Evening star., 1928-03-25

"Tsu6erloln." with Dolores Cos
teIlo. opened at the Warmers
IL Theatsr In New York before an
audience that oulgeo with boiled
shirts and staggered under loads OF
orchids. gardenias. jewelry and sables.
Ordinarily. the advent Of picture Of
che caliber OF ''TendeTloin" would not
call the inveterate frst-nighters from
their homes IF they have any. In
fact, il would sink into town one week
and out the next without creating any
particular fuss.
But 'sTenderloin" is not ordinary. in
the strictest sense of the word: being
the first attempt TO use the Vitaphone
for purposes Of dramatic dialogue. il
ranks as an important event in movie
history.
~Tenderioin" is By no means the first
ealktng movie. Fifteen years ago
Thomas A. Edison sponsored q device
called fsx I rememberl the Cinemato-
phone, by means Of which the shadows
on the screen we're enabled 70 speak out
their minds. Although associated with
the magic Of Mr. Edison's name, the
Cinema tophone failed 70 last very long
sE 3 popular attraction. The terrible
truth is that this invention was laughed
out CT existence. The trouble was that
Thomas A Edison, for all his wizsrdry,
&A1l WITH AklABGE &u GLE1GNG
gyuchronryation- The action on the
screen cid not harmonic at all with
the accompanying sound, which made
the whole thing seem extremely comical
% the ETeTeTent boys and girls in the
audience
Since that ancient tine the dificul-
ties OF gynchronization have been sur
mounted. The creators Of the Vitaphone
and the Movletone have proved that
sound and vision can work together as
emcaenty az pair Of afiectionate
GismeSe twins.
Nevertheless. In spite Of al this prog
reSs. the debut Of '"TenderIoin" was
greeted with the same sort Of raucous
insulting laughter that was heard when
the Cinenaatcphone first wheezed forth
The spectators gave vent 10 howls Of
urseemly nirth; furthermore, a few Of
them hocted
This uI1friendiy outburst was not due
n any raEE in the mechanical record
Ing and reproducing apparatus II was
cue entirely 20 the quality OF the mate
cuced.
TenoeYloin" is a melodranlz Of New
ToTke underworld Il is no better and
not much worse than other crook pieces
that break out On the screen from time
u time. The heroine. lmpersonated by
hiss Costello. Ia a cabaret gfri who Is
forced oy circumstances % associate
v'1tn olsoyceYly characters, but vilo Is
the very MODEL o. virtue herself. On q
c2rk, rainy night she happens ffor no
particular Tesson) 70 PICK up nys-
tertons nag and 70 walk away with II
The bag turns cut ~ be one that has
Just been p3lfere6 from a bank by a
gang Of yeags, II had contained $50 :
600. but when cetectiyeg take II away
from Ths poor girl Il Is found 20 be
empty. After that, Miss Costello ls
p.eyeo upon BY the police and also BIZ
the cnooks-both factions believing that
sl1s Is an possession Of the 50 grand
Toward the emf 81 the story everything
gets fesrfully confused. There can BE-
m eo1ot, however. that Hiss Costello's
Innocence Ia established or that she
hss married the handsome bandit. who
reforms for her sake
Luckily the vitsphone IS used for
talking p1rDoses 10 only three scenes
o. the Alm. The frs, of them Is sn
episode IN police headquarters, when
bliss Costello ID given the third degrees.
Some Of this Is fairly effective but the
dialogue Is TOO hating 10 sustain the
anDerext Of the audience.
The seoonc use of spoken dialogue IL
in 3 scene between Miss Costello ard
the heavy villain. He has trapped her
81 heY bedroom, Ioekec the DOOR ard
poekete6 tgas key he advances toward
her with nenscing lees. and utterf
Ehsak words I Will give you your
choice. You can tel me where yo.
have hidden the money or~oy~~ "
Jhe ieeT becomes stlll more nenscing
NiGs Costello shrinkk hack against ti1s
wall biting her kfUckleE and gssping
''lsot that! Not that"
II was ~ ngiE point that the frs
n1gnbsrs started laughing, and theil
TosKa Of appreciation only increased ii
isoI1nne when hE. Conrad ksgei burs1
inbo the scene end hurled heroic threau
- the eF5pglng villain.
A. the END Of '"gendeFl0in" there il
kl1otkeF spokea passage, when Miss Cos
Lsi9p and ME. hsgel Ret together sne
kkchEnge audible VOWS of undyinR love
1JA big bedroom scene mas been cu
Ssss Elhcs the opening DeTfoTngsnce--1I
Ts1asT. the Vitaphone accompaniment
kaAA beer haIehed up 10 that there iE NJ
further cause for Laughter. This Ia to'
bad. f1 Miss Costeilo's rendering d
TIE line, mot that! Not tbst!' con
teu1ted the nigh comedy spot Of IN
Eesson.
IT, tie psst Two weeks ! have de
voice thls column ~ the subject q
pfesS sgeftFy. snd nave expressed tb'
opinion thai sensational publicity stlBt
ere frequently more harmful tbaf
Eelps4
Among the famous stunts that
s'rnt3onso wac one performed by HsfF.
t'N4eAenokcb when he HRE tying q
promote popular Interest Ia . naeyi.