MOTION

PICTURE

REVIEWS

JUNE

19 3 8

INDEX

Alexander's Rag Time Band

Air Devils

Blind Alibi

Cocoanut Grove

Crime School

The Devil's Party

Dr. Rhythm

Gold Diggers in Paris

Hold That Kiss

Hunted Men

Kentucky Moonshine

Kidnapped

Little Miss Thoroughbred The Lady in the Morgue The Last Stand One Wild Night The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel Sailing Along The Saint in New York Sinners in Paradise Stolen Heaven Swiss Miss To The Victor Three Comrades Torchy Blane in Panama Vivacious Lady White Banners Yellow Jack

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Vol. XII

JUNE, 1938

No. G

Copyright 1938 by Women's University Club of Los Angeles

FEATURE FILMS

ALEXANDER'S RAG TIME BAND O O

Tyrone Power, Don Ameche, Alice Faye, Ethel Merman, Jack Haley, John Carradine, Paul Hurst. Screen play by Kathryn Scola and Lamar Trotti. Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. Musical direction by Alfred Newman. Direction by Henry King. Twen- tieth Century-Fox. ~

Let us consider first, adverse criticisms of “Alexander’s Rag Time Band” before our enthusiasm clouds discernment, for there are flaws when the production is considered ob- jectively. In the first place, judicious cutting would improve it, for it is overlong. To us it would seem advisable to shorten the latter swing songs, although these may be the high light for modern youth. To another genera- tion they seem more emphasized and less interesting than the older music. Again, while the production offers a panorama of Irving Berlin’s song hits from about 1912 to the present day, yet the cast shows no rav- ages of time (and years do take their toll even among the most glamorous ! ) . It is also almost entirely a cabaret show which tires at long last, and there are some anachronisms in dialogue and costumes.

On the other hand, it is a typically Ameri- can production, glorifying the man who con- tributed so much to our national jazz his- tory, and the music will bring back a slight

nostalgia for youthful care free days. Don Ameche, Tyrone Power and Alice Faye give performances which have a number of high lights. Power plays a musician who believes in the newer type of rhythm, then called jazz, and who gives up the concert stage to organ- ize a band. His opportunity comes in a cheap Barbary Coast dive, and circumstances force him to open with “Alexander’s Rag Time Band,” a “new” song which becomes asso- ciated with his success until the name clings to the group. From then on he climbs to the height of prominence in his chosen field, progress only temporarily interrupted by the Great War. The scene where the soldiers’ New York show is stopped by orders to em- bark for France is an emotional thrill which will be felt by many in the audience. To our minds the writers might have found an- other way to reunite the lovers rather than through divorce. It seems unnecessary and out of place but it provides a scene which deserves commendation because of its re- straint and taste. There are a number of bits of good theatre and excellent acting, notably the performance of John Carradine as a taxi driver, and Paul Hurst in the role of “Bill,” a bartender who becomes owner of a speakeasy. On the whole, the picture will possibly have more appeal for adults

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MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

because of their familiarity with the older music, the costumes and change in thought, taste and customs during the past twenty

years. It is novel and very entertaining. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Sophisticated Too long and too

mature

AIR DEVILS O O

Larry Blake, Dick Purcell, Beryl Wallace, Mamo Clark, Charles Brokaw, Minerva

Urecal. Original story by Harold Buckley. Screen play by Harold Buckley and George Waggner. Direction by John Rawlins. Uni-

versal.

Rivalry between two wisecracking aviators who vie with each other for promotion and the affections of a girl, the life of the United States Constabulary on an island in the South Seas, and encounters with natives, are the ingredients of this picture. It is only a fair program filler.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Passable No

BLIND ALIBI O O

Richard Dix, Whitney Bourne, Eduardo Cionelli, Frances Mercer, Ace, the Wonder Dog. Story by William Joyce Cowan. Screen play by Lionel Houser, Harry Segall, Ron Ferguson. Direction by Lew Landers. R.K.O.

The skill and intelligence of the Seeing Eye dogs, who are used to lead the blind, are exemplified in this story of Ace and his master. Although the man, Paul Dover, is merely simulating blindness in order to gain possession of a packet of letters which are the basis of a blackmail scheme against his sister, the efficiency of these beautiful dogs in caring for the afflicted is emphasized more than would be possible in a purely educational film. The mystery is not unusual but it is well treated. Richard Dix is good; how- ever, no human being in the cast can compete with Ace for the sympathy of the audience. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Good Somewhat mature.

Not for the sensitive

©

COCOANUT GROVE O O

Fred MacMurray, Harriet Hilliard, the Yacht Club Boys, Ben Blue, Eve Arden, Billy Lee, Rufe Davis, Harry Owens. Original story and screen play by Sy Bartlett and Olive Cooper. Direction by Alfred Santell. Para- mount.

There have been so many mediocre pictures featuring orchestras that it is a pleasant sur- prise to find one that is human and funny and natural from beginning to end. Perhaps it is because none of the characters are glori- fied; they are just ordinary people having a run of hard luck, able to laugh at their mis- fortunes and yet smart enough and talented enough to take advantage of opportunities when they come. When the story begins, the

band, under the leadership of Jimmy Pren- tice (Fred MacMurray), come into Chicago on an excursion boat on which they have been playing. Summarily dismissed by the captain, they take the blow with shoulder shrugs, decide by any means available to reach Los Angeles for try-outs at the Cocoa- nut Grove. Meanwhile they have added a young girl to their company as governess for the diminutive and adorable Half-Pint (Billy Lee), who was left one day checked with the hats and annexed by the good-hearted band. The journey to California is a series of absurd and entertaining adventures, and the final scenes in the Cocoanut Grove have the mellow atmosphere and the sophisticated ur- banity of that world-renowned supper club. The orchestra, with Harry Owens, is excel- lent. Perhaps the floor show is rowdier than is customary in the Grove, but the Yacht Club Boys have been toned down, Rufe Davis has been polished up and Ben Blue and Eve Arden, in their awkward dance routine, will seem funny to most people. Throughout the film the specialty acts and the songs, some of which are due to be favorites, are not obvious interpolations but a natural phase of the picture.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Probably mature

©

CRIME SCHOOL O O

Humphrey Bogart, Gale Page, Billy Halop, Bobby Jordan, Huntz Hall, Leo Gorcey, Barnard Punsley, Gabriel Dell, George Offer- man, Jr. Screen play by Crane Wilbur and Vincent Sherman. From a story by Crane Wilbur. Direction by Lewis Seiler. Warner Bros.

Since publicity for “Crime School” refers to the boy actors as the “Dead End Kids,” comparison between the two pictures seems to be invited. In the opening scenes the likeness is marked, for we see the gang of slum boys in the same miserable surroundings, heading for certain moral and spiritual destruction. Here the similarity ends. The boys are sent to a reform school, the evils of which are presented in such extreme terms that the audi- ence is neither entertained nor enlightened. The plot is a composite of a number of prison melodramas, using as motivating forces the old devices of a romance between the head of the school and the sister of one of the boys, and the enmity of the former superin- tendent for the new administration. If aimed at existing abuses in reform schools, the pic- ture so far overshoots the mark that it is likely to be regarded as gross exaggeration rather than as a well-considered effort to pre- sent a social problem.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

No — too brutal and No

ethically confusing

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Five

THE DEVIL S PARTY O O

Victor McLaglen, William Gargan, Paul Kelley, Beatrice Roberts, Frank Jenks, John Gallaudet, Samuel S. Hinds, Joseph Down- ing, Arthur Hoyt. Screen play by Roy Chanslor. Based on the novel "Hell's Kitchen Has a Pantry," by Borden Chase. Direction by Ray McCarey. Universal.

If gangster pictures must be, better this one than some others, for it has a constructive social betterment idea. To those who can believe that juvenile delinquency may be eliminated by the provision of more play- grounds, the story carries a message. Open- ing scenes show a gang of boys in the New York slums, setting fire to a warehouse in order to distract the attention of the police while they commit a petty theft. One of the boys is caught and, refusing to “squeal” on his pals, takes the “rap” for them at reform school. Later he is shown as head of a highly lucrative night club and of a gang of crimi- nals. His former pals have become, respec- tively, police officers and a Catholic priest. They hold a reunion at the night club (where, of course, the usual feminine entertainer is in evidence), and the others, unaware of their host’s nefarious operations, become im- plicated in trying to solve a murder which he has engineered. It is a complicated plot, and highly implausible, but none the less absorbing for that. The gangster is finally caught by one of his former pals and dies in the arms of the priest to whom he recently presented a check for the building of a gym- nasium for poor children. In the end the priest is shown in charge of a playground where the children are being kept off the streets. The picture gives food for thought for the adult citizen, but is just another les- son in the technique of crime for youth. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

No. No

&

DR. RHYTHM O O

Bing Crosby, Mary Carlisle, Beatrice Lillie, Andy Devine, Rufe Davis, Laura Hope Crews, Fred Keating, Sterling Holloway. Based on novel by O. Henry. Screen play by Joe Swerling and Richard Connell. Di- rection by Frank Tuttle. Paramount.

When the fifteenth reunion of a grammar school relay team occurs, there are likely to be complications! The team’s interests are now diversified. One has become a doctor; the others are a policeman, a driver of an ice cream truck, and a keeper of the zoo. The celebration is convivial and proves too much for the policeman who had an assign- ment to be bodyguard at the home of Mrs. Lorelei Dodge-Blodget (Beatrice Lillie), whose niece is suspected of being in love with a racketeer. The Doctor (Bing Crosby) substitutes for his friend the policeman, thereby becoming involved in hilarious situa- tions. It is all nonsensical and has spots of

high comedy to which Miss Lillie, Laura Hope Crews, and Andy Devine contribute. Bing Crosby is pleasing, and several popular song hits are featured. If one enjoys light musical farce, this picture should please. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Unobjectionable Mature

©

GOLD DIGGERS IN PARIS O O

Rudy Vallee, Rosemary Lane, Hugh Herbert, Allen Jenkins, Gloria Dickson, Melville Cooper, Mabel Todd, Fritz Feld, Ed Brophy, Curt Bois. Writers credited with script: Earl Baldwin, Warren Duff, Jerry Wald, Richard Macaulay, Maurice Leo, Ray En- right. Direction by Ray Enright. Musical numbers directed by Busby Berkeley. War- ner Bros.

Enjoyment of this production is entirely^ matter of taste. We found it noisy and repe- titious, with an overabundance of the “Schnicklefritz Band” whose original and cleverly insane performances become tiresome after too many appearances. The story is slight and the dialogue conventional. Hugh Herbert scores in the role of an eccentric and slightly mad Frenchman who comes to Amer- ica to contact the “American Academy of Ballet” for an appearance at the Paris Ex- position. He mistakenly engages the Ballet Club, a troupe of bankrupt entertainers. The fraud is discovered, and the ensuing complications engage the efforts of a tempera- mental ballet master, a tearful gunman, a talking dog, the bankrupt manager of the club dancers (Rudy Vallee), his lugubrious assistant (Allen Jenkins), his ex-wife (Gloria Dickson), and his newest heart interest (Rosemary Lane). Rudy Vallee does two impersonations: one of Maurice Chevalier which is broadly amusing and makes one wish the original were seen again, and an excellent one of Franklin D. Roosevelt. His singing is pleasing, as usual. The finale lacks brilliancy and originality. It is only elaborate. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Acceptable No value

HOLD THAT KISS O O

Maureen O'Sullivan, Dennis O'Keefe, Mickey Rooney, George Barbier, Jessie Ralph, Ed- ward S. Brophy, Fay Holden, Frank Albert- son, Phillip Terry, Ruth Hussey, Barnett Parker. Original story and screen play by Stanley Rauh. Direction by Edwin L. Marin. M-C-M.

Although the title must have come out of the grab-bag, this picture is an unusually pleasing light comedy with a vein of serious- ness underneath the surface. Maureen O’Sul- livan as June Evans is a stylishly dressed mannequin, and Dennis O’Keefe as Tommy Bradford is a fluent young salesman of world tours. When the two happen to meet at a fashionable wedding, each mistakes the other for one of the smart set, and throughout a budding romance, each tries to keep up the

Six

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

deception. The most amusing scene is June at home trying to talk on the telephone to her heau while the family shout suggestions for her side of the conversation. Mickey Rooney adds another feather to his cap as an officious younger brother whose inspirations are more ingenious than happy. As a whole, the film is good family entertainment, but it would be improved in tone without the older brother who plays the races and pawns the silverware which he steals from a friend’s buffet.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Passable

HUNTED MEN O O

Lloyd Nolan, Mary Carlisle, Lynne Overman, J. Carrol Naish, Delmar Watson, Larry Crabbe, Dorothy Peterson. Screen play by Horace McCoy and William R. Lipman. Based on a play by Albert Duffy and Marian Grant. Direction by Louis King. Paramount.

Joe Albany was a racketeer who had mur- dered a man in cold blood. In escaping from the scene of his crime he met slightly intoxicated Peter Harris, went home with him, posing as a business friend, and was invited to spend the night. This was the beginning of his spiritual regeneration, for Mr. and Mrs. Harris were such kindly souls that they allowed him to remain even after he told them his identity, and their son and daughter both learned to love him. “Hunted Men” is so persuasively told that some movie patrons may even sniffle a little when Joe is shot by the police. Mr. Thomas Edmund Dewey would probably remain dry-eyed, as would other people who are able to retain control of their reasoning powers. Adolescents, 12 to IS Children, 8 to 1 2

No Muddled ethics Most unsuitable

©

KENTUCKY MOONSHINE O O

Ritz Brothers, Tony Martin, Marjorie Weaver, Slim Summerville, John Carradine, Wally Vernon, Berton Churchill. Screen play by Art Arthur and M. M. Musselman. Orig- inal story by M. M Musselman and Jack Lait, Jr. Direction by David Butler. 20th Century-Fox.

Movie goers who enjoy the exuberant clowning of the Ritz brothers will find bits of hilarious entertainment in this picture. The plot concerns a radio star who con- ceives the idea of bringing genuine hillbillies from Kentucky to bolster up the weaken- ing popularity of his program. The Ritz brothers, cast as vaudeville actors out of work, pose as a hillbilly family and so thor- oughly out-herod Herod that they land the radio contract without competition. Like most pictures starring specialized entertain- ers, this one has its dull moments and seems too long for what it has to offer, but it re- serves its cleverest sequence for the end, and

the audience comes away laughing at the absurd take-off of “Snow White.” Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Entertaining Too noisy and

Confusing

KIDNAPPED O O

Warner Baxter, Freddie Batholomew, Ar- leen Whelan, C. Aubery Smith, Reginald Owen, John Carradine, Nigel Bruce, Ralph Forbes, Miles Mander. From the story by Robert Louis Stevenson. Screen play by Sonya Levien, Eleanor Harris, Ernest Pascal, Edwin Blum. Direction by Louis Silvers. Twentieth Century-Fox.

Apparently Stevenson’s great story, “Kid- napped,” offered difficulties in adapting it to motion pictures, since four writers were given the assignment. It has emerged, not the be- loved, vigorous tale of masculine adventure which it was, but more of a love story, con- taining a number of the original plot inci- dents, but lacking the fascinating flavor of the book. With the background of Scottish revolt against the exorbitant taxes imposed by King George in the year 1751, we find David Balfour an accidental witness of a murder committed by one of Alan Breck’s band of followers. Because David is a Loyal- ist, Breck forces the boy to go with him. In this escape Breck must also take with him a girl who is the betrothed of James, the killer. They travel through the Highlands and separate to allow David to seek his uncle’s castle, where the old miscreant tries to kill him and finally has him kidnapped on a ship. There he again meets Breck and the girl, and their subsequent adventures are lively and exciting. The fight in the round house and the long flight across the heather which play so important a part in the novel are omitted in the screen version, and this will disappoint those who remember the pic- torially descriptive writing of Stevenson. The film is not uninteresting, however, al- though it is episodic and the romance lacks genuine interest. It is novel in setting and has historical flavor. The cast is good, and excellent bits are given in the performances of Ralph Forbes as Jetmes and Reginald Owen as Captain H oseason.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes Exciting and

LITTLE MISS THOROUGHBRED O O

Ann Sheridan, John Litel, Frank McHugh, Janet Chapman. Original screen play by Albert DeMond and George Bricker. Di- rection by John Farrow. Warner Bros.

Janet Chapman comes into the scene as an appealing wisp of humanity from an orphan- age, who slips through an open gate into a world of hustling people and dangerous traf- fic in search of an imaginary Daddy. She has an individuality quite different from

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Seven

other children of the screen, a delicate charm which lifts the film to a higher niche than it would ordinarily occupy. The people she encounters are hard and tough, frequenters of the race-track, who accept her because she brings them a phenomenal run of luck. Little by little her childish faith leads them to a better life. Despite this conclusion, gambling is glamorous, and the picture of a child in racing environment is not too pleasant to contemplate.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Bad example No

©

THE LADY IN THE MORGUE O O

Preston Foster, Patricia Ellis, Frank Jenks, Thomas Jackson. From the story "The Lady In the Morgue," by Jonathan Lati- mer. Screen play by Eric Taylor and Robert- son White. Direction by Otis Garrett. Uni- versal.

A mechanically plotted murder mystery which uses the device of successive murders in order to keep alive audience interest. It is complicated and confused and will enter- tain only those who thrill to violent and be- wildering situations.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

No. No

©

THE LAST STAND O O

Bob Baker, Fuzzy Knight, Constance Moore. Original story by Harry O. Hoyt. Screen play by Harry O. Hoyt and Norton S. Parker. Direction by Joseph H. Lewis. Universal.

In this western, Bob Baker is a singing cowboy who joins a band of cattle rustlers in order to track down his father’s murderer. Lovely scenery of mountainous country, beau- tiful horses, and herds of cattle almost com- pensate for a below average story. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Passable Passable

©

ONE WILD NIGHT O O

June Lang, Dick Baldwin, Lyle Talbot, J. Edw. Bromberg, Sidney Toler, Andrew Tombes. Screen play by Charles Belden and Jerry Cady. From an original idea by Edwin Torgerson. Direction by Eugene Forde. 20th Century-Fox.

“One Wild Night” is not so exciting as its title. It is, in fact, a mediocre detective story. The son of a chief of police, returning from college with plenty of theory but no practice in the art of solving crime, succeeds where the father has failed in accounting for the disappearance of three prominent business men. He is aided by a girl reporter on the local paper and, of course, falls in love with her. The plot is confused and the production values poor.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Poor No

THE RETURN OF THE SCARLET

PIMPERNEL O O

Barry Barnes, Sophie Stewart, Francis Lister, Anthony Bushnall. Screen story by Baroness Orezy. Direction by Hans Schwartz. Lon- don films. United Artists.

Those who saw “The Scarlet Pimpernel” will recall the engaging character, his dilet- tante mannerisms camouflaging a cunning daring and courage which rescued many an English refugee from the outrages of the French Revolution. The picture was a stir- ring tale of adventure which captivated cinema audiences. If is natural to wish to follow his return. But Leslie Howaj^ has been replaced by Barry Barnes in the role, and Mr. Barnes’ mannerisms are more arti- ficial. Also, we are introduced to him in character at once and the plot is thus out- lined. The disguises, while rather clever, are easily discernible and the suspense is lessened. The action is at times confused and requires concentrated attention to follow. The story lacks the novelty and dash of the original and falls into the category of a program film, needing a double bill to cover its inade- quacies.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Acceptable Confusing and little

interest

©

SAILING ALONG O O

Jessie Mathews, Roland Young, Jack Whit- ing. Direction by Sonnie Hale. Gaumont- British.

Judged merely as a story, this picture is stereotyped and lacking in thrills. But the plot is a vehicle for pleasant acting, good photog- raphy, and at least one striking dance number. The heroine, raised on a Thames river barge by a friend of her deceased father, has stage ambitions and her impromptu dancing on the deck of the river boat attracts the attention of an English capitalist who is fishing nearby. He persuades her foster parent to let him in- troduce her to a movie director and tears her away^from a lowering seaman lover. She fails in her first audition, but finally succeeds after a series of amusing scenes in which she and the singing director provide various song-and-dance numbers. In both situations and dialogue, there is comedy of a distinctly British brand, different from our own, but none the less enjoyable. It is an unpreten- tious musical farce which is fairly enter- taining.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Unobjectionable Little to interest

©

THE SAINT IN NEW YORK O O

Louis Hayward, Kay Sutton, Sig Rumann, Paul Guilfoyle. From the novel by Leslie Charteris. Screen play by Charles Kauf- man and Mortimer Offner. Direction by Ben Holmes. R. K. O.

There is just enough originality in the conception of a modern Robin Hood who

Eight

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

travels from one country to another wiping out enemies of society, and just enough brisk- ness of treatment, to hold interest in this film, although sequence of events is illogical and the social values are preposterous. Kill- ing is considered a pastime when the debo- nair "Saint,” played by Louis Hayward, is imported from South America to eliminate six of New York’s most powerful gangsters. The plot follows the well-established mystery precedent of fastening the guilt on the person least likely to be suspected.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Stimulates imagination Definitely no

in wrong channels

©

SINNERS IN PARADISE O O

John Boles, Madge Evans, Bruce Cabot, Marion Martin, Gene Lockhart, Nana Bryant, Charlotte Wynter, Willie Fung. Original story by Harold Buckley. Adapted by Buck- ley, Louis Stevens and Lester Cole. Direc- tion by James Whale. Universal.

The interest in this picture lies in the de- lineation of the characters of a number of persons taken from their regular routine and marooned on an island amid the most primi- tive surroundings — human nature stripped of all the sophistication of civilization and struggling selfishly for the survival of the fittest. The story begins well but becomes unconvincing and disappointing as it un- folds. It is more a study of types than a motivated plot.

Adolescents, 1 2 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

No value No

©

STOLEN HEAVEN O O

Cer.e Raymond, Olympe Bradna, Clenda Farrell, Lewis Stone. Based on a story by Andrew L. Stone. Screen play by Eve Greene and Frederick Jackson. Paramount. “Stolen Heaven" is like certain people, quite charming if we can overlook certain faults. The story starts with the very clever maneuvers of Carl and Steffi, ostensibly band- leader and singer in a Budapest beer garden, actually jewel thieves of international repute. They succeed in securing a fabulous pearl necklace, only to find the police close on their heels. A refuge opens for them in the sylvan retreat of a kindly old musician who has shunned the world from the time a failing memory withheld him from the concert stage. Day by day the quiet and peace and the trusting friendship of Herr Langauer cast a spell upon Steffi until she has pledged herself to guide him back to his beloved audience, and in the end both Carl and Steffi are re- generated through his belief in them. The use of music is unusually effective. Lewis Stone is splendid. Olympe Bradna is a tal- ented young actress, and Gene Raymond’s

work shows intelligence and growth. The chief fault lies in the fact that the youthful leads possess so many favorable qualities that they are remarkably unconvincing as criminals.

Adolescents, 1 2 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Mixed standards No.

$

SWISS MISS O O

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Della Lind, Wal- ter Woolf King, Eric Blore. Story by Jean Negulesco and Charles Rogers. Screen play by James Parrott, Charles Nelson and Felix Adler. Direction by John G. Blystone. Hal Roach- M. G. M.

Laurel and Hardy are the comedians in a light opera with gay costumes, charming set- tings of an Alpine village and hotel, and tuneful music furnished by Walter Woolf King and Della Lind, who take the parts of a temperamental musician and his prima donna wife. The Laurel and Hardy pranks and antics are typical: Laurel inducing a St. Bernard dog to part with his miniature cask of brandy, the pair of them moving a piano to a mountain eyrie over a breath-taking chasm. It is all quite silly, but entertaining if you like these comedians.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes Would probably

enjoy it

TO THE VICTOR O O

Will Fyffe, John Loder, Margaret Lockwood.

Direction by Robert Stevenson. British-

Gaumont.

This is an unique cinema treat, a picture photographed in its natural locale, the Scot- tish Highlands, with a slight and homely plot and an exceptional portrait of a selfish and disreputable old man who wins audience sympathy while actually deserving none. Will Fyffe has given a remarkable characteri- zation. It is a delight for those surfeited by beautiful heroes arid heroines and villains who repent at the eleventh hour. The action concerns the big event of a small community when the owners of expert sheep herding dogs enter the animals in competition for a silver cup and the prestige of winning the event. The cleverness of the dogs of differ- ent breeds, sent out to gather in six sheep from their hiding places and to herd them over and through obstacles, is very interest- ing and entertaining, and the sequence is not unduly prolonged. There is added suspense in the development of the character of one of the dogs, and the denouement is excitingly presented. But the high light is the study of McAdams, the consistent old reprobate who cares for no one but his dog and who remains true to his principles throughout. The coun-

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Nine

tryside is lovely, and the natural atmosphere of background and interesting types is a joy for American audiences.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Excellent Sad in connection

with just punish- ment of a sheep killing dog

©

THREE COMRADES O O

Robert Taylor, Margaret Sullavan, Franchot Tone, Robert Young, Henry Hull. From the novel by Erich Maria Remarque. Screen play by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Edward E. Paramore. Directed by Frank Borzage. M. C. M.

The setting for this emotional and tragic story is post-war Germany in the years im- mediately following the demobilization of three German officers of the flying squadron. Their attempt to make an adjustment to civil life, their bitter struggles against poverty, their reaction to rioting and mob stupidity, and their bewilderment and heart rending experiences leave spectators depressed by tragedy, by the indisputable loss of individual right to happiness in such a setting. Fran- chot Tone, Robert Young and Robert Taylor are cast as the three officers. Tone is espe- cially effective in his role. Margaret Sulla- van gives depth and sincerity to her imper- sonation of the young woman, dying of tuberculosis, who marries her lover in order to have a few last weeks of companionship with him. It is an exceedingly well-done production, well-directed and well-adapted to the screen, and bringing to American adult audiences the unhappy realization that youth today, in any country, faces problems of un- deniable bitterness which must be met with sanity and above all with tolerance and faith. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Too depressing No

©

TORCHY BLANE IN PANAMA O O

Lola Lane, Paul Kelly, Tom Kennedy. Screen play by George Bricker. Based on a story by Anthony Coldeway. Direction by Wil- liam Clemens. Warner Bros.

In the latest chapter of Torchy Blane’s adventures, action is the keynote with plenty of thrills, and the plot is of minor concern. Torchy’ s policeman friend, Steve, in search of clues to a robbery and murder, sets out to trail a group of convention delegates to Pan- ama. Torchy pursues him by aeroplane, bails out in a parachute and is picked up by an ocean liner. The series is becoming rather like a serial, but this film is fairly enter- taining of its type.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Sophisticated atmosphere No

VIVACIOUS LADY O O

Ginger Rogers, James Stewart, James Ellison, Beulah Bondi, Charles Coburn, Frances Mer- cer. From the story by I. A. R. Wylie. Screen play by P. J. Wolson and Ernest Pagano. Direction by George Stevens. R. K. O.

