The Film Daily (1937)

12 THI DAILY Thursday, Nov. 11,1937 ft ft Reviews o$ the View fUms ft ft "Second Honeymoon" with Tyrone Power and Loretta Young 20th Century-Fox 84 Mins. (HOLLYWOOD PREVIEW) ROLLICKING COMEDY WELL PLAYED AND DIRECTED ROLLS UP HEAVY LAUGH TOTAL. Here is a rollicking comedy that serves as an excellent vehicle for Tyrone Power and Loretta Young, who do fine trouping under Walter Lang's skillful guidance. Lang has not missed a trick in his direction and piles up a heavy total of laughs. The supporting cast is very strong, with dependable Stuart Erwin scoring many laughs as Power's valet. Refreshing is the work of Marjorie Weaver, a newcomer, who gives much promise. She enacts the role of a naive, talkative girl, who is picked up by Power to annoy Loretta. Lyle Talbot is splendid as Loretta's Husband No. 2, stodgy, humorless and boring. Claire Trevor, J. Edward Bromberg and Paul Horst are capable in lesser roles. Raymond Griffith rates credit as associate producer. Kathryn Scola and Darrell Ware turned in a screenplay full of amusing situations and clever dialogue. Loretta and Lyle are sojourning in Florida, but Loretta cannot escape from Tyrone's disturbing and interesting presence. Tyrone was Loretta's Husband No. 1. Lyle is called to New York on business, and when a columnist links Loretta's name with Tyrone, Lyle upbraids her via telephone. Lyle hurries back to Florida, sees Loretta only to learn she is going away with Tyrone. Cast: Tyrone Power, Loretta Young, Stuart Erwin, Claire Trevor, Marjorie Weaver, Lyle Talbot, J. Edward Bromberg, Paul Hurst, Jayne Regan, Hal K. Dawson, Mary Treen. Producer, Darryl F. Zanuck; Associate Producer, Raymond Griffith; Director, Walter Lang; Author, Philip Wylie; Screenplay, Kathryn Scola, Darrell Ware; Cameraman, Ernest Palmer; Editor, Walter Thompson; Art Directors, Bernard Herzbrun and David Hall; Musical Director, David Buttolph. Direction, Expert. Photography, Very Good. Harris Takes Two Walken Pix Houses in Ohio Spot Salem, 0. — The Harris Amusement Co. interests, Pittsburgh, has acquired the State and Grand theaters here. Since March, 1931, the two houses have been owned and operated by the Walken Theaters Co. and N. I. Walken, will remain in charge of them and become in addition district manager for the Harris-directed theaters in Ohio. Acquisition of the two theaters here will mark the renewal of an old partnership, for Walken formerly was a partner with John H. Harris in Washington and Etna, Pa., prior to the sale of all Harris-directed theaters to Warner Bros. Walken will remain a partner here and is acquiring an interest in other Harris enterprises. "Adventure's End" with John Wayne, Diana Gibson, Moroni Olsen, Montague Love, Maurice Black Universal 63 1-2 mins. EXCITING, WELL-MADE ADVENTURE STORY OF WHALING DAYS. SURE TO PLEASE ACTION FANS. Producer Trem Carr has succeeded in turning out in "Adventure's End" what is easily one of the most effective vehicles in which John Wayne has appeared to date. It is a romantic, red-blooded yarn, both well-paced and calculated to stimulate those audiences thriving on action, and there is plenty of this element, what with flashing knives, hungry man-eating sharks, hostile natives, mutinous crews, rivalry, intrigue and fisticuffs, all welded into an exciting and colorful pattern. The story, by Ben Ames Williams, and the screenplay from the pen of Ben G. Kohn, furnish Arthur Lubin, the piece's director, with copious opportunities to inject thrills. The astute Mr. Lubin has preserved in the sequences a natural and convincing atmosphere of the sea and of life thereon in the days when men went down to it in ships, questing the mighty mammal, the whale. There are numerous picturesque shots of seascapes, activity on deck, below, and in the lofty rigging. These have been captured creditably by Gus Peterson and John Fulton, who manned the cameras. Wayne, as the descendant of solid New Bedford stock and inbred with its tradition for conquest of the deep, is a thoroughly pleasing, solid character who, in the wake of diving for pearls in the Pacific isles, trys and succeeds in shipping homeward aboard a whaler. Before the voyage begins, the vessel's aged captain, Montagu Love, fearing for his daughter's and his ship's safety, because of the machinations of the first mate, Moroni Olsen, of whom she is mildly enamored, marries her to Wayne. It is a loveless match until the latter's heroics, manliness and solidity of character attract her irresistibly. Together, before they have really evaluated one another, they face the perils of mutiny and other dangers, but by the time the ship reaches port Cupid prevails. The entire cast is well-chosen. Diana Gibson, in the leading feminine role, is an attractive personality. Cast: John Wayne, Diana Gibson, Moroni Olsen, Montagu Love, Maurice Black Paul White, Cameron Hall, Patrick J. Kelly, George Cleveland, Oscar W. Sundholm^ James T. Mack, Glenn Strange, Wally Howe, Jimmie Lucas, Ben Carter Britt Wood. Producer, Trem Carr; Associate Producer, Paul Malvern; Director, Arthur Lubin; Author, Ben Ames Williams; Screenplay, Ben G. Kohn; Cameramen, Gus Peterson, John Fulton; Editor, Charles Craft. Direction Skillful. Photography, Capable. "Shorts Story" Clicks