Pictures (August 1926)

August, 1926 rs t HELL’S FOUR HUNDRED—70% : THE wages of sin are revealed by the glaring light of the He is to blame for it all. flames of Hell—in technicolor. It points a moral lesson by showing the greedy and unscrupulous heroine bereft of everything at what seems to be the end of the story,—and then brings about the happy fade-out by the ancient device of telling you it was alla dream. We can’t think of any reason why you’d want to see this except for the performance of Margaret Livingston. This feline young lady, while not entirely lovely, is modern and individual—which is more than can be said of the picture as a whole—and she injects a great deal of lively interest into the proceedings. Harrison Ford, as the flawless young District Attorney, is— well, flawless. And then there’s an ice-man—but we mustn't tell you everything. The cast includes: Margaret Livingston, Harrison Ford, Wallace MacDonald, and Marceline Day. It was directed by John Griffith Wray. —E.G. PARIS—65% N an effort to play the guiding genius back of the making of “Paris,” Edmund Goulding made a glorious mess of it» He wrote the story, adapted it and then swayed the megaphone. His cast was excellent. He had his own way from start to finish. a The original story was the most unoriginal plot one could ‘imagine. It is an Apache underworld affair with a girl, a boy, a wealthy American, a dance, a dagger—you know the rest. Tt differs from a dozen others only in the ending, which is an effort to be artistic, but proves quite the contrary. Joan Crawford, as the girl, is very attractive and for the first time stands out as a young lady possessing an unusual amount of talent. And we wager that she will soon be elevated to stardom. Charles Ray overdoes his role as the wealthy ~ American. The cast includes: Joan Crawford, Charles Ray, Douglas Gilmore, and others. ‘It was directed by Edmund Goulding. —T.G.B. WET PAINT—90% AYMOND GRIFFITH, garbed in his usual costume, a dinner suit and a high silk hat does a perfectly corking job with “Wet Paint.” A preface tells us, rather warns us, that what is to come is taken from ““Much Ado About Nothing,” by William Shakespeare. It is much ado about nothing, but here ends the kinship with the Bard Of Avon’s play. Griffith takés the very slender plot and clothes it with comedy both subtle and slapstick, but laughable withal. In many respects it is the best thing he has done—certain sketches compare favorably with Chaplin’s work. Helene Costello, sister of Dolores, as the leading lady gives promise of the same material which Dolores has already proven she possesses. Ralph Spence contributes some hillarious titles—just about as clever as any that ever held a comedy together. The cast includes: Raymond Griffith, Helene Costello, Bryant Washburn, Natalie Kingston, and others. It was directed by Arthur Rosson. —T.G.B. THE BOOB—s0% “-PHE BOOB” has its interesting moments, thanks to the sincerity of George K. Arthur, his enthusiasm and _ his comedy flare. Joan Crawford and .Gertrude Olmsted contribute their bit and so does Charlie Murray. The direction might have been improved upon. Mr. Wellman has subtle touches but at times he lets his players get away from him. The story centers around a youth called Peter, who after he is rejected by the girl of his heart, goes out into the world to prove to her that the spirit of knighthood is not dead. ‘The obstacles he encounters form the basis for much comedy and pathos. The continuity is bad and shortened certain scenes. the cutter should have The cast includes: Gertrude Olmstead, George K. Arthur, Joan Crawford, Charlie Murray, and others. It was directed by William Wellman,