Here is a rollicking, gay comedy presented by an excellent cast and having few slow moments. It is sophisticated, treading lightly on forbidden ground but avoiding a breach of taste with finesse and skill. Peter (James Stewart), son and grandson of college presi- dents, who is being groomed to hold that position eventually himself, goes to New York to bring back an erring cousin who loves the bright lights too well. There he falls in love, suddenly and irrevocably, with a night club entertainer and returns with her as his bride. The play concerns his efforts to break the news to Father — pompous, dictatorial and bigoted. The situations are ridiculously funny ; the action for the most part swift and hilari- ous. James Stewart is charming and believ- able as the timid, studious professor who has been swept off his feet by the lovely girl, and Ginger Rogers again proves herself to be an effective comedienne. Beulah Bondi is delicious as the wife who rebels after years of being the conventional echo of her hus- band, and Charles Coburn is perfect in his role. The usual physical battle, found in all comedies today, adds little to the general effect, but it does bring laughter. For those who wish an hour of light, mirthful diver- sion, “Vivacious Lady” should not disappoint. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Sophisticated Mature

©

WHITE BANNERS O O

Claude Rains, Fay Bainter, Jackie Cooper, Bonita Granville, Henry O'Neill, Kay John- son, James Stephenson, J. Farrell Mc- Donald. Screen play by Lenore Coffee, Cameron Rogers and Abem Finkel. From the novel by Lloyd C. Douglas. Direction by Edmund Goulding. Assistant director, Frank Heath. Warner Bros.

Whether through premonition or sad ex- perience, few studios dare to make pictures which frankly expound a philosophy of life, and sentiment is rarely presented without the apology of a wisecrack, or seriousness ex- cept as a concomitant of sorrow. Being neither frivolous nor tragic, “White Banners” is an interesting departure from the rule. It is a superbly cast, beautifully directed, and absorbing story of the triumph of ideas. The thrills are those of accomplishment: the mas- tery of self and the mastery of science. It has the idealism coupled with homely reali- ties which we have learned to expect in stories by Lloyd C. Douglas and should be singularly appealing to those who believe that there is satisfaction to be found in everyday life. It is about people whom we should like

Ten

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

to know: Paul Ward, who teaches school and spends his evenings striving to perfect an invention; Marcia, his wife, tired mother, ineffectual housekeeper, but a loving wife who tries hard to share her husband’s dream of success; Hannah, who comes uninvited into their home and revolutionizes their lives with her creed of hoisting the “white ban- ners” of fresh endeavor, and her belief in the power of each individual to shape his own destiny. These three characters are beautifully portrayed by Claude Rains, Kay Johnson and Fay Bainter. To Miss Bainter go thediighest honors for her flawless acting in the most difficult role, but it is hard to see how the others could have been better. Bo- nita Granville and Jackie Cooper are delight- fully natural and likable, and J. Farrell McDonald is an ideal village doctor. The plot is well-knit and has few extraneous in- cidents, but the picture will be remembered more for its spirit than for the story it tells. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Excellent Mature

S'

YELLOW JACK O O

Robert Montgomery, Virginia Bruce, Lewis Stone, Andy Devine, Henry Hull, Charles Coburn, Buddy Ebsen, Henry O'Neil, Jona- than Hale. From the play by Sidney Howard in collaboration with Paul de Kruif. Screen play by Edward Chodorov. Direction by George B. Seitz. M. G. M.

If the world were not already aware of the generally accepted cause of yellow fever, this picture would have all the emotional thrill of the most fanciful and dramatic tale. And yet to many the facts will be new and others will renew their gratitude to the medical

profession and the laymen who made it pos- sible to stamp out the dread disease.

“Yellow Jack” is an exceptionally interest- ing film. It is the true story of Major Wal- ter Reed’s famous scientific commission to Cuba following the Spanish-American War. The cost of this war in loss of life was not in battle, but through the ravages of yellow fever. We are shown the common soldiers of the medical unit, sweating and swearing at their long stay in Havana as troop after troop embarks for the States. We realize their terror, too, as men drop, suddenly and mysteriously infected with the fever. The physicians are unwilling to leave before they have learned the cause of the disease, and with the help of Dr. Carlos Finlay, who had isolated the female “Stegomaya” mos- quito, and with the assistance of five soldiers who volunteered as human guinea pigs, the cause of the infection is definitely proven and yellow fever stamped out, thus opening the way for the completion of the Panama Canal.

The story has been exceedingly well writ- ten, and Paul de Kruif has seen that it holds up under inspection from a physician’s point of view. It has drama and well-balanced humor due to sympathetic and dignified direc- tion, and an excellent cast adds to the enjoy- ment. Robert Montgomery comes near to ri- valing his performance in “Night Must Fall.” He gives a restrained and keen interpreta- tion of an army sergeant who is rewarded for his service to the work by winning the one woman in the cast — an army nurse (played by Virginia Bruce). But through- out it is a story of men’s sacrifice in the service of humanity, and it is based on actual historical fact.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Mature but informative Too mature

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Eleven

INDEX JANUARY TO JUNE, 1938

FEATURE FILMS

A

Accidents Will Happen - - - April

Adventure's End - January

Adventures of Chico - April

Adventures of Marco Polo, The - March Adventures of Robin Hood, The - - May

Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The - March

African Holiday April

Air Devils - June

Alexander's Rag Time Band - - June

Arsene Lupin Returns - March

B

Bad Man of Brimstone, The - - February

Baroness and The Butler, The - - March

Bar 20 Justice ------ May

Battle of Broadway ----- May

Beg, Borrow or Steal - - - - January

Beloved Brat, The ----- April

Big Broadcast of 1938, The - - - March

Black Doll, The March

Blind Alibi ------- June

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife - - - - April

Born to the West - February

Bringing Up Baby ----- March

Buccaneer, The ----- February

Bulldog Drummond's Peril - - - April

C

Cassidy of Bar 20 March

Change of Heart February

Checkers ------ January

City Girl ------ February

Cloistered - January

Cocoanut Grove ------ June

College Swing - May

Condemned Women - April

Crashing Hollywood » •» February

Crime of Dr. Hallet, The - - - April

Crime School ------ June

D

Dangerous to Know - April

Daughter of Shanghai - - - February

Devil's Party, The ----- June

Dinner at The Ritz - February

Divorce of Lady X, The - - - - May

Dr. Rhythm ------- June

Double Danger ----- March

E

Everybody's Doing It February

Everybody Sing ----- March Every Day's a Holiday - - - February

F

First Hundred Years, The - - - April

Fools for Scandal ----- April Forbidden Valley ----- March Four Men and a Prayer - May

G

Girl of The Golden West - May

Go Chase Yourself ----- May Gold Diggers In Paris - - - - June

Gold Is Where You Find It - - February

Goldwyn Follies, The - March

Good-bye, Broadway - May

H

Happy Landing - March

Harlem On the Prairie - - - February

Hawaii Calls ------ April

Heart of Arizona April

Her Jungle Love ------ May

Hitting a New High - - - - January

Hold That Kiss ------ June

Hollywood Hotel February

Hunted Men - June

I

I Met My Love Again	March
I'll Take Romance -	- March
In Old Chicago - - -	- February
International Settlement -	- March
Island In the Sky	- April
J Jezebel -
Joy of Living - -	April
Judge Hardy's Children -	- April
Jury's Secret, The	- February

Kentucky Moonshine	June
Kidnapped -	- June
L Lady In the Morgue, The	- June
Last Stand, The - - - -	- June
Law of The Underworld -	- May
Life and Loves of Beethoven,	The - April
Little Miss Thoroughbred	June
Love and Hisses - - - -	- February
Love, Honor and Behave -	- March
Love Is a Headache - - -	- February
Love On a Budget - - -	- February
M
Mad About Music -	- April
Maid's Night Out -	April
Mannequin -	February
Man-Proof -----	- February
Merrily We Live - - - -	- April
Midnight Intruder, The -	- March
Mr. Moto's Gamble - - -	- May

N

Night Spot ------ March

Nurse From Brooklyn - - - - May

Twelve

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

O

Of Human Hearts ----- March One Wild Night ------ June

P

Paradise For Three - March

Partners of the Plains - - - - January

Penrod and His Twin Brother - February Penrod's Double Trouble - May

Port of Seven Seas April

Q

Quick h^pney January

R

Radio City Revels - March

Rascals - - April

Rawhide May

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm - - April

Reckless Living - May

Return of The Scarlet Pimpernell, The - June River, The ------ February

Romance In The Dark - March

Rosalie ------- February

S

Sally, Irene and Mary - - - - April

Sailing Along - June

Saint In New York, The - - - - June

Scandal Street ----- March

Sergeant Murphy ----- January

She Married An Artist - - - - March

She's Got Everything - February

Sinners In Paradise - - - - June

Slight Case of Murder, A - - - March

Snow White ------ January

Spy Ring, The ----- February

State Police ------- May

Stolen Heaven June

Swing Your Lady - - - - February

Swiss Miss ------- June

T

Tarzan's Revenge - - - - February

Test Pilot May

This Marriage Business - April

Three Comrades ----- June Thrill Of a Lifetime - - - - February

Tip-off Girls April

Torchy Blane In Panama ... June To the Victor ------- June

Tovarich - - January

Trip to Paris, A ----- May True Confession ----- January

U

Under Western Stars - May

V

Vivacious Lady June

W

Walking Down Broadway - March

Wells Fargo January

White Banners ------- June

Wise Girl February

Y

Yank At Oxford, A - - - - March

Yellow Jack ------- June

You're a Sweetheart - - - - January

You're Only Young Once - - - January

SHORT SUBJECTS

The Face Behind The Mask - May

How to Figure Income Tax - - - May

The King Without a Crown - - May

The Man Without a Country - - January

Miracle Money - - - - - May

Out Where The Stars Begin - - May

Penny's Party ------ May

The Romance of Louisiana - - January

The Romance of Radium - - - January

What Price Safety ----- May

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4

MOTION

PICTURE

REVIEWS

JULY

19 3 8

CONTENTS

Algiers

The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse

The Birth of a Baby-

Blockade

Blond Cheat

Border G-Man

Cowboy from Brooklyn

Crime Ring

Fast Company

Having Wonderful Time

Josette

Keep Smiling Lord Jeff My Bill

Mysterious Mr. Moto

Pride of the West

Prison Farm

The Rage of Paris

The Sheik

Speed to Burn

Three Blind Mice

Tropic Holiday

The Toy Wife

When Were You Born?

Wives Under Suspicion Woman Against Woman You and Me Young Fugitives

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Three

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Vol. XII JULY. 1938 No. 7

Copyright 1938 by Women's University Club of Los Angeles

FEATURE FILMS

ALGIERS O O

Charles Boyer, Sigrid Gurie, Hedy LaMarr, Alan Hale, Joseph Calleia, Gene Lockhart, Nina Koshetz, Johnny Downs. From the French novel, "Pepe le Moto," by Detective Ashelbe. American screen play by John Howard Lawson. Cinematography by James Wong Howe. Music by Vincent Scotto and Mohammed Igorbouchen. Direction by John Cromwell. A Walter Wanger production. United Artists.

Atmosphere — exciting, sinister, and sensual, is the particular quality of this production. It tells the story of Pepe le Moto, a notorious French criminal, exiled and living a precari- ous and hunted existence in the Cabash, the native quarter of Algiers. It is a keen and penetrating study of a man for whom there is no hope; warped in character, loved by women, even admired for certain qualities by men who know what the inevitable end must be and who work deliberately toward that end. This feeling of doom, certain and dreadful, creates a thrilling and emotional climax which, while anticipated, is none the less dramatic. Charles Boyer is exception- ally convincing as Pepe, cruel, exacting, courageous, and fascinating, but bitterly un- happy in his exile, for he is trapped in the Ca- bash as certainly as if he were in jail. Sigrid Gurie is very fine in the role of his Algerian sweetheart. Hedy LaMarr is exquisitely beautiful as the alluring Parisienne whose

arrival in Algiers leads to Pepe's ultimate downfall. The men in the cast are very fine also: Joseph Calleia in the role of the crafty Provincial detective; Gene Lockhart as a na- tive informer; Stanley Fields, a member of the band; Alan Hale, the fence for stolen jewels. The local color of the native quarter is unusually interesting. The photography is very beautiful and the musical accompani- ment fascinating with its oriental influence.

The production is to be particularly com- mended because it has used superb cinematic technique to picture the psychological disinte- gration of a man’s character. It is theatrical and melodramatic, but it is exciting and en- thralling entertainment.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Very sopristicated. No

Not recommended.

©

THE AMAZING DR. CLITTERHOUSE O O

Edward G. Robinson, Claire Trevor, Hum- phrey Bogart, Allen Jenkins, Donald Crisp, Gale Page, Maxie Rosenbloom, John Litel, Henry O'Neill. From the play by Barre Lyn- don. Screen play by John Wexley and John Huston. Direction by Anatole Litvak. First National-Warner Bros.

We are always certain of an interesting performance when Edward G. Robinson is in a cast, and in “The Amazing Dr. Clitter- house” he has a particularly good role. The

Four

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

plot is unusual, offering a very different twist to the criminal angle, which amuses and intrigues and leaves the audience with the privilege of its own interpretation. Dr. Clit- terhouse is a fashionable and reputable physi- cian who becomes interested in the physical reactions which he believes criminals must have when committing a crime. After using himself as a human guinea pig, he becomes the leader of a real gang, testing out their reactions and his theories with laboratory precision. One thing he overlooks — the hu- man equation, and circumstances become in- volved. The climax is too sensational to spoil by even suggesting it here. There is humor and exciting suspense, with excellent support given the star by the cast. It is adult enter- tainment.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

No No

©

THE BIRTH OF A BABY O O

Eleanor King, Richard Gordon, Ruth Matte- son, Josephine Dunn, Helen Hawley, Wil- liam Post, Jr. American Committee on Maternal Welfare.

That the subject matter of this film will arouse controversy as to its suitability as entertainment to be seen in public theatres is certain, because individual attitudes on the subject cannot avoid being relative. The picture is, however, a sincere contribution to public health, produced under the auspices of the American Committee on Maternal Wel- fare which has in its membership some of the most distinguished medical and social serv- ice groups in this country. It handles facts frankly and honestly and in the best of taste. It is not a spectacle. It presents the simple facts about childbirth, taking a young wife through her months of pregnancy to the birth of her baby and its care after birth. The family physician is not only her doctor but also her teacher, for he explains by means of charts and diagrams the processes of the development of the baby before birth, and this information, together with suggestions for diet, clothes, and general rules for health- ful living, is woven into a well-knit plot which has interest and humor as well. Scrupu- lous care for scientific accuracy has been taken. The cast is professional, and the direction and photography are excellent. Were the picture restricted to selected audi- ences its service would be lessened, for only those least needing its message would see it. America’s maternal death rate is relatively high, and consequently a documentary film such as this is, instructive, dignified, and honest, is distinctly valuable. The American medical profession is attempting to enlighten the public on all matters of public health.

This is apparently another step to offset ignorance and fear.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

When accompanied by Mature: depends

parents entirely on pa-

rental attitude

©

BLOCKADE O O

Madeline Carroll, Henry Fonda, Leo Carrillo, John Hailiday, Vladimir Sokoloff, Reginald Denny, Robert Warwick, Wm. B. Davidson, Fred Kohler. Story and screen play by John Howard Lawson. Direction by William Die- terle. Walter Wanger-Unifed Artists.

Because it concentrates on the plight of non-combatants in a warring country, “Block- ade" is a picture of timely interest. Because it too earnestly announces its theme, it loses force. Under the guise of a spy story it takes the audience to Spain and shows them the horrors of disease, hunger and fear as they react upon the helpless civilians. Through the eyes of Norma (Madeleine Carroll), a girl spy, and Marco (Henry Fonda), a young farmer turned soldier by necessity, we are shown the complete picture of war with the abhorrent duty, imposed upon spies and sol- diers, of conspiring to starve the entire popu- lation of a town. The film ends with the temporary thwarting of the besieging powers and Marco’s impassioned plea against war. Since the political issues are somewhat hazily outlined, the story is sometimes hard to fol- low, but there is enough action, realism and emotion to sweep the average audience off its feet.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Mature and No

depressing

'©

BLOND CHEAT O O

Joan Fontaine, Derrick de Marney, Cecil Kellaway, Cecil Cunningham, Lilian Bond. Original story by Aladar Laszlo Screen play by Chas. Kaufman, Paul Yawitz, Viola Brothers Shore, Harry Segall. Direction by Joseph Santley. RKO Radio.

Handicapped by an unpleasant title, this proves to be a light and fairly amusing com- edy about a mother with social ambition and a father with yearnings for a more solid, business-like son-in-law. A very pretty little actress is employed by Papa Trent to act as siren; the proffered reward is financial back- ing for a play in which she is to star. Some overacting by the main characters and a few dull incidents are offset by clever dialogue and good stage effects.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Little appeal Too mature

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Five

BORDER G-MAN O O

George O'Brien, Laraine Johnson, Ray Whit- ley, John Miljan, Rita LaRoy, Edgar bearing. Screen play by Oliver Drake. From the story by Bernard McConville. Direction by David Howard. RKO Radio.

In a western in which the hero is a G-man instead of a cowboy, George O'Brien as Jim Galloway poses as a ranch foreman and ap- prehends smugglers who are plotting to ship horses and ammunition over the Mexican Border. Photography of horses being herded through water, beautiful scenery, and excit- ing action make the picture entertaining. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Yes Questionable

COWBOY FROM BROOKLYN O O

Pat O'Brien, Dick Powell, Priscilla Lane, Dick Foran, Ann Sheridan. From the play "Howdy, Stranger," by Robert Sloane and Louis Pelletier, Jr. Screen play by Earl Ba- con. Direction by Lloyd Bacon. Warner Bros.

This is a new departure for Dick Powell, a musical semi-western with farcical situations sometimes bordering on burlesque. Enjoyment of the film depends on just how silly one feels for the moment. As Elly Jordan, a modern minstrel from Brooklyn with a morbid fear of any beast or bird from a burro to a canary, he is in a predicament when he lands on a dude ranch and is later taken to New York as an authentic rider of the range. Powell has little or no glamor in the part, but he achieves a good characterization and sings as well as usual. The supply of cowboy songs is gener- ous in quantity and unusually tuneful. Adolescents, 1 2 to 1 6 Children, 8 to 1 2

Yes Not much interest

©

CRIME RING O O

Allan Lane, Frances Mercer, Clara Blandick, Inez Courtney, Bradley Page, Ben Welden, Walter Miller, Frank M. Thomas. Story by Reginald Taviner. Direction by Leslie Good- wins. RKO Radio.

‘‘Crime Ring” is entertaining of its type. Its hero is a young reporter who assists the district attorney’s office in exposing the crimi- nal activities of a fortune-telling racket. Such pictures, however, are of doubtful ethi- cal value. While they may serve to warn some potential victims they give altogether too much instruction in the art of defrauding the public.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

No No

©

FAST COMPANY O O

Melvyn Douglas, Florence Rice, Claire Dodd, Shepperd Morgan, Louis Calhern. From the book by Marco Page. Screen play by Marco Page and Harold Tarshis. Direction by Ed- ward Buzzell. M-G-M.

Comparison with “The Thin Man” is in- evitable in commenting on a detective story

of this type. The sophisticated, happy rela- tionship between husband and wife, the brit- tle dialogue, and the light and cynical attitude toward danger, murder, and sudden death are the same, but less arresting now. In this case Melvyn Douglas is a dealer in first editions who discovers stolen volumes and returns them to the insurance company. He is, therefore, unpopular with the thieves, and when he attempts to clear a young friend of the charge of murdering one of the criminals, he is in a particularly dangerous position. The cast is good and the story entertaining even if the treatment does not seem par- ticularly novel.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Sophisticated No

HAVING WONDERFUL TIME O O

Ginger Rogers, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Peggy Conklin, Lucille Ball, Lee Bowman, Richard Skelton. Adapted from stage play by Marc Connelly. Screen play by Arthur Kober. Direction by Alfred Santell. RKO.

With keen and often brutal clarity the screen picks out and magnifies the human frailties of summer vacationists from the humbler walks of life who are gathered at Kamp Kare Free to “have a wonderful time.” Kamp Kare Free, advertised as a haven of rest, is in reality a madhouse of feverish activity. The characters seen there are fa- miliar types: stenographers enjoying their precious two weeks off from routine, students working out their room and board, the ebul- lient recreational director with his over- stimulating efficiency, the smooth and oily manager, the tired elderly couples looking for youth again. The burlesque is broad — at times funny, at others overdone. “Teddy” (Ginger Roger) falls in love, finds her boy friend unconventionally inclined, punishes him by spending the night in another man’s cabin. This sequence is the most amusing, as Teddy keeps her would-be Lothario playing backgammon until he collapses from ex- haustion. The picture is uneven in quality and does not give much opportunity for Miss Rogers’ skill in comedy. Mr. Fairbanks seems miscast in his role.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

No No

©

JOSETTE O O

Don Ameche, Simone Simon, Robert Young, Bert Lahr, John Davis, Paul Hurst, William Collier, Sr. Based on a play by Paul Frank and George Fraser. Screen play by James Edward Grant. Direction by Allan Dwan. 20th Century-Fox.

The efforts of two brothers to extricate their slightly wayward father from his in- fatuation for a dance hall singer lead them pell-mell into a romantic rivalry for the hand

Six

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

of Josette’s little understudy. There is much confusion as to identity, a few tears are shed, but in the end it all works out to everyone’s satisfaction. It is a flippantly gay musical comedy of the “No, No, Nanette” type, embel- lished by clever dialogue, diverting situations, and delightful settings, marred by too much drinking. Don Ameche and Robert Young are excellent as the two brothers. Simone Simon is charming and her voice is sweet, if somewhat lacking in volume.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Too sophisticated No

©

KEEP SMILING O O

Jane Withers, Gloria Stuart, Henry Wil- coxon, Helen Westley, Jed Prouty. From an original idea by Frank Fenton and Lynn Root. Screen play by Frances Hyland and Albert Ray. Direction by Herbert I. Leeds. 20th Century-Fox.

This is a more suitable film for Jane With- ers than many she has played in recently, for while she is the same irrepressible, quick- witted child, her pranks are those of a girl of her age, never worldly-wise or malicious. When the story opens she is in the midst of a rehearsal of “Julius Cssar” in a fashion- able girls' school. Soon the scene shifts to Hollywood where she discovers that her only living relative, a famous director, has fallen upon evil days through drink and extrava- gance, and it becomes the mission of Jane and his adoring secretary to reclaim him. Good atmosphere pervades the episodes in the “guest home” and behind the scenes in the big studio. The most affecting part is that of the veteran actor (Pedro de Cordoba), whose opportunity comes too late.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Amusing Yes

©

LORD JEFF O O

Freddie Bartholomew, Mickey Rooney, Chas. Coburn, Herbert Mundin, Terry Kilburn, Gale Sondergaard, Peter Ellis. Screen play by James Kevin, McGuinness. From a story by Bradford Ropes, Val Burton and Endre Bohem. Direction by Sam Wood. M-G-M.

“Lord Jeff,” in addition to being good en- tertainment, presents a social problem in a constructive way. Freddie Bartholomew is seen in the role of an English boy who has been the willing accomplice of jewel thieves. He is apprehended by the police, and the Court sends him — not to a reform school — but to the Russel-Cotes Nautical School, South- ampton, England, which is one of the Bar- nado Homes instituted for the care, training and rehabilitation of destitute orphaned chil- dren. The boy finds adjustment difficult, for he is slow to adapt himself to discipline and rules and to recognize the possibilities open to him, until the humane and wise approach

of the faculty and the reactions of the boys themselves arouse the latent fineness of his character.

The story is excellent, with stimulating and entertaining sequences, humor, and real thrills. The boys, with their English and Irish accents, are well cast, Mickey Rooney and Freddie Bartholomew giving their usual fine performances, and a newcomer to the screen, Terry Kilburn, almost stealing the picture with his fresh and delightful charm. Herbert Mundin essays a new type of role for him, and is splendid, as is Charles Co- burn as Captain Briggs. The picture is worth seeing for its entertaining qualities and also because it treats a serious problem sincerely and effectively.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Yes; fine Yes

©

MY BILL O O

Kay Francis, Bonita Granville, Anita Louise, Bobby Jordan, John Litel, Dickie Moore, Maurice Murphy, Elisabeth Risdon. From the play "Courage,'' by Tom Barry. Screen play by Vincent Sherman and Robertson White Direction by John Farrow. Warner Bros.

Kay Francis in the role of the widowed and impoverished mother of four children will be a surprise to movie fans. In “My Bill” she plays the part of Mary Colhrook, who, with admirable but misguided courage, has shielded her children from knowledge of their dwindling finances until they happen upon the facts and all but the youngest de- sert her for a rich aunt. Bill, sympatheti- cally played by Dickie Moore, stays by his mother and is the instrument of her even- tual good fortune. The plot includes a num- ber of stock situations (such as a crochety old woman whose heart is softened by Bill’s engaging personality), and some of the action seems overdrawn, particularly the odious be- havior of the three selfish children. How- ever, the picture is technically a nicely fin- ished product and the story has considerable appeal, although the allusions to the irregular love affair of the mother and possibly doubt- ful parentage of the small boy are unneces- sary to the plot and out of place in this type of entertainment.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Perhaps Mature problem

©

MYSTERIOUS MR. MOTO O O

Peter Lorre, Mary Maguire, Henry Wilcoxon, Erik Rhodes. Based on the J. P. Marquand character. Screen play by Philip MacDon- ald and Norman Foster. Direction by Nor- man Foster. 20th Century-Fox.

In this story Mr. Moto endeavors to thwart the grim League of Assassins which is using every means in its power to obtain a new and valuable formula for manufac-

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Seven

turing steel. Many of the scenes are in the Limehouse section of London where mystery is enshrouded in the heavy fog. The story is well-knit and plausible enough of its type; the murders are committed with neatness and dispatch. Peter Lorre continues his adept characterization of Mr. Moto with a com- mendable supporting cast. Good film of its kind.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Mature Exciting

©

PRIDE OF THE WEST O O

William Boyd, George Hayes, Russell Hay- den, Earle Hodgins, Charlotte Field, Billy King. Original by Clarence E. Mulford. Screen play by Nate Watt. Direction by Leslie Selander. Paramount.

A fast-moving Hopalong Cassidy western with better than usual dialogue, some nice incidental singing and typical scenic back- grounds beautifully photographed. Hop- along Cassidy, summoned by the sheriff’s small son and daughter, aids in the recovery of bags of gold which have been stolen from a stage coach.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Excellent Depends on the

individual

©

PRISON FARM C> O

Shirley Ross, Lloyd Nolan, John Howard, J. Carroll Naish, Esther Dale, May Boley. Di- rection by Louis King. Paramount.

To play upon the sympathies of audiences and to shock them with scenes of amazing brutality seems to be the purpose of this prison melodrama. It tells the story of a girl who is innocently involved in a payroll robbery and is sent to a prison farm along with her sweetheart who actually commit- ted the crime. At the prison farm, all the keepers are either villainous or unfit for their jobs, and the prisoners are subjected to such harsh brutality that sympathy is all on the side of the lawbreaker. The difficulties of the heroine are finally overcome when her lover, dying from injuries received in a hor- rible fight with a guard, confesses his crime and clears her name. She is last seen happily smiling as she drives away from the institu- tion with the prison doctor whom she is soon to marry. Though adequately produced the film is by no means entertaining and offers nothing constructive.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Horrible Horrible

THE RAGE OF PARIS O O

Danielle Darrieux, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Mischa Auer, Louis Hayward, Helen Brod- erick. Original story and screen play by Bruce Manning and Felix Jackson. Direc- tion by Henry Koster. Universal.

A treat is in store for audiences who have not heretofore had the opportunity of seeing Danielle Darrieux on the screen. Her Ameri- can debut in “The Rage of Paris” is a fortu- nate occasion for film patrons who enjoy frothy, sophisticated comedy. Miss Darrieux with her piquant accent and flair for wearing modish gowns is charming in her role of the little French model who comes to America to hunt a job, finds herself stranded, and, under the tutelage of an ex-chorus girl and financed by a head waiter, essays to win a rich hus- band. The story makes no claims to plausi- bility but is handled by Director Henry Kos- ter with an appropriately light touch. The star is supported by an able cast who give uniformly excellent performances.

