Critical Moments

In placing the blame for “Upper World,” which closes its run at the Strand Theatre tomorrow, upon Ben Hecht, Warner Brothers are not doing him a favor. His unusual success with pictures has been so persistent that you can almost forgive the Warner clan. But as a matter of fact the fault is not entirely Hecht’s. He did write a story called “Upper World,” but the picture as it came out of the studio was merely an adaptation of Hecht’s work. As far as I can ascertain, he had nothing to do with the dialogue or production.

From the above you have perhaps come to the conclusion that “Upper World” is not a super-picture. I am afraid that I will have to allow you to retain that impression. It concerns the unhappy lot of a very elegant society gent whose wife spends most of the year off on social junkets with her swell friends. Left alone our hero has what he believes is an innocent affair with a dancer but soon finds himself involved by blackmailers. Thoroughly and justifiably provoked he murders one of his annoyers and finds himself in what may safely be termed a “predicament,” especially since his attempts to cover his crime are brought to light with embarrassing ease by a snooping policeman. Being a moving picture it ends on a happier note than this synopsis might indicate. However it is quite unreal and trite even for a movie. This sort of thing has been done much too often and even the able acting of Warren William, Ginger Rogers and Mary Astor fails to save a very ordinary film from being very ordinary.

LOOKING AHEAD A LITTLE

Universal has finished its film version of Hans Fallada’s novel “Little Man, What Now?” and it will be brought into the Radio City Music Hall tomorrow. Margaret Sullavan and Douglas Montgomery divide the leads in a cast numbering one hundred. A preview was shown at the projection rooms of Universal last Friday morning.

The boys in Hollywood are becoming impatient. Great plans are the making for Henry Hull, star character actor, but nothing can be done until “Tobacco Road” at the 48th Street Theatre closes. This dramatization of Erskine Caldwell’s novel in which Hull is playing, has been going steadily since early fall. If and when the show closes, Hull will trek westward and his first picture will probably be “Great Expectations,” from the novel by Charles Dickens.