Photoplay (Jul - Dec 1939)

Brief Reviews FISHERMAN'S WHARF— Principal-RKORadio Less saccharine than its predecessors, this allows Bobby Breen (yes, he's an orphan) to live with Leo Carrillo and Henry Armetta and fuss around with fish and a fishy Italian accent. He sings a few songs in the usual manner. (April) FLYING IRISHMAN, THE— RKO-Radio A somewhat romanticized screen treatment of the trials and final triumph in the life of Doug Corrigan, this doesn't pretend to be anything but a sincere story, nor does the principal try to be anything but a simple flyer. Therefore, the film is in good taste and a nice hour of entertainment. You will hardly be surprised to learn that he really did intend to fly — 'to Ireland! (May) FOUR GIRLS IN WHITE— M-G-M This has a message — a message to the medicos to stop trying to make so much dough and start worrying about the health of the patient. Florence Rice is cute as the hard-boiled nurse out for a rich husband; Alan Marshal does well as the idealistic surgeon. Una Merkel, Mary Howard and Ann Rutherford are the three other gals. (April) if GUNGA DIN— RKO-Radio Adapted from Kipling's barrack-room ballad glorifying the brave water carrier, this exciting drama shows the British in India up to their old tricks of policing the natives. Cary Grant (boy, is he good), Doug Fairbanks, Jr. and Victor McLaglen are the swashbuckling heroes; Sam Jaffe, the courageous Gutiga Din. Two hours packed with spectacular thrills. (April) if HONOLULU— M-G-M The studio intended this extravagant musical to be Eleanor Powell's picture, but somehow Gracie Allen appropriated it. The plot revolves around a screen star's (Bob Young) attempt to have a tropical vacation incognito. Miss Allen's irrepressible humor and Miss Powell's expert hoofing will keep you amused. (April) HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES. THE— 20th Century-Fox There is disappointment in this Conan Doyle crime puzzle, in which everyone lives under the shadow of an old legend. It drags at the beginning, works up to good suspense and then comes to climax without letting us in on Sherlock's methods. Basil Rathbone is a bored Sherlock Holmes, Nigel Bruce, Watson. Richard Greene and Wendy Barrie supply romance. (June) *ICE FOLLIES OF 1939, THE— M-G-M Metro steers into the ice field with this Gargantuan frozen follies, using as background the ice troupe that successfully followed Sonja Henie around America. The plot has Joan Crawford loving Jimmie Stewart, marrying him, leaving him, coming back to him. Lew Ayres is good as the bitter partner of Stewart. (May) * IDIOT'S DELIGHT— M-G-M An effective screen treatment of the LuntFontanne play. Clark Gable is a vaudeville ham; Norma Shearer, a phony Russian countess traveling with Edward Arnold, a munitions maker. Add assorted characters, put them in an Alpine hotel when the next war breaks out and you have drama in fantastic proportions. Salute! Hollywood grows up. (April) I'M FROM MISSOURI— Paramount You may not care if the Missouri mule is replaced by the tractor but Bob Burns does and goes to England in defense of the animal. Gladys George plays Bob's wife. Bill Henry and Gene Lockhart do good jobs in small roles. Full of Burns' homely humor. (June) I WAS A CONVICT— Republic Really, the publicity that convicts have been getting from Hollywood lately! This particular bit will put you in a stupor. Barton MacLane, Beverly Roberts, Clarence Kolb and Horace MacMahon are the main ones in the cast and they're so bored with what they have to do. {May) KID FROM TEXAS, THE— M-G-M A trite story keeps this from A rating, although its cast and performances are excellent. It's about a cowhand who wants to play polo, gets his chance, but ends up in a rodeo. Dennis O'Keefe, the cowhand who falls in love with Florence Rice, deserves a better assignment. Buddy Ebsen gets the laughs. (June) KING OF CHINATOWN— Paramount There's plenty of action and a lot of mystery in this chilling mellerdrammer, wherein Akira Tamiroff is the King of Chinatown and Anna May Wong, a doctor trying to get money for Chinese war refugees. Alum takes a beating throughout. (June) KING OF THE TURF— Small-United Artists The long arm of coincidence is practically pulled out of its socket in this race-track tale. Adolphe Menjou, cast as a bum, is regenerated by a runaway boy. The boy has a mother, Dolores Costello. Menjou has an ex-wife. Who? Dolores Costello. We can't stand surprises. (April) LADY AND THE MOB, THE— Columbia Academy Winner Fay Bainter brings a light but dignified touch to this semihumorous story of a rich eccentric who runs a mob of racketeers out of town by hiring her own plug uglies and practically manning their machine guns herself. Lee Bowman, as Miss Bainter's son. and Ida Lupino furnish a light romance. (May) LADY VANISHES, THE— Gaumont-British Alfred Hitchcock, the great English director, here gives you his best, a stirring story of spies, bloodshed and, of course, loo-v-el All action takes place (Continued from page 4) on a transcontinental express, and the cast, Dame May