Word: screens
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Dates: during 1920-1929
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Richard Watts Jr., the author of the accompanying article, is the movie editor of the New York Herald Tribune. In this capacity he has gained for himself the reputation of being one of the country's leading screen critics. His close connection with the motion picture industry through the recent period of its change from silent to sound production makes him peculiarly suited for the task of tracing the trend of the "talkies...
...Lasky, who is rapidly becoming the prophet, as well as the co-boss of the cinema industry, last week issued another of his incisive and optimistic manifestoes. Determined to be quite judicial about everything, Mr. Lasky confessed that, in the quaint old days of the silent films, the screen producers were inclined to be a bit imitative. A successful underworld film meant a lengthy series of cops-and-robbers melodramas, and, one popular, mystery play would bring about a brood of sleuth narratives. Now, he proclaimed, the period of such foolishness has ended and the coming of the talking picture...
...Hollywood Revue", at the University for four days, easily takes a place among the best screen musical shows, in spite of a somewhat tiresome manner of presentation that involves letting the curtain fall every five minutes. But this straight revue method fortunately prevents any attempt to graft the customary inane plot on the picture. The individual scenes are introduced by Jack Benny and Conrad Nagel, who for the most part are successful in making this barren role humorous. The acts themselves are excellent, with the exception of a peculiarly irritating sob-ballad by Charles King...
...handling of the chorus scenes is outstanding. Even the uncolored half of the picture, especially the dance accompanying "Singing in the Rain", makes effective use of shadows and silhouettes; and the closing scenes, employing an enlarged screen, are among the few good bits of technicolor the movies have thus far offered. "In Orange Blossom Tinte", with its beauty of color and brilliant shots from strange angles, particularly makes one realize that artistic photography did not altogether pass out with silent pictures...
Reginald Denny also appears on the University screen in "One Hysterical Night", a story about the inmates of an insane asylum. The picture is pretty weak in spots, but has one or two redeeming laughs...