Adolescents, 1 2 to 1 6 Children, 8 to 1 2

Sophisticated No

©

THE SHEIK O O

Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, Adolphe Menjou. From the novel by Edith M. Hull. Direction by George Melford. Jesse L. Lasky.

“The Sheik” of almost two decades ago has been revived and has proved so popular that the decision has been made to release it throughout the nation. The film is worth see- ing if only for the purpose of contrasting the productions of that day with those of the present year; one could not believe that such crudities and imperfections existed in a picture which was considered high-grade at the time if one did not have this documentary evidence. There is little attention to lighting effects and compostion. The people move spasmod- ically. Because the film predates the talkies it is necessary to convey the meaning with gestures and facial expressions which regis- ter hate, love, fear, jealousy. “The Shiek” was considered wicked in its day, but the un- reality of the film in the light of present standards renders it innocuous. The idea of feminine pulchritude of the early 1920’s is nothing short of remarkable; Agnes Ayres, with her well-cushioned figure, long crimped hair and dresses which would be difficult to imitate for sheer ugliness, is the target for many of the chortles of the audience. And yet there are not as many laughs as one might expect. There are certain qualities which make for successful pictures at any time: an exciting (if impossible) story, a swiftness of movement and, above all, a

Eight

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

hero who remains vital to this day. Rudolph Valentino, the first of the glamorous young men of the screen, is still the spirit of roman- tic youth.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Amusing Unsuitable

,r.

SPEED TO BURN O O

Michael Whalen, Lynn Bari, Marvin Ste- phens, Henry Armetta, Chick Chandler. Screen play by Robert Ellis and Helen Lo- gan. Based on an original story by Edwin Dial Torquerson. Direction by Otto Brewer. 20th Century-Fox.

The scenario of this picture uses the fa- miliar ingredients of a race track melodrama: devious schemes to put the favorite out of the running, all sorts of foul play at the track, and, of course, a thrilling scene when the hero and his mount make a victorious finish. It departs from the usual routine in that the motivating theme is the heart-warm- ing devotion of a jockey to his horse. Pleas- ing comedy is introduced in the person of Henry Armetta, cast as the genial Italian who befriends the young jockey.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Entertaining Little interest

©

THE TOY WIFE O O

Luise Rainer, Melvyn Douglas, Robert Young. Barbara O'Neil, H. B. Warner, Alma Kruger, Libby Taylor, Theresa Harris. Screen play by Zoe Atkins. Direction by Richard Thorpe. M.G.M.

“Toy Wife" will be called a woman’s pic- ture. It may also be called “dated,” picturing a woman and a problem of another era. True, it is set in the time of crinolines, slaves, and huge plantations, when men fought duels to salve their “honor,” but there are always decorative and impractical women, and some men will always seek them and marry them to lighten the weight of serious living, and believe themselves cheated when the “toy wife’’ is incapable of meeting the issues in- volved in home-making. Thus, the problem is not entirely one of another day, although women then were convention-bound and had fewer outside resources on which to call for help.

Luise Rainer plays the role of a childlike beauty, raised in Paris, who returns to the plantation near New Orleans with her elder sister and her father, imbued with the desire to marry as soon as possible, because “mar- ried women have so much more fun.” She unwittingly captivates the man her sister loves, and, ignorant of Louise’s sentiments, marries him when the latter urges it. Mar- riage brings her supreme happiness. But after a few years Louise comes into the household to bring domestic order out of chaos, and gradually, but relentlessly, she usurps the place Frou-Frou should have

held. The child-wife realizes the situation and makes the only sacrifice she thinks she can.

It is a tragic and conventional story which would have become maudlin with less re- strained direction and less competent acting. It is not Miss Rainer’s best role. Her man- nerisms are apparent, but she is convincing for the most part. The climax is her weakest scene. Barbara O’Neil and Alma Kruger are good. Libby Taylor and Theresa Harris are outstanding among the colored supporters. The men’s parts are unsympathetic and less interesting. The production is exquisitely costumed and lavishly set, with beautiful de- tails of historic and romantic New Orleans as it was in the middle of the 18th century. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

No: tragic No interest

©

THREE BLIND MICE O O

Loretta Young, Joel McCrea, David Niven, Stuart Erwin, Marjorie Weaver, Pauline Moore, Binnie Barnes. Based on a play by Stephen Powys. Screen play by Brown Holmes and Lynn Starling. Direction by William A Seiter. 20th Century-Fox.

Three sisters from a midwestern chicken farm decide to take a $5,000 legacy on the quest for a millionaire husband. Registering at the Santa Barbara Biltmore, the most beau- tiful sister poses as an heiress with the other two as maid and secretary, and many amusing adventures befall the rural gold-diggers be- fore they reach the goal of fortune and ro- mance. To be sure, the motive is mercenary and a bit sordid, but it is such an absurd plot that it can be taken only as a modern fairy tale. The cast is attractive, the dialogue is sparkling, and farcical situations are cleverly handled. There is more drinking than is nec- essary for characterization. Those who object to slap-stick will wish the latter part had been subjected to the rigors of the cutting room, but others will enjoy it.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Rather sophisticated No

©

TROPIC HOLIDAY O O

Dorothy Lamour, Bob Burns, Martha Raye, Ray Milland, Binnie Barnes, Tito Guizar, Pepito. Original by Don Hartman and Frank Butler. Screen play by Don Hartman and Frank Butler, John C. Moffitt and Duke Atteberry. Direction by Theodore Reed. Paramount.

Anyone who likes the performers in this picture will enjoy seeing them going through their fun-making antics in the romantic set- ting of a Mexican village. Highlights of the picture are good songs, Martha Raye and Bob Burns in the arena with a ferocious bull, a Mexican wedding party, and a marimba band.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Little interest

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Nine

WHEN WERE YOU BORN? O O

Margaret Lindsay, Anna May Wong,, Lola Lane, Anthony Averill, James Stevenson, Leonard Mudie. Original story by Manly Hall. Screen play by Anthony Coldeway. Direction by William McGann. Warner Bros.

In this film, an astrologer, played with im- pressive seriousness by Anna May Wong, demonstrates how a Leo in love with an Aries, entering an apartment in conjunction with a Cancer, can cause no end of havoc. Settings and photography are pleasing, but dialogue and the solution of the mystery are rather elementary. A class B picture. Adolescents. 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Poor No

1 g

V/IVES UNDER SUSPICION O O

Warren Williams, Gail Patrick, Constance Moore, William Lundigan, Ralph Morgan. Suggested by a play by Ladislaus Fodor. Original screen play by Myles Connolly. Direction by James Whale. Universal.

A certain Los Angeles murder case which recently has been given wide publicity seems to have furnished the basic motif for this picture. Here, however, the focus of interest is not the prisoner but the District Attorney who, following his profession with zest, marks off his convictions on a macabre count- ing board with ivory skulls. Through a strange parallel of events he finds himself in the same situation as the accused man whom he has been trying to convict. Although he himself does not commit murder he is roused to a murderous frenzy by jealousy of his wife and for the first time is able to realize and understand the passions which actuated the other man. He concludes that “There, but for the grace of God, go I,” and the follow- ing day in court he asks that the charge be reduced to manslaughter. Acting and direc- tion are unusually capable, but the plotting is mechanical. Whether or not one is in sympathy with the “unwritten law" the sub- ject is an unpleasant one.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Unsuitable No

WOMAN AGAINST WOMAN O O

Herbert Marshall, Virginia Bruce, Mary Astor, Janet Beecher, Marjorie Rambeau, Juanita Quigley. Screen play by Edward Chodorov. From the story "Enemy Terri- tory" by Margaret Culkin Banning. Direc- tion by Robert B. Sinclair. Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer.

Due to good casting and superior produc- tion values this film appears less superficial

than it really is. It is a polite examination of the difficulties that are likely to confront a second wife when she has to live in the same town with wife number one. In spite of a great deal of talk the picture provides no panacea for second wives, but may serve as a warning to women who marry without taking into account that a divorce does not always cut a man loose from his first wife’s apron strings.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

No No

©

YOU AND ME O C-

Sylvia Sidney, George Raft, Robert Cum- mings, Barton MacLane, Harry Carey, Ros- coe Karns, Warren Hymer. Screen play by Virginia Van Upp. Direction by Fritz Lang. Paramount.

An incredible story of paroled convicts who reform when shown by a diagram on a blackboard that crime does not pay dividends in dollars and cents! The direction combines realism, symbolism, and sentimentality into a distasteful whole. Strangely, the acting of Miss Sidney and Mr. Raft is sincere enough to hold a measure of interest throughout. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Impossible No

©

YOUNG FUGITIVES O O

Harry Davenport, Robert Wilcox, Dorotheo Kent, Larry Blake, Clem Bevans. Screen play by Ben Grauman Kohn and Charles Grayson. Original story by Edward James. Direction by John Rawlins. Universal.

Here is a slight variation of an over- worked theme made acceptable by a good character actor. Henry Davenport as Joel Bentham receives an award of fifty thousand dollars because he is the last surviving G. A. R. veteran. Realizing that his erstwhile friends are after his money, he leaves town and goes to live on a farm. He gives shel- ter to an itinerant girl who becomes his housekeeper, and to the son of an old friend, who accepts his hospitality in order to rob him. The stage is then set for regeneration of the young people and romance. The lov- able character of the old soldier is the saving grace in a mediocre film.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Ethically confused No

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MOTION

PICTURE

REVIEWS

JULY

19 3 8

CONTENTS

Algiers

The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse

The Birth of a Baby

Blockade

Blond Cheat

Border G-Man

Cowboy from Brooklyn

Crime Ring

Fast Company

Having Wonderful Time

Josette

Keep Smiling Lord Jeff My Bill

Mysterious Mr. Moto Pride of the West Prison Farm The Rage of Paris The Sheik Speed to Burn Three Blind Mice Tropic Holiday The Toy Wife When Were You Born?

Wives Under Suspicion Woman Against Woman You and Me Young Fugitives

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MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

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	MOTION • PICTURE • REVIEWS Published monthly by THE WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY CLUB LOS ANGELES BRANCH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN
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Vol. XII JULY, 1938 No. 7

Copyright 1938 by Women's University Club of Los Angeles

FEATURE FILMS

ALGIERS O O

Charles Boyer, Sigrid Gurie, Hedy LaMarr, Alan Hale, Joseph Calleia, Gene Lockhart, Nina Koshetz, Johnny Downs. From the French novel, "Pepe le Moto," by Detective Ashelbe. American screen play by John Howard Lawson. Cinematography by James Wong Howe. Music by Vincent Scotto and Mohammed Igorbouchen. Direction by John Cromwell. A Walter Wanger production. United Artists.

Atmosphere — exciting, sinister, and sensual, is the particular quality of this production. It tells the story of Pepe le Moto, a notorious French criminal, exiled and living a precari- ous and hunted existence in the Cabash, the native quarter of Algiers. It is a keen and penetrating study of a man for whom there is no hope; warped in character, loved by women, even admired for certain qualities by men who know what the inevitable end must be and who work deliberately toward that end. This feeling of doom, certain and dreadful, creates a thrilling and emotional climax which, while anticipated, is none the less dramatic. Charles Boyer is exception- ally convincing as Pepe, cruel, exacting, courageous, and fascinating, but bitterly un- happy in his exile, for he is trapped in the Ca- bash as certainly as if he were in jail. Sigrid Gurie is very fine in the role of his Algerian sweetheart. Hedy LaMarr is exquisitely beautiful as the alluring Parisienne whose

arrival in Algiers leads to Pepe’s ultimate downfall. The men in the cast are very fine also: Joseph Calleia in the role of the crafty Provincial detective; Gene Lockhart as a na- tive informer; Stanley Fields, a member of the band ; Alan Hale, the fence for stolen jewels. The local color of the native quarter is unusually interesting. The photography is very beautiful and the musical accompani- ment fascinating with its oriental influence.

The production is to be particularly com- mended because it has used superb cinematic technique to picture the psychological disinte- gration of a man’s character. It is theatrical and melodramatic, but it is exciting and en- thralling entertainment.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Very sopristicated. No

Not recommended.

©

THE AMAZING DR. CLITTERHOUSE O O

Edward G. Robinson, Claire Trevor, Hum- phrey Bogart, Allen Jenkins, Donald Crisp, Gale Page, Maxie Rosenbloom, John Litel, Henry O'Neill. From the play by Barre Lyn- don. Screen play by John Wexley and John Huston. Direction by Anatole Litvak. First National-Warner Bros.

We are always certain of an interesting performance when Edward G. Robinson is in a cast, and in “The Amazing Dr. Clitter- house” he has a particularly good role. The

Four

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

plot is unusual, offering a very different twist to the criminal angle, which amuses and intrigues and leaves the audience with the privilege of its own interpretation. Dr. Clit- terhouse is a fashionable and reputable physi- cian who becomes interested in the physical reactions which he believes criminals must have when committing a crime. After using himself as a human guinea pig, he becomes the leader of a real gang, testing out their reactions and his theories with laboratory precision. One thing he overlooks — the hu- man equation, and circumstances become in- volved. The climax is too sensational to spoil by even suggesting it here. There is humor and exciting suspense, with excellent support given the star by the cast. It is adult enter- tainment.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

No No

©

THE BIRTH OF A BABY O O

Eleanor King, Richard Gordon, Ruth Matte- son, Josephine Dunn, Helen Hawley, Wil- liam Post, Jr. American Committee on Maternal Welfare.

That the subject matter of this film will arouse controversy as to its suitability as entertainment to be seen in public theatres is certain, because individual attitudes on the subject cannot avoid being relative. The picture is, however, a sincere contribution to public health, produced under the auspices of the American Committee on Maternal Wel- fare which has in its membership some of the most distinguished medical and social serv- ice groups in this country. It handles facts frankly and honestly and in the best of taste. It is not a spectacle. It presents the simple facts about childbirth, taking a young wife through her months of pregnancy to the birth of her baby and its care after birth. The family physician is not only her doctor but also her teacher, for he explains by means of charts and diagrams the processes of the development of the baby before birth, and this information, together with suggestions for diet, clothes, and general rules for health- ful living, is woven into a well-knit plot which has interest and humor as well. Scrupu- lous care for scientific accuracy has been taken. The cast is professional, and the direction and photography are excellent. Were the picture restricted to selected audi- ences its service would be lessened, for only those least needing its message would see'it. America’s maternal death rate is relatively high, and consequently a documentary film such as this is, instructive, dignified, and honest, is distinctly valuable. The American medical profession is attempting to enlighten the public on all matters of public health.

This is apparently another step to offset ignorance and fear.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

When accompanied by Mature: depends

parents entirely on pa-

rental attitude

©

BLOCKADE O O

Madeline Carroll, Henry Fonda, Leo Carrillo, John Halliday, Vladimir Sokoloff, Reginald Denny, Robert Warwick, Wm B Davidson, Fred Kohler. Story and screen play by John Howard Lawson. Direction by William Die- terle. Walter Wanger-United Artists.

Because it concentrates on the plight of non-combatants in a warring country, “Block- ade" is a picture of timely interest. Because it too earnestly announces its theme, it loses force. Under the guise of a spy story it takes the audience to Spain and shows them the horrors of disease, hunger and fear as they react upon the helpless civilians. Through the eyes of Norma (Madeleine Carroll), a girl spy, and Marco (Henry Fonda), a young farmer turned soldier by necessity, we are shown the complete picture of war with the abhorrent duty, imposed upon spies and sol- diers, of conspiring to starve the entire popu- lation of a town. The film ends with the temporary thwarting of the besieging powers and Marco’s impassioned plea against war. Since the political issues are somewhat hazily outlined, the story is sometimes hard to fol- low, but there is enough action, realism and emotion to sweep the average audience off its feet.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Mature and No

depressing

©

BLOND CHEAT O O

Joan Fontaine, Derrick de Marney, Cecil Kellaway, Cecil Cunningham, Lilian Bond. Original story by Aladar Laszlo. Screen play by Chas. Kaufman, Paul Yawitz, Viola Brothers Shore, Harry Segall. Direction by Joseph Santley. RKO Radio.

Handicapped by an unpleasant title, this proves to be a light and fairly amusing com- edy about a mother with social ambition and a father with yearnings for a more solid, business-like son-in-law. A very pretty little actress is employed by Papa Trent to act as siren; the proffered reward is financial back- ing for a play in which she is to star. Some overacting by the main characters and a few dull incidents are offset by clever dialogue and good stage effects.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Little appeal Too mature

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Five

BORDER G-MAN O 0

George O'Brien, Laraine Johnson, Ray Whit- ley, John Miljan, Rita LaRoy, Edgar Dearing. Screen play by Oliver Drake. From the story by Bernard McConville. Direction by David Howard. RKO Radio.

In a western in which the hero is a G-man instead of a cowboy, George O'Brien as Jim Galloway poses as a ranch foreman and ap- prehends smugglers who are plotting to ship horses and ammunition over the Mexican Border. Photography of horses being herded through water, beautiful scenery, and excit- ing action make the picture entertaining. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes Questionable

©

COWBOY FROM BROOKLYN O O

Pat O'Brien, Dick Powell, Priscilla Lane, Dick Foran, Ann Sheridan. From the play "Howdy, Stranger," by Robert Sloane and Louis Pelletier, Jr. Screen play by Earl Ba- con. Direction by Lloyd Bacon. Warner Bros.

This is a new departure for Dick Powell, a musical semi-western with farcical situations sometimes bordering on burlesque. Enjoyment of the film depends on just how silly one feels for the moment. As Elly Jordan, a modern minstrel from Brooklyn with a morbid fear of any beast or bird from a burro to a canary, he is in a predicament when he lands on a dude ranch and is later taken to New York as an authentic rider of the range. Powell has little or no glamor in the part, but he achieves a good characterization and sings as well as usual. The supply of cowboy songs is gener- ous in quantity and unusually tuneful. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children. 8 to 12

Yes Not much interest

©

CRIME RING O <Q

Allan Lane, Frances Mercer, Clara Blandick, Inez Courtney, Bradley Page, Ben Welden, Walter Miller, Frank M. Thomas. Story by Reginald Taviner. Direction by Leslie Good- wins. RKO Radio.

“Crime Ring” is entertaining of its type. Its hero is a young reporter who assists the district attorney’s office in exposing the crimi- nal activities of a fortune-telling racket. Such pictures, however, are of doubtful ethi- cal value. While they may serve to warn some potential victims they give altogether too much instruction in the art of defrauding the public.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

No No

©

FAST COMPANY O O

Melvyn Douglas, Florence Rice, Claire Dodd, Shepperd Morgan, Louis Calhern. From the book by Marco Page. Screen play by Marco Page and Harold Tarshis. Direction by Ed- ward Buzzell. M-G-M.

Comparison with “The Thin Man” is in- evitable in commenting on a detective story

of this type. The sophisticated, happy rela- tionship between husband and wife, the brit- tle dialogue, and the light and cynical attitude toward danger, murder, and sudden death are the same, but less arresting now. In this case Melvyn Douglas is a dealer in first editions who discovers stolen volumes and returns them to the insurance company. He is, therefore, unpopular with the thieves, and when he attempts to clear a young friend of the charge of murdering one of the criminals, he is in a particularly dangerous position. The cast is good and the story entertaining even if the treatment does not seem par- ticularly novel.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Sophisticated No

©

HAVING WONDERFUL TIME O O

Ginger Rogers, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Peggy Conklin, Lucille Ball, Lee Bowman, Richard Skelton. Adapted from stage play by Marc Connelly. Screen play by Arthur Kober. Direction by Alfred Santell. RKO.

With keen and often brutal clarity the screen picks out and magnifies the human frailties of summer vacationists from the humbler walks of life who are gathered at Kamp Kare Free to “have a wonderful time.” Kamp Kare Free, advertised as a haven of rest, is in reality a madhouse of feverish activity. The characters seen there are fa- miliar types: stenographers enjoying their precious two weeks off from routine, students working out their room and board, the ebul- lient recreational director with his over- stimulating efficiency, the smooth and oily manager, the tired elderly couples looking for youth again. The burlesque is broad — at times funny, at others overdone. “Teddy” (Ginger Roger) falls in love, finds her boy friend unconventionally inclined, punishes him by spending the night in another man’s cabin. This sequence is the most amusing, as Teddy keeps her would-be Lothario playing backgammon until he collapses from ex- haustion. The picture is uneven in quality and does not give much opportunity for Miss Rogers’ skill in comedy. Mr. Fairbanks seems miscast in his role.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

No No

©

JOSETTE O O

Don Ameche, Simone Simon, Robert Young, Bert Lahr, John Davis, Paul Hurst, William Collier, Sr. Based on a play by Paul Frank and George Fraser. Screen play by James Edward Grant. Direction by Allan Dwan. 20th Century-Fox.

The efforts of two brothers to extricate their slightly wayward father from his in- fatuation for a dance hall singer lead them pell-mell into a romantic rivalry for the hand

Six

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

of Josette’s little understudy. There is much confusion as to identity, a few tears are shed, hut in the end it all works out to everyone’s satisfaction. It is a flippantly gay musical comedy of the “No, No, Nanette" type, embel- lished by clever dialogue, diverting situations, and delightful settings, marred by too much drinking. Don Ameche and Robert Young are excellent as the two brothers. Simone Simon is charming and her voice is sweet, if somewhat lacking in volume.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children. 8 to 12

Too sophisticated No

©

KEEP SMILING O O

Jane Withers, Gloria Stuart, Henry Wil- coxon, Helen Westley, Jed Prouty. From an original idea by Frank Fenton and Lynn Root. Screen play by Frances Hyland and Albert Ray. Direction by Herbert I. Leeds. 20th Century-Fox.

This is a more suitable film for Jane With- ers than many she has played in recently, for while she is the same irrepressible, quick- witted child, her pranks are those of a girl of her age, never worldly-wise or malicious. When the story opens she is in the midst of a rehearsal of “Julius Ciesar" in a fashion- able girls’ school. Soon the scene shifts to Hollywood where she discovers that her only living relative, a famous director, has fallen upon evil days through drink and extrava- gance, and it becomes the mission of Jane and his adoring secretary to reclaim him. Good atmosphere pervades the episodes in the “guest home" and behind the scenes in the big studio. The most affecting part is that of the veteran actor (Pedro de Cordoba), whose opportunity comes too late.

Adolescents, 1 2 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Amusing Yes

©

LORD JEFF O O

Freddie Bartholomew, Mickey Rooney, Chas. Coburn, Herbert Mundin, Terry Kilburn, Gale Sondergaard, Peter Ellis. Screen play by James Kevin, McGuinness. From a story by Bradford Ropes, Val Burton and Endre Bohem. Direction by Sam Wood. M-G-M.

“Lord Jeff,” in addition to being good en- tertainment, presents a social problem in a constructive way. Freddie Bartholomew is seen in the role of an English boy who has been the willing accomplice of jewel thieves. He is apprehended by the police, and the Court sends him — not to a reform school — but to the Russel-Cotes Nautical School, South- ampton, England, which is one of the Bar- nado Homes instituted for the care, training and rehabilitation of destitute orphaned chil- dren. The boy finds adjustment difficult, for he is slow to adapt himself to discipline and rules and to recognize the possibilities open to him, until the humane and wise approach

of the faculty and the reactions of the boys themselves arouse the latent fineness of his character.

The story is excellent, with stimulating and entertaining sequences, humor, and real thrills. The boys, with their English and Irish accents, are well cast, Mickey Rooney and Freddie Bartholomew giving their usual fine performances, and a newcomer to the screen, Terry Kilburn, almost stealing the picture with his fresh and delightful charm. Herbert Mundin essays a new type of role for him, and is splendid, as is Charles Co- burn as Captain Briggs. The picture is worth seeing for its entertaining qualities and also because it treats a serious problem sincerely and effectively.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes; fine Yes

©

MY BILL O O

Kay Francis, Bonita Granville, Anita Louise, Bobby Jordan, John Litel, Dickie Moore, Maurice Murphy, Elisabeth Risdon. From the play "Courage," by Tom Barry. Screen play by Vincent Sherman and Robertson White. Direction by John Farrow. Warner Bros.

Kay Francis in the role of the widowed and impoverished mother of four children will be a surprise to movie fans. In “My Bill” she plays the part of Mary Colbrook, who, with admirable but misguided courage, has shielded her children from knowledge of their dwindling finances until they happen upon the facts and all but the youngest de- sert her for a rich aunt. Bill, sympatheti- cally played by Dickie Moore, stays by his mother and is the instrument of her even- tual good fortune. The plot includes a num- ber of stock situations (such as a crochety old woman whose heart is softened by Bill’s engaging personality), and some of the action seems overdrawn, particularly the odious be- havior of the three selfish children. How- ever, the picture is technically a nicely fin- ished product and the story has considerable appeal, although the allusions to the irregular love affair of the mother and possibly doubt- ful parentage of the small boy are unneces- sary to the plot and out of place in this type of entertainment.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Perhaps Mature problem

©

MYSTERIOUS MR. MOTO O O

Peter Lorre, Mary Maguire, Henry Wilcoxon, Erik Rhodes. Based on the J. P. Marquand character Screen play by Philip MacDon- ald and Norman Foster. Direction by Nor- man Foster. 20th Century-Fox.

In this story Mr. Moto endeavors to thwart the grim League of Assassins which is using every means in its power to obtain a new and valuable formula for manufac-

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Seven

turing steel. Many of the scenes are in the Limehouse section of London where mystery is enshrouded in the heavy fog. The story is well-knit and plausible enough of its type; the murders are committed with neatness and dispatch. Peter Lorre continues his adept characterization of Mr. Moto with a com- mendable supporting cast. Good film of its kind.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Mature Exciting

©

PRIDE OF THE WEST O O

William Boyd, George Hayes, Russell Hay- den, Earle Hodgins, Charlotte Field, Billy King. Original by Clarence E. Mulford. Screen play by Nate Watt. Direction by Leslie Selander. Paramount.

A fast-moving Hopalong Cassidy western with better than usual dialogue, some nice incidental singing and typical scenic back- grounds beautifully photographed. Hop- along Cassidy, summoned by the sheriff’s small son and daughter, aids in the recovery of bags of gold which have been stolen from a stage coach.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Excellent Depends on the

individual

©

PRISON FARM O O

Shirley Ross, Lloyd Nolan, John Howard, J. Carroll Naish, Esther Dale, May Boley. Di- rection by Louis King. Paramount.

To play upon the sympathies of audiences and to shock them with scenes of amazing brutality seems to be the purpose of this prison melodrama. It tells the story of a girl who is innocently involved in a payroll robbery and is sent to a prison farm along with her sweetheart who actually commit- ted the crime. At the prison farm, all the keepers are either villainous or unfit for their jobs, and the prisoners are subjected to such harsh brutality that sympathy is all on the side of the lawbreaker. The difficulties of the heroine are finally overcome when her lover, dying from injuries received in a hor- rible fight with a guard, confesses his crime and clears her name. She is last seen happily smiling as she drives away from the institu- tion with the prison doctor whom she is soon to marry. Though adequately produced the film is by no means entertaining and offers nothing constructive.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Horrible Horrible

THE RAGE OF PARIS O O

Danielle Darrieux, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Mischa Auer, Louis Hayward, Helen Brod- erick. Original story and screen play by Bruce Manning and Felix Jackson. Direc- tion by Henry Koster. Universal.

