Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1939)

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Page 16 October 21, 1939 The Roaring Twenties WB DRAMA 105 mins. (Nafl Release, Oct. 28) Credits: James Cagney, Priscilla Lane, Humphrey Bogart, Gladys George, Jeffrey Lynn, Paul Kelly, Frank McHugh, Joseph Sauer and others. Screenplay by Jerry Wald, Richard Macaulay and Robert Rossen from a story by Mark Hellinger. Directed by Raoul Walsh. Plot: Cagney, Bogart and Lynn are buddies in France during the war. When he returns, Cagney goes to see Priscilla Lane with whom he has carried on a correspondence and finds she is a school girl. He fails to get his job back and accidentally gets involved in bootlegging soon making it his life work. LTnable to buy from Kelly, an importer of liquor, he hijacks one of Kelly's loads with Bogart in charge and teams up with the latter. He meets Priscilla again and falling in love with her persuades Gladys to give her a job while he foots the bills. But she falls in love with Lynn who has been the gang attorney. Cagney gets into a gang fight with Kelly and kills him. Then ;omes the crash and Cagney goes downhill, Bogart now heading the rackets. Again Cagney becomes a taxi driver. Accidentally he meets Priscilla and finds that Lynn is now a district attorne}' and about to close down on Bogart. Priscilla pleads with him to see Bogart and Cagney kills him but is in turn killed by Bogart's men. Comment: The days of "Little Caesar," "The Public Enemy" and "The Doorway to Hell" are back again. This is an out-andout, knock-'em-down and drag-'em-out gangster picture with all the trimmings from pineapples and shoulder holsters to hi-jacking and speakeasy raiding. It is a perfect vehicle for the Cagney who has now become so accustomed to these roles and so typed in them that they fit him like the proverbial glove. Where Cagney is a drawing card this picture should be a big grosser. It is full of action but is nothing for the kids. Raoul Walsh has done a swell job of keeping the picture moving. It lacks a little comedy and there are a few incongruities. Despite its long running time, your audience will be absorbed in it throughout but there are several points where j^ou might expect it to end only to find that the story continues on. It is a sort of documentary gang film with an off-screen commentary in the fashion that came into vogue with "Confessions of a Nazi Spy." In newspapers where Mark' Hellinger's column is syndicated, the picture should get some good plugs on the same page as the column. Have your newspaper make a survey of the crime and illegal liquor situation tcdav as compared with the Prohibition era. Since Priscilla Lane sings several songs popular in the Twenties, run a radio or music page contest for the longest list of hit songs of the period. (ADULT) Catchline: "Saga of an unbelievable era." AUDIENCE SLANT: IF THEY LIKE CAGNEY THEY'LL LIKE IT; SOME MAY FIND IT UNPLEASANT AND LACKING IN COMEDY BUT AS A WHOLE IT IS ABSORBING AND AS FULL OF ACTION AS ANY FAN COULD WANT BOX OFFICE SLANT: GREAT WHERE CAGNEY IS A DRAW. STRICTLY AN ADULT PICTURE AND BEST PLAYED ON DAYS WHEN THE AUDIENCE WILL BE LARGELY MALE. Legion of Decency Ratings: (For Week Ending October 14) SUITABLE FOR GENERAL PATRONAGE The Mill on the Floss Sabotage Our Neighbors, the Carters Pride of the Blue Grass Marshal of Mesa City SUITABLE FOR ADULTS ONLY The Roaring Twenties (For Week Ending October 21 ) SUITABLE FOR GENERAL PATRONAGE Children of the Wild The Law of the Pampas SUITABLE FOR ADULTS ONLY All Quiet on the Western Front Marx Bros, at the Circus On Your Toes Road Back Shipyard Sally Smashing the Money Ring Law of The Pampas Para. (Hollywood Preview) WESTERN 72 mins. RKO (Hollywood Preview MYSTERY 63 mins. (Prod. No. 12— Nafl Release, Oct. 27) Credits: Kent Taylor, Linda Hayes, Lillian Bond, Roger Pryor, Morgan Conway, Richard Lane and others. Screenplay by Jerry Cady, from a story by Wolfe Kaufman, Directed by Leslie Goodwins. Produced by Cliff Reid. Plot: Taylor, newspaper reporter, stages dramatized news events over the radio station owned by his paper, Linda Hayes, girl reporter on a rival sheet, gives Lane, court house man, the wrong tip in a case where Conway is on trial for murdering his former partner and Taylor broadcasts