Whitty, Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave and others are splendid. Will suit the most cynical of "guess-who" fans. if LADY'S FROM KENTUCKY, THE— Paramount "Kentucky" was responsible for this cycle of prop bluegrass. Southern accents and blooded stock. George Raft is the dam' Yankee who makes short work of a little Kentucky gal's prejudices. Ellen Drew is the attractive Southern belle. Hugh Herbert and ZaSu Pitts carry the comedy. This has some swell races and plenty of action. (June) if LET FREEDOM RING— M-G-M This is the movie in which Nelson Eddy has a fist fight with Victor McLaglen. He also sings to Virginia Bruce (not J. MacDonald). As the hero rancher who persuades the railroad's to give back stolen property, naturally Nelson wins over Victor; he wins Virginia, too. You will like this blend of action, drama and music. (April) LET US LIVE— Columbia Based on a case in the daily papers some years ago, this is an indictment of some phases of our legal setup, the implication being that justice wins over injustice by the grace of Providence and nothing else. Henry Fonda is the innocent bystander, identified by hysterical witnesses as a murderer and sent to the death house. Maureen O'Sullivan is the girl who sees him through all the trouble. Very interesting. (May) * LITTLE PRINCESS, THE— 20th CenturyFox Shirley Temple's boss has said this was the best picture he ever made. The charming story is that of a soldier's daughter in a swank school, treated well until news comes of his death, when she is relegated to the scullery. Shirley is perfect, the Technicolor throughout superb and the cast, Richard Greene, Anita Louise, Ian Hunter, Mary Nash, Sybil Jason, Arthur Treacher, Cesar Romero and others, are in top form. (May) LONE WOLF SPY HUNT, THE— Columbia Spies are in vogue just now, so here is Warren William again (as the Lone Wolf) catching up on his espionage in Washington. Ralph Morgan is the menace, Ida Lupino the sex appeal and Virginia Weidler just tags along. Will not win friends or influence people. (April) if LOVE AFFAIR— RKO-Radio A delicately wrought love story, with several fragrant episodes, plenty of comedy and much pathos. It begins aboard ship when playboy Charles Boyer falls in love with ex-cafe singer, Irene Dunne; crystallizes in Madiera when they visit Boyer's aged grandmother, Maria Ouspenskaya; has a temporary set-back when Irene is crippled by an automobile accident and Boyer thinks he's jilted. A picture you won't forget. (June) if MADE FOR EACH OTHER— SelznickUnited Artists This vital, modern love story will appeal to most adults, but especially to "young marrieds" whose problems, miseries and happiness are portrayed with understanding and humor by Carole Lombard and Jimmie Stewart. The cast, production and direction are Hollywood's best. (April) if MIDNIGHT— Paramount Claudette Colbert trips along as cute as a new bunny, playing an American chcrine stranded in Paris. Cab driver Don Ameche sees her plight, tries to help her, but doesn't succeed until she has let herself in for undue publicity as the foil in a divorce scandal between John Barrymore, Mary Astor (his wife) and Francis Lederer (Mary's lover). Gay and good. (May) if MIKADO, THE— Toye-Universal The first full-length production of a Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera, this retains the sentimentality and ironical humor of the original. Beautifully sung by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Co. (augmented nicely by Kenny Baker), this tale of the loves of the son of the Mikado of Japan in the Middle Ages should charm anybody over twenty. (April) MY WIFE'S RELATIVES— Republic In this hilarious episode of the Higgins family. Pa (James Gleason), Ma (Lucile Gleason) and Son (Russell Gleason) get into one homey little scrape after another but succeed in preventing a designing widow from marrying Grandpa (Harry Davenport). Unsophisticated fun. (May) ' NANCY DREW— REPORTER— Warners Bonita Granville now gets involved with a group of journalism students who outwit an editor to solve a murder case. Frankie Thomas, Jr. helps her out. Very tough on the poor murderer. (April) if NEVER SAY DIE— Paramount Screwy Bob Hope is very funny in this gag story wherein he is told he only has a month to live because he has hyperacidity and is digesting himself! It's all a mistake but Bob doesn't think so. nor does Martha Raye, the Texas heiress who marries him to escape being sold to a prince. Nutty but nice. (May) OKLAHOMA KID— Warners The redoubtable James Cagney dons boots and saddles to play a sort of Robin Hood of the sagebrush during the land fights on the Cherokee Strip in 1893. Lots of Indians, stage coaches, assorted low-life desperadoes, shooting, shouting, and suspense. Rosemary Lane, Humphrey Bogart, Donald Crisp and others make up the good cast. if ONE THIRD OF A NATION— Paramount Using the President's line from his second inaugural address, Dudley Murphy has made a sermon for slum clearance that will make you want to take an axe to the first old housetyou see. Sylvia Sidney, Leif Erikson and Sidney L'umet arc: Bplendid, but the tenement house is the star. We suggest this is worth seeing if you are at all interested in everyday news items. (April) PERSONS IN HIDING— Paramount Taken from a book of crime cases by the same name written by J. Edgar Hoover, this is impressively realistic. It deals with the "get-rich-quick" aspirations of a vicious young woman by means of robberies, kidnapings and assorted peccadilloes. Patricia Morison (a newcomer) does amazingly well. (April) PRIDE OF THE NAVY— Republic If you have been wondering where James Dunn was keeping himself, drop in at your neighborhood theater. He's a speedboat demon kicked out of Annapolis. The Navy says all is forgiven if he will design a torpedo boat and Rochelle Hudson persuades him it is the thing to do. No great shakes. (April) SERGEANT MADDEN— M-G-M It's pretty tough being a good policeman and a good father, too, but Wallace Beery manages nicely. His son Alan Curtis jams things up, first as a rotten fighter, later as a disgruntled rookie cop. His doorstep daughter, Laraine Day, finally marries Curtis, but not before a good deal of shooting and sentiment on the part of Beery. (May) SON OF FRANKENSTEIN— Universal Success of the revival of horror pictures inspired this up-to-date chiller. Boris Karloff (the original Monster of 1931), Bela Lugosi (of "Dracula") and Basil Rathbone work together with an awesome effect of terror. Josephine Hutchinson has a small bit. Prepare for nightmares. (April) SPIRIT OF CULVER— Universal Jackie Cooper plays the son of a dead war hero, who is picked up from a bread line by the American Legion, sent to Culver Military Academy where he goes for the bread and butter but holds no brief for the patriotic theme "there are some things worth dying for." Roommate Freddie Bartholomew brings the dissenter to his senses. (May) "Ar STAGECOACH— Wanger-United Artists Well-written, well-acted and well-directed, this delineates the adventures of nine people who meet and face treachery traveling through Indian infested territory in 1885. One of the best characterizations of the year is that of Thorras Mitchell as the drunken doctor, but Claire Trevor, John Wayne, George Bancroft, Tim Holt and others are exceptional. Very fine. (April) ST. LOUIS BLUES— Paramount This Mississippi showboat story is a series of anticlimaxes holding the plot together so the performers can sing. Lloyd Nolan is the dashing captain, Dorothy Lamour is a runaway actress who refuses to wear sarongs (but she does). Four songs are delightfully rendered by Maxine Sullivan, aided by the Hall Johnson choir. (April) * STORY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL, THE— 20th Century-Fox It's no easy job to make fast-moving, emotional entertainment of a technician's life, but Mr. Zanuck tried it with edifying success. Don Ameche plays Bell, whose love for his lovely wife (Loretta Young) and his interest in deaf-mutes leads to his invention of the telephone. It's a superlative production, with perfect support by such troupers as Henry Fonda, Elizabeth Patterson and Charles Coburn. (June) it STORY OF VERNON AND IRENE CASTLE, THE— RKO-Radio This is a sweet picture that will have enormous appeal. It's the true story of those glamorous dancers of the pre-war days — Vernon and Irene Castle — their life and love together until Vernon's plane crash during the war. It has the inimitable Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire playing the Castles, recreating their dances — and it sparkles like polished crystal. (June) SOCIETY LAWYER— M-G-M This was called " Penthouse" in 1933 and starred Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy. Now, Walter Pidgeon makes love to Virginia Bruce. Pidgeon, a lawyer, is first in love with Frances Mercer, but this cools when he disgraces himself by saving gangster Leo Carrillo. Miss Bruce looks beautiful and Pidgeon is suave. (June) SUDDEN MONEY— Paramount Don't go out of your way to catch this little number. It deals with a family who wins a sweepstakes and goes berserk. Charles Ruggles, Marjorie Rambeau, Broderick Crawford, Billy Lee and Evelyn Keyes do their part. (June) *TAIL SPIN— 20th Century-Fox Alice Faye, Connie Bennett, Nancy Kelly and Joan Davis show you the perils and sacrifices of competition in women's air derbies. There are assorted love stories, but see this for the novelty and speed thrills. (April) THEY MADE HER A SPY— RKO-Radio Hollywood is hepped up over the spy scares — result: Sally Eiler's brother invents a new shell and is killed; she becomes a member of a spy ring; so does reporter Allan Lane. If you think real hard you may guess the ending. (June) it THREE SMART GIRLS GROW UP— Universal A little more grown-up, with her voice in perfect condition, Deanna Durbin pulls this sequel to her tirst success onto the gravy train. Nan Grey and Helen Parrish are her sisters whose love affairs Deanna tries to straighten out — but with what UNWANTED HAIR with ) twun«w P^wiSgs* wm WLATOBl ^mBm 'IMPROVED 1<3| b. With more women using ZiP than any other hair remover. 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