The Film Daily (1948)

Friday, March 26, 194* t* f ILfn DfllLV REVIEWS Of DEW FEATURES .V "Visiting Virginia" M-G-M 9 Mins. Interesting The Fitzpatrick Technicolor camera visits an assortment of historic and scenic Virginia highlights. Roanoke, Danville, Richmond, Natural Bridge and Luray Caverns are spotlighted. Travel interest in beautiful color. "Off the Air" (No. 4— Series 27) Columbia 9 '/z mins. For Any Audience Screen Snapshots takes you "off the air" with a number of popular radio stars. "Off the Air" (No. 4— Series 27) Columbia 9'/2 mins. For Any Audience Screen Snapshots takes you "off the air" witrf a number of popular radio stars. Kay Kyser, Art Linkletter, Vera Vague, Eve Arden, Al Jolson, Hal Peary, and Ralph Edwards give out with some impromptu entertainment. Fare for any audience. "Visiting Virginia" M-G-M 9 Mins. Interesting The Fitzpatrick Technicolor camera visits an assortment of historic and scenic Virginia highlights. "Sports Coverage" (No. 6) RKO 8 mins. Fast Moving Plenty of zip in this footage which covers the people who cover sports. Writers, announcers and photographers are pictured at work, which looks like play. Produced with the co-operation of the editors of Sport Magazine, it's fast moving, full of action and interest. "Out of This World Series" (Series 27) Columbia 9 mins. Unusual and Funny Screen Snapshots covers one of the most unusual baseball games on record when the Andy Russell Sprouts battle the Frank Sinatra Swooners. Some of the personalities in the fracas are Danny Kaye, John Garfield, Eddie Bracken, Kay Kyser, Mickey Rooney, etc., with Jack Carson and Hal "The Great Gildersleeve" Peary umpiring. Unusual and funny. Op-er ration White Tower" RKO 18 Mins. Interesting This Is America follows twelve men and one woman of the Washburn expedition up the dangerous slopes of Mount McKinley, highest peak on the North American continent. Three months of laborious ascent have been recorded on film and added to the annals of science. Interesting documentary about the big climb on one of the last frontiers of today's world. "Community Sing" (No. 3— Series 12) Columbia 9</i mins. Good Variety The Song Spinners, with Dick Liebert at the organ, lead the audience in such tunes as: "When You Were Sweet Sixteen," "Red Silk Stockings and Green Perfume," "Cecelia," "That's My Desire" and "On the Avenue." Variety for sing-a-long audience. "Drummer Man" Universal 15 Mins. Should Do Well Gene Krupa and the orchestra swing into several fast moving numbers that feature Krupa and his drums. Numbers played are "Lover," "Boogie Blues" which Carolyn Grey sings, "Stompin' At The Savoy," "Blanchette" in which Jeanne Blanche mixes tap and ballet, and "Leave Us Leap." Should do well on the jazz circuit. "King Size Canary" M-G-M 7 Mins. Different All sorts of weird twists when a cat and a canary get hold of a magic potion that increase their size. Different angle and good for lauerhs. "Mr. Orchid" with Noel-Noel, Nadine Alari, Jean Varas Lopert 100 Mins. ROUTINE STANDBY NUMBER FROM FRANCE; NOT UP TO STANDARD. This French number is on the long, routine side. Performances are good. J^ducfion has an aura of artificiality t );on-. stantly pervades the proceedings. .-. rates as a standby number until something better from France comes along. Plot has to do with the resistance movement during the occupation. Leading character, Noel-Noel, who also wrote the scenario and dialogue, is a flower fancier who uses his hobby to throw the Gestapo o'f the track when his section is about to make things hot for the enemy. Yarn has such familiar gimmicks as a Gestapo agent posing as a Frenchman in oider to capture the boys who set off bombs in the middle of the night where ♦hey do the most damage. There are parachutages; the Wehrmacht is made to appear stupid for the most part. Big deal comes off when the small town of Moissan receives, at the local factory, a shipment of porket submarines intended to thwart the forthcoming invasion of Normandy. NoelNoel arranges for his daughter to become engaged. A party three miles away celebrates the event. That night, London acts. Bombers, ordered by Noel-Noel, blast the submarine establishment. Later Noel-Noel is taken by the Nazis but escapes, wounded. He is reunited with his son who previously joined the Maquis. The war ends and the "Martin" family rests on its service to the liberation of France. CAST: Noel-Noel, Nadine Alari, Jose Artur, Vloire Olivier, Jean Varas, Paul Fronkeur, Deloitre, Lemonrier. CREDITS: Director, Rene Clement; Scenario and dialogue, Noel-Noel; Music, Rene Cloerec; Produced by B.C.M. . , DIRECTION, Okay. PHOTOGRAPHY, Fairly Good. 6 from AA and Monogram For Release During April West Closi Bureau of Tllk FILM DAILY, Hollywood — Two Allied Artists films and four from Monogram will be released in April, Scott R. Dunlap, executive assistant to Steve Broidy, president, announced. AA releases are: "The Hunted," April 3, and "Smart Women," April 30. Monogrr.m slate includes: "Docks of New Orleans," April 4; "Crossed Trails," April 11; "Campus Sleuth," April 18, and "French Leave," April 25. . Don Brown to Jam Handy Detroit — Donald H. Brown has joined the Jam Handy Organization, according to Jamison Handy, president. Brown formerly was a producer, director, and writer for Republic and also has been with Universal. Conn. Sales Tax Down Hartford, Conn.— Most theater candy purchases in Connecticut will be exempt from sales taxes as of April 1. New law exempts all purchase= under 25 cents. Rockford State Burns Rockford, 111. — Fire destroyed the State here.