A treat is in store for audiences who have not heretofore had the opportunity of seeing Danielle Darrieux on the screen. Her Ameri- can debut in “The Rage of Paris” is a fortu- nate occasion for film patrons who enjoy frothy, sophisticated comedy. Miss Darrieux with her piquant accent and flair for wearing modish gowns is charming in her role of the little French model who comes to America to hunt a job, finds herself stranded, and, under the tutelage of an ex-chorus girl and financed by a head waiter, essays to win a rich hus- band. The story makes no claims to plausi- bility but is handled by Director Henry Kos- ter with an appropriately light touch. The star is supported by an able cast who give uniformly excellent performances.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Sophisticated No

©

THE SHEIK O O

Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, Adolphe Menjou. From the novel by Edith M. Hull. Direction by George Melford. Jesse L. Lasky.

“The Sheik” of almost two decades ago has been revived and has proved so popular that the decision has been made to release it throughout the nation. The film is worth see- ing if only for the purpose of contrasting the productions of that day with those of the present year; one could not believe that such crudities and imperfections existed in a picture which was considered high-grade at the time if one did not have this documentary evidence. There is little attention to lighting effects and compostion. The people move spasmod- ically. Because the film predates the talkies it is necessary to convey the meaning with gestures and facial expressions which regis- ter hate, love, fear, jealousy. “The Shiek” was considered wicked in its day, but the un- reality of the film in the light of present standards renders it innocuous. The idea of feminine pulchritude of the early 1920’s is nothing short of remarkable; Agnes Ayres, with her well-cushioned figure, long crimped hair and dresses which would be difficult to imitate for sheer ugliness, is the target for many of the chortles of the audience. And yet there are not as many laughs as one might expect. There are certain qualities which make for successful pictures at any time: an exciting (if impossible) story, a swiftness of movement and, above all, a

Eight

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

hero who remains vital to this day. Rudolph Valentino, the first of the glamorous young men of the screen, is still the spirit of roman- tic youth.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children. 8 to 12

Amusing Unsuitable

©

SPEED TO BURN O O

Michael Whalen, Lynn Bari, Marvin Ste- phens, Henry Armetta, Chick Chandler. Screen play by Robert Ellis and Helen Lo- gan. Based on an original story by Edwin Dial Torquerson. Direction by Otto Brewer. 20th Century-Fox.

The scenario of this picture uses the fa- miliar ingredients of a race track melodrama: devious schemes to put the favorite out of the running, all sorts of foul play at the track, and, of course, a thrilling scene when the hero and his mount make a victorious finish. It departs from the usual routine in that the motivating theme is the heart-warm- ing devotion of a jockey to his horse. Pleas- ing comedy is introduced in the person of Henry Armetta, cast as the genial Italian who befriends the young jockey.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Little interest

©

THE TOY WIFE O O

Luise Rainer, Melvyn Douglas, Robert Young, Barbara O'Neil, H. B. Warner, Alma Kruger, Libby Taylor, Theresa Harris. Screen play by Zoe Atkins. Direction by Richard Thorpe. M.G.M.

“Toy Wife’’ will be called a woman’s pic- ture. It may also be called “dated,” picturing a woman and a problem of another era. True, it is set in the time of crinolines, slaves, and huge plantations, when men fought duels to salve their “honor," but there are always decorative and impractical women, and some men -will always seek them and marry them to lighten the weight of serious living, and believe themselves cheated when the “toy wife” is incapable of meeting the issues in- volved in home-making. Thus, the problem is not entirely one of another day, although women then were convention-bound and had fewer outside resources on which to call for help.

Luise Rainer plays the role of a childlike beauty, raised in Paris, who returns to the plantation near New Orleans with her elder sister and her father, imbued with the desire to marry as soon as possible, because “mar- ried women have so much more fun.” She unwittingly captivates the man her sister loves, and, ignorant of Louise’s sentiments, marries him when the latter urges it. Mar- riage brings her supreme happiness. But after a few years Louise comes into the household to bring domestic order out of chaos, and gradually, but relentlessly, she usurps the place Frou-Frou should have

held. The child-wife realizes the situation and makes the only sacrifice she thinks she can.

It is a tragic and conventional story which would have become maudlin with less re- strained direction and less competent acting. It is not Miss Rainer’s best role. Her man- nerisms are apparent, but she is convincing for the most part. The climax is her weakest scene. Barbara O’Neil and Alma Kruger are good. Libby Taylor and Theresa Harris are outstanding among the colored supporters. The men’s parts are unsympathetic and less interesting. The production is exquisitely costumed and lavishly set, with beautiful de- tails of historic and romantic New Orleans as it was in the middle of the 18th century. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

No: tragic No interest

©

THREE BLIND MICE O O

Loretta Young, Joel McCrea, David Niven, Stuart Erwin, Marjorie Weaver, Pauline Moore, Binnie Barnes. Based on a play by Stephen Powys. Screen play by Brown Holmes and Lynn Starling. Direction by William A. Seiter. 20th Century-Fox.

Three sisters from a midwestern chicken farm decide to take a $5,000 legacy on the quest for a millionaire husband. Registering at the Santa Barbara Biltmore. the most beau- tiful sister poses as. an heiress with the other two as maid and secretary, and many amusing adventures befall the rural gold-diggers be- fore they reach the goal of fortune and ro- mance. To be sure, the motive is mercenary and a bit sordid, but it is such an absurd plot that it can be taken only as a modern fairy tale. The cast is attractive, the dialogue is sparkling, and farcical situations are cleverly handled. There is more drinking than is nec- essary for characterization. Those who object to slap-stick will wish the latter part had been subjected to the rigors of the cutting room, but others will enjoy it.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children. 8 to 1 2

Rather sophisticated No

©

TROPIC HOLIDAY O O

Dorothy Lamour, Bob Burns, Martha Raye, Ray Milland, Binnie Barnes, Tito Guizar, Pepito. Original by Don Hartman and Frank Butler. Screen play by Don Hartman and Frank Butler, John C. Moffitt and Duke Atteberry. Direction by Theodore Reed. Paramount.

Anyone who likes the performers in this picture will enjoy seeing them going through their fun-making antics in the romantic set- ting of a Mexican village. Highlights of the picture are good songs, Martha Raye and Bob Burns in the arena with a ferocious bull, a Mexican wedding party, and a marimba band.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Little interest

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Nine

WHEN WERE YOU BORN? O O

Margaret Lindsay, Anna May Wong,, Lola Lane, Anthony Averill, James Stevenson, Leonard Mudie. Original story by Manly Hall. Screen play by Anthony Coldeway. Direction by William McGann. Warner Bros.

In this film, an astrologer, played with im- pressive seriousness by Anna May Wong, demonstrates how a Leo in love with an Aries, entering an apartment in conjunction with a Cancer, can cause no end of havoc. Settings and photography are pleasing, but dialogue and the solution of the mystery are rather elementary. A class B picture. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Poor No

©

WIVES UNDER SUSPICION O O

Warren Williams, Gail Patrick, Constance Moore, William Lundigan, Ralph Morgan. Suggested by a play by Ladislaus Fodor. Original screen play by Myles Connolly. Direction by James Whale. Universal.

A certain Los Angeles murder case which recently has been given wide publicity seems to have furnished the basic motif for this picture. Here, however, the focus of interest is not the prisoner but the District Attorney who, following his profession with zest, marks off his convictions on a macabre count- ing board with ivory skulls. Through a strange parallel of events he finds himself in the same situation as the accused man whom he has been trying to convict. Although he himself does not commit murder he is roused to a murderous frenzy by jealousy of his wife and for the first time is able to realize and understand the passions which actuated the other man. He concludes that “There, but for the grace of God, go I,” and the follow- ing day in court he asks that the charge be reduced to manslaughter. Acting and direc- tion are unusually capable, but the plotting is mechanical. Whether or not one is in sympathy with the “unwritten law” the sub- ject is an unpleasant one.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Unsuitable No

©

WOMAN AGAINST WOMAN O O

Herbert Marshall, Virginia Bruce, Mary Astor, Janet Beecher, Marjorie Rambeau, Juanita Quigley. Screen play by Edward Chodorov. From the story "Enemy Terri- tory" by Margaret Culkin Banning. Direc- tion by Robert B. Sinclair. Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer.

Due to good casting and superior produc- tion values this film appears less superficial

than it really is. It is a polite examination of the difficulties that are likely to confront a second wife when she has to live in the same town with wife number one. In spite of a great deal of talk the picture provides no panacea for second wives, but may serve as a warning to women who marry without taking into account that a divorce does not always cut a man loose from his first wife’s apron strings.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

No No

©

YOU AND ME O O

Sylvia Sidney, George Raft, Robert Cum- mings, Barton MacLane, Harry Carey, Ros- coe Karns, Warren Hymer. Screen play by Virginia Van Upp. Direction by Fritz Lang. Paramount.

An incredible story of paroled convicts who reform when shown by a diagram on a blackboard that crime does not pay dividends in dollars and cents! The direction combines realism, symbolism, and sentimentality into a distasteful whole. Strangely, the acting of Miss Sidney and Mr. Raft is sincere enough to hold a measure of interest throughout. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Impossible No

©

YOUNG FUGITIVES O O

Harry Davenport, Robert Wilcox, Dorotheo Kent, Larry Blake, Clem Bevans. Screen play by Ben Grauman Kohn and Charles Grayson. Original story by Edward James. Direction by John Rawlins. Universal.

Here is a slight variation of an over- worked theme made acceptable by a good character actor. Henry Davenport as Joel Bentham receives an award of fifty thousand dollars because he is the last surviving G. A. R. veteran. Realizing that his erstwhile friends are after his money, he leaves town and goes to live on a farm. He gives shel- ter to an itinerant girl who becomes his housekeeper, and to the son of an old friend, who accepts his hospitality in order to rob him. The stage is then set for regeneration of the young people and romance. The lov- able character of the old soldier is the saving grace in a mediocre film.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Ethically confused No

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AUGUST 19 3 8

CONTENTS

The Affairs of Annabel Always Goodbye Booloo

Boy Meets Girl Four's a Crowd Garden of the Moon I'll Give a Million Little Miss Broadway Love Finds Andy Hardy Marie Antoinette Meet the Girls Mother Carey's Chickens Passport Husband Professor, Beware!

The Shopworn Angel Sky Giant The Texans Time Out for Murder

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FEATURE FILMS

THE AFFAIRS OF ANNABEL O O

Jack Oakie, Lucille Ball, Ruth Donnelly, Bradley Page, Fritz Feld, Thurston Hall, Elizabeth Risdon, Granville Bates, Lee Van Atta. Story by Charles Hoffman. Screen play by Bert Granet and Paul Yawitz. Di- rection by Ben Stoloff. R. K. 0.

Broadly kidding the publicity agents who stop at nothing to get headlines for their stars, this fast moving farce will please many audiences. Because Morgan (Jack Oakie) has a “BIG” idea about a prison story, Annabel (Lucille Ball) is put in jail. When she has lingered there, working in the laundry, too long for her comfort, her tolerance departs, and she emerges wrathful and belligerent. Unfortunately her story is scrapped and a new setting devised. By clever scheming, Morgan again wins her sym- pathy, and she agrees to take up general housework to get local color and publicity for the revised plot. Real gunmen get mixed up in the situation, Annabel’s prison record is a complication, and a boisterous finish pro- vides all the excitement any thrill seeker will desire. The film is not subtle but it is amus- ing. Lucille Ball does not overplay, and thus she stands out among the other more con- ventional farceurs.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Amusing No value

ALWAYS GOODBYE O O

Barbara Stanwyck, Herbert Marshall, Ian Hunter, Cesar Romero, Lynn Bari, Binnie Barnes, John Russell, Albert Conti, George Davis, Eddy Conrad. Based on story by Gilbert Emery and Douglas Doty. Screen play by Kathryn Scola and Edith Skouras. Direction by Sidney Lanfield. 20th Century- Fox.

To like the story of “Always Goodbye,” one must be willing to accept the traditional Hollywood version of “Mother love first and above all.” In real life it is not cus- tomary for mothers who relinquish illegiti- mate children to know where the babies are placed, and only in movies can motives, in reality complex, be made to seem as simple and direct as this heroine’s. Margot Weston decides to give up her child, born after her lover is killed en route to marry her. Through the help of a stranger who saves her from suicide, she places her baby in a home for adoption, obtains work in a dress shop and in a few years becomes a buyer. She then travels to Paris, putting on the sort of miraculous fashion show we expect now of “buyers” in the movies, accidentally meets her child, and deliberately wins his love. Find- ing the foster father, a wealthy widower, about to marry a girl whom she deems un- fit to become her son’s mother, she proceeds

Four

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

to eliminate the girl and marry the gentle- man herself, although she admits that she does not love him but is in love with the man who has been her guardian angel throughout the years. The several problems of ethics and morals are somewhat involved, but the production is cleverly done, smoothly directed with humor and good dialogue, so that audiences are swept overboard in an orgy of sentiment. In acting, little John Russell, Cesar Romero, and George Davis in a bit part, take the honors from the stars. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

By no meant No

©

BOOLOO O O

Colin Tapley, Suratna Asmara, Arthur Lane, Captain Stanley, Nah Laku, Lam Pak, Ah Hoe, Rod DeSouza, Nah Pus, Ah Lee. Screen play by Robert E. Welsh. Based on an original by Clyde E. Elliott. Direction by Clyde E. Elliott. Paramount.

Clyde E. Elliott, who directed “Bring ’Em Back Alive’’ and “Devil Tiger,” brings cinema audiences new thrills in his latest jungle melodrama. The photographic record of nine months spent in the northern Malay Peninsula is the background for the blood- curdling adventures of Robert Rogers, a young English explorer. The young man’s father had been discredited by the British Exploration Society for his account of a former expedition wherein he told of a white tiger worshipped by the Sakai natives and to which they sacrificed young maidens. At- tempting to trap the white tiger, Rogers is narrowly missed by the poisoned arrows of infuriated natives, and all other members of the expedition are killed. Fortunately he is able to communicate by short-wave radio with an army outpost and is rescued. The film is entertaining because of the authentic pictures of wild animals in their native sur- roundings. It is also a tremendously thrilling though somewhat incredible adventure story. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Interesting but very Harrowing

exciting

©

BOY MEETS GIRL O O

James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Marie Wilson, Ralph Bellamy, Frank McHugh, Dick Foran, Bruce Lester, Ronald Reagan, Paul Clark, Penny Singleton, Dennie Moor, Harry Sey- mour, Bert Hanlon, James Stephenson. Adapted from a play by the same name by Bella and Samuel Spewack. Direction by Lloyd Bacon. Warner Bros.

This hilarious satire on Hollywood, so popular on the stage, is literally translated to the screen, and the laughs depend on the dialogue which is fast and caustic. It pic- tures studio life gone mad, and the insane antics of a “half baked" personnel. Those

who remember “Once in a Life Time” will see the resemblance, for Hollywood again laughs at its own eccentricities. The treat- ment is broad, even daring. It may offend some, for the raucous comedy is far from subtle. It is intended for laughter, and the audience may for the most part respond. Per- sonal reactions will be exactly what they were to the stage version — entirely relative. Marie Wilson is excellently cast and gives an outstanding performance. Jimmy Cagney has better opportunities than Pat O’Brien but they are well paired.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Not recommended No

©

FOUR’S A CROWD O O

Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Rosalind Russell, Patric Knowles, Walter Connolly, Hugh Herbert, Herman Bing. From a story by Wallace Sullivan. Screen play by Casey Robinson and Sig Herzig. Direction by Michael Curtiz. Warner Bros.

For completely insane hilarity we recom- mend “Four’s a Crowd.” Readers will be spared our analysis of the plot for we are still a bit hazy about it all, although there is an impression left of four distinctly per- sonable young people in love, but changing the object of their affections so rapidly as to make one dizzy; of an eccentric million- aire who plays with toy trains, and of an ex- citing race between two of the models. It all makes little sense, and it doesn’t need to. The cast is superlative. Each plays his lunatic role with just the right amount of restraint, and it is difficult to pick out one without mentioning all. For highlights, possibly the scene when “man bites dog” is one, or when Errol Flynn is talking on the telephone to two sweethearts and making each believe the other call is business, or — but see it your- self for relaxation without brain work. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Good fun Confusing perhaps

but nothing ob- jectionable

©

GARDEN OF THE MOON O O

Pat O'Brien, Margaret Lindsay, John Payne, Johnnie Davis, Melville Cooper, Isabel Jeans, Mable Todd, Curt Bois, Ray Mayer, Jerry Colonna, Joe Venuti, Jimmie Fidler. Screen play by Jerry Wald and Richard Macaulay. From story by H. Bedford Jones and Barton Browne. Direction by Busby Berkeley. War- ner Bros.

John Quinn (Pat O'Brien) is the manager of a California night club. His utter lack of conscience involves him in many feuds — with his orchestra leader, the hotel owners, the union of hat checkers, and finally with Jimmy Fidler (in person) who resents the release of false news stories. Quinn is at last humbled,

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Five

although not for long! The production is a musical with a rather pretentious night club setting. It glorifies swing music and “Joe Venuti and His Swing Cats” who put in some amusing moments. It is light, hilarious at times, farcical always, and fairly enter- taining.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Passable No interest

©

I'LL GIVE A MILLION O O

Warner Baxter, Marjorie Weaver, Peter Lorre, Jean Hersholt, John Carradine, J. Edw. Bromberg, Lynn Bari. Based on a story by Cesare Zavattini and Giaci Mondaini. Screen play by Boris Ingster and Milton Sperling. Direction by Walter Lang. 20th Century- Fox.

Tony N ewlander, a young millionaire, comes to the melancholy conclusion that all who surround him are sycophants, caring only for his wealth. He dives from his mov- ing yacht, becomes a tramp, and finds the one for whom he had been seeking, a girl who can be his friend and love him for him- self alone. It is a fanciful tale, pleasing be- cause of a delightful vein of humor, good acting, and a sound appraisal of the things which are really worth while. It plays a new variation on the theme that friendship and happiness cannot be measured in dollars and cents.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes Too mature

©

LITTLE MISS BROADWAY O O

Shirley Temple, George Murphy, Jimmy Du- rante, Edna Mae Oliver, George Barbier, Edward Ellis, Phyllis Brooks, Donald Meek. Original screen play by Harry Tugend and Jack Yellen. Direction by Irving Cummings. 20th Century-Fox.

Apparently Shirley Temple must always have a vaudeville, radio, or stage back- ground to allow her to sing and dance, but it does not seem to matter much, since it is her winsome charm and her showmanship which captivate. As Betsy Brown, the adopted daughted of Pop who runs a cheap hotel patronized chiefly by actors out of jobs, she softens the heart of a wealthy and ec- centric spinster and saves the day for Pop and his roomers. The story is flimsy but adequate. Shirley handles several emotional scenes deftly and otherwise delights. George Murphy’s dancing is pleasing, and the sup- porting cast is good.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes Yes

©

LOVE FINDS ANDY HARDY O O

Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker, Fay Holden, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Ann Rutherford. From stories by Vivian R. Bretherton. Screen play by William Ludwig. Direction by George B. Seitz. M-G-M.

Here is a welcome addition to the series of pictures about the Hardy family. When

young Andy falls in love with Polly and to win her favor attempts to buy a car with- out parental permission, he gets into many difficulties and is saved from his trou- bles by a sympathetic little girl next door. (Judy Garland) She even goes to the dance with him when Polly refuses to be present and, when she is requested to sing by the band leader, performs so well that she captivates the audience. It is a wholesome and humorous story of a normal family, Lewis Stone being particularly good as the sensible, far-seeing father, Mickey Rooney most amusing as the boy Andy.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Good Interesting

©

MARIE ANTOINETTE O O

Norma Shearer, Tyrone Power, John Barry- more, Robert Morley, Anita Louise, Joseph Schildkraut, Gladys George, Henry Stephen- son. Screen play by Claudine West, Donald Ogden Stewart and Ernest Vajda. Direction by W. S. Van Dyke II. M-G-M.

In all the pageant of history there has never been a court more glittering and more extravagantly beautiful than that of Louis XVI, and if one were to read stacks of dusty volumes on the period one could not gain the living impression of that court that one obtains in viewing this production based on the life of the pampered and hapless Marie Antoinette. The story follows closely the biography of Stefan Zweig, which is prob- ably the fairest evaluation of the queen’s character and which also brings to light the influence in her life of the Swedish Count Fersen who loved her deeply and strove to avert the approaching doom. The first part of the picture is all magnificence: the lofty palace rooms at Versailles crowded with richly garbed courtiers. The costumes, pre- eminently those of Norma Shearer, set off by elaborate wigs, are gorgeous beyond those of any past production. Then faintly at first comes the murmur of the suffering and un- rest of the French people, ever recurring like a motif in a symphony, growing in volume and intensity till it breaks like a roaring sea upon the aristocrats and the ill- starred royalty. “After me the deluge” Louis XV had prophesied. The latter part of the picture is heart-rending: confinement in the Tuileries, the desperate attempt at escape, the squalid prison, the pitiless sep- aration of husband and wife, mother and son, the inexorable guillotine. Throughout the film the acting is capable. Norma Shearer in the title role develops from the careless, heartfree girl to the tragic queen of the closing scenes. Robert Morley as the king, trapped by his inferiority complex, is out- standing. John Barrymore gives one of his finest performances as Louis XV ; Tyrone Power lends the suitable romantic tone, and

Six

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Joseph Schildkraut is the soul of Latin du- plicity. So on down to the minor roles. The direction is unusually fine, and the musical score by Herbert Stothart increases the emo- tional and aesthetic values.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Good historical values Too harrowing

but rather mature

©

MEET THE GIRLS O O

June Lang, Lynn Bari, Robert Allen, Ruth Donnelly, Gene Lockhart, Erik Rhodes, Wally Vernon, Constantine Romanoff. Original screen play by Marguerite Roberts. Direc- tion by Eugene Forde. 20th Century-Fox.

This is thoroughly cheap, pointless picture about two women night club entertainers who lose their job after a brawl in a Honolulu cafe and try to make their fare back to the United States by gambling. Their adven- tures are anything but edifying.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

No No

©

MOTHER CAREY'S CHICKENS O O

Anne Shirley, Ruby Keeler, James Ellison, Fay Bainter, Walter Brennan, Donnie Duna- gan, Frank Albertson, Alma Kruger, Mar- garet Hamilton, Jackie Moran. From the novel by Kate Douglas Wiggin and the play by Kate Douglas Wiggin and Rachel Croth- ers. Screen play by S. K. Lauren and Ger- trude Purcell. Direction by Rowland V. Lee. R. K. 0. Radio.

There is something reminiscent of “Little Women” in this picture, although the period depicted is a few decades later. It has the same simplicity and charm and homespun humor, and one becomes very fond of all the members of the family from Mother Carey (Fay Bainter) to three year old Peter who is the most delightfully naughty small boy who has appeared in the films for some time. The four children call themselves Mother Carey’s Chickens because they have wandered from one place to another to be with their father, an officer in the navy. How they find a haven in a beautiful, old-fashioned home is the theme of the story. The costumes are quaint and charming, the humor is natural, and the characterizations are unusually good. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Excellent Yes

©

PASSPORT HUSBAND O O

Stuart Erwin, Pauline Moore, Douglas Fow- ley, Joan Woodbury. Based on a story by Hilda Stone. Screen play by Karen De Wolf and Robert Chapin. Direction by James Tinling. 20th Century-Fox.

This is a slapstick comedy with an involved far-fetched plot concerning a simple-minded, honest bus-boy in a cabaret, who is used as a tool by gangsters and married to a rhumba dancer to save her from deportation. In the end he becomes their nemesis. Stuart Erwin’s

characterization is the one bright spot in a tiresome film.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Not recommended No

©

PROFESSOR, BEWARE 1 O O

Harold Lloyd, Phyllis Welch, Raymond Wal- burn, Lionel Stander, William Frawley, Thurs- ton Hall. From an original story by Cramp- ton Harris, Francis M. and Marian B. Cock- rell. Screen play by Delmar Daves. Direc- tion by Elliott Nugent. Paramount.

Professor Lambert, Egyptologist, is bound for the country of the Pharoahs to procure missing tablets anent the ancient love affair of Neferus and Anebi. By mischance he lands in jail, escapes and rides the brakebeams towards his destination, in his befuddled mind identifying himself with the ancient Neferus. Miraculously enough, the modern edition of Anebi is endowed with a yacht. Like most of Harold Lloyd's pictures, this one abounds in slapstick and has many amusing adventures. It is not up to his usual standard as it drags at intervals and the comedy is sometimes forced. Rating as a family picture, it has enough hilarious episodes to keep the children diverted, although some of the ref- erences are beyond their understanding. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Yes

©

THE SHOPWORN ANGEL O O

Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Walter Pidgeon, Hattie McDaniel, Alan Curtis, Sam Levene. Based on a story by Dana Burnet. Screen play by Waldo Salt. Direction by H. C. Potter. M-G-M.

There is depth and genuine interest in this production. The story is one which has been enacted successfully on the screen before, but with the swift passage of time and pic- tures, many will have forgotten it. This version is a worthy successor. It reaches a high emotional standard and is one of the few recent productions which deserves whole- hearted praise. It takes us back to the period of the Great War when the first American divisions were embarking for overseas, and it faithfully pictures the tension and the subtle war hysteria which colored American re- actions at the time, making the most un- conventional situations seem plausible and even right. The story tells what happens to a hard, sophisticated actress whose cynical attitude toward life is completely altered when she comes in contact with a genuine, artless youth from a Western ranch, who is en route to the front. Her sacrifice for his happiness is believable, and the ending, while melodramatic, is satisfying because in no other way could his ideal have remained un- tarnished. It is beautifully produced with

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Seven

stellar performances by Miss Sullavan, James Stewart, and Walter Pidgeon. The dialogue and settings are unusually good.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Too mature Unsuitable

©

SKY GIANT O O

Richard Dix, Chester Morris, Joan Fontaine, Harry Carey. Story and screen play by Lionel Houser. Photography by Nicholas Musuraca. Direction by Lew Landers. R.K.O.

“Sky Giant” has a routine melodramatic plot and a climax which is a decided let- down. On the other hand it deals with the training of transport pilots and has several scenes of flying which are of real interest. The cast includes Richard Dix whose per- sonality registers pleasantly, Chester Morris who has not been seen frequently of late and who also is an agreeable choice, Harry

Carey who is given the unsympathetic role of an ex-army instructor whose strict dis- cipline in the aeronautical school seems too high-handed and pointless, and Miss Fontaine who is an attractive and unaffected heroine. Rivalry between Dix and Morris is the

pivotal problem, and the “simple” device of friendly divorce the panacea. Without di- vorce, what would movie plotters do to get a happy ending? The expedition over Alaska to lay out a route for transport planes is the weakest part of the picture.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Flying incidents of Too exciting and

interest little value

©

THE TEXANS O O

Joan Bennett, Randolph Scott, May Robeson, Walter Brennan, Robert Barrat, Harvey Ste- phens, Francis Ford, Bill Roberts, Raymond Hatton, Clarence Wilson. Based on a story by Emerson Hough. Direction by James Hogan. Paramount.

