The Film Daily (1936)

THE ■ZZtk DAILY Thursday, Sept. 3, 1936 « REVIEWS » Gary Cooper and Madeleine Carroll in "THE GENERAL DIED AT DAWN" with Akim Tamiroff, Dudley Digges, Porter Hall, William Frawley, J. M. Kerrigan Paramount 97 mins. SUSPENSEFUL MELODRAMA IN CHINESE WAR BACKGROUND, WELL ACTED AND DIRECTED, WITH GOOD B. 0. ANGLES. Some excellent character work, a good straight performance by Gary Cooper with Madeleine Carroll as the incidental love interest, plus fine direction, a generally interesting script, and effective photography combine to make this an engrossing melodrama with more than ordinary possibilities from box-office angle. As the first screen work of Clifford Odets, New York playwright, the adaptation has crisp moments that augur favorably for him. Dialogue is mostly excellent, although punch situations and climaxes are sometimes a bit mild and expedient for a drama of this type. Story is about the bandit general, Yan, played with fine effect by Akim Tamiroff, who is plundering some Chinese provinces and inflicting unjustified cruelties on its inhabitants. Cooper, sympathizing with the oppressed natives, undertakes to help their side by carrying money to Shanghai to buy guns. Yan hires Porter Hall, an American, to use his lovely daughter, Madeleine, as a decoy against her will to get Cooper and the money. When he gets the dough, Hall tries to skip to America with it, but is interecepted by J. M. Kerrigan, another no-good who wants to chisel in on the loot. Then Cooper escapes from Yan's men, goes after Hall and Madeliene, and is searching their rooms for the money when Yan and his men turn up and make them all prisoners. Later the money is accidentally found by William Frawley, a bibulous munitions agent, who stabs Yan in the ensuing fight. On the point of death, Yan at first plans to kill all his captives, but Cooper talks him into letting them go. Cast: Gary Cooper, Madeleine Carroll, Akim Tamiroff, Dudley Digges, Porter Hall, William Frawley, J. M. Kerrigan, Philip Ahn, Lee Tung Foo, Leonid Kinskey, John O'Hara. Producer, William LeBaron; Director, Lewis Milestone; Author, Charles G. Booth; Screenplay, Clifford Odets; Cameraman, Victor M ilner; Editor, Eda Warren. Direction, First-rate Photography, Unusual. FOREIGN "Passaporto Rosso" ("Destiny Unknown"), in Italian; produced by Tirrenia; directed by Guido Brignone; with Isa Miranda, Filippo Scelzo, et al. Presented by Pittaluga. At the Cine-Roma. Well acted story with nationalistic flavor dealing with Italy's 1892-1922 epic period. Will please Italian audiences. SHORTS "March of Time" (No. 18) RKO Radio 20 mins. Politically Risky The reel is two-thirds in a political view, which makes it risky stuff for the theaters. One political subject covers the Passamaquoddy project at Eastport, Maine, showing how the little New England town boomed and prosperity came to the section as thousands of men went to NEWS of the DAY Franklin, Tex. — Floyd Faubion and J. Tom Higgins are the new owners of the New Franklin Theater. Talco, Tex.— East Texas Theaters purchased Jimmie Adams' Theater. Cisco, Tex.— The Texas Theater, operated by C. J. Stevens, was destroyed by fire. Dallas — Oscar S. Oldknow, district manager for National Supply, visited here last week and flew back to Atlanta. Silsbee, Tex. — ■ Walter Stoepplemann will erect a new theater here. Palatka, Fla.— E. 0. Murray is the skipper of the Howell Theater. Athens, Ga. — P. E. McCoy has assumed the managership of the Georgia Theater. Atlanta — William Tuttle is the new salesman for GB, succeeding Randall Bryan, resigned. Waycross, Ga. — Lyric Theater is to be remodeled at cost of about $10,000. Daytona Beach, Fla. is being remodeled. -The Lyric 800-seat Sumter Theater, newest local entertainment place constructed at an approximate cost of $112,000. The exercises were in the charge of Senator S. K. Nash. Brief remarks were made by Mayor F. B. Creech and Manager K. E. Ward. Jacksonville, Fla. — Frank Rogers, manager of the contract department for E. J. Sparks circuit, has returned after a two-week business trip to New York. Tarentum, Pa. — Warners are reopening the Harris Theater on Labor Day. Bill Powelson is coming from Pittsburgh to serve as manager. Decota, W. Va.— The Y. M. C. A, Theater was transferred by J. F. Page to J. C. Maddox. Guyandotte, W. Va.— F. Mc.Quad opened a new house here last week. « DATE BOOK » Moundsville, W. Va.