Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-17


Gary Cooper. be it known.
Gary insists up
on wooing the daughter of
racketeer, even though she has serv-
ed a prison sentence for protecting
her father, and he declines to fight
from the outside. He sees no merit
in the outlaw life, but decides to
adopt the technique of the enemy.
Queerly enough, it is not this
actors readiness with the gun that
wins for him in the final climax but
skill in driving motor car through
all the imaginable perils of thunder
ing trains and menacing cliffs. The
associate gunner have thought to
take him "for a ride" with his pros
pective bride, but he reverses the
situation and takes them for ride
so perilous a ride that the
poSsessors of the ugly faces on the
back seat dare not kill the couple on
the front seat for fear that the
relaxing of the hand on the wheel
will send the whole carful to their
doom. So, once more. the superior
intelligence induced by the ozone Of
the plains conquers the effete
products of the civilized speakeaSy.
Matching the final gasoline dash to
victory is the exhibition of shrewd-
ness by the star of the piece, when
he demonstrates that machine-gun
nests can be captured from the rear,
far from the road of the big guns
of battle.
Quiet heroics do not spoil "City
Streets" for 1t provides a likable
sort of recreation without taxing the
mind. Some bright touches OF
humor have been achieved by the
author, and the cast is good. Silvia
Sidney, somewhat new IN the type
of heroine required, rather overdoes
the effusiveness of affection, espe-
cially on the part of hard-boiled
daughter of the predatory regiment.
but she has plenty Of light emotional
talent and ought to give good ac-
count of herself in playing leads.
Paul Lukas, always a welcome guest
of the movie audience, enactS the
bold buccaneer of love with the skill
which nature bestowed upon him,
and active participants in the scenes
are made realistic by William Boyd,
Guy Kibbee and Stanley Fields.
Additional feminine characters who
seek vengeance on deserters are
played convincingly by Wynne Glib
son and Betty Sinclair.
ne Stage db ttlc Z dldNC lloo tA1C
double merit of acts which are by
performers of skill and settings and
accessories which show much atten-
ton to detail, especially in the
costuming. The program is headed
by Mitchell and Durant, who cover
up unusual acrobaticS with coating
of nonsense. and others are Dolores,
Eddy and Douglas, in adagio which
reaches the limit of safety; Louis
Barrison, remarkable dancer on stills,
and Silvia Nelson in melodious songs.
The Chester Hale Girls and the
Palace Orchestra give background
which is called Riviera Revels."
Hal Roach's short film, Air Tight"
is genuinely humorous. D. C.. G.
"Seed"
At the RiaIto.
UCEED" Is a splendid picture. 1t
accomplishes everything that It's
predecessor, Charles G. Norris novel
did. and treats the theme with great
dignity, no end Of humor, and a
pathos that Is entirely justified.
Too much cannot be said for 1t.
Essentially a woman's picture, It
should nevertheless be seen by all
who have a suspicion that Holly
wood cannot handle such subject
with taste and discrimination. With
out benefit of faSt-moving plot,
with no especial rantingS and roar
ings from a great" star. 1t yet sue
ceeds in being one Of the important
pictures Of the year. 1t Is shown
at the Rialto.
All this Is said even with the
knowledge that there will be those
who will find fault with it. Admirers
Of the book say there Is too little OF
the opening California sequences. and
the sterner sex will perhaps object to
being drawn with such an inevitably
cerogatory brush. Bart Carter, the
hero, is certainly so per cent cad.
There is. however, so much human
interest,"" so much that is true to
life in a nice household way, SO much
that every woman with large family
must have experienced wherever
and whoever she is, that whatever
blenishes there may be Of text or
dialogue are forgotten by the pure
magic of individual performances.
These performances are what may
be classed as the marvels of Seed"
For the story of q woman who spends
IlCL 1I4C AdLoA4ie q AdAAAAsS CAAS ~ W.
her husband lured away by another
woman through the excuse that she
is helping him with his career" Is
nothing unusual. The way 1t is
done, however, Is. Lois Wilson as
the wife who insists on home with
lots of children, gives certainly the
most surprising performance OF the
season. Equipped up until now with
honest, homespun roles whose define
alton has been satisfactory but
never stintillating, Miss Wilson sud-
denly become an actress of note, and
with great restraint, great dignity
and great charm makes the heroine
Of this a true Characterization OF
wonderfully human woman.
Next to Miss Wilson, blue ribbon
honors go TO the FIVE children who
undertake to be the cause OF all the
trouble. These seem not TO have
been directed at ell. so natural are
their various actions-the littlest of
them providing more 'ohs" and
"ahs" from the feminine audience
than has been heard around and
about in long while. Even when a
new set of children" undertakes to
show them. 10 years after" they
are still natural and able perform
ers-especially Bette Davis, as the
young girl CT the family.
John Boies, more of singer than
an actor, takes care of Bart Carter
we'll enough, although one could
wish for an occasional new express
sion on his stalwart features.
Genevieve Tobin is a nice actress.
who yet seems to lack the necessary
spark 70 charm man away from
such an attractive home. These,
however. are only minor discrep-
ancies in a film that is earnestly
recommend as having more real sub
stance TO IL. and more real, honest
fun than has come out Of the West
in a long, long time.
z. de S. MELCHER.
Dorothy Mackaill at Earle
In Party Husband
A SERIOUS vein of good. old
"A fashioned philosophy, running
beneath the surface of iightness and