“The Texans” is a portrayal of conditions in Texas following the Civil War, when

the Southerners suffered innumerable injus- tices at the hands of carpet-baggers. Joan Bennett as Ivy Presnail represents the re- bellious spirit of the South. She defies the authority of the Northern interlopers and plans to drive a herd of 10,000 head of cat- tle across the Rio Grande into Mexico to escape the newly imposed tax on livestock. Kirk, an admirer, tries to convince her of the futility of such a plan, but she stubbornly persists, and the long trek starts. A grass fire, a stampede, an attack by Indians, and a dust storm harass the travelers and make a series of magnificent spectacles. But un- fortunately these scenes are not enough to make the production worth while. The con- trast between the grandeur of the setting and the triteness of the story is distressing, and the harder the actors try to make their parts effective, the more painful is the result. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Passable No

©

TIME OUT FOR MURDER O O

Gloria Stuart, Michael Whalen, Douglas Fowley, Robert Kellard, Chick Chandler, Jane Darwell, Jean Rogers, June Gale. Based on an original story by Irving Reis. Direction by H. Bruce Humberstone. 20th Century-Fox.

A telephone “time girl,” hears a shot over the phone and thus is able to give evidence to establish an alibi for her sweetheart, Johnny Martin. Why Johnny was suspected of committing a murder and who really did commit it are eventually explained, and the murderer is conveniently shot by a gangster. The plot depends on an unusual number of coincidences but it all moves .along smoothly and rapidly enough to sustain interest. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Too sophisticated and No

ethically unsound

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MOTION

PICTURE

REVIEWS

SEPTEMBER 19 3 8

CONTENTS

Always in Trouble

Army Girl

Blockheads

Broadway Musketeers

Bulldog Drummond in Africa

Carefree

The Chaser

The Crowd Roars

Four Daughters

Freshman Year

Fugitives for a Night

Gateway

Girls on Probation Give Me a Sailor I'm From the City In Old Mexico Letter of Introduction Little Tough Guy Mr. Moto's Last Warning My Lucky Star Rich Man, Poor Girl Road Demon Safety in Numbers Sing You Sinners Smashing the Rackets Spawn of the North Three Loves Has Nancy

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MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Three

	MOTION • PICTURE • REVIEWS Published monthly by THE WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY CLUB LOS ANGELES BRANCH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN
Mrs. Palmer Cook, General Co-Chairman Mrs. John Vruwink, General Co-Chairman Mrs. Chester A. Ommanney, Preview Chairman Mrs. Thomas B. Williamson, Assistant Preview Chairman Mrs. Raymond Young, Subscription Chairman Cooperating Branch Chairmen Long Beach: Mrs. H. A. Barr Whittier: Miss Jeanette Perdew Glendale: Mrs. R. T. Thayer Santa Monica: Mrs. Sheldon N. Hayden
EDITORS Mrs. Palmer Cook Mrs. J. Allen Davis Mrs. George Ryall Mrs. Walter Van Dyke Mrs. John Vruwink Address all communications to The Women’s University Club, 9+3 South Hoover Street, Los Angeles, California 10c Per Copy - - $1.00 Per Year
Vol. XII SEPTEMBER, 1938 No. 9

Copyright 1938 by Women's University Club of Los Angeles

FEATURE FILMS

ALWAYS IN TROUBLE O O

Jane Withers, Jean Rogers, Arthur Treacher, Robert Kellard, Eddie Collins, Andrew Tom- bes, Nana Bryant, Joan Woodbury. Screen play by Karen De Wolf and Robert Chapin from an original by Albert Treynor and Jeff Moffitt. Direction by Joseph Santley. 20th Century-Fox

In a proposterous mixture of melodrama and slapstick, Jane Withers plays the part of a precocious hard-boiled child who in- volves her entire family in a ship-wreck and then extricates them by a series of impossible tricks. For admirers of Miss Withers’ pic- tures this may offer passable entertainment. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Poor Undesirable

©

ARMY GIRL O O

Preston Foster, James Gleason, H. B. War- ner, Madge Evans, Neil Hamilton, Ruth Donnelly, Billy Gilbert, Guinn Williams. Direction by George Nicholls, Jr. Republic.

“Army Girl” is less about a girl than about a belligerent, hardy little tank that cavorts over the desert to prove that a tank corps is likely to be more efficient in war maneuvers than a seasoned cavalry troup. The girl is the Colonel’s daughter. When an army engineer is sent to the cavalry post to demonstrate the performance of his mini- ature tank, she plans to make the newcomer ridiculous, but falls in love with him in-

stead. As the story progresses, the bitter re- sentment of the cavalrymen and the jealousy of one officer lead to a tragedy and the court- martial of an innocent man. The plot is not the best part of the picture, but the setting is new and the race between the tank and the cavalry is thrilling. H. B. Warner gives dignity and sympathy to the role of the Colonel and Madge Evans is a pleasing heroine. Others are capable and convincing in sterotyped characterizations.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes Little interest

©

BLOCKHEADS O O

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Patricia Ellis, Billy Gilbert, Minna Gombell. Screen play by Charles Rogers, Harry Langdon, Felix Adler, James Parrott and Arnold Belgard. Direction of John G. Blystone. Hal Roach- M G. M.

Laurel remains in the trenches for twenty years, awaiting the return of his buddies who went “over the top.” He finally returns to America, is rescued from a soldiers’ home by his friend Hardy, and reciprocates by sub- merging him in a series of domestic diffi- culties. Characterized by the usual brand of slap-stick, this would make an entertaining short subject, but it contains scanty material for a full length picture.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

If they like slap-stick Yes

Four

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

BROADV/AY MUSKETEERS O O

Margaret Lindsay, Ann Sheridan, Marie Wilson, John Litel, Janet Chapman, Dick Purcell. Original screen play by Don Ryan and Kenneth Garnet. Direction by John Far- row. Warner Bros. -First National.

Three young women, Isabel, Fay, and Con- nie, agree to hold a birthday party once a year to report the main events of their lives. Isabel who is bored by too much good fortune, lets the worth while things in life escape her and ends in tragedy. Fay finds complete hap- piness because she is able to appreciate home and a good husband. Connie too finds her heart’s desire. The passage of time is ar- tistically handled. Repetition of the birthday dinners, with the variations which each year brings about, is a triumph of direction. Utilizing as it does so many of the sure fire elements of pathos, suspense, and humor, this picture is destined to be popular. Morals are obvious, but good acting and direction keep the story from being banal and preachy.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Too mature Unsuitable

©

BULLDOG DRUMMOND IN AFRICA O O

John Howard, Heather Angel, H. B. Warner, Reginald Denny, E. E. Clive, J. Carrol Naish Based on "Challenge" by H. C. McNeile. Screen play by Garnett Weston. Direction by Louis King. Paramount.

Captain Drummond is really going to marry Phyllis this time. But hold everything! When she calls for Colonel Neilson, she finds that he has been abducted and whisked away to Africa by an international spy, and the wedding party becomes a crime hunt. The first part of the film is pleasing with delight- ful English dialogue and amusing situations, but the second half is fantastic and almost too horrible for endurance. One is held in suspense for fear the kidnapped victim will be eaten alive by a starving lion which eventually claws its master to death. On the credit side are placed the fine photographic studies of Morocco and the efficient acting of H. B. Warner and John Howard.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Too brutal Too brutal

©

CAREFREE O O

Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Ralph Bellamy, Luella Gear, Clarence Kolb Screen play by Allan Scott and Ernest Pagano. Based on original idea by Marian Ainslee and Guy Endore. Direction by Mark Sandrich. R.K.O.

Here is good news for all Astaire-Rogers fans! This time Astaire is a psychiatrist who is asked to treat his best friend’s off- again-on-again fiancee, Ginger Rogers, in an effort to make her more constant. Instead of responding properly to the treatment, she

falls in love with the doctor and the fun is on. The scenario is exceptionally clever. There are several good tunes and un- usually good dance routines. Most beautiful of all is the dance done in slow motion which occurs in Ginger Rogers’ dream.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Good Good if interested

©

THE CHASER O O

Dennis O'Keefe, Ann Morriss, Lewis Stone, Nat Pendleton, Henry O'Neill. Screen play by Everett Freeman, Harry Ruskin and Bella and Samuel Spewack. Based on an original story by Chandler Sprague and Howard E. Rogers Direction by Edwin L. Marin. M. G. M.

Another racket is exposed in “The Chaser” which protrays a shyster lawyer who hunts up victims of accidents and persuades them to sue for large sums on trumped up evidence and inadequate grounds. The story concerns a plot to trap the shyster through a girl posing as an accident victim. The two fall in love, and after various complications, we are given to understand that the girl is going to succeed in reforming her husband. The film is in the pot-boiler class.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Poor No

©

THE CROWD ROARS O O

Robert Taylor, Edward Arnold, Frank Mor- gan, Maureen O'Sullivan, William Gargan, Lionel Stander, Jane Wyman. From a story by George Bruce. Screen play by Thomas Lennon, George Bruce, George Oppen- heimer. Direction by Richard Thorpe. M. G. M

With the completion of this film Robert Taylor should be established as a red-cor- puscled, tough-skinned hero, popular with sports-loving males as well as the feminine contingent. As Tommy McCoy, born in the slums, fathered by an exasperating drunkard, he fights his way upward in the only way open to him, the boxing arena. To offset his father’s debts he is forced to fight under the sponsorship of a big-time gambler and racketeer, and he falls in love with the gambler’s daughter. It is melodramatic to be sure; the beginning and the ending drag somewhat, and ethical values are not always clear cut. However, the cast is unusually good with praise due Robert Taylor, Frank Morgan, Edward Arnold, Maureen O’Sulli- van and others; there are pleasing comedy bits, and for those who are interested in prize-fighting the film is high in entertain- ment values.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Questionable Too much violence

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Five

FOUR DAUGHTERS O O

Priscilla Lane, Rosemary Lane, Lola Lane, Gale Page, Claude Rains, John Garfield, Jeffrey Lynn, Dick Foran, Frank McHugh, May Robson. Screen play by Julius J. Ep- stein and Lenore Coffee, from the Cosmo- politan story by Fannie Hurst. Direction by Michael Curtiz. Warner Bros.

“Four Daughters” has a rare charm that cannot be described by any of the stock ad- jectives usually applied to outstanding pic- tures, yet it tells a simple story so effectively that the episodes and characters will long delight the “inward eye” of cinema audi- ences. Something of the endearing quality of Little IV omen is to be found in the story of the four Lemp sisters, their delightful father and lovable old Aunt Etta. In the opening scene they are all living at home. Only one has a serious beau, and the youngest has vowed never to marry because she is so completely happy in the present that she cannot imagine ever wanting to leave the family circle. When the picture ends, love has brought both happiness and tragedy to the household but their idealism and deep mutual affection has kept their home intact. All the players are eminently satisfactory but Priscilla Lane is the most vivid of the sis- ters, and Jules Garfield, as the pathetically cynical young orchestrator, makes an unfor- gettable contribution to screen portraiture. Claude Rains, as the father, and May Robson, as Aunt Etta, are ideally cast.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes, though mature Too mature

©

FRESHMAN YEAR O O

Constance Moore, William Lundigan, Dixie Dunbar, Stanley Hughes, Ernest Truex, Frank Melton, Tommy Wonder. Original story by Thomas Ahearn and F. Murray Grossman Direction by Frank McDonald. Universal.

Amusing but negligible, “Freshman Year” will please those who are seeking comedy of the lightest type. The plot offers no innova- tions in the formula-made college pictures. Chief events pictured are the Freshman- Sophomore rush and the appearance of the Freshman edition of the college paper contain- ing a diatribe against one of the professors, fraternity pledging, and a light opera which gives an opportunity for the use of swing music. Lundigan gives a good performance as Bob; even better is Truex as the absent- minded professor.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Light fun Not much interest

FUGITIVES FOR A NIGHT O O

Frank Albertson, Eleanor Lynn, Allan Lane, Bradley Page, Adrianna Ames, Jonathan Hale, Russell Hicks, Paul Guilfoyle. Screen play by Dalton Trumble. R. K. O.

In the beginning this picture seems to be about to develop the thesis that it is nobler to run a hot-dog stand than to be the stooge for a self-centered actor. However, it shifts its course and becomes a mediocre murder mystery with a desert gambling club as back- ground. It is a waste of time.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Poor No

©

GATEWAY O O

Don Ameche, Arleen Whelan, Gregory Ratoff, Binnie Barnes, Gilbert Roland, Ray- mond Walburn, John Carradine. Based on a story by Walter Reisch. Screen play by Trotti Lamar. Direction by Alfred Werker 20th Century-Fox.

The story relates the vicissitudes of an Irish girl traveling second class on a large liner to meet her fiance in the United States. A reporter inadvertently involves her in a ship scandal which jeopardizes her chances for admission. He eventually evens the score by falling in love with her, but meanwhile there is excellent opportunity for a descrip- tive account of Ellis Island and a colorful if slightly overdrawn picture of the various types of people knocking at the gates of America. There is an interesting presenta- tion of the difficulties met by immigration officials in attempting to deal fairly and sym- pathetically with the newcomers. Although Don Ameche is agreeable as the reporter, he is not so effective as in some of his former roles. Arleen Whelan is suitably cast. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Interesting Mature

©

GIRLS ON PROBATION O O

Jane Bryan, Ronald Reagan, Anthony Aver- ill, Shelia Bromley, Henry O'Neill. Original screen play by Crane Wilbur. Direction by William McCann. Warner Bros.

“Girls on Probation” is a run-of-the-mill social drama dealing with the tribulations of a young girl who, through bad associations, has come under the jurisdiction of the Court. There is no new or interesting light shed on the problem, but the personalities of the leading players attract enough sym- pathy to hold the interest of the average on- looker.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Not good enough to Unsuitable

compensate for sordid atmosphere

Six

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

GIVE ME A SAILOR O O

Martha Raye, Bob Hope, Betty Grable, Jack Whiting. Based on a play by Anne Nichols. Screen play by Doris Anderson and Frank Butler. Direction by Elliott Nugent Para- mount.

Two sisters, one endowed with a beautiful face and the other with perfect legs and the ability to cook, are both in love with one brother, while the other brother is in love with the pretty face. It is all quite clear to begin with, but by the time affections are shifted from one to another in the quartet with the speed of a gyroscope, it takes an agile mind to follow the course of true love. Most of the parts are stagey and there is a good deal of slap-stick. Martha Raye is not so rampantly comic as usual.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Depends on taste Probably funny

©

I'M FROM THE CITY O O

Joe Penner, Richard Lane, Lorraine Krueger, Paul Guilfoyle, Kay Sutton. Story by Ben Holmes. Screen play by Nicholas T. Bar- rows, Rob't St. Clair and John Grey. Di- rection by Ben Holmes. R. K O. Radio.

Most children, a good many college stu- dents, and a lot of older people enjoy Joe Penner. For those the film is recommended; all others should be forewarned. It contains broad humor with grunts and grimaces and the antics of a moron to keep the plot rolling. Unfortunately a similar story has been used in a recent film. Pete, hampered by an unnatural horror of horses, is trans- formed into a brilliant circus rider by the hypnotic power of Ollie, who acts as his agent. Ollie eventually sells the services of this equestrian marvel to an old lady in order that he may compete in a bareback obstacle race in the wild and wooly west. The race at the end of the film with Pete holding over his head a flapping duck which emits sounds to simulate human language is simply hilari- ous whether one likes Joe Penner or not. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes Very funny

<5

IN OLD MEXICO O O

William Boyd, George Hayes, Russell Hay- den, Paul Sutton, Betty Amann. Based on story by Clarence E. Mulford. Screen play by Harrison Jacobs. Direction by Edward D. Venturini. Paramount.

Hopalong, the unfailing, avenges the death of the son of a Mexican general, in whose home he is an honored guest. The story uses all the stock situations of the usual Western, is not particularly well written or acted, but is chiefly notable for the beautiful outdoor scenes with great sweeps of country, the ex- cellent riding and the interesting views of Mexican life. The musical accompaniment adds a certain charm.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes Too exciting

LETTER OF INTRODUCTION O O

Adolphe Menjou, Andrea Leeds, Edgar Ber- gen and Charlie McCarthy, George Murphy, Rita Johnson, Ann Sheridan Screen play by Sheridan Gibney and Leonard Spigelgass. Based on an original story by Bernice Boone. Direction by John M. Stahl. Universal.

Most people will find high entertainment value in this story of the theatre. It is es- pecially well cast and expertly combines the hilarious comedy of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy with a serious and affect- ing story. Adolph Menjou plays the tragic role of John Mannering , a former matinee idol. Andrea Leeds as Kay Martin comes to him with a letter to show that she is his daughter whom he deserted as a child. Man- nering wishes to help her gain an opening in the theatre, but to reveal to the public his cleverly concealed age and the existence of a grown daughter proves too great a sacrifice. Kay’s romance and promise of success, to- gether with the comic sequences in the film, remove it from the catagory of tragedy.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Very mature — sophis- No

ticated background

©

LITTLE TOUGH GUY O O

Robert Wilcox, Helen Parrish, Marjorie Main, Jackie Searl, Peggy Stewart, Ed Paw- ley, Billy Halop, Huntz Hall, Gabriel Dell, Bernard Punsley, Hally Chester, David Gorcey. Screen play by Gilson Brown and Brenda Weisberg. Original story by Brenda Weisberg. Direction by Harold Young. Universal

Here is another picture in the boy gang cycle using the “Dead End" Kids. This time one of the boys, Johnny Boylan, is leader of a group of lower New York High School boys whose interests are aviation and whit- tling. Sensitive and intelligent, he is deeply touched when his father is taken to jail for the unintentional murder of a strike-break- ing policeman. His querulous shrew of a mother thinks only of her own disgrace, not of the family tragedy. Kay Boylan, pretty and pert, is the inevitable older sister who works as a clerk to support the others. Due to the notoriety, she loses her job and breaks her engagement, the Boylans are asked to move, and Johnny is snubbed by his friends. Within a short time after the trial which sends Jim Boylan to the death house, his fam- ily is living in poverty of a typical slum dis- trict. Johnny is selling papers, having beaten up “Pig!’ the former leader of the gang. Between editions, he learns to enjoy the gang’s tricks (swiping fruit, etc.) and grad- ually becomes thoroughly tough. With a touch of propaganda against police strike- breaking methods and court injustice, the story shows Johnny’s moral downfall due to

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Seven

poor environment. In the end, understand- ing and inherent fineness bring regeneration. The social problem is the old one of poverty and crime and their inevitable character warping. The film is necessarily sombre, though somewhat lightened by comedy touches. Due to the realistic portrayal of the boys it holds attention throughout despite its fairly obvious denouement and the fact that the solution seems too easy and simple to be entirely convincing.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

No. Needs adult Unsuitable

evaluation

©

MR. MOTO'S LAST WARNING O O

Peter Lorre, Ricardo Cortez, Virginia Field, John Carradine. Screen play by Phillip Macdonald and Norman Foster. Based on the character created by J. P. Marquand. Direction by Norman Foster. 20th Century- Fox.

A war between England and France, that is to be precipitated by a third nation, is prevented by almost superhuman efforts on the part of Mr. Moto, a Japanese special agent. The cast is good and the suspense well sustained throughout a complicated plot.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Emotional and No, too mature

involved

©

MY LUCKY STAR O O

Sonja Henie, Cesar Romero, Joan Davis, Buddy Ebsen. Screen play by Harry Tugend and Jack Yellen. Direction by Roy Del Ruth. 2Cth Century-Fox.

The story, built to display Sonja Heine’s exquisite talent, has some unpleasant features. Far from amusing are the opening scenes into which Sonia Heine is innocently thrust in the role of wrapping clerk in a specialty shop. To get her out of the way of being a correspondent in the divorce trial, she is sent by the firm to a small college to enter as a co-ed but pay her way by displaying sport clothes. These costumes provide a real fashion show, and the student’s reactions to her apparent lack of taste in changing her costumes so often and showing off her “wealth” are normal and funny. With the exception of the opening reel we may en- thuse properly over the picture with its lovely skating scenes, catchy songs, and the beau- tiful, novel and lavish Alice in Wonder- land ice ballet which has never been equalled. Joan Davis and Buddy Ebsen provide broad humor, and as a whole the picture is good family entertainment.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Good Good

RICH MAN. POOR GIRL O O

Robert Young, Lew Ayres, Ruth Hussey, Lana Turner, Rita Johnson, Don Castle, Guy Kibbee, Sarah Padden, Gordon Jones, Virginia Grey, Marie Blake. Screen play by Jos. A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov. Based on the play "White Collars" by Edith Ellis. Adapted from the story by Edgar Franklin. Direction by Rheinhold Schunzel. M. G. M

Audiences who enjoyed “White Collars” on the stage will be equally entertained by “Rich Man, Poor Girl.” The screen version is sufficiently different in treatment to seem new while it preserves the clever lines of the original and has more variety in its action. When young, good-looking Bill Harrison proposes to his pretty secretary, the set-up seems rather trite, but the amusing complica- tions come from her family who are too in- dependent to be considered objects of charity by a rich son-in-law. Only Ma, of sturdy, sea-going New England ancestry, sees Bill for what he is worth; Pa is the typical, eld- erly parent, affectionate but inarticulate; younger brother Frank, a fellow clerk in the hardware store, has aeronautical ambitions; and little sister Helen, lighthearted, ’teen-age student, is impressed by bright lights and swing music. The main complication arises from Cousin Henry, who never holds a job over three weeks, thinks he invented the middle class and is kept busy defending it loudly and often. At Ma’s suggestion Bill moves into the Thayer apartment and views the family at close range. It takes a good deal of forbearance on the part of Bill to win the family’s confidence, but he eventually does so and in the interim learns as much from them as they do from him.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Amusing Harmless, though

perhaps mature

©

ROAD DEMON O O

Henry Arthur, Joan Valerie, Henry Arm- etta, Tom Beck, Bill Robinson, Jonathan Hale. Screen play by Robert Ellis and Helen Logan. Direction by Otto Brewer. 20th Century-Fox.

Two young automobile racers are beset with almost insuperable difficulties when matched against three unscrupulous drivers on the course. The film is mediocre because of an obvious plot and stilted dialogue. The cast is rather colorless with the exception of Henry Armetta as Gamhini, the good-hearted Italian, who raises the money to rebuild a wrecked car for the two young friends. There is interest for sport fans in the racing se- quences with their attendant thrills.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Fair Unsuitable

Eight

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

SAFETY IN NUMBERS O O

Jed Prouty, Shirley Deane, Spring Bying- ton, Russell Gleason, Ken Howell, George Ernest, June Carlson, Florence Roberts, Billy Mahan, Marvin Stephens. Screen play by Joseph Hoffman, Karen DeWolf and Robert Chapin. From the original story by Dorothy Manney and Zena George Direc- tion by Malcolm St. Clair. 20th Century- Fox.

The members of the Jones family once more work out their private problems to a satisfactory conclusion and in addition save their fellow citizens from becoming the prey of a wildcat scheme to promote a mineral springs health resort in a swamp. When the swindle is accidentally discovered by Roger and Lucy, the crooks try to get away with ninety thousand dollars of the people’s money, but after a wild chase in which chil- dren and grownups aid the police, the thieves are caught and the funds recovered. The film is pleasant light entertainment.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Yes

©

SING YOU SINNERS O O

Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray, Donald O'Connor, Elizabeth Patterson. Original story and screen play by Claude Binyon. Direction by Wesley Ruggles. Paramount.

Given the task of writing a screen story to fit a crooner who is also a race track pro- moter, Mr. Claude Binyon has done a clever job. The story hangs together. The crooner croons, the horses race, and the total effect serves to build up a bigger public for Bing Crosby and the Del Mar Track, and inci- dentally to introduce a new screen family, the Beebes. Audiences will like the Beebe family consisting of Joe, the easy-going op- portunist, David, the hardworking steady brother, little Mike, and Ma, who just can’t help loving Joe best. The humorous small incidents of family life are entertainingly pictured, and the Beebe family fortunes be- come a matter of immediate concern to the sympathetic onlooker.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining, but ques- Mature

tionable ethically be- cause of race track atmosphere

SMASHING THE RACKETS O O

Chester Morris, Frances Mercer, Rita John- ston, Bruce Cabot, Edward Pawley. Sug- gested by the Saturday Evening Post ar- ticles by Forrest Davis. Screen play by Lionel Houser Direction by Lew Landers. R. K. 0. Radio.

While presumably this picture is suggested by the Saturday Evening Post articles, it soon wanders far afield, and the prosecutor of filmdom has scant resemblance to the Thomas Dewey of reality. It is an interesting, fast- moving production, however. Chester Morris plays a convincing District Attorney, and the advice is straight from the shoulder, that the public must be aroused before rackets will be cast out. The story loses value be- cause of tricky, theatrical methods employed to elicit testimony, and because of the co- incidence of two sisters becoming respectively the prosecutor’s fiance and the chief gang- ster’s love. Also the closing scene lacks dig- nity and good taste.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

No Too brutal

©

SPAWN OF THE NORTH O O

George Raft, Henry Fonda, Dorothy La- mour, Akim Tamiroff, John Barrymore, Louise Platt, Lynne Overman. Based on a story by Barrett Willoughby. Screen play by Jules Furthman. Direction by Henry Hathaway. Paramount.

Virile as the Alaskan narratives of Rex Beach or Robert Service, this picture of the far North provides strong melodrama with the elemental conflict between outlaws and those who proceed under the rules ordained by civilization. Marked by brutal encounters, it is not for the squeamish, but nevertheless is the best of its class which has appeared for some time. The spectacular scenery of the Alaskan coast with its mighty icebergs and far-flung forest land makes a splendid back- ground, the operation of the salmon fisheries an interesting foundation for a plot. Jim and Tyler have been devoted friends from child- hood till ambition leads one to ownership and greed, and a sort of gay perversity spurs the other to join the poachers. Henry Fonda and George Raft are excellent in these parts. Dorothy Lamour is well cast as the woman who adores Tyler. John Barrymore gives a vital performance, and Akim Tamiroff is a born villain. No account would be complete without mention of Slicker, the sleek and personable seal who adds many a touch of humor and pathos to the film.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Not recommended Too much violence

Strong fare

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Nine

THREE LOVES HAS NANCY O O

Janet Gaynor, Robert Montgomery, Fran- chot Tone, Guy Kibbee, Claire Dodd, Reg- inald Owen, Cora Witherspoon From the story by Lee Loeb and Mort Braus. Screen play by Bella and Sam Spewack, George Oppenheimer and David Hertz. Direction by Richard Thorpe. M. G. M.

Built upon a stock movie situation, this frothy comedy is good fun because of amus- ing dialogue and felicitous casting. Nancy, a naive Southern girl, goes to New York to

find her run-away fiance and unceremoni- ously moves into an apartment with two chance acquaintances, a conceited, blase au- thor and his publisher. Future developments are funny though not unexpected as Nancy makes herself indispensable to the comfort of her skeptical hosts and, with the homespun simplicity of her nature and her good cook- ing, wins a husband.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Too sophisticated and No

unconventional

SHORT SUBJECTS

FARMYARD SYMPHONY O O

Walt Disney. One reel in color.

With the delightful drawing and color work for which Disney is noted, all the denizens of the farm present themselves to view: pigs, ducks, chickens, little colt and calf. A black chanticleer courts a coquettish white hen by singing grand opera. Like some of the earlier shorts it contains details which are a shade on the vulgar side. Family.

DONALD'S LUCKY DAY O O

Walt Disney. One reel in color.

Donald Duck is a messenger boy sent to deliver a time bomb quite unawares. As the hour of explosion approaches, he becomes in- volved with a rare and racy looking black cat, and their altercation takes place on a see-sawing plank over the ocean’s edge, all very precarious and almost nerve-racking. Family.

