Cinema: The New Pictures: Oct. 11, 1937

Life Begins in College (20th Century-Fox) discovers the lunatic Ritz Brothers joining the general rah-rah of autumn, digging the meaning elbow of their buffoonery into the ribs of the football fans. Self-styled apotheoses of the wacky, the Brothers pull on helmets and shoulder pads, copy the old one-minute-to-go formula in triplicate, climax the film by beating rival Midwestern for dear old Lombard when Harry Ritz throws a high pass, catches it himself, and runs for the winning touchdown.

Tailoring their way through college, the Brothers befriend a new and much-hazed Indian student, discover him to be a millionaire with an income of $10,000 a day, Sundays included. The Indian (Nat Pendleton, perennial fall guy of films) joins their fraternity, of which the only other members are the Ritzes, gives them $80,000 he is carrying as pocket money, commissions them to save the job of luckless Coach O’Hara (Fred Stone). In proper raccoons, courtesy of their protege, they buy off the mercenary dean with promises of a new gymnasium, exact promises of football careers for themselves and friend, continued employment for Coach O’Hara. Pendleton becomes the star back, winning games virtually singlehanded, only adverse scores being when the Ritzes play. On the eve of the Midwestern game, the rival coach discovers Pendleton had played football professionally, has him declared ineligible. Chief Indian-baiter Bob Hayner (Dick Baldwin) is suspected of informing on the star, but plays heads-up football, clears himself of suspicion after the Ritzes clinch the victory, and regains the favor of the coach’s daughter (Gloria Stuart).

There are several fine football sequences, a couple of pleasant songs, Sweet Varsity Sue (lyrically reminiscent of Betty Co-ed of several years back) and Why Talk About Love. Best shots: the Ritzes face down in the mud after a pile up over a loose ball, with a following shot of the imprints their angular bodies have left in the mud.

The Ritz Brothers prepped for the college exploits of this film, their first starring vehicle, with a slapstick career in vaudeville and musical comedy that started a dozen years ago. All were born in Newark, Al first (1903), Jimmy next (1905), and Bossprankster Harry last (1908). Their concocted whimsy extends offstage. They attended the Hollywood premiere of Wee Willie Winkie in kilts, once cooled their feet in a Beverly Hills municipal fountain. Sojourning in Manhattan, they like to sit in Lindy’s, eating bagels (doughnut-shaped hard bread) and watch Broadway go by.

Madame X (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). Her old hat fetchingly refurbished with the latest Hollywood chic, Madame X is making a valiant cinema comeback with her famed somersault-from-grace routine, conceived for her almost 30 years ago by French Playwright Alexandre Bisson. Last Madame X in pictures was Ruth Chatterton (1929). First produced on Broadway in 1910, revived in 1927, the play has been filmed thrice as Madame X, often approximated under other titles. Hiding her ”shame” under the historic pseudonym this time is Gladys George, stage veteran and no cinemamateur.

Turned from her home and infant son by a relentless husband (Warren William) after an indiscretion, Jacqueline Fleuriot flees Paris, gradually sinks to craven depths—adventuress, mistress, prostitute, crone—in the 20-odd years required for her son (John Beal) to become a young Paris lawyer. Then, back in Paris, she kills a man who would have used her in a blackmail of her husband. As Madame X she is defended by her son, who thinks his mother dead. As is now known by all but very young cinemagoers, her husband and others recognize her but. moved by her tragically powerful address to the court, they keep her secret.