Evening clothes

AMERICAN FILM CATALOG. Lucien D'Artois, a wealthy French farmer fond of raising horses, is married to Germaine, according to the terms of a marriage contract. When she finds his rustic interests unbearable, she leaves him. Determined to become a polished Parisian, Lucien goes to the city and assiduously studies fencing and dancing but is unable to gain her favor. He embarks on a life of frivolity and free spending and to demonstrate his powers with women deliberately steals Fox Trot, a nightclub girl, from Lazarre. When his Fortune is depleted, his entire possessions are confiscated with the exception of a suit of evening clothes. Living by his wits, Lucien imagines himself still a popular and wealth count, and returning to his bare flat, he finds his wife returned to him.
VARIETY. Germane makes a marriage of convenience with Lucine, rich but rather crude country nobleman. His manners offend her and she revolts against what she terms his boorishness. Her aloofness startles Lucien on their nuptial night (...) and he takes measures next morning to change the situation. Turning three-quarter of his fortune over to the bride-in-name-only, he goes to Paris, there to acquire social polish. His tutelage takes him among the women of the night clubs, where his adventures are varied and spicy, but he reamins true to Germaine. When he goes broke, one of the ladies of the evening he has entertained returns to pay back her fee, explaining ‘there was no sale’. The girl (...) explains to the wife, who has come to ask her husband for a divorce, the moral or ‘sporting’ status of a girl who welches on a rich marriage.  This gives the near-bride a new angle on the affair, and she comes to Lucien’s rescue with money, agreeing  he is a thoroughbred.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Now about the picture-Mr. Menjou is a brave man in this film! He lets you see his legs-and he has vurra funny legs. He lets you gaze at him in an old-fashioned night shirt-and he is no dream of fair women in it. He parades a beard-and he looks gosh-awful in a beard. A brave, brave man, Mr. Menjou!
Later, of course, he is irreproachably turned out monsieur of the boulevards, correct to the last well brushed eyebrow, but, alas you cannot forget those funnt legs!-and thought Virginia Valli appears to-DOES she.
Mr. Menjou is, in the photoplay, married for his money by Miss Valli, who hs consented to become his wife only because of her debt-ridden family.
"He is so crude!" she cries, and when she sees the legs and the nght shirt she finds him positively cruel.
So she tells him she doesn't love and why she has married him and he does a noble vanishing net after settling two-thirds of his fortune on her.

Now we're in the air

AMERICAN FILM CATALOG. Wally and Ray are cousins intent upon getting the fortune of their Scotch grandad, an aviation nut. They become mixed-up with the U. S. flying corps and are wafted over the enemy lines in a runaway balloon. Through misunderstanding they are honored as heroes of the enemy forces, and sent back to the U.S. lines to spy. Here they are captured and almost shot, but everything ends happily

Rolled stockings

AMERICAN FILM CATALOG. Jim Treadway disappoints his father in not making the boat crew at college while his freshman brother, Ralph, makes team and upholds the family tradition. Both boys are smitten, however, by the charms of Carol Fleming, but Ralph is handicapped by hazing and strict training rules. On the eve of the big college race, Jim takes Carol to a dance and leaves Ralph burning with jealousy; deciding to brave offical disapproval, Ralph goes to the dance and takes a jazzy young blonde to a roadhouse. Jim follows and ejects his brother after a fight and is himself found with the girl. After being acclaimed a hero, Ralph confesses that is to blame for Jim's disgrace, and Carol finds happiness with the older brother.
VARIETY. The story is a tactful ending of the older and younger brother theme. Jim, the older, is a junior, disposed to ‘ride’ his younger frshman brother. They are rivals for Carol. Jim seems to be the favoured sultor, until Carol finds that he has had many flirtations and transfers her favor to Ralph. Ralph seems now to be the victor. But Jim wins back his lost ground by honest reform.
          Ralph has gained the coveted seat of stroke on the crew, and the night before the big race seeks out Carol to clinch their engagement. He finds her sealing her engagement to Jim with a kiss, and in furious resentment at what he regards as a stab in the back from fate breaks training and goes off  to a disreputable roadhouse. Discovery there will mean expulsion and heartbreak for the boy’s father, himself an old stroke in the same college.       

          Jim speeds to the roadhouse. Here their wills clash. Ralph refuses to leave. The coach, who means discovery, is on his way. Jim tries force, but the trained oarsman is more than a match for him. While Jim can stand up and keep coming, Ralph will have to go or keep knocking him down. His will wins the day. Ralph departs just in time to escape the coach and their father, while Jim takes the blame and faces expulsion.
          A quick shift to the rowing race, nicely staged for its dramatic effect and then a brief and rather obvious twist to a happy ending.

