Woman Trap (1929)
THE SCREEN; Sleuths and Crooks.
By Mordaunt Hall
Published: August 31, 1929
A talking film with extravagant and unconvincing action, verbose dialogue and patches of sentimentality is now occupying the Paramount Theatre screen. It is a pictorial version of Edwin Burke's playlet, "Brothers," and is called "Woman Trap." In it Hal Skelly, who is featured in "The Dance of Life," now holding forth at the Rivoli, adds a second excellent performance to his credit. There are also others who do good work in this offering, particularly Evelyn Brent and Chester Morris.
The voices are nicely reproduced, which, in some instances, makes it all the greater pity that what the players have to say is not more natural. Whether it was intended for comedy or not, the idea of a gangster, after he has shot a couple of men, saying that he didn't mean to do it, is open to derision, and it gives a fair idea of some of the other incidents in this crook melodrama.
In one of the early passages, an infuriated father invades the Malone home and because he believes that Ray Malone is leading his son astray, he cracks Ray and his brother, Dan, over the head, with his cane. One of the Malone brothers picks up a bottle with some poisonous liquid and the contents accidentally fly into the face of the mother, who goes through the rest of the picture sightless. Whenever a tear is desired the mother is brought on, either being led by somebody or feeling her way in her humble apartment.
Mr. Skelly plays Dan, the easy-going detective; who suddenly becomes hard and determined. On his staff there is another sleuth who scoffs at Dan and invariably ends his utterances with an "And how!" Dan's motto, which is attached in printed form to his desk, is:
"The law is in the end of a policeman's nightstick."
This is an ambiguous statement, but it is presumed that it implies that, the minions of the law should not spoil the criminal by sparing the nightstick.
In one of the latter episodes, Dan, as one might suspect, finds that his quarry is his own brother. Miss Brent figures as the girl who threatens Dan in an unseemly and melodramatic fashion, but who decides that after all the detective is only doing his duty and is in the right.
There are a few interesting flashes, particularly a fight depicted between two men on an elevator and during which only their legs are seen.
Sleuths and Crooks.
WOMAN TRAP, with Hal Skelly, Chester Morris, Evelyn Brent, William B. Davidson, Effie Ellsler, Guy Oliver, Leslie Fenton, Charles Giblyn, Joseph Mankiewicz and Wilson Hummell, based on the playlet, "Brothers," by Edwin Burke, directed by William A. Wellman; "The 5 & 10 Follies," a stage production devised by Jack Partington, with Roy Sedley, June Carr, Phil Arnold and others; The Jesse Crawfords, organists.
