Evening star., 1930-10-26
From the Front Row
Reviews and News of Washington Theaters
BILLY the Kid" Western
Film, Is at the Columbia.

A NOISY, shooting, dust raising,
fast riding, Western Aim, Billy
the Kid" showing at the Columbia
this week, is the vehicle which
brings to Washington the moving
picture induStry's latest invention,
real life pictures" so named be-
cause pf the supposed ability Of this
method to portray figures and scenes
as though actually real and living.
Technicians and producers may
realize great difference in this lat
est product of the cinema world,
but it Is to be feared that, to the
average spectator, little or no differ
ence is to be observed between real
life" pictures and those which have
entertained the public since the in
PRODUCTION of the "talkies." The
figures on the screen appear slightly
larger during close-ups and also
are not always quite SO distinct as
they might be. In one scene alone
of BILLY the Kid" an unusually
realistic impression was conveyed by
the dust which rose from the horses
hoofs. At one time, it actually ap-
peared as though the dust might
fly out into the audience.
1t is quite certain that BILLY the
hlu WOulu Ildtc pIOuuCc0 cQudlIN
as many thrills had 1t been made
according to the ordinary every
day" process. The story deals with
the days of the great Southwest,
when men took into their own hands
the fulfillment of the law by shoot
ing it out" in bar rooms or on
prairies, or wherever rival parties
happened to meet.
John Mack Brown, as Billy the
Kid, does some very expert manipu-
lating of guns, as well as leaping
upon his horses back in manner
closely reminiscent of Tom Mix.
One Is forced to wonder If Mr..
Browns past experiences in tackling
facilitated his ability to mount a
horse. Wallace Beery Is perfectly
cast as the assistant deputy sheriff,
who, despite his afflliations with
Billy the Kids enemies, takes q
strong liking to the Kid through his
admiration of the latter's ability to
"hit nickel at 80 yards"
Kay johnson, as Claire, makes q
satisfactorily attractive heroine. Her
highly cultured, low modulated voice
would be out of keeping with the
rough Western setting, were her
presence not accounted for by her
arrival in that part of the world to
Join her f1ancee, an English gentle
man rancher whose arrival in the
country is resented by the unscru-
pulous boss king" of the country,
Donovan. An attack upon the Eng
lish rancher and his subsequent
murder precipitate Billy the Kid into
the affair, and from thence forward,
a feud "to the death" results between
the two factions. All are killed in
the end. except Billy the Kid and
the sheriff, who, officially after Billy,
permits him to escape from his
hiding place across the border near
by. The Sheriff also encourages
Claire to follow the Kid into Mexico.
showing her the way and lending her
his horse to follow after.
Some fine scenes of the Southwest,
with tage-coaches and numerous
bands of cowboys, lend background
to the picture. Several amusing in
cidents, such as the baking mule
which would not cross the stream,
aroused much laughter. For those
who like the thrills and excitement
of an old-time Western; who go
to see the picture, not expecting TO
see a new process, Billy the Kid Is
recommended as highly entertaining.
A Hearst Metrotone news reel and
an amusing "Dogway Melody" come
dy complete the program. G. S. S.
Lady Surrenders"
For Second Week.
4 CTED with expert skill by Gene
- We've Tobin-recently recruited
from stage ranks-RoSe Hobart and
Conrad Nagel, 1.-THE Lady Surren-
ders" continues blithely for another
week at the Rialto, painting its
sophisticated" portrait of the eter-
nal triangle.
A high standard of acting carries
this picture to new heights. Funda-
mentally, the theme of a mans
dreary matrimonial homelife, which
drives him into the sympathetic
arms of another woman. is not
startlingly original, neither Is 1t espe-
cially exciting.
Responsible for the major compli-
cations-apart from the wife being
a selfish soul who writes her stories
In the dim, sleepy hours of the morn
ing-is the publishing of story
called THE Marriage Trap" which
plunges the wife, her best friend and
her husband into some unexpected
and finally compromising situations.
Following this, in furious fashion,
come marriage between the friend"
and the husband after supposed
divorce which proves to be not a
divorce at all. a homecoming by the
divorce" suicide by the friend"
and a fadeout in which the wife de-
cides that she'll look around for a
man that she could kill herself over.