NEW YORK TIMES. It has two heroes, brothers, one sober, serious, hard working, the other careless, gay, irresponsible. They love the same girl – and the happy hearted ne’er-do-well wins. More than that, in a crisis involving his brother’s honor and the victory of the college crew, he saves the day for both ...

CHICAGO TRIBUNE. The story? Two brothers go to the same college and fall for the same girl(Louise Broks, can you blame them?). The leder is popular, irresponsible and not a bit interested in athletics. Which last is a source of sorrow to the father, who, in his day, was a nughty man on the Colfax crew. Handsome, sunny, happpy-go-lucky Jim. How James Hall makes you love him!
          Ralph, the baby-big, joyous, straight-shooting chap-makes the crew as stroke. And Richard Arlen's Ralph is another mighty fashinating fellow!
The girl likes both, but loves one and I shall let the picture tell you the story of the two frat pins and the drama that weaves a web around them

The city gone wild

AMERICAN FILM CATALOG. With the outbreak of city gang wars between Gunner Gallagher and Lefty Schroeder, criminal lawyer John Phelan, feared in the underworld, brings temporary peace, while district attorney Franklin Ames investigates. Nada Winthrop, daughter of a powerful capitalist, is sought by both men. Though Nada loves John, she disapproves of his criminal practice; and when he frees Gunner Gallagher on bail, she announces her engagement to Ames. When Ames discovers that her father is the secret brain of underworld activities and Winthrop has him killed, John takes the district attorneyship to avenge his friend. Snuggles, Gunner's girl, threatens to inform on Winthrop unless John releases Gunner, and he concedes; John is about to resign when Snuggles, rejected by her man, confesses

NEW YORK TIMES. John Phelan, a criminal lawyer, and his friend, Franklin Ames, the District Attorney, both love Nada Winthrop, who, however, promises to marry Phelan if he will give up his practice. When Ames is murdered at the instigation of Nada’s father, who is responsible for the city’s crime wave, Phelan has himself appointed District Attorney and begins to round up the criminals. Complications and misunderstandings follow until finally Nada learns the truth from the murderer’s sweetheart and everything ends satisfactorily.

 VARIETY. Tom is the smart lawyer to a bunch of crooks. He is continually getting his gangster-clients free on some technically. The district attorney is, however, a personal friend of his, although his enemy professionally. The two men love the same girl and the girl’s father is that often mentioned but seldom seen ‘man higher up’ in crime.
          The gang stuff is a la Underworld – machine guns and plenty tough. The two main yeggs each have a moll carrying their gat in the pocketbook

CHICAGO TRIBUNE. The locale is a big city. If you think the town's chicago-all right. Call it New Yorkif you want to. Perhaps St. Louis residents may find in the action some shoe that fits. But the city it is big and bad, and when the story starts a new crime wave has just broken ou. Gunner Gallagher and Lefty Schroeder, rival gang leaders, particiate in a machine gun battle that makes the city fathers decide somethinghad better be done.
A press sheet before outlines the story so well that I'll quote from it for several paragraphs:
'John Phelan is a criminal lawyer so powerful in the underworld that he brings temporary peace between the gangs, while Franklin Ames, district attorney, investigates the recent shootings. Pheland and Ames are old and close friends, in spite of frewuent arguments in court and in spite of their being rivals for the hand of nad Winthrop, daughter of Luther Winthrop, a capitalist ith great plitical power.
Nada loves John, but she refuses to marry him until he gives up his criminal practice. She thinks he is blocking justice. Then Gunner Gallagher is arrested as a resutl of Ames' probe. john feels he must fight Gunner's legal battles. When Joe frees Gunner on ball, Nada announces her engagement to Ames.
Ames'investigations, meanwhile, disclose a fact which terrifies both him and John: Luther Winthrop is really the 'big gun' of the underworls. Two lawyer friends see that prosecution of Winthrop with Gunner will crucify Nada. Ames confronts Winthrop with his proofs, but Winthrop laughs them off. His nerve begins to break, however, and he sends word to the underworld that Gunner must bump Ames off. Ames is shot that night in a theater.
John has warned the underworld repeatedly that if Ames ever gets hurt he will avenge his friend's injury. So, on news of the shooting, the gunmen scurry to cover. Their fears are well grounded. John stalks into the gangster's dive to get the man who shot his friend. Gunner Gallagher is on the run, but John finally finds him ...'