THE MOVIEGOER

Perhaps it would have been better if Topper had stayed away, resting on the reputation accrued by the ectoplasmic antics of his first appearance. The charm of trick photography has worn off somewhat, and the stock supply of revolving walls and secret passages fails to bring the picture up to the Studio's previous high mark.

Why Joan Blondell, recently publicized as Movieland's most glamorous mother, is called upon to sexify the plot's other-worldly meanderings is a question, especially when Carol Landis is present in a very solid state. Rochester, apparently benefiting from his expedition to Cambridge last May, appears in a coonskin coat to provide one of the picture's higher points.

Wallace Beery plays "The Bad Man" in the second feature and bad isn't the word to describe him. Oh yes, he is aided by Lionel Barrymore playing Lionel Barrymore among the Mexican cacti.