Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-12
FoX--"Lucky star"

Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell
one of the most popular of established
screen couples, appear this week at the
Fox in Lucky Star" picture with
Pvgmalion motif, Mr. Farrell playing a
war cripple and Miss Gaynor the little
mountain girl whom he taught the viz
tues of s. clean neck and a truthful
tongue, neither of which she had there
to found especially important to her
success in life. When, however, the eth
ical and sanitary elements of his philos-
ophy had revealed Mary to the world
as a lovelier and more appreciate bit
of mountain womanhood, her mother
almost succeeded in the fell project of
marrying her off to the slick and wicked
Sergt. Wrenn, played by Guin Williams.
A touch of melodrama at the end OF
the picture disposes of this unhappy
conclusion and the finale is relinquished
to a touching realization of youthful
dreams.
The story, it may be seen. is fairly
characteristic of the pleasantly Senti-
mental vehicles which have carried the
Gaynor- Farrell combination to its pres
ent popularity. The most interesting
feature of Lucky Star" is that it in
PRODUCES the speaking voices of the
young leading players. Miss Gaynor, 1t
has been felt by several reviewers, loses
in speech some of that quality of ideal
ism and illusion which has marked her
work in silent films. That may be the
case; there may be slight weakening
of the almost mystic Subtlety of Miss
Gaynor's pantonine, but her role and
its demands being what they are. her
voice impresses this reviewer as being
entirely appropriate and entirely WIN
ming. It is, truly enough. light in VOL
ume. a meager. sweet little chirp and
might not fit so neatly in other charac-
terizations than this one of the disarm-
ing little farm drudge. But. in so far
as Lucky Star" is concerned, it is sat
isfactory. The same thing does not hold
of Mr.. Farrell's vocal endowment. 1t
is thin and reedy in many passages, a
wholly boyish voice, eager enough. per-
haps, but without real buoyancy. It
may be noted as a point of information,
that only some of the later sequences
IN Lucky STAR are audible though
there is a musical accompaniment
throughout. and. once again, as in so
many of the recent talkieS, tasteless
and inconsistent intrusion of a theme
song.
Frank Borzages trustworthy direction
again makes its tremendous contribu-
ton to Gaynor-Farrell picture. The
photoprahy, making frequent use of
misty backgrounds. is unusually good.
Some Of the outdoor settings appear
artificial and may, in fact, be mere
''SetS" At that. they are sufficiently
clever to make one doubt his doubts.
Offsetting the tepid wistfulness Of the
screen feature is a tolerably lively group
OF stage numbers, sponsored by John
irving Fisher. The dependable routine
OF the Jazzmanians and the Foxettes is
well IN the foreground. and in addi-
ton there are songs by Chick Kennedy,
who is held over from last week, tap
dancing and eccentric orchestrationS by
the Eight Jack TarS, an octette of COL
ored boys, with acrobaticS and tumbling
by a troupe of Arabs. Mr. Fishers
chef d'oeuvre. don't speak disrespect-
fully of the dead" is hoary with age
and deserves peaceful privacy. There
must be one or two new jokes some
where. Let honest antiquity have its
due, but not its overdue.
METROPOLITAN" Tonk."
Shouting her songs In the best of
the Sophie Tucker tradition and pune
tuating rather taWdry story with rare
touches of humor, "Honky Tonk" pre-
Sents the variety favorite in a picture
that has Sophie's songs, at least, for
important consideration.
The picture is frankly another ship
ment Of "mother-love" propaganda
with an emphasis on the "hokum' that
Is rather amazing when one considers
that the jovial star is forced to sustain
the note of emotional drama for over
three-fourths of the story, instead of
being allowed to cut loose in her ire
sponsible manner and sing the songs
shat put her name in electric lights.
But when Sophie does sing against
the glittering, tinseled background of
the "Honky Tonk" night club, especially
several new numbers, and near the end
of the picture bursting forth with
Some of These Days." even the forced
drama, cheap sentimentality and I'M
believable "hokum" are happily for
gotten.
Lila Lee, who plays the daughter for
whom Sophie does a "Pagliacci," or a
"Sonny Boy whichever you prefer, Is
given the biggest, if not the most at
tractive. role of her comeback. She
plays we'll enough, but struggles rather
bravely through some trying dialogue.
George Duryea makes us hate him so
properly that when the scenario does
strange things and turns him from cad
to hero our sympathies get all
muddled up.
There is some really fine work by
Mahlon Hamilton and good bit by
Audrey Ferris. But the show is all
Sophie and her songs. The story itself
Is merely series of intermisSions be-
tween one hot number and another.
Two "talkie" shorts, one presenting
baritone in stirring Negro song, and
the other providing few amusing mo-
ments with Jim Corbett, the. gentle
man boxer" are "addeds." A silent
and a sound newsreel round out the
bill, which also includes a reel showing
the thrilling take-off of the Graf Yep
pelin on its world tour.
PALACE-"ChinatOwn Nights"