Second issue of MGM's "Shorts Story," sales promotion manual on short subjects, is due next week. Reaction to the publication from critics, exhibitors and laymen has been excellent, according to Herb Morgan of the MGM short subjects department. "Manhattan MerryGo-Round" with Phil Regan, Leo Carrillo, Ann Dvorak Republic 84 mins. SWELL ENTERTAINMENT MOVES FAST WITH CATCHY MELODY AND PLENTY OF LAUGHS. This show will make dough for it has all the elements of mass entertainment. Leo Carrillo wraps it up and carts it off from start to finish. He does a grand role as the genial racketeer who takes over a recording studio which owes him money. He goes to work with his henchmen to run a business he knows nothing about, with very funny consequences. Jimmy Gleason, his strongarm man, with the other gangsters, kidnap talent to do the recordings. Carrillo's mother, who is the real boss, tells her son he must get the famous Italian opera star (Tamara Geva) to do a recording. Phil Regan is assigned the job of making her fall in love with him, as he has a rep for slaying the femmes as a night club singer. Then comes a lot of very funny business as Regan goes to work to win over the temperamental star, who at last decides to make the recording as she falls in love with the male charmer. This gets Regan in wrong with Ann Dvorak, the girl whom he is engaged to marry, and who is the manager of the recording company. It all works out to a happy finale with the opera star falling madly in love with Carrillo, and Regan and Dvorak reconciled. There is plenty of pace and atmosphere crowding the footage, with such talent doing recordings for the outfit as Ted Lewis and orchestra, Cab Calloway and band, Kay Thompson's Ensemble of girls, Louis Prima and band. Fine comedy characterizations by Luis Alberni, Henry Armetta, and Jimmy Gleason as the tough gangster. Tamara Geva does a neat temperamental part. Gene Autry and his radio orchestra handle colorful cowboy songs. Phil Regan's fine tenor adds a lot. Ann Dvorak is well cast. But it is definitely Leo Carrillo's show, in a genial comedy characterization as he does his part in his famous Italian dialect. He alone is worth the price of the show. Director Charles Riesner handled a crowded script with fine pace and snap. Cast: Phil Regan, Leo Carrillo, Ann Dvorak, Tamara Geva, Jimmy Gleason, Ted Lewis and orchestra, Cab Calloway and Cotton Club orchestra, Kay Thompson and Ensemble, Joe DiMaggio, Henry Armetta, Luis Alberni, Max Terhune, Smiley Burnette. Louis Prima and band; Selmer Jackson, Moroni Olsen, Eddie Kane, Nellie V. Nichols, Gennaro Curci, Sam Finn, Al Herman, Jack Jenny and orchestra, The Lathrops, Rosalean' and Seville, Gene Autry. Producer, Harry Sauber; Director, Charles F. Riesner; Author, Frank Hummert; Screenplay, Harry Sauber; Editor, Ernest Sims; Cameraman, Jack Marta. Direction, Very Good Photography, Excellent. Max Weisfeldt Returns Max Weisfeldt, Columbia short subject sales supervisor, has checked in at the home office after a trip which included the company's southern exchanges. He was gone four weeks. SHORTS "Porky's Double Trouble" (Looney Tune Cartoon) Vitaphone 7 mjns. (Lively Cartoon Number) Lively doings with Porky, the bank teller, who bears a striking resemblance to Public Enemy No. 1 who has escaped from jail. The latter plans to rob the bank, kidnap Porky, and make him take the rap Everything works out fine, with the exception of the discovery by the pretty secretary to Porky that the bank robber is not her boss. After the cops capture the bandit gang the pretty sec decides to wait for the bandit till he gets out of jail for she has fallen for him hard as a great lover. Edgar Bergen in "All-American Drawback" Vitaphone u mins Sure-Fire Laffs Very funny Charlie McCarthy skit, with his boss Bergen as coach on the college football team. Charlie is the prize player on the team, but when he falls behind in his studies he has to take a special exam Bergen takes Charlie to a swanky dance before the exam, and Charlie tries to make a play for his boss' girl, which results in some very funny lines. Called in by the faculty for his exams, Charlie winds up by teaching them football and making them forget the examination as they get all enthused. "Vitaphone Frolics" (Vitaphone Variety) Vitaphone 10 mi„s. Nice Diversity Here Four good vaude acts, nicely diversified. The Stanley Brothers do a fast dance routine. Jack and Loretta Clemens, a personable song and comedy team. Zeb Carver and His Cousins, a colorful hill-billy aggregation with the mountain gal sure-fire on the laughs with her dancing and singing. The finale has the L. I. M. E. Trio. Clever acrobats doing stunts with a rubberlimbed member of the act who is a phenom. "Land of the Kangaroo" (Colortour Adventure) Vitaphone 10 mins. Fine Scenic Reel A very interesting E. M. Newman travel film, covering some of the high spots of Australia. The harbor of Sydney and the beautiful city itself are seen. Here is a modern city that will vie with any to be found in Europe or America, and the up-to-dateness of the various activities of the city will be a surprise to most people. New Motiograph Plan Chicago — Motiograph is introducing a new deferred payment plan for sound reproducing and projection equipment.