— Walter Urling and George Davis purchased the Grand Theater from F. Arthur Simon and M. Jacobs. Atlanta — Albert Duren is now booker for Paramount, succeeding Richard Morgan, resigned, while William Holliday goes to ad-sales assistant, and William Buder, additional assistant. Sumter, S. C. — Gala ceremonies marked the formal opening of the Denver — The first four days of Warner's "Anthony Adverse" at the Denver Theater here topped the receipts recorded on a full week's engagement of "G Men," setting a new house record. Los Angeles — GB's "Seven Sinners," co-starring Edmund Lowe and Constance Cummings, opened yesterday at the Four Star Theater, succeeding "Nine Days a Queen" which ran four weeks at the L. A. house. "Seven Sinners" will also play the entire Fox West Coast Circuit in the Los Angeles territory. Sept. 2-5: Annual meeting of Fox theater managers of the Rocky Mountain territoiy, Rick Ricketson, manager, Cosmopolitan Hotel, Denver. Sept. 4: Actors' Equity Ass'n informal discussion meeting, Hotel Astor, New Yo.k. 2 P. M. Sept. 9-11: Allied Theaters of New Jersey annual convention, Hotel Traymore, Atlantic City. Sept. 12: Paramount Pep Club cruise from Manhattan to Woodcliff Park, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., on S. S. Delaware Jept. 17: Minneapolis Variety Club Golf Tournament, Minneapolis Golf Club, Minneapolis. Sept. 23-24: Annual convention of Independent Theaters Protective Ass'n of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Milwaukee. Sept. 28-Oct. 2: Annual Atlantic Coast Premium Exposition, Hotel Astor, New York. Oct. 2: The Exhibitor of Philadelphia-Variety Club Golf Tournament, Whitemarsh Country Club, Philadelphia. Oct. 12-15: S. M. P. E. Fall Convention, Hotel Sagamore, Rochester, N. Y. Oct. 19-20: Annual convention of M. P. T. O. of W. Penna., Pittsburgh. Oct. 25: Pittsburgh Variety Club annual banquet, William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh. Nov. 27: Buffalo Variety Club annual movie ball, Buffalo. Dec. 13: Philadelphia Variety Club annual formal stag banquet, Bellevue Stratford Hotel, Philadelphia. BUFFALO Sound Exports for June Washington Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Washington — Motion Picture sound equipment exported from the United States to foreign countries in June was valued at $176,984, and for the first six months of 1936 at $1,013,700, according to the monthly summary of foreign commerce released by the Department of Commerce. work on the tidal power project and millions of dollars were spent. Then the crash as the Senate shut down and Republican Maine went back to its humble tasks for a livelihood as the Democratic Heaven was closed to them. The other ticklish subject for the theaters is that entitled the "Lunatic Fringe," showing the political combine of Gerald Smith, Father Coughlin and Dr. Townsend. This one builds Smith up as a demagogue and "rabble-rouser," and does not put the other two partners in a favorable light. The third subject in the reel is the negative and harmless one concerning the nation's milk supply, showing how pasteurization and other health systems have safeguarded the dairy industry and the consumers. CHARLOTTE It appears now that Charlotte's Sunday "blue laws," that prohibit Sunday operation of theaters, baseball, swimming pools, etc., will not be repealed or modified under the present city administration, which will face the election next May. Gastonia's newly-passed city ordinance against jackpot night events does not stand, according to City Solicitor John Wilkins in city court when he asked a case against W. T. Gray, manager of the Carolina, arrested under the ordinance, be dismissed. The position of defense attorneys was that the city ordinance was in conflict with State lottery laws. Wilkins said, however, that should Gray attempt to operate any jackpot events in the future he will order his arrest under the State lottery law. Newton's new theater, the State, under the management of G. G. Mitchell, has opened. Goode Construction Corp. has been awarded contract for Charlotte's first suburban theater by H. C. Alexander. The theater will represent an investment of approximately $40,000. Work will start soon. The Kenmore Theater, sole film house in Kenmore, 20,000 population suburb just north of Buffalo, was taken over this week for operation by Buffalo Theaters, the Shea organization. Negotiations for the lease covered several months. Mitchell Fitzer of Syracuse has held it for more than five years, with Ephraim Bettigole as resident manager. Carl Rindcen, now at Shea's Kensington, will assume management of the Kenmore on Saturday. Bettigole is expected to join the Fitzer organization in Syracuse. A. Charles Hayman, managing director of the Lafayette here, has returned from a month's vacation in Ontario. Howard Brink, formerly with Standard Film Exchange, has joined the sales staff of Pyramid Exchange, John M. Sitterly's independent organization. BOSTON Jack Goldstein has left for Atlantic City, N. J. His entrant in the beauty pageant is "Miss New Hampshire." Edward W. Smith, formerly manager of the Metropolitan Theater, is now in Hollywood. Herschel Stuart of Imperial Pic-' tures is in town. Jack Jennings, formerly with Fox, is now selling in the New Hampshire-Vermont district for Grand National. "Mary of Scotland" is in its fourth and final week at the Keith] Memorial, according to Manager George French. Mayor John D. Lynch of Cambridge has lifted the ban on beano games in that city.