Cinema: The New Pictures Apr. 30, 1928

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The Mad Hour. A girl called Cuddles (Sally O'Neil), some rich and roistering men, flasks full of cockeyed consomme, petting nights and sad-eyed days —one just knows that Elinor Glyn wrote the original story. But old irony played its ace and The Mad Hour turned out to be tragedy. Cuddles married a rich man, got mixed up with a crook, was sent to jail, lost her child, committed suicide.

Love Hungry. To be poor is no fun. Joan (Lois Moran) and Mamie (Marjorie Beebe) know that. Living in a cheap boarding house, with their efforts as chorus girls unsuccessful, they are glad when rich Lonnie Van Hook invites them out to dinner in a gaudy restaurant. But, alackaday, they must leave their only wristwatch to pay the check, because Mr. Van Hook is suddenly called away. Later, he brings an engagement ring to Joan; she shows it to her true lover (a poor author), who throws it out the window and marries her. Mamie, however, picks up the ring and hooks Mr. Van Hook.

Abie's Irish Rose. Six years ago, as everyone knows, a play by this name opened in Manhattan. The critics, with two exceptions, sneered at it. Cut-rate seats and distribution of free passes kept it alive for the first month. Then it began to take. One man (Brander Matthews) did say it was "a perfectly constructed and played comedy." Another man and two women saw it seventeen times. During the second and third years of its run, fashionable folk flocked to it after dinner parties. In the middle of its fifth year, after 2,400 performances on Broadway it closed.

Last week Abie's Irish Rose came back to Broadway as a film. It was harmlessly funny. In fact, it was as well done as it possibly could be. Miss Nichols had aided Victor Fleming (famed director of The Way of All Flesh) in putting it together. Jean Hersholt as Solomon Levy (father of Abie) performed with dignity and feeling. The plot was slightly changed: Abie Levy (Charles Rogers) and Rosie Murphy (Nancy Carroll) get married secretly soon after the World War. Their parents' consent is not obtained until twins are born.