the wrong decision. His paper is sued for libel. To beat Conway's suit, Taylor gets the help of Pr3'or, district attorney, to check into Conway's brokerage business and on Lillian Bond, widow of the murdered partner. After a series of blind alleys, Hayes traps Lillian into admitting she killed her husband and the doctor found dead just before he could talk to Taylor, and that Conway was entirely innocent. While taking her in, Taylor's car crashes. He jumps to safety and she rides over the cliff to death. Comment: Too many subjects not too evenly knit in one cohesive story is the main fault of this moderate-budget production, with the workings of the radio stock company providing more interest than the clearing up of the mystery. Taylor gets the most from his role, which includes a lot of by-play to show him as an amateur magician, and one of their magic meetings, which serves only to show off a new "head-chopping" apparatus. As an exploitation angle, this offers a tieup with 3'our local magicians' club, but hardly adds to the tensitj^ of the story. Presentation of Chinese player Keye Luke using a variety of national dialects and horse-play by Lane as a practical-joker reporter supply the humor. (FAMILY) Catchline: "Historv repeats itself with a killer." AUDIENCE SLANT: MOST OF THE AVERAGE AUDIENCE IS LIKELY TO FIND THE STORY )UMPS ABOUT TOO MUCH. BOX OFFICE SLANT: ONLY FOR SECOND HALF OF DOUBLE FEATURE PROGRAMS. (Prod. No. 3955— Nat'l Release, Nov. 3) Credits: William Boyd, Russell Hayden, Sidney Toler, Steffi Duna, Sidney Blackmer, Pedro De Cordoba, The King's Men and others. Based on characters created by Clarence E. Mulford, Screenplay by Harrison Jacobs. Directed by Nate Watt. Produced by Harrv Sherman. Plot: When "William Boyd and Russell Hayden arrive with a shipment of cattle to the South American estancia of Pedro De Cordoba, their suspicions are almost immediately confirmed that Sidney Blackmer, the latter's son-in-law, is somehow involved in the untimely deaths of Cordoba's son and daughter. They learn that with the connivance of Steffi Duna, a fiery little dancer in a disreputable cafe and a group of renegades, is plotting now to dispose of both the elderly ranch owner and his grandson in order to gain control of the property. Boyd and Hayden turn detectives and save the day after a thrilling battle. Comment: A swell action Western that should please any audience, youngsters and oldsters alike, is this latest 'Hopalong Cassidy picture, the best in this excellent series to date. Production, direction, trouping, writing and camera work share credit for a film that should be outstanding action entertainment for any situation. William Boj^d has never been seen to better advantage, turning in a two-fisted, hard-riding performance that tops any of his previous efforts. Producer Harry Sherman has assembled a stand-out supporting cast headed by Russell Hayden, Sidnejr Toler, Steffi Duna and Sidnejr Blackmer, quite an array of talent for a western. Nate Watt's direction keeps the action going at a fast pace from the beginning to the bang-up finish. If j'ou are running the "Hopalong" series, go to town on this one. If not, here's a good one to start with. Use the usual western exploitation, with a slight South American touch in yom lobby decorations. (FAMILY) Catchline: "Hoppy introduces some American methods in the Ara;entine." AUDIENCE SLANT: THEY SHOULD ENJOY ITS FAST ACTION AND GOOD PERFORMANCES. BOX OFFICE SLANT: OUTSTANDING OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT FOR ANY SITUATION. The Kansas Terrors Republic WESTERN 57 mins. (Prod. No. 961— Nat'l Release, Oct. 6) Credits: Robert Livington, Raymond Hatton, Duncan Renaldo, Jacqueline Wells, Howard Hickman, George Douglas, Frank Lackteen, Myra Marsh, Yakima Canutt, Ruth Robinson, Richard Alexander. Screenplay bj' Jack Natteford and Betty Burbridge. Original story by Luci Ward. Based on the characters created by William Colt MacDonald. Directed "by George Sherman. Associate Producer, Harry Grey. Plot: Douglas, commandante of a small Caribbean island, rules with an iron hand. Renaldo, a modern Robin Hood, seeks to save the people from Douglas' tyranny. Having brought horses to the island from For Additional Exploitation Ideas on These Pictures Consult the Encyclopedia of Exploitation