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MOTION

PICTURE

REVIEWS

OCTOBER 19 3 8

CONTENTS

Boy's Town Breaking the Ice Campus Confessions Drums

Grand Illusion

Hold That Co-ed

If I Were King

A Man To Remember

The Missing Guest

Mr. Doodle Kicks Off

Personal Secretary

The Mysterious Rider

The Road to Reno

Room Service

That Certain Age

Too Hot to Handle

The Sisters

Sharpshooters

Sons of the Legion

Straight, Place and Show

You Can't Take It With You

Youth Takes a Fling

Valley of the Giants

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	MOTION • PICTURE • REVIEWS
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EDITORS Mrs. Palmer Cook Mrs. J. Allen Davis Mrs. George Ryall Mrs. John Vruwink Address all communications to The Women’s University Club, 943 South Hoover Street, Los Angeles, California 10c Per Copy - - $ 1 .00 Per Year
Vol. XII OCTOBER, 1938 No. 10

Copyright 19B8 by Women's University Club of Los Angeles

FEATURE FILMS

BOY'S TOWN O O

Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Henry Hull, Gene Reynolds, Bobs Watson, Donald Barry, Frankie Thomas, Sidney Miller. From an original story by Dore Schary and Eleanor Griffin. Screen play by John Meehan and Dore Schary. Direction by Norman Taurog. M.-G.-M.

Here is an exciting and heart-warming social drama, a story of the regeneration of homeless, derelict boys who are on their way to reformatories or worse. Unlike “Dead End” it does not limit its field of enquiry to the causes of delinquency, leaving the spectator depressed by an apparently hopeless outlook, but rather suggests positive steps toward crime prevention. The picture is based on the work of Father Flanagan, a Catholic priest who twenty-five years ago dreamed a vision and brought it to reality. “Boy’s Town” is an incorporated city near Omaha, Nebraska, where about three hundred boys from broken homes and city streets learn to live together and perfect themselves in trades. They have their own laws and gov- ernment, and proof of the value of the project lies in the fact that four thousand boys have found adjustment and happiness and are

recognized as worthy citizens in their own communities after leaving the Town.

The picture has taken a fictional boy whose criminal brother begs that he be given a chance under Father Flanagan’s influence. The boy almost persuades the priest that he is incorrigible, but Father Flanagan’s faith in him and association with the other boys effect a transformation in JVhitey. It is an emotional story, excellently played, especially by Mickey Rooney who gives a stellar per- formance. In cutting to average film length many scenes of the work done at the farm have been omitted, a loss to those interested in the constructive influences which have so much to do with strengthening character. The source of public support is only sug- gested, but the film is convincing and is a real contribution to American ideals of serv- ice to humanity. Norman Taurog’s direction deserves special mention. Spencer Tracy is as usual dependable and fine.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Fine Emotional but

constructive

Four

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

BREAKING THE ICE O O

Bobby Breen, Charles Ruggles, Dolores Cos- tello, Irene Dare, Robert Barrat, Dorothy Peterson, John King, Billy Gilbert. Original story by Fritz Falkenstein and N. Brewster Moore. Screen play by Mary C. McCall, Jr., Manuel Seff Bernard Schubert. Direction by Edward F. Cline. Principal Productions- R. K. O.

Bobby Breen beams and warbles his way from a stern Mennonite household into the limelight of an ice-skating rink where he shares honors with a very young and bril- liant skater, petite Irene Dare. His ad- ventures begin when he leaves home with a rascally but amusing antique dealer to earn enough money to rescue his widowed mother from her unhappy existence in the household of a narrow, religious brother-in-law. The plot is sketchily developed, and the picture is chiefly for those who enjoy Bobby Breen.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes Yes

©

CAMPUS CONFESSIONS O O

"Hank" Luisetti, Betty Gilmore, Eleanore Whitney, William Henry, John Arledge. Original screen play by Lloyd Corrigan and Erwin Gelsey. Direction by George Archain- baud. Paramount.

Hank Luisetti, while not the hero, is the chief asset of this picture. A novice in act- ing, he is the world’s best performer on the basketball floor, and when he raises the score twenty-one points in six minutes to win the game for the home team, there is little or no exaggeration of his amazing skill. The col- lege atmosphere is not authentic but is no worse than that of the usual campus comedy. The picture is bright and chatty, and the transformation of the Freshman misfit into the popular athlete is accomplished so nat- urally by William Henry that many people will wish him success in other roles.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes Probably not

much interest

DRUMS O O

Sabu, Raymond Massey, Roger Livesey, Valerie Hobson. Screen play by Arthur Wimperis, Patrick Kirwin and Hugh Gray. Based on an original story by A. E. W. Mason. Direction by Zoltan Korda. London Films-U. A.

“Drums" is a romantic and thrilling tale of life and death at an English outpost in India. Interest is centered in the little Indian boy, Sabu, whose graceful charm should win him many laurels. As youthful Prince Azim, he is a most appealing figure heroically aid- ing his British friends to overthrow a mur- derous usurper. International hook-ups, can-

did cameras, and the uncompromising pens of first-hand-information venders, such as Vincent Sheean, Webb Miller, and Negley Farson, have painted quite a different picture of Anglo-Indian relations, but “Drums” is exceedingly vivid fiction and carries the spectator along at a high pitch of excitement. In one scene the suspense is truly appalling. Color photography greatly enhances the mag- nificence of scenery and costumes.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Very exciting Too violent and

tense

©

GRAND ILLUSION O O

Eric von Stroheim, Pierre Fresnay, Jean Gabin, Dita Parlo. Screen play by M. Renoir and Charles Spaak. French and German dialogue, English titles. Direction by Jean Renoir. World Pictures.

Art has been defined as “a true exponent of the human spirit.” In the light of this definition, “Grand Illusion” is art in its highest form. It is a motion picture about war which is concerned not with the physical but with the spiritual aspects of war. Search- ingly it analyzes the individual reactions to- wards war and towards one another of various prisoners in a German fortress. Among them are two French officers, Captain de Boeldieu, a sensitive aristocrat who has always hated war, and Marechal, his me- chanic, a professional soldier. Von Rauffen- stcin, commandant in charge of the prison, is an intellectual with cosmopolitan tastes and an intimate knowledge of France and England. After many months, the prisoners learn to know their guards as human beings and are made sorrowful by the sight of Ger- man school boys drilling. Von Rauffenstein and de Boeldieu find that were it not for the war they might have been congenial friends, and others find companionship not because of nationality but because of similarity of tastes. Yet all of them try endlessly to escape, to go back to fighting. When at last two of them succeed, they are given shelter by a young German woman on a remote farm. One falls in love with her, promises to return when the war is over, but driven by what he has been taught to believe is his duty, leaves her and goes on to the Swiss border. Thus, war is portrayed as a sort of uni- versal madness impossible to reconcile with human inclinations, too horribly unreason- able ever to be understood by rational minds. The entire cast performs with almost in- spired conviction. The picture gives the im- pression that it is a beautifully photographed record of actual events.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Mature but Too mature

worthwhile

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Five

HOLD THAT CO-ED O O

John Barrymore, George Murphy, Marjory Weaver, Joan Davis, Jack Haley, George Barbier, Donald Meek. Original story by Karl Tunberg and Don Ettlinger. Screen play by Karl Tunberg, Don Ettlinger and Jack Yellen. Direction by George Marshall. Twentieth Century-Fox.

Always with the Fall season comes foot- ball in college stadiums and on motion pic- ture screens, but the novelty is to see John Barrymore waving a pennant and even dash- ing onto the field. We almost expect to have him don the conventional garb and carry the ball, but he is forcefully restrained from the latter gestures. The picture is an amusing satire on crooked politics and college games, in which a run-down state university is re- vamped to compete with a rival private in- stitution, the alma mater of the opposing candidate for the Senate. John Barrymore, as the absurdly unethical Governor running for the United States Senate, is hilariously disreputable. George Murphy coaches, and the co-eds follow his lead in a new tap swing step called the "Limpy Dimp.” When Lizzie Olsen (Joan Davis) carries the ball in a wind storm, the scene is guaranteed to leave the audience hysterical.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Highly entertaining Yes

©

IF I WERE KING O O

Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee, Ellen Drew, C. V. France, Alma Lloyd, Heather Thatcher, Henry Wilcoxon. From the play by Justin Huntly McCarthy. Screen play by William Tummel and Henry Scott. Musical score by Richard Hageman. Direc- tion by Frank Lloyd. Paramount.

Hilaire Belloc has said that Francois Vil- lon’s verse is “the living voice of a man right out of 15th century Paris,” and this awareness makes his legend a provocative subject for stories of romantic adventure. “If I Were King” idealizes Villon and Kath- erine de Vaucelles: Villon — University stu- dent and poet but a rascal consorting with thieves and blackguards, is led to assist Louis XI in the defence of Paris against the Burgundians; and Katherine, metamorphosed into a lovely lady-in-waiting to the Queen, follows him into exile. In settings and ac- tion we are thrust into the fascinating Paris of the Middle Ages with all its beauty and its social insecurity. While it is an enter- taining enough picture, full of action and ex- citement, the skilfully etched portrait of the crafty, amusing Louis, given by Basil Rath- bone will remain long in our memory. Among the women Ellen Drew as Hugette is by far the best.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Good Exciting, perhaps

mature for most

A MAN TO REMEMBER O O

Anne Shirley, Edward Ellis, Lee Bowman, William Henry, John Wray, Granville Bates, Harlan Briggs, Frank M. Thomas, Dickie Jones, Carole Leets, Gilbert Emery, Charles Halton. Screen play by Dalton Trumbo. From the story "Failure" by Katharine Haviland-Taylor. Direction by Garson Kanin. R. K. 0. -Radio.

Doctor Abbott was a man who walked alone — misunderstood both by business men and the members of his own profession. His life was dedicated to caring for the sick. The picture opens with his funeral procession through the main street of the small town where he practiced medicine. With only a few exceptions, the whole town looks on with grief and respect. Three of the leading busi- ness men, however, sit in an office overlook- ing the scene. They have hastened to demand payment from Doctor Abbott's estate. The impressive tribute to his memory is incom- prehensible to them because they value every- thing in money. In his box of valuables are found receipted bills, promissory notes, and other papers, and as these are examined one by one, flash-backs on the screen reveal the incidents that made up the highlights of his life. The story is a simple, moving one of altruism and perseverance, and it is told with a genuine depth of feeling. Edward Ellis as Doctor Abbott is very fine.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Depressing in parts No, too mature

©

THE MISSING GUEST O O

Paul Kelly, Constance Moore, William Lun- digan, Edwin Stanley. Based on a story by Erich Philippi. Screen play by Charles Mar- tin and Paul Perez. Direction by John Rawlins. Universal.

Commonplace murder mystery in which a reporter goes to a haunted house to investi- gate a crime committed twenty years before. Old devices are used, such as secret passages and a room from which people mysteriously disappear. The photography is unusually good.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Passable No

©

MR. DOODLE KICKS OFF O O

Joe Penner, June Travis, Richard Lane, Ben Alexander, Billy Gilbert. Story by Mark Kelly. Screen paly by Bert Granet. Direc- tion by Leslie Goodwins. R. K. 0. -Radio.

There are those who think a full length picture is too long for Joe Penner; certainly there is enough Penner in this one to satisfy his most ebullient fans. The plot is stale, all

Six

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

about a vacant-minded college student who rises to sudden glory and wins the most important football game of the season. Of course, it is all broad farce, and those who like Penner's brand of humor will enjoy it without a doubt.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Matter of taste Would probably enjoy it

PERSONAL SECRETARY O O

Story by Betty Laidlow and Robert Lively. Screen play by Betty Laidlaw, Robert Live- ly and Charles Grayson. Direction by Otis Garrett. Universal. Cast: William Gargan, Joy Hodges, Andy Devine, Ruth Donnelly.

In the movies, when a man meets a lady rival in the newspaper field, he is bound to marry her no matter how much she irritates him at the start. So it happens in this story, the chief variation from the set formula be- ing the fact that the lady is a dabbler in astrology who writes under the name of The Comet and is convinced that a darkly tragic female did not murder her husband, although all the evidence reviewed by Mark Farrell indicates that she did. The picture has en- tertainment value because the characters are individuals, clearly drawn; the dialogue is fitting, and the direction is lively.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Only fair Too mature

©

THE MYSTERIOUS RIDER O O

Douglas Dumbrille, Sidney Toler, Russel Hayden, Charlotte Fields, Monte Blue. Original story by Zane Grey. Screen play by Maurice Geraghty. Direction by Lesley Selander. Paramount.

Pecos Bill, who takes from the rich to give to the poor, an outlaw for the reason that twenty years earlier he was unjustly accused of the murder of his partner, returns to his former domains to thwart the dark charac- ters who are robbing his long-lost daughter. There is high action, with shooting and vil- lainy. Beautiful camera views of fine West- ern country, a pleasing musical score, and the good characterization by Douglas Dum- brille as the Rider are the best points of the film. Gun battles are prolonged and the fist fights between the hero and villain grow tiresome.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Above average Too much killing

Western

©

THE ROAD TO RENO O O N

Randolph Scott, Hope Hampton, Helen Broderick, Alan Marshall, Glenda Farrell. Story by Charles Kenyon and F. Hugh Her- bert. Screen play by Roy Chanslor and Adele Comandini. Direction by S. Sylvan Simon. Universal.

Low in ethical value is the story of a thrice married opera singer who hies herself to Reno to divorce her rancher husband for an aviator, and then cannot decide which one she loves. Hope Hampton has a beautiful voice, but her acting lacks conviction. Ran- dolph Scott is good as the rancher, Glenda Farrell amusing as the singer’s rival. Fine photography of the range country with ex- citing views of a round-up of horses by aeroplane adds color to the film and com- pensates somewhat for the dull and tawdry scenes of the divorce court.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Objectionable theme Impossible

ROOM SERVICE O O

Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Lucille Ball, Ann Miller, Frank Albertson. Screen play by Morrie Ryskind. From the play by John Murray and Allan Boretz. Direction by William A. Seiter. R. K. O. -Radio.

The Marx Brothers, with their grotesque make-up, are often very funny, but not in “Room Service.” This is probably the fault of the vehicle. It is no subject for the sort of travesty in which such comedians might shine, but a broad farce dependent for laughs upon the predicament of a theatrical producer continually thinking up new ruses to keep himself and several companions from being evicted from a hotel bedroom. There are a few bright spots, but only the fans who love the Marxes right or wrong are likely to be pleased by this silly, monotonous picture. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children. 8 to 12

Waste of time No

©

THAT CERTAIN AGE O O

Deanna Durbin, Melvyn Douglas , Jackie Cooper, Irene Rich, Nancy Carroll, John Halliday, Jackie Searl, Juanita Quigley. Original story by F. Hugh Herbert. Screen play by Bruce Manning. Direction by Ed- ward Ludwig. Universal.

Deanna Durbin feels the first heartbeats of romance in this delightful story of a sub- deb who finds a hero in a newspaper re- porter wounded in the Spanish war. Her entries in her beloved diary are typical of a sixteen-year-old, things written in all seri- ousness which seem very funny in the light of mature years. When she attempts to attract Vincent Bullit (Melvyn Douglas) by wearing her mother’s sophisticated, strapless evening gown, the grown-ups, including the object of her affections, decide the matter has gone too far. They are aided by Ken (Jackie Cooper), her Boy Scout admirer, who is only too glad to welcome her back to her regular activities and associations of her own age. Miss Durbin's singing adds a large measure of charm to the picture. The supporting cast is very pleasing.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Excellent Yes

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Seven

TOO HOT TO HANDLE O O

Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Walter Pidgeon, Walter Connolly, Leo Carillo. Screen play by Lawrence Stallings and John Lee Mahin. Based on story by Len Hammond. Direction by Jack Conway. M. G. M.

“To Hot To Handle” is certainly enter- taining if you like thrill upon thrill. It is not a significant contribution. It does not fall into the class with “Test Pilot” in which Clark Gable and Myrna Loy recently ap- peared, but interest never lags. The picture is melodrama from first to last. It is like an old-fashioned serial, chapter after chapter, each more exciting than the last. It purports to picture the adventures of news-reel re- porters in China amidst bombing warfare, airplane crashes and blazing rescues; in America, flying over an exploding munitions ship; in Dutch Guiana among savage tribes from whom they miraculously escape. But film technique is employed to perfection, giv- ing us our money’s worth of vicarious ad- venture, and no one can call it dull! The cast is excellent, with special praise for Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Walter Pidgeon, and Walter Connolly.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Thrilling as fictional Very exciting

adventure

(£•

THE SISTERS O O

Errol Flynn, Bette Davis, Anita Louise, Ian Hunter, Donald Crisp, Beulah Bondi, Jane Bryan, Alan Hale, Lea Patrick, Laura Hope Crews, Janet Shaw. From the novel by Myron Brinig. Screen play by Milton Krims. Direction by Anatole Litvak. Warner Bros. Warner Bros.

In a time when family solidarity is ap- parently the one great security on which to pin one’s faith, motion pictures have given us a number of worthwhile illustrations. The theme of “Sisters” attempts to show the tie which bound three girls, different in their characteristics and ambitions but intimately close in their affection and in their under- standing of each other. Unfortunately the pic- ture becomes simply the love story of one. Most footage is given Louise, the eldest, whose belief in herself and faith in another’s powers of accomplishment find tragic disap- pointment in her marriage to a lovable wastrel. Errol Flynn is cast as a moody newspaper reporter whose indolence, love of wandering and taste for liquor cause heart- break and defeat. Mr. Flynn is palpably miscast, and Miss Davis rarely rises to the dramatic heights with which we connect her name because of past performances, al- though she is always competent. The story has been popular with the reading pub-

lic, and yet to many the book lacked the unity and strength which would indicate greatness. In the cinema version the inci- dents which mould the lives of the other two sisters are too casually sketched to seem in any way significant or real, and the ending, differing from the novel, leaves the spectator in no way convinced that happiness is as- sured to any of the girls. Credit is due to Laura Hope Crews, for her short role stands out as a brilliant achievement.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Little interest No interest

Si

SHARPSHOOTERS O O

Brian Donlevy, Lynn Bari, Wally Vernon, John King, Douglas Dumbrille, C. Henry Gordon, Martin Joseph Spellman, Jr. Story by Maurice Rapf and Lester Ziffren. Screen play by Robert Ellis and Helen Logan. Di- rection by James Tinling. 20th Century- Fox.

American news-reel photographers find in- trigue and revolution in the Balkans. Bullets fall like hail, assassinations are the order of the day, but the camera grinds on, and while Steve Mitchell, the newsman, keeps faith with his employer, he also finds time to res- cue the boy-king, dabble in romance with the royal governess and restore peace and pros- perity to the realm. Such a noisy, frantic picture with the leading parts overplayed, often lacking in dignity and a sense of fitness, has little to offer. One receives the impression that it has been hastily thrown together. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

No No

©

SONS OF THE LEGION O O

Donald O'Connor, Billy Lee, Billy Cook, Evelyn Keyes, Elizabeth Patterson, Tim Holt, Lynne Overman, William Frawley. Original story and screen play by Lillie Hayward, Lewis Foster and Robert F. Mc- Gowan. Direction by James Hogan. Para- mount.

The appeal of this film lies in the group of clean-faced, shining-eyed youngsters such as Billy Lee and Billy Cook. Equally en- gaging, if unkempt, is Donald O’Connor as a guttersnipe who reforms. His slang version of the story of David and Goliath is a gem. The picture contains a good deal of propa- ganda for an organization of sons of Ameri- can Legion members, showing their patriotism, comradeship and assistance to the less for- tunate in life. There is a less pleasant side of the story when we see these mere babes parading around in uniform just as they do in Mussolini’s Italy, and when we see them careening over the roads in an automobile at breakneck speed in pursuit of a murderous convict.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Passable Bad ideas as

well as good

Eight

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

STRAIGHT, PLACE AND SHOW O O

Ritz Brothers, Richard Arlen, Ethel Mer- nan, Phyllis Brooks. Based on a play by Damon Runyan and Irving Caesar. Screen play by M. M. Musselman and Allen Riv- kin. Direction by David Butler. 20th Cen- tury-Fox.

This is a noisy affair, crammed with the crazy antics of the Ritz Brothers, who sing shout, gesticulate, grimace, roll in the mud and keep up a perpetual jamboree. Their fans will find them excruciatingly funny, and others will laugh sometimes in spite of them- selves. The steeple-chase at the end is a perfect riot. In the film they are three itin- erant owners of a Shetland pony outfit who fall heirs to a spirited racehorse because of a wager between the owner and her fiance. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

If they like the Would probably

Ritz Brothers enjoy the

clowning

©

YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU O O

Lionel Barrymore, Spring Byington, Jean Arthur, Jimmy Stewart, Edward Arnold, Miscna Auer, Ann Miller. From the stage play by George Kaufman and Moss Hart. Screen play by Robert Riskin. Direction by Frank Capra. Columbia.

So much has been said and written of this popular comedy that further comment seems almost redundant. However, in our opinion, the picture is even better than the stage play, for it enlarges on the action, further ex- plains Grandpa’s endearing personality, and amplifies the principles which influence those who come in contact with him and his unique and positive philosophy. The production is perfectly cast throughout, and direction of its mad pace is faultless, bringing to the whole a reality and an honesty which strike a spiritual significance. Lionel Barrymore needs no additional laurels for his crown, but his performance is possibly the finest in his career. The choice of Jimmy Stewart is ideal, and the love scene in the park between him and Jean Arthur leaves a memory to be treasured for its exquisite simplicity. Each spectator will find in the picture something different perhaps, but to all it will surely bring a realization that the world can be a

beautiful place to live in when greed and cruelty are superseded by the simple rule of charity to all.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Excellent Yes

©

YOUTH TAKES A FLING O O

Andrea Leeds, Joel McCrea, Frank Jenks, Dorothea Kent, Isabel Jeans. Screen play by Myles Connelly. Direction by Archie Mayo. Universal.

No matter how strongly a country boy desires to spend his life on the bounding sea, he cannot elude a girl who has burned a candle to St. Joseph and prayed to find the man of her dreams. Joe Meadows struggles valiantly and tries every method he knows from indifference to downright rudeness, but in the end he is not equal to determined little Helen. The way it is all worked out furnishes good comedy, and the cast is pleas- ing. It is a simple story of everyday people whose reactions to various situations are true to life.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes Little interest

©

VALLEY OF THE GIANTS O O

Wayne Morris, Claire Trevor, Charles Bick- ford, Alan Hale, John Litel. From the story by Peter B. Kyne. Direction by William Keighley. Warner Bros.

Here is a rousing frontier melodrama dis- tinguished by spectacular color photography of giant redwood forests and picturesque scenes of tree felling and log rolling. The scenario follows a traditional formula: es- tablished settlers battle for their homesteads against the invasion of land grabbing lumber barons; when an appeal to the law proves futile, dams are blown up, trains are wrecked, and men are shot and hurled from cliffs — which is all very thrilling and realistic even though the outcome is obviously foreordained. The film contains a distinct plea for forest conservation and gives a clear idea of the problem that confronted the pioneer lumber- men. It is good entertainment of its type. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Exciting and

violent

SHORT SUBJECTS

New releases from the Walt Disney Studio which we recommend to your attention for

the entire family.

THE UGLY DUCKLING O O Running time 9 minutes.

For almost a hundred years this Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale has been a favorite. The story concerns the plight of a homely little fowl, hatched in the midst of a

brood of ducklings. Lonely and unloved, he finds life bitter until he is at last enfolded under the wing of a motherly and beautiful swan and he discovers that he is really a cygnet. This Disney production is exquisite in execution and in sentiment. It is a musical gem also and a beautiful presentation of the original.

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Nine

GOOFY AND WILBUR ❖

Running time 8 minutes.

Wilbur is a delightful, new character and as much of an individual as any of the be- loved Disney creations. Wilbur is a grass- hopper, a pal of Goofy, whom he helps in his fishing activities. But danger lurks!! H is adventures are hilariously funny.

©

THE FARMYARD SYMPHONY O O

Running time 8 minutes.

This deals with a day in the lives of typical barnyard animals, and the picture catches their individual characteristics with fascinating fidelity to nature. “Even cultural die-hards who consider grand opera prac- tically sacred” will have to admit that this musical burlesque is uniquely and delight- fully entertaining.

Q

DONALD'S LUCKY DAY O <>

Running time 8 minutes.

Friday the 13th catches up with Donald, who plays the role of messenger boy trying to deliver a time bomb before it explodes. Typical of the usual difficulties into which the beloved Donald always seems to get himself, this is hysterically funny.

©

THE PRACTICAL PIG O O

Running time 8 Vi minutes.

The demand to continue the adventures of the popular Three Little Pigs has been so great that another sequel has been devised. The one wise pig evolves a lie detector which manages to save his less practical brothers from the wicked wolf, but in pun- ishing them for their naughtiness it also proves a boomerang to the inventor. Very amusing.

THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR O O

Running time 8 minutes.

Grimm Brothers again furnish a tale for the magic of the Disney paint pots. In the role of the tailor, Mickey's usual bravado gets him into a dangerous situation when his innocent boasting indicates that he must be the choice to kill the wicked giant. The set- ting for this story is a novel departure with elaborate backgrounds and milling “extras.” Minnie also returns to the screen. It is an enjoyable and exciting short, sure to thrill young and old alike.

©

MOTHER GOOSE GOES HOLLYWOOD O

Running time 8 minutes.

“Although you will probably see many a face that might seem vaguely familiar, we must insist that any resemblance to charac- ters living or dead is purely accidental.” So runs the caption which sets the style for this delicious burlesque. The well-known Holly- wood stars come to life as nursery characters. Bo Peep’ s resemblance to Katherine Hepburn is a masterpiece. The picture is of greatest appeal to audiences who can recognize the characters.

©

FERDINAND THE BULL O O

Running time 8 minutes.

Here the Disney artists give their version of the Munro Leaf-Robert Lawson “best seller.” The studio’s purchase of the screen rights to “Ferdinand” marks the first time that the studio has ever purchased an out- side work to be used as basis for a short subject. The book's popularity with adults as well as children arouses great anticipa- tion for the picture and indicates the popular appeal which it deserves. The lines are read, the action follows on the screen. It is of course very clever and is an artistic achievement.

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MOTION

PICTURE

REVIEWS

NOVEMBER 19 3 8

CONTENTS

Angels With Dirty Faces

Annabel Takes a Tour

The Arkansas Traveler

Artists and Models Abroad

Brother Rat

The Citadel

Down on the Farm

Five of a Kind

The Great Waltz

King of Alcatraz

Listen, Darling

The Mad Miss Manton

Men With Wings

Stablemates

Submarine Patrol

Suez

There Goes My Heart Touchdown, Army!

Vacation From Love While New York Sleeps Young Dr. Kildare The Young in Heart

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Vol. XII NOVEMBER, 1938 No. 11

Copyright 1938 by Women's University Club of Los Angeles

FEATURE FILMS

ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES O O

James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Humphrey Bo- gart, Ann Sheridan, George Bancroft, Billy Halop, Bobby Jordan, Frankie Burke, Will- iam Tracy, Marily Knowlden. From a story by Rowland Brown. Screen play by John Wexley and Warren Duff. Direction by Michael Curtiz. Warner Brothers

If this film could be shown only to audi- ences who are mentally equipped to evaluate its contents and who could be roused by its heart-breaking picture of slum boys to take row. It is however extremely well acted, and action against existing evils, it might be ethic- ally justifiable. But for general release it is bad. It is a return to the old type of gangster film with a quick-thinking hero who attracts sympathy and a certain degree of admiration. The story is the usual one of the street gangs of today who become the gangsters of tomor- row. It is however extremely well acted, and the development of the plot holds unusual interest. The main characters are the priest, Father Connolly, and the gangster, Rocky Sullivan, who have grown up in the same slum and who as boys belonged to the same tough gang. Father Connolly is working to save the boys from the influences of their environment, but the gangster is their idol.

