Box office digest (Dec 1938-Dec 1939)

8 NATIONAL BOX OFFICE DIGEST ffDnke of West Point** folorfiiB Yarn EDWARD SMALL-U. A. (EST. 90%) Producer Edward Small Director Alfred E. Green Technical Director Lt. Walter K. Tuller, Jr. Original Screenplay George Bruce Featured: Louis Hayward, Joan Fontaine, Tom Brown, Richard Carlson, Alan Curtis, Donald Barry, Gaylord Pendleton Charles D. Brown, Jed Prouty, Marjorie Gateson, Emma Dunn, George McKay, James Flavin, Nick Lukats. Photographer Robert Planck Art Director John DeCasse Schultz Musical Director Frank Tours Film Editor Grant Whytock Time 105 Minutes Of all the backgrounds around which a picture can be built that just can’t miss, West Point undoubtedly tops the list. For excitement, color, youth, and all around 'umph’ it can’t be beat, and “The Duke of West Point” is no exception to this rule. The picture has all the accepted trimmings of a service school story, and, as such, will not mar Uncle Sam’s perfect record of never failing at the box office. Despite all its good qualities, however, “The Duke of West Point” has one flaw — it tries to do too much. The picture in its present state is overlength, and can definitely stand scissoring. Possibly the dropping of complete sequences, worthwhile in themselves, but whose eradication is necessary to speed up the entire effort. At any rate, an hour and forty-five minutes is too much running time for this type of film. The story lends a somewhat novel twist to the ancient 'Hold ’em Army’ routine. Louis Hayward, one of our three plebes starting in at the Point, has spent eight years in school in England, acquiring an Etonian accent which quickly places him in the doghouse with the upperclassmen. Playing his role to the hilt, Hayward delivers splendidly in his first big part in an 'A’ picture, as the nonchalant, carefree, playboy. Tom Brown and Richard Carlson complete the trio of roommates. Brown is his usual dependable self, and Carlson lives up to his 'Young in Heart’ reputation, particularly in his more serious moments. Joan Fontaine very prettily handles the minor feminine in terest of the film. Alan Curtis in the familiar role of hard-boiled upperclassman is all that such a part can be. As to the plot, it might be stated in several sentences: Hayward, in sneaking out of bounds to help his roommate, violates the honor code of the Academy when caught. Result— ostracism, until a letter from the roommate’s mother vindicates him. Needless to say, the entire picture is interspersed with a plentitude of athletics, first football, and topping it all off with intercollegiate ice hockey. The "big game” of the film is the little-known international hockey match between the Royal Military College of Canada and West Point. The only athletic contest in the world in which the loser gets the trophy cup. George Bruce, who gave the screen “Navy Blue and Gold,” has implanted all the surefire elements of this type of story in creating an original screen play for this one. Director Al Green is thoroughly at home in this type of picture and skillfully balances dramatic, comedy, and athletic factors to advantage. WHAT THE OTHER FELLOWS SAID: REPORTER: “A picture about one of our two most popular service schools and, believe it or not, it’s fresh, has a new idea, and brings still another sport into major production, hockey. VARIETY: “With ‘The Duke of West Point’ Edward Small returns to United Artists packing a hit picture.” ".\iincv Drew-Detective” Starts IVew Series WARNER BROTHERS (EST. 70%) Producer Bryan Foy Director William Clemens Original Screenplay Kenneth Garnet Based on characters by Carolyn Keene Star Bonita Granville Featured: John Litel, Frankie Thomas, James Stephenson, Frank Orth, Charles Trowbridge, Renie Riano, Helena Phillips Evans, Dick Purcell, Ed Keane, Brandon Tynan, Mae Busch, Tommy Bupp, Lottie Spires, Buddy Bangs, Byron Armstrong. Time 65 Minutes This new Nancy Drew series from Warner Brothers has apparently been aimed at that heterogenous audience which is responsible for the present day popularity of the comic page’s adventure strips and the bing bang school of radio playlets. If this, the first in the series, is to be the model it can be reported as a series that will find a satisfactory spot on the dual bills, without exciting any undue adult interest. The workmanlike crew under the Bryan Foy banner at Warner Brothers combine their proven knowledge of fast action thrdls and broad laughs in "Nancy Drew — Detective,” with a capable cast streamlining through the 65 minutes. Bonita Granville and Frankie Thomas, two of the screen’s more promising adolescents, hold the center of the interest capably, with John Litel, Frank Orth and other standbys furnishing the proper adult balance. Original screenplay by Kenneth Garnet and direction by William Clements are in the forthright Foy metier. Bonita becomes Nancy Drew, the amateur detective, when she finds that her school is about to lose a quarter million endowment be cause of nasty racketeers who have kidnapped the would-be benefactress. With Frankie Thomas as stooge and chief lieutenant, and with the aid of "ham” radio operators, carrier pigeons, and any number of youngsters she brings a bad end to the bad men. John Litel is in the role of Bonita’s father, and evidently destined to go along through the series with Bonita and the Thomas lad. Appeal of the series will lean to the juvenile side, probably a bit too strongly so for all around exhibitors satisfaction, but great for Friday nights and the Saturday matinees. WHAT THE OTHER FELLOWS SAID: REPORTER: “If this one is a tipofif to what is to follow in a series based on the same characters, Warners has a winning box office combination.” VARIETY: “ ‘Nancy Drew — Detective,’ first of seiies around adventures of a teen-aged girl, unfolds as an unpretentious little feature that speaks well for coming members of the group.” Releases of Week (Continued from Page 5) have to be double billed with a much stronger box office attraction. Supporting Miss Francis are John Litel, Ian Hunter, Sybil Jason, and Donald Crisp. The picture was directed by Busby Berkeley. PARAMOUNT— 1 NEW RELEASE Paramount has a very amusing comedy in their new release, "SAY IT IN FRENCH,” which is suffering along with the other preXmas releases, at a 74% average. However, due to the popularity of the stars, this one should also take a considerable jump on its future bookings. "SAY IT IN FRENCH” was made by producer-director Andrew L. Stone, with Frederick Jackson writing the screenplay from Jacques Deval’s original. RKO — ALSO 1 NEW RELEASE RKO’s new release this week is another programmer from the Lee Marcus unit, "NEXT TIME I MARRY” which is excellent entertainment, but due to the lack of marquee names is doing very poorly at a yi'/i average. Jimmie Ellison, of Hopalong Cassidy fame, is co-starred with one of RKO’s new featured players, Lucille Ball, which doesn’t mean so much on the average marquee, but since the picture is very entertaining, it will undoubtedly fill on the lower half of the average double bill. COLUMBIA— i NEW RELEASE Columbia also has a new programmer from the Irving Briskin unit, entitled "ADVENTURE IN SAHARA,” 69%. Paul Kelly, Lorna Gray, and C. Henry Gordon are featured— if that means anything to the average exhibitor. UNIVERSAL— 1 NEW RELEASE Universal’s new release this week, SECRETS OF A NURSE,” 67%, is another programmer that, lacking marquee names, will have to depend more or less on the title to sell tickets. After an absence from the screen for some time, Edmund Lowe returns as the lead in this picture and is capably supported by Helen Mack and Dick Foran; but after all, these names have little marquee value and so not much can be expected from this one.