUNIOR SCOUTS PLANNED National Council to Organize Boys Under 12. Organization of a Junior Boy Scout movement, to take in boys under 12, is contemplated by the national council, F. O. Belzer, Scout executive, said today. Belzer attended the recent national conference at Ithaca, N. Y.
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MINE OFFICIALS TAKE PAY COT Accept Slash With Illinois Coal Workers. Ku United Ureas SPRINGFIELD. 111.. Sept. 17— State officials of the Illinois Mina Workers will receive a salary reduction of $1.40 a day, it was voted at a meeting oi the State executive board of the union here. The regulation is equal to thaf taken by coal diggers under a newt wage scale, agreed upon in a con- . ference between mine union and representatives of operators it| - Chicago. The new scale went into effect Sunday. Referring to the new scale for ■ miners. W. L. Jenkins, president of the Illinois Coal Operators’ Association. said he oelieved it would bring about an increase of 50 per cent in coal production in the State and the regaining of many of the mar- - kets which w r ere lost during thflj period of shutdown of Illinois mines^ BUTLER FRAT TO BUILOi Delta Tau Delta Draft Plans fo< Three-Story Home. Butler University’s chapter Delta Tau Delta will erect anew, fraternity house at the Fairv>stf campus. Burns and James, architects, drew? the plans. The home will be three stories, built of steel, stone and brick.
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