When Rocky is finally captured and about to die in the electric chair, Father Connolly pleads with him to give up his spirit of bravado and go to his death apparently yel- low and afraid, in order to make the boys think that after all their hero is a coward at heart. While this might influence the boys in the picture who did not know the real facts, to the boys in the audience it would seem like a noble gesture on the part of Rocky and would serve only to enhance their admiration for him. If the idea of this film is to show that crime does not pay, it cer- tainly falls far short of the mark. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Bad Impossible

©

ANNABEL TAKES A TOUR O O

Jack Oakie, Lucille Ball, Ruth Donnelly, Bradley Page, Ralph Forbes, Frances Mercer, Donald MacBride. Screen play by Bert Gra- net and Olive Cooper. Story by Joe Bigelow and Bert Granet. Direction by Lew Lander. RKO Radio.

Films making fun of movie stars and pub- licity agents have become too familiar to excite much interest. Although lightly en- tertaining and capably acted, this one is no exception to the rule. It tells a farcical

Four

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

story of a temperamental actress on a per- sonal appearance tour and of the desperate efforts of her publicity agent to concoct a few new stunts.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Sophisticated No

©

THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER O O

Bob Burns, Fay Bainter, John Beal, Jean Parker, Lyle Talbot, Irvin S. Cobb, B. F. Allen, Dickie Moore, Ralph Remley. Based on a story by Jack Cunningham. Screen play by Viola Brothers Shore and Geo. Sessions Perry. Direction by Alfred Stantell. Paramount.

In a story much like those in which Will Rogers used to play, the problems of a small town family, economic and romantic, are solved by a big-hearted and surprisingly capable hobo. Bob Burns is the traveler who arrives via the brake beams to take charge of a newspaper owned by the widow of an old friend and to help her win the fight against unscrupulous politicians. Bob Burns’ drawling stories and homely maxims lend flavor to the tale, Fay Bainter’s acting is excellent, and the other parts are well taken. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Good comedy Yes

©

ARTISTS AND MODELS ABROAD O O

Jack Benny, Joan Bennett, Mary Boland, Charles Grapewin, Joyce Compton, The Yacht Club Boys. From an original story by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Screen play by Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse and Ken Englund. Direction by Mitchell Leisen. Paramount.

Under the aegis of Paramount, instead of six delicious flavors, Jack Benny brings to the screen the same ludicrously arrogant personality that delights his radio audience. The farcial elements of the picture become immediately apparent when a theatrical troupe stranded in France finds that there is no Federal Theatre Project there. The plot rollicks along until it is interrupted by a welter of Lanvin, Schiaparelli, Patou and Worth and concludes with a variation on the usual procedure by permitting Jack to get his girl.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Yes

<©

BROTHER RAT O O

Wayne Morris, Priscilla Lane, Johnnie Davis, Jr., Jane Bryan, Eddie Albert, Ronald Rea- gan, Jane Wyman. Screen play by Richard Macaulay and Jerry Wald. From the play by John Monks, Jr., and Fred F. Finklehoffe. Direction by William Keighley. Warner Brothers.

At Virginia Military Institute, classmates are known to one another as brother rats; hence the title of this clever comedy. We are told that the authors of the original stage play

were brother rats themselves when they start- ed to write the play, which might well account for its unusual spontaneity, its rare under- standing of the devious workings of young minds, and its seeming omniscience in matters of student mischief after taps. The boys who hold the spotlight are three roommates. One is a swaggering resourceful youth with a too fertile imagination, who is continually getting the others into scrapes. When the picture opens the big baseball game and a prom are about to take place and commencement is not far off. Visiting girls are in town, and the temptation to go calling after taps is more than the boys can withstand. How each escapade leads to another until one boy al- most loses his diploma is told in a series of hilarious scenes with here and there some really poignant bits, for their problems are sometimes extremely serious. The cast as a whole is good, but Eddie Albert who played in the New York stage production is out- standing. Wayne Morris as Billy Randolph, the ringleader in breaking the rules, has a less pleasing role, for his misdeeds include such unethical behaviour as betting with other people’s money and pawning govern- ment property.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Needs mature analysis Questionable

©

THE CITADEL O O

Robert Donat, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Rich- ardson, Emlyn Williams, Rex Harrison, Pene- lope Dudley Ward, Francis Sullivan, Mary Clare, Cecil Parker, Nora Swinburne, Ed- ward Chapman, Athene Seyler, Felix Aylmer, Joyce Bland, Percy Parsons, Dilys Davis, Basil Gil, Joss Ambler. Based on the novel “THE CITADEL" by A. J. Cronin. Screen play by Ian Dalrymple, Frank Wead and Elizabeth Hill. Additional dialogue by Em- lyn Williams. Direction by King Vidor. Pro- duced by Victor Saville. M-G-M.

Among the hundreds of motion pictures released yearly, a few are arresting because of originality in plot and treatment. “The Citadel” is one of these. Adapted from a notable best-seller, it must not be accepted as a picture of the medical profession as a whole, but rather as the experiences of one man, the tests which he had to meet, his personal reactions, and his eventual realiza- tion of the true significance of his professional oath. It is a deeply stirring tale. Set first in the crude locale of the Welsh coal mines, and then in London where the lure of wealth and social prestige attracts him, it has the added interest to American audi- ences of having been actually made in Great Britain against authentic backgrounds. Not often would these varied experiences fall to the lot of one man, but each is en- tirely possible and they are the more ab- sorbing because the story glorifies the men who go through fire and emerge triumphant

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Five

in a line of work of unparalleled importance to laymen. Robert Donat brings to the leading role convincing earnestness and sin- cerity and sterling ability as an actor. Rosa- lind Russell ably qualifies in the role of the well-bred, idealistic wife who remained true to her convictions and high standards. The English cast is outstanding, particularly Ralph Richardson as Denny. It is unusual to find such careful casting and skilful di- rection. In altering the novel for the screen adaption the scenarists worked with the ad- vice and approval of Dr. Cronin. The changes in no way affect the original mo- tivation and do not detract from essential values. The production is dignified and unusually worthwhile and has a rare com- bination of emotional and intellectual appeal. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Interesting though Mature

possibly mature

©

DOWN ON THE FARM O O

(The Jones Family) Jed Prouty, Spring Byington, Louise Fazenda, Russell Gleason, Florence Roberts, June Carlson, Dorris Bow- den, Bille Mahon, George Ernest. Screen play by Robert Ellis and Helen Logan. Di- rection by Malcolm St. Clair. Twentieth Century-Fox.

We hate to see the Jones Family get too far away from normal living and familiar ex- periences. However, John Jones (Dad) is a blustering soul who seems to get himself into unpredictable difficulties. Now he is to run for the State Senate, his suitability for the job being dependent on his skill as a corn husker. It is broad and noisy farce, ac- ceptable but not outstanding entertainment. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes No great interest

9

FIVE OF A KIND O O

The Dionne Quintuplets, Jean Hersholt, Claire Trevor, Cesar Romero, Slim Summer- ville, Henry Wilcoxon, Inez Courtney, Jane Darwell. Original story by Lou Breslow and John Patrick. Direction by Herbert I. Leeds. Twentieth Century-Fox.

The appearance of the miracle children, the Dionne Quintuplets, would make any film worth seeing. The sequences in which they appear are utterly delightful. They are apparently as simple and unconscious be- fore the camera as ever and their sly hu- mor and charm are captivating. In this they sing, attempt a minuet, bathe dolls and put them capably to bed, and serve tea. They show careful and intelligent training which is heart-warming. The story which holds together the sequences about the children is one of adults struggling by fair means and foul to outwit each other in newspaper com- petition. In comparison with the wholesome,

normal activities of the little girls, it seems particularly banal, although it is no worse than most pictures dealing with the accepted movie version of modern business methods.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes No special value

©

THE GREAT WALTZ O O

Luise Rainer, Fernand Gravet, Militza Korjus, Hugh Herbert, Lionel Atwill, Curt Bois, Leonid Kinskey, Al Shean, Minna Gombell, George Houston, Bert Roach, Greta Meyer, Herman Bing, Alma Kruger, Henry Hull, Sig Rumann, Christian Rub. Original story by Gottfried Reinhardt. Screen play by Samuel Hoffenstein and Walter Reisch. Music of Johann Strauss, II. Adapted and arranged by Dmitri Tiomkin. Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, II. Direction by Julien Duvivier. M-G-M.

The gaiety of Strauss’ music pervades the action as well as the score of this delight- ful film, and Fernand Gravet presents a dynamic portrait of young Johann Strauss, II., whose personality and dance music took Vienna by storm. Although the elder Strauss had composed several hundred waltzes, it was the son who earned the title of “Waltz King” and who caught the imagination of the people. The picture has a modernity un- usual in costume drama. One almost has the feeling that it is another “Alexander’s Rag- time Band” of a different era. Interwoven with the music and gaiety is a somber theme, for dainty Luise Rainer plays the role of a loving and neglected wife. Militza Korjus makes her screen debut as the glittering courtesan Carla Donner, a scheming prima donna who succeeds in entangling Strauss in a notorious love affair. She has a brilliant coloratura soprano, and her singing will be to many, a major attraction to the picture. Though the continuity leaves something to be desired and there are several instances of carelessness in direction, the picture is un- usually diverting entertainment. It is lavish and fanciful, charming in many details, and outstanding for its lovely music.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Sophisticated Too mature

©

KING OF ALCATRAZ O O

Gail Patrick, Lloyd Nolan, J. Carrol Naish, Robert Preston. Story and screen play by Irving Reis. Direction by Robert Florey. Paramount.

The name of the film is derived from the villain of the story, a convict who escapes from Alcatraz in the guise of an old lady, and with the help of his gang gains com- plete control of a freighter. However the main characters of the film are the two radio operators, rivals for the love of the ship’s nurse, who strives to send out messages for help. When one of them is wounded, the nurse, with miraculous precision, performs an

Six

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

operation according to directions received by wireless from the surgeon on another ship. With plenty of action, well-written dialogue and good photography the picture holds in- terest, although various episodes are over- done. In spite of the fact that the heroes of the tale are radio men, there is too much emphasis on the clever tactics of gangsters. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Unwholesome Decidedly not

©

LISTEN. DARLING O <>

Judy Garland, Freddie Bartholomew, Mary Astor, Walter Pidgeon, Alan Hale, Scotty Beckett, Barnett Parker, Gene Lockhart, Charley Grapewin. Screen play by Elaine Ryan and Anne Morrison Chapin. From the story by Katherine Brush. Direction by Edwin L. Marin. M-G-M.

Freddie Bartholomew is no longer a little boy. In this picture he is seen as a lanky youth, driving a car and trailer along the highway when he conspires with Pinkie Win- gate (Judy Garland) to save her mother, Dottie, from a marriage of convenience with the town “Babbitt.” The picture is mildly entertaining, giving Judy Garland an op- portunity to sing, Mary Astor a chance to appear as a sweetly sympathetic mother, and supplying Walter Pidgeon with an ingratiat- ing role as Mr. Thurlo'w who turns out to be the solution to the problem. Freddie Bartholomew has not an outstanding role but handles his opportunities very well in- deed, and Alan Hale as a nice god-fatherish sort of person, has some amusing scenes with little Scotty Beckett.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Fairly entertaining Passable but not

particularly

interesting

THE MAD MISS MANTON O O

Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Sam Lo- vene, Frances Mercer, Stanley Ridges, Whit- ney Bourne, Vicki Lester, Ann Evers, Cath- erine O'Quinn, Linda Terry, Eleanor Hansen, Hattie McDaniels, James Burke, Paul Guil- foyle. Penny Singleton, Leona Maricle, Kay Sutton. Story by Wilson Collison. Screen play by Philip G. Epstein. Direction by Leigh Jason. RKO Radio.

This is a type of picture seldom encount- ered, a farcial murder mystery. It is an utterly absurd, madcap affair with Henry Fonda and Baibara Stanwyck and her bevy of richly attired debutantes having the time of their lives from beginning to end. The plot is so wild and complicated that it is difficult to follow, but nobody cares very much. A spoiled darling, airing her dogs at midnight, steps into an empty residence in New York City and discovers a diamond

clip beside a murdered man, and the chase is on! Enjoyment of the picture is wholly a matter of taste. Some will recall Stanwyck and Fonda in fine serious characterizations and regret their performance in a “screw- ball” production. Others will revel in laughter.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Not recommended Too complex

©

MEN WITH WINGS O O

Fred MacMurray, Ray Milland, Louise Camp- bell, Andy Devine, Lynne Overman, Porter Hall, Walter Abel, Kitty Kelley, Virginia Weidler, Donald O'Connor, Billy Cook. Screen play by Robert Carson. Photographed by W. Howard Greene, A. S. C. and Wilfrid M. Cline. Direction by William Wellman. (Photographed in technicolor) Paramount.

“Men With Wings” falls somewhat short of having epic quality, but it is a fine, dra- matic story, arranged to point to significant steps in the progress of aviation from the time of the Wright Brothers’ flight down to the present day. It would require an intimate knowl- edge of aviation history to be familiar with all the types of planes which are flashed on the screen or to remember all the significant flights which are brought to mind. The open- ing scenes, however, have the greater sympa- thetic interest. We are introduced to Nick Ransom, a newspaper man who gives up his job to concentrate on developing a flying ma- chine, and to two small boys who, inspired by Ransom, experiment with a kite which will carry a passenger. They send up a little girl (Ransom's daughter), because of her lighter weight, and this episode is thrilling and beautifully acted by the children. Ransom builds his plane but is killed in its first flight, leaving a warning to future aviators to turn off the ignition when falling. For the next thirty-five years the two boys and the girl unimbittered by the tragedy in their youth, hold to their belief in the future of flying. The girl encourages and inspires the boys, until one becomes a successful designer of aero- planes, and the other interested only in flying, follows the lure of adventure. Although the human story is interesting and cleverly etches the different characters of the men and their relations to the woman, never-the-less it some- what obscures the story of aviation.

The cast is excellent. The children, es- pecially Virginia Weidler, are splendid and Louise Campbell is lovely to look at and con- vincing at every stage from young girlhood to maturity. The color is unusually soft and natural and many scenes are exceptionally beautiful. It is an interesting film for the family but the death of the aviator-inventor is realistically sad for young children. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Excellent Depends on in-

dividual

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Seven

STABLEMATES O O

Wallace Berry, Mickey Rooney, Arthur Hohl, Margaret Hamilton. Screen play by Leonard Braskins and Richard Maibum. From the story by William Thiele and Reginald Owen. Direction by Sam Wood. M-G-M.

Here is a story replete with human inter- est, the regeneration of a derelict through affection for a boy. As the stable boy who has been presented with a supposedly worth- less race-horse, Mickey Rooney is appealing in his youthful anxiety to make his horse win. He has ideal support in Wallace Beery cast in a familiar role to which he is per- fectly suited. The story gets under way with difficulty but once the pace it set, action is at top speed, and excellent comedy develops in the sequences involving Margaret Hamil- ton. Spectators are treated to views of Holly- wood Park and Santa Anita racetracks and to close-ups of Dauber, Seabiscuit and other front rank favorites in their stalls. The operation on Lady Q and the race she wins are two scenes unsurpassed for suspense. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children. 8 to 12

Entertaining Questionable

©

SUBMARINE PATROL O O

Richard Greene, Nancy Kelly, Preston Fos- ter, George Bancroft, Slim Summerville, John Carradine, Joan Valerie, Henry Ar- metta, Warren Hymer, Douglas Fowley, J. Farrell MacDonald, Maxie Rosenbloom, Dick Hogan, E. E. Clive, Ward Bond, Charles Tannen, Robert Lowery, George E. Stone, Elisha Cook, Jr., Jack Pennick, Charles Trow- bridge, Moroni Olsen, Harry Strang, Victor Varconi. From a book by Ray Milholland. Screen play by Rian James, Darrell Ware and Hans Peters. Direction by John Ford, Darryl Zanuck in charge of production. Twentieth Century-Fox.

“Submarine Patrol” harks back to the World War when little wooden boats known as the “Splinter Fleet” convoyed ships and dropped bombs on enemy submarines. Though it contains several thrilling sequences of encounters at sea and vividly dramatizes the hazards of life on submarine chasers, it is intrinscially a narrative of the experiences of Perry Townsend, III., who learned all about motors on his father’s yacht but noth- ing about discipline, and enlisted in the navy as a chief engineer under the im- pression that he would soon become an ad- miral. In the beginning a great deal too much footage is devoted to his insufferable bumptiousness, but when the ship pulls out to sea the story becomes both exciting and amusing. The group of seasoned actors who are cast as the greenhorn crew are re- sponsible for a good deal of the success of the picture. Of course Townsend is in love with a girl, and their romance plays a con- siderable part in the action. The highlight of the film is the battle between the sub-

marine chaser and a German U-boat. With the passage of time, movies of the World War seem to be trying to avoid attitudes of prejudice and hate, and for this “Sub- marine Patrol” is commendable. Neverthe- less it does show war as a thrilling adventure and for that reason is not to be unreservedly recommended.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Questionable Too exciting

©

SUEZ O O

Tyrone Power, Loretta Young, Annabella, J. Edward Bromberg, Joseph Schildkraut, Henry Stephenson, Sidney Blackmer, Sig Rumann, Nigel Bruce. Based on the story by Sam Duncan. Screen play by Philip Dunne and Julien Josephson. Direction by Allan Dwan. Twentieth Century-Fox.

Everyone who likes a spectacular movie will probably want to see “Suez.” The glittering pageantry of the court of Na- poleon, III., the sweeping panoramas of the canal under construction, the dynamit- ing of a mountain, and the terriffic simoon put this film in the class with such pro- ductions as “Old Chicago,” “Marie An- toinette” and “Hurricane.” Historically it is impressionistic rather than accurate. It recreates the atmosphere of the times, the political intrigues, and the attitudes of con- temporary statesmen towards the proposed building of the Suez Canal, but the plot is largely fictional. The casting of the youth- ful Tyrone Power in the role of de Lesseps, who was actually middle-aged, and the in- troduction of a romantic attachment between him and the Countess Eugenie are con- cessions to popular taste which unfortunately weaken the film dramatically. Though dig- nified and sincere in his acting, Tyrone Power is not convincing either as a French aristocrat or as the engineer who was capable of winning the backing of nations and di- recting the vast project of the Suez Canal. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Interesting Too long and too

mature

©

THERE GOES MY HEART O

Fredric March, Virginia Bruce, Patsy Kelly, Alan Mowbray, Nancy Carroll, Eugene Pal- lette, Claude Gillingwater. From an orig- inal idea by Ed Sullivan. Screen play by Eddie Moran and Jack Jevne. Direction by Norman Z. McLeod. Hal Roach-United Artists.

Another poor little rich girl proves her right to live her own life. Chain store heiress jumps overboard when left alone on a palatial yacht and eventually as a clerk in a department store finds happiness, heightened by a love affair with a hand- some newspaper reporter. The picture is somewhat slow-moving and cumbersome, and

Eight

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

although it is fairly entertaining, lacks really stimulating qualities. The principal actors are good but have achieved better performances. Some of the photography is excellent.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Passable Mature

&

TOUCHDOWN. ARMY! O O

John Howard, Robert Cummings, Mary Carl- isle, Owen Davis, Jr. Story and screen play by Lloyd Corrigan and Erwin Gelsey. Direc- tion by Kurt Neumann. Paramount. Football, plus the background of West Point, always offers sufficient pageantry for an entertaining film. There have been bet- ter films on the same subject, but this is worth seeing, and when a young man with political connections from a “gas house” dis- trict of New York City is actually made into a gentleman, one cannot fail to be im- pressed by the training accorded youths of the Military Academy. The football victory over Navy is won, of course, in the last split second of play. A real stroke of orig- inality in films would be a game which was won in the second quarter.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Good Might enjoy it

©

VACATION FROM LOVE O O

Dennis O'Keefe, Florence Rice, Reginald Owen, June Knight, Edward S. Brophy. Original story and screen play by Patterson McNutt and Harlan Ware. Direction by George Fitzmaurice. M-G-M.

This is about the most “weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable” film of the season. It completely outdoes itself trying to make an amusing story of ill-considered marriage and Paris divorce.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Very poor No

©

WHILE NEW YORK SLEEPS O O

Michael Whalen, Jean Rogers, Chick Chan- dler, Joan Woodbury. Original story by Frank Fenton and Lynn Root. Twentieth Century-Fox.

When seven messengers are killed, one by one, while carrying bonds from an insur- ance company to a bank, a reporter with keen intuition sets himself to find the identity of the murderer. As a mystery it is interest- ing enough to follow, but social values are poor with scant respect for officers of the law and a cloak of cleverness accommodated to criminal practices.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Bad point of view No indeed

YOUNG DR. KILDARE O O

Lionel Barrymore, Lew Ayres, Lynne Carver, Nat Pendleton, Joe Ann Sayers, Samuel S. Hinds. Screen play by Harry Ruskin and Willis Goldbeck. From an original story by Max Brand. Direction by Harold S. Bucquet. M-G-M.

A new series has been promised by M.G.M. starring Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore. It is based on stories by Max Brand, and concerns the exploits of young Dr. Jimmy Kildare and the older, more experienced diagnostician Dr. Leonard Gillespie. In this first chapter, which is a complete story in itself, Dr. Kildare commences his internship at a large city hospital where he finds that politics play a considerable part in the career of a young doctor. He finally turns detective to prove the soundness of a diagnosis and eventually wins the respect of his chief after very nearly being dismissed from the hospital by the Board of Directors. Though Dr. Kil- dare’s experiences and the conduct of the hospital affairs cannot be considered typical, the story is convincingly and intelligently handled and stresses a high order of idealism and personal integrity. As Dr. Kildare, Lew Ayres immediately wins audience sympathy, and as Dr. Gillespie, Lionel Barrymore again creates one of his dynamic and lovable portraits. If the series continues as it has begun, it will be justly popular.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Interesting Too mature

©

THE YOUNG IN HEART O O

Janet Gaynor, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Min- nie Dupree, Roland Young, Billie Burke, Paulette Goddard, Richard Carlson, Henry Stephenson, Irvin Cobb. From a story "The Gay Banditti," by I. A. R. Wylie. Adapted to the screen by Charles Bennett. Screen play by Paul Osborn. Direction by Richard Wallace. Musical score by Franz Waxman. United Artists.

David O. Selznick’s productions are pic- tures to be anticipated, and this one more than comes up to expectations. It has some- thing to say and it says it eloquently. It combines subtle direction, an exceptional cast, and an unusual and human story which has spiritual significance. “The Gay Ban- ditti” from which it was adapted was writ- ten by I. A. R. Wylie, a capable and inspir- ing writer. Its translation to the screen is very fine, and brilliant direction has kept it free from sentimentality, with just the right balance of smart flippancy and emo- tional depth to make it unusually appealing. It is the story of a wonderful old woman’s part in the regeneration of a family of shrewd and unscrupulous renegades who have planned to victimize her, but who gradually are completely won over by her

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Nine

understanding sympathy, universal tolerance, and faith in them. Their transformation is brought about with so much subtlety and persuasiveness that there is no feeling of insincerity: rather it leaves one with the belief that all things are possible under the right circumstances.

It is difficult to single out any performance above another. Minnie Dupree plays the elderly woman perfectly, there is nothing maudlin or exaggerated in her beautiful portrayal. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and Janet Gaynor have never appeared to better ad- vantage. Paulette Goddard brings to her role, directness and a poise which make the girl’s effect on the boy (Fairbanks) seem en- tirely convincing. Roland Young is flawless in his part, and Billie Burke as the usual

silly flighty woman gives just the right touch without stepping over the border-line into straight farce. Richard Carlson, a newcomer, displays personality and charm, and Henry Stephenson is as always competent.

The musical score is notable, suggesting the mood without obtruding. It is not to be overlooked in the success of the picture. To those who wish to enjoy brilliant smart dia- logue, a clever story, interesting settings, subtle humor, and a heartwarming belief in the inherent worth of faith as applied to daily living, we recommend “The Young in Heart.”

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes Possibly too subtle

for general ap- preciation

ANNOUNCEMENT

The California Children’s Festival Associa- tion is presenting the Clare Tree Major Children’s Theatre of New York in three performances at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. The plays are “Peter Pan” on Saturday, November 12th ; “The Little Princess” Decem- ber 17th; “King of the Golden River” February 4th, both mornings and afternoons. This the company’s first visit to the Pacific Coast and it has the endorsement of many persons here well qualified to ensure its merit. Information may be had from Miss Frieda Sterling, 1067 No. Fairfax, GRanite 2645.

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CONTENTS

Arrest Bulldog Drummond The Beachcomber The Cowboy and The Lady Dark Rapture Dramatic School Everybody's Baby Flirting With Fate The Frontiersman Hard to Get Illegal Traffic The Inside Story lust Around The Corner The Last Express Out West With The Hardys Pardon Our Nerve Peck's Bad Boy With The Circus

Say It In French Service De Luxe Tarnished Angel The Shining Hour Spring Madness The Storm The Sunset Trail Thanks For The Memory Up The River

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Vol. Xn DECEMBER, 1938 No. 12

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FEATURE FILMS

ARREST BULLDOG DRUMMOND O O

John Howard, Heather Angel, H. B. War- ner, Reginald Denny, E. E. Clive, Elizabeth Patterson. Based on "The Final Count" by H. C. McNeile. Direction by James Hogan. Paramount.

Because of his overzealousness to solve a crime, Drummond narrowly escapes destruc- tion. For about the fifth time he almost mar- ries Phyllis, and again is prevented by an infernal machine perpetually about to go off and blow everyone to bits, which seems strangely ineffectual when it does perform. H. B. Warner, Heather Angel and John Howard are all too capable for this style of picture, employing a combination of manu- factured thrills with a thin, near-English brand of humor which seldom “clicks.” Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Only fair Too tense

©

THE BEACHCOMBER ❖ O

Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, Tyrone Guthrie, Robert Newton. From the story, "Vessel of Wrath," by W. Somerset Maugham. Written for the screen by Bart- lett Cormack. Direction by Erich Pommer. May Flower Pictures-Paramount.

Here is an extremely interesting psycho- logical study of four white persons living

alone among natives on an island in the Dutch East Indies, who are amazing con- trasts in temperament, inheritance and ideals. The Controleur (Robert Newman) is a Dutchman, educated in England, a man of keen and human understanding who is bored and lonely in his isolated position. Two are English missionaries, the Reverend Jones (Tyrone Guthrie), a fanatic zealot, intense and ascetic, and his dull, repressed sister (Elsa Lancaster), who is bitterly in- tolerant and incapable of understanding human frailties. The fourth is The Beach- comber (Charles Laughton), son of an Eng- lish vicar, now a remittance man, an easy- going hedonist, thoroughly disreputable, and representing all that the Reverend Jones and his sister fear and detest. The lonely Con- troleur finds in Ginger Ted his only com- panionship, but the man’s refusal to conform to decency makes him an intolerable problem. The story of the relationships of the four and the ultimate crisis which arises is un- usual and intellectually arresting. Its so- phistication is handled with tact and sim- plicity, and the sardonic ending is a master- piece.

