Boxoffice (Apr-Jun 1948)

Opinions on Current Productions; Expioitips for Seliing to the Public FEATURE REVIEWS Romance on the High Seas F With Music (Technicoloi-) Warner Bros. (728) 102 Minutes Rel. July 3, '48 Lush, lithesome, laugh-laden, and all wrapped up in brilliant Technicolor, here is a praiseworthy package of pure escapist entertainment which will warm the hearts and tickle the toes of every one who sees it. More iihportant, it should play an equally happy tune on the cash registers of every theatre into which it is booked. With accent on farcical situation, the screenplay is built first for humor and secondly as a peg upon which to hang the several winning songs and a pre-econorny-wave production number. Directed with characteristic expertness by Michael Curtiz, the film serves as a introductory starring vehicle for his discovery, Doris Day, a fetching miss, made to order for musical comedy, and herein perfectly paced by an enthusiastic cast of more seasoned screen mummers. The picture in every detail is reminiscent of the top filmusicals for which Warner once was famed. Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don De Fore, Doris Day, Oscar Levant, S. Z. Sakall, Fortunio Bonanova, Eric Blore. The Gay Intruders F Comedy 20th-Fox ( ) 70 Minutes Rel. It was inevitable that sooner or later some enterprising producer with a sense of humor would capitalize on Hollywood's well-known propensity toward the subject of psychiatry by turning out a burlesque version of the many past films which have probed into the depths of the human mind. This one, the second entry from the recently organized Frank Seltzer Productions, again manifests that company's apparent ability to turn out high-grade product with a comparatively modest bankroll. With a wellwritten script as its foundation and a small but excellent cast to carry the Thespian load, it emerges as a smooth and funny comedy which audiences in virtually every type of situation should find to their liking. John Emery turns in a gorgeously hammy performance as a junior league Barrymore whose incessant bickering with his actress-wife leads to the application of psychiatry — with disastrous results. Directed by Ray McCarey. John Emery, Tamara Geva, Leif Erickson, Roy Roberts, 'Virginia Gregg, Si Wills, Sara Berner, Harry Lauter. Bad Sister F Drama Univ.-Int'l ( ) 97 Minutes Rel. From the busy British assembly of J. Arthur Rank comes this photoplay about women and the problems they confront in motherhood, both in and out of wedlock. In many respects it is two pictures in one because it poses those problems in two cases, one a matron of high station (she's the married one) and the other a young gal of the slums. While the major portion of the picture lacks sufficient pace to commend chair-gripping interest, many of its resultant shortcomings are offset by the closing sequences which generate considerable emotional voltage. The presence in the topline of Margaret Lockwood, England's cinematic darling, probably will prove the best exhibition asset. Her performance, as well as those contributed by other members of the cast, should prove satisfactory to ticket buyers. Directed by Bernard Knowles. Margaret Lockwood, Joan Greenwood, Ian Hunter, Dennis Price, Guy Middleton, Catherine Lacey, Paul Dupuis. Showtime Drama With Music English Films 89 Minutes Rel. Although the screen treatment and plot situations are as out-moded as the turn-of-the-century costumes, this Britishmade will have some nostalgic appeal to older patrons. The younger fans will more likely label it old-fashioned and dull. Ann Todd and Richard Greene give it good name draw for a supporting dualler generally, but it's best spotted in the art houses. The biographical slory deals with the life of George Edwardes, famous producer of British musicals, but any resemblance to the lavish American musical biographies ends there. The picture is overly sentimental, ends tragically and the production numbers and songs are all in the dated -operetta tradition. Miss Todd looks lovely and gives a sincere performance as a dance hall girl who becomes a loyal and devoted wife. Richard Greene is less convincing as the optimistic musical producer. Directed by George King. Ann Todd, Richard Greene, Hazel Court, Peter Graves, Ursula Jeans, Leni Lynn, Morland Graham, Marie O'Neill. 942 A Foreign AHair Comedy Paramount (4724) 116 Minutes Rel. Aug. 20, '48 ; J Only too rarely these days is the public permitted to shop for a motion picture which can boast so wide a diversity of entertainment factors as is found in this unusually clever comedy. There is so much therein to appeal to every known taste in screen fare that the film inescapably seems destined to be one of the season's best exhibition bets. Played fundamentally for laughs — and they abound in U bumper measures all along its jerry way — it is garnished with plenty of sex, which at times is just as naughty as the production code can possibly permit. Then as a bonus for the more discriminating of customers there are generous touches of satire and subtlety, with an occasional dash of philosophy. A brilliant screen play dealing with postwar Berlin and a congressional investigation is sparkingly delineated by a hand-picked and thoroughly excellent cast. Directed by Billy Wilder. Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich, John Lund, Millard Mitchell, Bill Murphy, Stanley Prager, 'William Neff, Boyd Davis. Blondie's Reward F Comedy Columbia (912) 67 Minutes Rel. Jime 3, '48 This 23rd opus about the Bumstead family proves that the Blondie series is a pudding which a large segment of the public enjoys eating. No innovations, of course. Dagwood blunders first at home by painting himself in while varnishing the floors, and he blunders at the office because he forgot to pick up some important papers from a wealthy client. Blondie tries 'to cover for him by sending a husky young neighbor for the papers, and he gets involved to the point of pushing the w. c.'s daughter's fiance into the swimming pool. Well, you take it from there — Dagwood is supposed to have done the pushing so gets demoted (not fired), but as a matter of fact the w. c. is delighted and there is a merry mixup from which Dagwood emerges triumphant, Blondie even getting him a bonus. He bowls over the policeman along with the postman. Abby Berlin directed. Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms, Marjorie Kent, Jerome Cowan, Gay Nelson, Ross Ford. 16 Fathoms Deep Drama (Ansco Color) Monogram ( ) 83 Minutes Rel. Whatever audience enthusiasm this engenders will stem from its appeal as a novelty rather than its dramatic content. The picture gives' an interesting insight into the spongefishing industry, with its most arresting sequences having been filmed under water off the Florida coast. In fact the offering in its entirety was produced in that state. Unfortunately the story which weaves together the sponge fishing and atmospheric facets and the colorful backgrounds against which they were photographed fails to parallel their attractiveness, accented by Ansco color photography. Such literary shortcomings and the fact that the cast is name-light will, in most situations, restrict the offering to supporting bookings, where it should satisfy most ticket-buyers. Directed by Irving Allen who, along with James S. Burkett, produced the feature as an Arthur Lake production. Lon Chaney, Arthur Lake, Lloyd Bridges, Eric Feldary, Tanis Chandler, John Qualen, Ian MacDonald. The Cobra Strikes F Murder Mystery Eagle Lion (820) 62 Minutes Rel. Apr. 24, '48 Mixing horror show and murder mystery techniques, a fair entertainment film for the lower half of a double bill is ground out. Actually, no cobra is the villain that accounts for three corpses before the police and a newspaper columnist expose him. He is the brother of a scientist that has invented a small but powerful death-dealing machine which hisses like a cobra when it "strikes." The brother attempted to kill the scientist and stole his invention, putting it to sinister uses. Just another hair-raiser hinting at dark destructive forces being loosed on a still patient (but for how much longer?) world. Sheila Ryan and Leslie Brooks add beauty to the cast, but the Hindu types are very obviously from another part of the orient, and where turbans are not native. Charles F. Riesner directed. Sheila Ryan, Richard Fraser, Herbert Heyes, George Sorrell, Leslie Brooks, Fred Nurney, Pat Flaherty. BOXOFFICE June 12, 1948 941