Life, 1929-02-01 · page 34 of 40
Life — February 1, 1929 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines shipping advertisements with movie reviews—primarily advertising content rather than satire. **Left side:** A Cunard Line advertisement for the luxury ship *Berengaria*, sailing March 8th. The ad exploits wealthy sportsmen's interests by noting the ship's convenient timing for attending the Grand National steeplechase horse race at Aintree (a major British sporting event). It's a tongue-in-cheek pitch: the ad sarcastically suggests that wealthy social circles practically "commandeer" Cunard ships for this annual ritual, making the *Berengaria* an essential luxury for serious horse-racing enthusiasts. **Center/right:** Movie reviews by "Harry Evans" covering two 1929 films—*The Shopworn Angel* (praised for its smooth direction despite minimal publicity) and *Synthetic Sin* (criticized, though the reviewer acknowledges Colleen Moore's mysterious appeal to audiences). **Far right:** Advertisement for Absorbine Jr., a medicinal liniment for sprains and bruises, featuring a soldier in a military helmet. The page reflects 1920s consumer culture and emerging cinema criticism.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Berengaria... Grand National Crossing Favorite for this year... sailing March 8th ‘The Berengaria sails intime for the Grand National... Social and sporting circles cannotcommandeerCunard ships... But this regular exodus for the classic event at Aintree makes it practi- cally necessary to place the de luxe Berengaria at their disposal... Cunard service for the Grand National sailing in- cludes special perquisites for the Hace + + advance hotel bookings . . . and the advantages of transatlantic social life which the Berengaria presents... Forbusysportsmentowhom the performance of Billy Barton and the field coming over Becher’s are an irre- sistible pull, the Lancastria sailing back from Liverpool on March 23rd or the Mauretania from Southamp- ton eve later makes this juick sporting return tripa Bundred to one possibility. CUNARD LINE ® See Your Local Agent 1840 FLEE aE 1929 | ry THE MOVIES by If you are in New York and Harry want to know where pictures Evans recommended by this depart- ment are showing, call Plaza 9842 before 5:30 P. M. Calls on Saturday should be made before noon. “The Shopworn Angel” Unannouncep by the elaborate ballyhoo which usually precedes so-called “super” films, “The Shopworn Angel” appeared quietly in town, and proved to be one of the most delightful pictures released in months. Which again reminds us that publicity is based on the amount of money spent on a production rather than the merit of the finished article. The success of this movie is due primarily to Howard Estabrook who assembled the scenario so smoothly that you never hear a creak or groan as the tale unfolds. Richard Wallace directed a well-chosen cast with unusual sympathy, and the result is a “natural.” Action takes place during the war, and Gary Cooper is an awkward, girl-shy re- cruit who comes to New York to see the sights before going overseas. By chance he meets Nancy Carroll, a chorus girl who has a chauffeur and a Park Avenue apart- ment. Paul Lukas, a sophisticated gentle- man of means, stands in the background and provides wonderful support for Miss Carroll (and I don’t mean acting). He feels sorry for the poor lonesome dough- boy who has fallen for his girl; in fact, maybe he is just a little too sorry. Sugar daddies, so they say, are not usually so agreeable about these little things. The story is brought to a climax by a wedding done as a talking sequence—and it is a climax. Miss Carroll and Mr. Cooper are great, and Paul Lukas is as slick a man of the | world as you ever saw on the screen. “The Shopworn Angel” is recommended without reservation. “Synthetic Sin” Arter predicting that “Synthetic Sin” will show the same satisfactory box office returns which generally accrue from Col- leen Moore productions, I hasten to add that I did not enjoy it. Sometimes I am convinced she must do it with mirrors. Miss Moore can perform the simplest, most obvious bit of pantomime, and the customers laugh heartily. There must be something about her technique that is over my head—or maybe I'm right. Miss Moore is an innocent girl from a small Southern town (only dumb is really relieve ain P qu ickly F comicbooks.com