Evening star., 1933-01-28

drive through New York trafic at
the rate OF IS miles an hour, while
the car is trailed by an assemblage
Of automobile policemen.
The drama lacks force 20 far as
logical sequence Of events Is con-
cerned, but what 1t lacks in plot Is
made up by vigor In the development
Of Its numerous detached incidents.
Bette Davis makes no departure
from her customary style, but Is q
most appropriate companion In the
adventures Of Mr.. Fairbanks, while
Frank McHugh is q healthy and
engaging associate Of the leading
couple, contributing his proper allot-
ment OF humor. Leo Garlic, as the
cmel o! the smugglers Is admirably
adapted to the type, and takes his
position with that assurance and
light -heartedness that may well be
associated with his business. Claire
Dodd and Sheila Terry capably fill
other feminine roles. while the rest
OF the company Is made up of Har-
old Huber. Thomas z. Jackson,
George Pat Collins, Harold Healy
and Frederick Munier.
The Dressler-Moran comedy has
the qualities associated with the
work Of those popular players.
"The Big Drive"
War Film at Keith's.
livery phase of the World War,
from the carnage to the cooties,
Is depicted in The Big Drive"
NJ tN tSa
been cleaned from the ofilcial
records Of eight nations and on dis
play at R-K-O-Keith's this week.
Without benefit of chorus girls,
comedians and bass drummers,
the war does not turn out to be all
that Hollywood. in its past romantic
expeditions on to the battlefield,
would have made us believe. It Is q
grim, muddy. wearisome business,
and all the fine words in the die
tionary will not persuade otherwise,
any one who has observed closely
the incidents Of The Big Drive"
Those who have been racked with
curiosity about the peculiar facial
expression Of q man who has just
received a bayOnet thrust in the
middle. or the extraordinary facility
with which legs rip from body under
the compulsion of shell blast, will
find the answer to all such specula-
tions in the more CORY events Of this
picture
In contrast to the drear realities
OF the symposium. which includes
action shots of Germans, Italians,
English, French, Russians. Ameri-
cans and others, there are movies Of
elaborate military funerals, parades
down Pennsylvania avenue. generals
with medals bowling them down, and
other matter which somehow seems
totally unrelated to the facts Of the
case-as exemplifled. for instance,
by the pictures of dead Belgian ref
ugees lying frozen In the snow
Albert Rule, a former sergeant
major in the Army. who collected
these films from various sources.
accompanies their showing with an
explanatory and rather inane mono
logue. The explanations are salts
factory. but, unfortunately, most Of
Mr.. Rules comments on war are
pure romancing. belied by the visual
he talks. This fact does not. how
SNCI. OClIdCt UldtCIlduy lIO4lI lIlC
value of the Aim, as it is compare
lively simple to observe what the
camera has recorded and therefrom
draw all necessary conclusions. 1t
might be we'll, now and then. also.
to watch the audience for its re-
actions Some in the first crowd
which witnessed the film at its OPEN
ing here laughed loudly when Ger
man and American soldiers were
shown cutting one another with
bayonets, battering in heads with
rifles. and writhing in excruciating
sickened pain. Maybe the psychol-
ogists can explain that one.
A cheerful and praiseworthy fea-
ture Of the Keith program this week
is an "Aesop Fable" which ends
liters lily the most powerful note ever
struck in one Of these silly. anus
ing sagas. Other short subjects and
news reel complete the bill.
r. B. p, jr.