The cast is superb, and the combination of Erich Pommer and Charles Laughton is

Four

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

a gratifying one. In giving credit, Dudley must not he overlooked. He is a most de- lightful little dog whose personality is defi- nitely important. To adults who wish some- thing out of the oridnarv, we recommend “The Beachcomber.”

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Too mature No

©

THE COWBOY AND THE LADY O O

Gary Cooper, Merel Oberon, Patsy Kelly, Walter Brennan, Fuzzy Knight, Mabel Todd, Harry Davenport. Original story by Leo McCarey and Frank R. Adams. Screen play by S. N. Behrman and Sonya Levien. Direction by H. C. Potter. Samuel Goldwyn Productions-United Artists.

Children are sometimes wise beyond their years. A ten-year-old's comment on “The Cowboy and The Lady” was, “It just goes on and on.” For many adults this will be a reaction compatible with their own taste, for somehow, in spite of lavish and artistic backgrounds and a popular and competent cast, it misses the spark which is the test of good theatre. The story is naive and obvi- ous. When the bored little rich girl, whose ambitious father has kept her away from all normal associations, falls in love with the first attractive young man she meets, it is a foregone conclusion that cowhand or prince, it will make no difference to her. Their romance meets the usual apparently insurmountable obstacles but ends satisfac- torily for all concerned without sophistica- tion or dubious ethics. It is a mildly enter- taining and unexciting program film with pleasant comedy and pictorial settings. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Yes Little to interest

©

DARK RAPTURE O O

Armand Denis Production-Universal. Direc- tion by Armand Denis. Photography by LeRoy Phelps. Filmed and recorded on the Armand Denis-Roosevelt Expedition to the Belgian Congo.

“Dark Rapture” is one of the finest travel pictures ever produced. From the beginning when the undertaking is sanctioned by the well-loved King Albert of Belgium to the last scenes in the Congo it is a fascinating account of a journey in the interest of sci- ence. There are no studio-made combats between fierce beasts; the elephant hunt is genuine, showing dangers encountered by the natives as well as their patience in training the captured animals. The film deals chiefly with the tribes of deepest Africa, strange people with elongated heads, friendly little pigmies who build high bridges with amaz- ing ingenuity, and a statuesque race of giant blacks who live in a beautiful fertile land, ruled over by a king in elaborate regalia.

The photography is of a high order and the musical score, based on native music, en- riches the production.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Excellent Too exciting for

some

©

DRAMATIC SCHOOL O O

Luise Rainer, Paulette Goddard, Alan Marshall, Lana Turner, Genevieve Tobin, Anthony Allan, Henry Stephenson, Gale Sondergaard, Melville Cooper, Erik Rhodes, Virginia Grey, Ann Rutherford, Rand Brooks, Hans Conried. Screen play by Ernest Vajda and Mary C. McCall, Jr. From the Hungarian play, "School of Drama," by Hans Szekely and Zoltan Egyed. Produced by Mervyn LeRoy. Direc- tion by Robert B. Sinclair. M.-G.-M.

It will be interesting for Luise Rainer’s fans to see her in a film which gives her such varied opportunities as “Dramatic School.” At first she is a sort of wistful Cinderella working at night in a gas-meter factory and attending dramatic school by day, harassed by bosses and teachers, and consoling herself with elaborate flights of fancy which her schoolmates impolitely call lies. Then comes an interlude in which she wears glamorous gowns, furs, and corsages supplied by an undemanding Prince Charming to whom she is engaged. Most dramatic is the sequence showing a play within a play when, as Joan of Arc she attests the reality of her visions and pleads with her judges for leniency.

As a whole the film is an amusing por- trayal of the types of pupils and teachers at the dramatic school. The cast, including two Academy award winners and a number of newcomers, is exceptionally good. The dialogue is spontaneous and the situations are entertaining.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Probably enjoyable No interest

EVERYBODY'S BABY (The Jones Family)

Jed Prouty, Shirley Deane, Spring Byington, Russell Gleason, Ken Howell, George Ern- est, June Carlson, Florence Roberts, Billy Mahan, Reginald Denny, Robert Allen, Claire Du Brey, Marvin Stephens. From the original story by Hilda Stone and Betty Reinhardt. Screen play by Karen De Wolf, Robert Chapin, Frances Hyland and Albert Ray. Direction by Malcolm St. Clair. Twentieth Century-Fox.

Dr. Pillcoff, a physician in ill repute with the medical society, has become a lecturer on modern psychology as applied to raising children. The young mothers of the Jones’ circle have accepted him as their guide and prophet to the distress of their husbands and

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Five

parents. The solution evolved by Granny Jones is hilarious but possibly open to mis- interpretation by the younger generation. The film is broad farce throughout, far re- moved from reality.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Funny Amusing but

misleading

©

FLIRTING WITH FATE O O

Joe E. Brown, Leo Carrillo, Beverly Rob- erts, Wynne Gibson, Steffi Duna, Charles Judels, Stanley Fields, Leonid Kinskey. Di- rection by Frank McDonald. MGM.

Even the combination of Joe E. Brown and Leo Carrillo fails to save a poor story. The comedy is forced and trite, the plot a labored one in which Dan Dixon (Joe E. Brown) and his strolling vaudeville entertainers are held up by a desperado (Leo Carrillo) as they trek through South American mud. Dixon finally decides that suicide is his only means of getting help for the troupe, and the humor depends upon his macabre but unsuc- cessful solution. The interpolated songs are only fair, and some of the dialogue has a sophisticated flavor which is regrettable in a Joe E. Brown film.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

No value No value

©

THE FRONTIERSMAN O O

William Boyd, George Hayes, Russel Hay- den, Evelyn Venable, William Duncan, Clara Kimball Young. Based on a story by Clar- ence E. Mulford. Screen play by Norman Houston and Harrison Jacobs. Direction by Lesley Selander. Paramount.

Hopalong turns his talents to the cause of education and reforms small Artie, chief baiter of the crabbed school-marm and nephew of the owner of the Bar 20 Ranch. He is assisted by a sweetly pretty new school teacher who trains the children to perfection but innocently becomes involved with the leader of a band of cattle rustlers, who must in the course of the plot be over- thrown by the redoubtable Cassidy. Voices of the St. Brendan’s choir lend a pleasant if somewhat improbable note to the film, and the usual shrewd direction and good pho- tography add up the total result for another good Western of the series.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Probably

©

HARD TO GET O O

Dick Powell, Olivia de Havilland, Charles Winninger, Allen Jenkins, Bonita Granville. From an original story by Wally Klein and Joseph Schrank. Screen play by Jerry

Wald, Maurice Leo and Richard Macaulay. Direction by Ray Enright. Warner Bros.

An amusing satire on the times is always acceptable. Through this medium, everyone

should be familiar by now with the strange eccentricities of capitalists and their fami- lies. The capitalists in this film seem to hover somewhere between sanity and de- mentia and everyone seems to be having a mental tug of war with everyone else, in- cluding the proletariat, until finally a bright young man with a strong jaw straightens out everything to a semblance of normalcy. All of which, put in other words, means that a spoiled daughter of the rich tries to charge gasoline at a station where she is not known. The attendant, believing her to be a deadbeat, makes her work out her debt by cleaning tourist cottages. She plans a revenge on him which backfires and involves her affections. Dick Powell's presence does not make this a musical. He sings two songs though, and the film would have gone along just as well without them.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Yes

©

ILLEGAL TRAFFIC O O

J. Carrol Naish, Mary Carlisle, Robert Pres- ton, Judith Barrett. Original story and screen play by Robert Yost, Lewis Foster and Stuart Anthony. Direction by Louis King. Paramount.

A company which specializes in the hasty transportation of criminals from the scenes of their crimes to safety, becomes the object of suspicion by police. A federal agent in- geniously attaches himself to the gang, dis- covers their methods of operations and elim- inates their leader. This is a harrowing tale of desperate criminals in search of a haven of security. It is typical of stories one finds in cheap detective magazines and follows the “penny dreadful” technique to the last bullet. The subject matter is decidedly mediocre but pictures of this type probably have a box-office total in direct proportion to the sales of pulp magazines .

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

No No

©

THE INSIDE STORY O O

Michael Whalen, Jean Rogers, Chick Chan- dler, Douglas Fowley, John King, Jane Dar- well. Based on a story by Ben Ames Wil- liams. Screen play by Jerry Cady. Direction by Ricardo Cortez. 20th Century-Fox.

Barney, a newspaper man, writes a human interest story about the loneliest man in New York (himself) who wishes to spend Christ- mas in the country with the loneliest woman (a night club singer). Not a bad idea to begin with, it soon develops that June White has all sorts of unsavory connections with people who have such unpleasant, notions as chloroforming her and dropping her in the river, and in no time at all the picture be- comes a rousing melodrama. The plot is

Six

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

well worked out with suitable cast and direc- tion. It makes an interesting if not unusual mystery.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Too mature No

©

JUST AROUND THE CORNER O O

Shirley Temple, Chas. Farrell, Joan Davis, Amanda Duff, Bill Robinson, Bert Lahr. Direction by Irving Cummings. 20th Cen- tury-Fox.

As a vehicle to display Shirley Temple’s talents, this film succeeds admirably and is pleasing entertainment for her admirers. With her usual sunny charm, she brings hap- piness to the various tenants in a big apart- ment house, stages a benefit to help an old man whom she mistakes for “Uncle Sam" and finds a wife for her widowered father. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Yes Yes

©

THE LAST EXPRESS O O

Kent Taylor, Dorothea Kent, Don Brodie, Paul Hurst, Greta Granstedt. From the novel by Paynard Kendrick. Screen play by Edmund L. Hartmann. Direction by Otis Garrett. Universal.

Undoubtedly devotees of detective stories can follow the plot. All others should be warned to listen very carefully for the final explanation which is given over a dicta- phone; otherwise they will never know who killed whom and why. There is a good deal of turmoil and excitement with two sets of detectives and police officers working at cross purposes and all ending up in a de- serted and almost forgotten subway where a bag of thirty thousand dollars has been secreted. The acting is better than the story, which after all is not very high praise. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 1 2

Waste of time No

©

OUT WEST WITH THE HARDYS O O

Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecelia Park- er, Fay Holden, Ann Rutherford, Sara Haden, Don Castle, Virginia Weidler, Gor- don Jones, Ralph Morgan, Nana Bryant. Screen play by Kay Van Riper, Agnes Christine Johnson and William Ludwig. Directed by George B. Seitz. M.-G.-M.

The writers for the Hardy Family series have found the secret for human interest stories of adolescence. Combining the hu- mor and drama necessary for plot, they say- something about real people and real prob- lems, and no one can come away without a deeper respect for the American family life which is typical of many homes. A trip out West is necessitated by a legal matter re- quiring Judge Hardy’s counsel, and the fam- ily’s adventures in this environment are highly entertaining. Both Andy and Marion come home with a different understanding

of life’s realities. Credit is due writers, director, and cast for splendid work, with special praise to Virginia Weidler for her sincerity and charm.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Excellent Entertaining and

constructive

©

PARDON OUR NERVE O <>

Lynn Bari, June Gale, Guinn Williams, Michael Whalen, Edward Brophy, John Mil- jan, Theodore Von Eltz. Original story by Hilda Stone and Betty Reinhardt. Direction by H. Bruce Humberstone. Twentieth Cen- tury-Fox.

“Pardon Our Nerve” is a broad, noisy farce concerning two adventuresses who, having come to the end of their resourceful- ness in beating their way about the coun- try, contrive to back a moronic ex-waiter in a series of prize-fights. There are a few laughable situations but as a whole it is overwritten, overacted, and incoherent. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Too cheap and No

unethical

©

PECK'S BAD BOY WITH THE CIRCUS O

Tommy Kelly, Ann Gillis, Edgar Kennedy, Benita Hume, Spanky MacFarland, Billy Gilbert, Grant Mitchell, Nana Bryant, Lou- ise Beavers. Based upon the character created by G. W. Peck. Direction by Ed- ward F. Cline. Principal-R. K. 0. -Radio.

Here is a rollicking juvenile comedy en- acted against the glamorous background of a circus tent, with the circus people and cir- cus animals, especially some remarkably trained lions, adding color and drama to the adventures of BUI Peck and his friends. The young hero is en route to a summer camp when he is lured into the circus, and he and his friends find themselves involved in a feud between two of the performers and a little feminine bare-back rider. Bill’s ex- periences in the circus ring and his wild ride to reach the camp in time to compete in an athletic contest are highly entertaining. In fact, here is a picture in which the action is of paramount interest. The director has failed to bring out Tommy Kelly at his best and all the star performances are given to the minor juveniles and the group of superb lions.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Good

©

SAY IT IN FRENCH O O

Ray Milland, Olympe Bradna, Irene Hervey, Janet Beecher, Mary Carlisle, Walter Kings- ford, Erik Rhodes Screen play by Frederick Jackson. Based on a play by Jacques Deval. Direction by Andrew Stone. Paramount.

With more expert handling this film might have been a fairly entertaining, though rou- tine, sophisticated comedy. As it happens, it

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Seven

clumps along in an atmosphere of exagger- ated extravagancej drinking, and vulgarity, until its finale when it becomes reminiscent of a Christy chase with its hero careening through traffic in a toy-sized automobile. In the beginning, young Richard Carrington, Jr. is seen arriving from Europe with his attractive French wife Julie. Not knowing of his marriage, the Carringtons insist upon his announcing his engagement to an heiress in the hope of reestablishing the family credit. Julie meanwhile is mistaken for the new maid and accepts the position in order to help Richard. What happens after that is obvious, rather boring, and sometimes crude. The characters are too superficial, the situations too forced, and the conclusions too false even for a light comedy. Only Miss Bradna as Julie awakens the slightest sympathy.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Certainly not No interest

©

SERVICE DE LUXE O O

Constance Bennett, Vincent Price, Charlie Ruggles, Helen Broderick, Mischa Auer, )oy Hodges. Original story by Bruce Man- ning and Vera Caspary. Screen play by Gertrude Purcell and Leonard Spigelgass. Direction by Rowland V. Lee. Universal.

This is a light but definitely entertaining film about a young man who flees the domi- nation of three maiden aunts and escapes to New York with a firm resolve to put his in- vention, a heavy tractor, on the marke.t But petticoats still rule his life, and his success is deftly accomplished by the charming girl he believes to be a clinging vine but who is in reality the head of the Dolly Madison Service, an agency which arranges every- thing from weddings to important personal problems. There are many original touches and clever lines. Constance Bennett wears smart clothes and is good in this type of com- edy. Helen Broderick, Charlie Ruggles and Mischa Auer are responsible for many hu- morous and ridiculous situations.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Somewhat mature No interest

©

THE SHINING HOUR O O

Joan Crawford, Margaret Sullivan, Robert Young, Melvyn Douglas, Fay Bainter. Based on the play by Keith Winter. Screen play by Jane Murfin and Ogden Nash. Di- rection by Frank Borzage. M.-G.-M.

There is something new under the sun, for “The Shining Hour” gives us Miss Craw- ford surrounded by a play instead of a play surrounded by Miss Crawford. As Olivia Riley, night club dancer, she marries Henry Linden knowing that his back-to-Genesis family will not approve of her. The adjust- ment is difficult enough, and when Henry’s

married brother falls in love with her, Olivia wins general approval by acting as much like a thoroughbred as any of them. The formula of the girl from the slums, dressed in beautiful clothes, making society and becoming involved in something of greater dramatic impact than just a love affair, is typical of a Crawford picture, but because of good writing and capable direc- tion this is unalloyed by the tawdriness that marred some of her earlier efforts and the artiness that crept into some of the later ones. Margaret Sullivan and Fay Bainter in supporting roles are formidable threats for center stage. However, their presence does nothing to detract from Miss Craw- ford’s importance as the star. Voluble dra- matic acting by only one person is sometimes tedious and needs a shift of attention to be appreciated. Miss Sullivan is particularly fine when the responsibility is hers. The dialogue is intelligent because it typifies what intelligent people would say. No wisecracks are included for their own sake to garner laughs, but when they do appear are touches of humor necessary in shading the rhythms of the play. There is only one sequence that seems stagey, almost tenth rate theatre, but the characters themselves admit that it was unreal, “like somehing you would read in a book”, and in consequence the episode seems less fantastic. The impending success of this film must be attributed to a recognition that the play, not the star, is the thing.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Unsuited No

©

SPRING MADNESS O O

Maureen O'Sullivan, Lew Ayres, Ruth Hus- sey, Burgess Meredith, Ann Morris, Joyce Compton, Jacqueline Wells, Frank Albert- son. Based on the play, “Spring Dance," by Philip Barry. Screen play by Edward Cho- dorov. Direction by S. Sylvan Simon. M.-G.-M

“Spring Madness” gives us youth at its best, though the title would never suggest it. Post-depression youth with its poise, its self-assurance, its adult slant, still maintains the poignant hopes, the aching sincerity, the almost fanatic idealism of young people of all time. This picture shows genuine per- ception in delineating the characters. It is replete with humor and light dialogue, and even when exaggeration strains plausibility, it is still believable. When Alexandra Ben- son and Sam Thatcher fall in love, it seems that Sam must revise his plans for a two- year sojourn in Russia. Under the negative pressure of his roommate on one side and the affirmative pressure of Alex’s sorority sisters on the other, Sam gives up Russia in favor of Alex. This is not just another

Eight

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

college comedy, for it brings sympathetic understanding to a never certain age.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Perhaps

©

THE STORM O O

Charles Bickford, Barton MacLane, Preston Foster, Tom Brown, Nan Grey, Andy De- vine, Frank Jenks, Samuel S. Hinds. Orig- inal story by Daniel Moore and Hugh King. Screen play by Theodore Reeves, Daniel Moore and Hugh King. Direction by Harold Young. Universal.

Stark melodrama consisting of a succes- sion of violent scenes could have appeal only to those whose imagination is inured to blood and thunder. Others are apt to find it unendurably exhausting. After viewing the fights in water-front cafes over gambling debts and cheap women, the collision with an iceberg, the explosion of inflammable cargo, and the surgical operation which is performed by radio instruction during a violent storm, you drag what is left of you out of the theatre, granting that the leading character may have had conspicuous merits but wondering whether the proof was worth the time spent on it.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Unsuited No

*

THE SUNSET TRAIL O O

William Boyd, George Hayes, Russell Hay- den, Charlotte Wynters, Jane Clayton, Robert Fiske. Original story by Clarence E. Mulford. Direction by Lesley Selander. Paramount.

Among Westerns, the Hopalong Cassidy pictures have an excellent rating, and this one is better than usual, because, in addi- tion to the features of adventure, fine riding, and beautiful California mountain scenes, William Boyd has a chance to vary his part by imitating a tenderfoot in a very ludicrous manner. In the story he is sent to rescue a widow, who has been bereft by the slick- haired gambler and saloon-keeper not only of her husband but of a $30,000 fortune. She has been advised to open the first “dude ranch,” and to this resort come Cassidy and an assortment of odd and peculiar East- erners. At the proper moment he reveals himself with Windy and Lucky as avengers of the innocent.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Entertaining Exciting

Cl

TARNISHED ANGEL O O

Sally Eilers, Lee Bowman, Ann Miller, Alma Kruger, Paul Guilfoyle, Jonathan Hale. Di- rection by Leslie Goodwins. RKO-Radio.

Reaction to this picture will depend upon the credulity of the audience. An ordinary gambling-club hostess, hounded by the police from the bright dens of Broadway, hides with her associates under the cloak of re-

ligion and becomes a spectacularly successful revivalist. Her life is then changed through the faith she has inspired in her followers. The story is swift in action and not without interest, but the characterizations are not es- pecially interesting or convincing and the re- sult is just another picture for an idle hour. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

No value Mature

©

THANKS FOR THE MEMORY O O

Bob Hope, Shirley Ross, Chas. Butterworth, Otto Kruger, Hedda Hopper. Based on a play by Albert Hackett and Frances Good- rich. Direction by George Archianbaud. Paramount.

The old problem of man's complex against being supported by a woman is introduced in this light social drama. A young writer who finds that the futility of social life and the demands of a salesman’s job have under- mined his ability to write, decides to break away from both. His wife returns to her job as a model while he attempts to finish his book at home and run the house. They are nice people but their story is common- place, lacking any novelty in treatment to intrigue the spectator. It will be remem- bered longest for the popular song-hit, “The Sleepy People.”

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Mature and little No interest

interest

©

UP THE RIVER <* O

Preston Foster, Tony Martin, Phyllis Brooks, Slim Summerville, Arthur Treacher, Alan Dinehart, Eddie Collins, lane Darwell. Based on original story by Maurine Wat- kins. Screen play by Lou Breslow and John Patrick. Direction by Alfred Werker. 20th Century-Fox.

The exact moral influence of a prison film is often difficult to measure. Sometimes a picture serves to stimulate a morbid curiosity or to evoke sentimental pity for those who deserve punishment more than it serves to warn those with criminal leanings. It is doubtful if “Up The River” will have much influence one way or another on any mature person, for it is such absolute farce. Most of the action takes place in a penitentiary, showing the pleasanter side of prison life; a light opera given by the inmates and the big football game of the prison conference. Preston Foster, Albert Treacher and Slim Summerville are all amusing and have ab- surdly funny lines. There is even a very human little romance between a young offen3er and the girl who waits outside. A picture of a type which will probably never be made again and never should be, it nev- ertheless contains a good deal of spontane- ous humor.

Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12

Unsuitable theme No, indeed

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Nine

SHORT SUBJECTS

SYMPHONY No. 8 (Unfinished) O O

By Franz Schubert. (General Productions.)

This is one of a series of fine symphonies given by Fredrich Feher and his National Symphony Orchestra and will be appreciated by music lovers as well as many motion picture fans who do not ordinarily attend concerts. Beautifully rendered, the film gains in educational value, because the camera is able to select various instruments and illus- trate the part each one contributes to the composition as a whole. Family.

*

TANNHAUSER OVERTURE O O

(General Productions.)

This familiar overture is well presented with dramatic use of the brasses and the surging strains of the Pilgrim’s Chorus by male voices. Family.

+

BLUE DANUBE O O

(General Productions.)

In the lovely Blue Danube which has de- lighted several generations, the emphasis is first on the violins, then the ’cellos, and then the full view of the orchestra. A complete arrangement of the waltz is given with per- fect rhythm and excellent recording. Family.

*

WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE O O

(Symphonic Films, Inc. -Paramount.)

The ever-popular overture from William Tell is beautifully done by this orchestra.

The series as a whole should accomplish a great deal in spreading the love of really good music. The chief flaw in the produc- tion is the use of too many close-ups, which sometimes have a grotesque or comical effect and in such cases detract from real appre- ciation of the score. Family.

*

THE WORLD IS OURS O O

Produced by the entire motion picture in- dustry. 2 reels.

The fourth largest industry of the United States does a little expert selling in order to prove that motion pictures are your best entertainment. This is done in a film which follows the documentary pattern but which cannot be classified as such because of its decided affirmative bias. Having been made by the industry for the industry, the argu- ment is convincingly presented. It shows the superiority of present-day motion pictures over those of earlier days, and attempts to prove also that they bring to you authentic reproductions both of contemporary life and of various historical periods. Pictorial news as a visual aid in understanding the prob- lems of the day is also considered. In short, the movies place the world at your feet. Whether or not you are convinced that they are your best entertainment will depend on preconceived tastes and habits, but the pre- sentation is interesting and entertaining. Family.

Ten

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

INDEX . . . JULY through DECEMBER, 1938

A

Affairs of Annabel, The August

Arrest Bulldog Drummond . . December

Algiers July

Always Goodbye August

Always in Trouble September

Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse, The July

Angels With Dirty Faces November

Annabel Takes a Tour November

The Arkansas Traveler November

Army Girl September

Artists and Models Abroad . November

B

Beachcomber, The December

Birth of a Baby, The July

Blockade July

Blockheads September

Blond Cheat July

Booloo August

Border G-Man July

Boy Meets Girl August

Boy's Town October

Breaking the Ice October

Broadway Musketeers September

Brother Rat November

Bulldog Drummond in Africa. . September

C

Campus Confessions October

Carefree September

Chaser, The September

Citadel, The November

Cowboy and The Lady, The . December

Cowboy from Brooklyn July

Crime Ring July

Crowd Roars, The September

D

Dark Rapture December

Down on the Farm November

Dramatic School December

Drums October

E

Everybody's Baby December

F

Fast Company July

Five of a Kind November

Flirting With Fate December

Four Daughters September

Four's a Crowd August

Freshman Year September

Frontiersman, The December

Fugitives for a Night September

G

Garden of the Moon August

Gateway September

Girls on Probation September

Give Me a Sailor September

Grand Illusion October

Great Waltz, The November

H

Hard to Get December

Having Wonderful Time July

Hold That Co-ed October

I

If I Were King October

Illegal Traffic December

I'll Give a Million August

I'm From the City September

In Old Mexico September

Inside Story, The December

J

Josette July

Just Around the Corner December

K

Keep Smiling July

King of Alcatraz November

L

Last Express, The September

Letter of Introduction September

Listen. Darling November

Little Miss Broadway August

Little Tough Guy September

Lord Jeff July

Love Finds Andy Hardy August

M

Mad Miss Manton, The November

Man to Remember, A October

Marie Antoinette August

Meet the Girls August

Men With Wings November

Missing Guest, The October

Mr. Doodle Kicks Off October

Mr. Moto's Last Warning September

Mother Carey's Chickens August

My BUI July

My Lucky Star September

Mysterious Mr. Moto July

Mysterious Rider, The October

O

Out West With The Hardys December

P

Pardon Our Nerve December

Passport Husband August

Peck's Bad Boy With The Circus December

Personal Secretary October

Pride of the West July

Prison Farm July

Professor, Bewarel August

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS

Eleven

R

Rage of Paris, The July

Rich Man, Poor Girl September

Road Demon September

Road to Reno, The October

Room Service October

S

Safety in Numbers September

Say It In French December

Service De Luxe December

Sharpshooters October

Sheik, The luly

Shining Hour, The December

Shopworn Angel, The August

Sing, You Sinners September

Sisters, The October

Sky Giant August

Smashing the Rackets September

Sons of the Legion October

Spawn of the North September

Speed to Burn July

Spring Madness December

Stablemates November

Storm, The December

Straight, Place and Show October

Submarine Patrol November

Suez November

Sunset Trail, The December

Tarnished Angel

T

December

The Texans

Thanks for The Memory. That Certain Age There Goes My Heart Three Blind Mice Three Loves Has Nancy Time Out for Murder Too Hot to Handle Touchdown, Army!

The Toy Wife Tropic Holiday

U

Up The River

V

Vacation From Love Valley of the Giants

W

When Were You Born?. While New York Sleeps . Wives Under Suspicion Woman Against Woman

Y

You and Me

You Can't Take It With You

Young Fugitives

Young in Heart, The

Young Dr. Kildare Youth Takes a Fling

SHORT SUBJECTS

August December . October November July September August October November July July

December

November

October

July

November

July

July

July

October

July

November

November

October

Blue Danube December

The Brave Little Tailor October

Donald's Lucky Day Sept, and Oct.

Farmyard Symphony Sept, and Oct.

Ferdinand The Bull October

Goofy and Wilbur October

Mother Goose Goes Hollywood. October

The Practical Pig October

Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished) by Franz Shubert December

Tannhauser Overture December

The Ugly Duckling October

William Tell Overture December

The World Is Ours December

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