National Box Office Digest (Feb-July 1941)

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12 BOX OFFICE DIGEST . . . BRIEF REVIEWS . . . "TUMBLEDOWN RANCH IN ARIZONA" GEORGE WEEKS MONOGRAM The Digest’s Box Office Estimate 60% Producer George Weeks Director Roy Luby Story by Milton Raison Featured: Ray Corrigan, John King, Max Ter hune, Sheila Darcy, Marian Kerby, Quen Ramsey, James Craven, John Elliott, Jack Holmes, Steve Clark, Sam Bernard. Photographer Robert Cline Time 60 minutes At the price you are probably paying for this George Weeks Western series released through Monogram you are most likely getting more than your money’s worth . . . This is not one of the top numbers of the series, but Producer Weeks has a safe formula in the "Three Musketeer” angle, he paces his pictures to the satisfaction of the action audiences . . . The story tries too hard this time, which may let it down a bit in the kiddie audience appreciation . . . Plot is a sort of rodeo versioned "Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” which throws a cowpuncher back a couple of decades . . . They will either like the novelty or they will wonder what it is all about. WHAT THE OTHER FELLOWS SAID: REPORTER: "George Weeks’ 'Range Busters’ keep right on riding along. 'Tumbledown Ranch in Arizona’ is the sixth screen adventure for the intrepid dare-devils, and it should do all right for itself when it hits the action market for which it was made.” VARIETY: "Sixth in the Range Busters series, this is a trivial little western strictlv for the juve trade.” "ROAR OF THE PRESS” (Monogram) The Digest’s Box Office Estimate 75% Producer Scott R. Dunlap Director Phil Rosen Screenplay Albert Duffy Original Alfred Block Stars Jean Parker, Wallace Ford Featured: Jed Prouty, Suzanne Kaaren, Harland Tucker, Evalyn Knapp. Robert Frazer, Dorothy Lee, John Holland, Maxine Leslie, Paul Fox, Betty Compson, Matty Fain, Eddie Foster, Charles King, Frank O’Connor, Dennis Moore, Robert Pittard. Photographer Harry Neumann Time 72 minutes Th is is a dandy picture that should have been allowed more budget money and more time in the shooting . . . Because direction, story and scripting, and casting are all on the A side ■ . . And don’t think that we are apologizing for the budget and the time, because the entertainment values are there regardless of the adding machines ... It is a newspaper yarn, with Wallace Ford in the center spot as a reporter whose honeymoon is interrupted by a murder . . . What else could a reporter do but follow the trail? . . . Newspaper stories have a difficult time presenting anything new, but Rosen’s direction, a top performance by Ford, and an intelligently written script, give this the right touch, and give Monogram customers a bargain buy. WHAT THE OTHER FELLOWS SAID: REPORTER: "One of the more ambitious offerings from Monogram, 'Roar of the Press’, has been carefully produced by Scott Dunlap and comes off as a zestful, believable newspaper varn.” VARIETY: "Fine acting bv Wallace Ford in a newspaper story that has a fresh slant and plenty of action ought to give 'Roar of the Press’ a good chance at first run bookings and, most certainly, a warm reception from fans in the secondary spots. Scott R. Dunlap, who produced, and Phil Rosen, who directed, rate cheers for their effective work.” "THE DEVIL’S COMMAND” Photographer Benjamin Kline Featured: Otto Kruger, Gloria Dickson, John Litel, Don Beddoe, Robert Fiske, George Lessey, Joe Conti. A program filler on the gangster style that has already played out most of its play-dates before giving Hollywood a chance to see it. It probably won’t have many more play-dates to worry about except where they buy at footage prices . . . They put politics, gangsterism, "The Last Mile,” together, along with the long-lost brother of the Governor, who has the fatal decision in his hands, and it comes out just as messy as our description. WHAT THE OTHER FELLOWS SAID: REPORTER: "Melodramatic fiction with a political background, the plot of 'The Big Boss’ never rings true, and the picture cannot hope to rise above secondary program billing in subsequent runs.” (Columbia) The Digest’s Box Office Estimate 75% Director Edward Dmytryk Screenplay Robert D. Andrews, Milton Gunzbury Original William Sloane Star Boris Karloff Featured: Richard Friske, Amanda Duff, Anne Revere, Ralph Penney, Dorothy Adams, Walter Baldwin, Kenneth MacDonald, Shirley Warde. Photographer Allen G. Siegler Time 66 minutes There must be more theaters in the United States selling horror than are selling clean fun . . . This one falls in the category of pictures made for those houses ... It is not quite as good as Universal’s knowledge of the formula, but who ever knows what will get by with these horror fanatics? . . . Don’t be surprised to learn that the story concerns another doctor, that the medico is Boris Karloff . . . We wonder when the American Medical Association will get around to passing resolutions about the dirty double lives all these doctors lead on the screen. WHAT THE OTHER FELLOWS SAID: REPORTER: "For those who insist upon being scared when seeking entertainment, Columbia offers 'The Devil Commands’, a moderately terrifying item that doesn’t succeed in making much sense.” VARIETY: " 'The Devil Commands’ is not for the kiddies. For almost an hour a mood of expectancy, of something terrifying and cosmically important that is about to happen, is created by the sustained suspense of this Boris Karloff gooseflesher. Of its kind, the picture qualifies as adequate entertainment.” "THE BIG BOSS” (Columbia) The Digest’s Box Office Estimate 70% Director Charles Barton Original screenplay . Howard J. Green VARIETY: "'The Big Boss’ comes off as conventional but acceptable program entry for the general runs because of good performance and capable direction.” "THE SINGING HILL” (Republic) The Digest’s Box Office Estimate 75% Associate producer Harry Grey Director Lew Landers Screenplay Olive Cooper Original Jesse Lasky Jr., Richard Murphy Stars Gene Autry Featured: Smiley Burnette, Virginia Dale, Mary Lee, Spencer Charters, Gerald Olivier Smith, George Meeker, Wade Boteler, Harry Stuffs, Cactus Mack, Jack Kirk. Photographer William Nobeles Time 73 minutes A pretty good number in the Gene Autry perennials . . . We have found familiarity with the names of all these mentioned in the credit list on the writing chores, we have seen plenty of director Lew Landers’ work, and when you add Gene and Smiley, along with a capable production effort by Harry Grey, it sort of sums it all up . . . It’s all about those unfortunate ranchers who are always in trouble — either with rustlers, or over-greedy cattle lords, or with bankers. This time it is the bankers. But don’t worry, Gene straightens everything out WHAT THE OTHER FELLOWS SAID: REPORTER: "Still leading Western stars by a number of notches in popularity, Gene Autry deserves the increased care of handling his productions, here so ably demonstrated by Associate Producer Harry Grey.” VARIETY: "About as fine a Gene Autry musical Western as any Republic has ever produced is "The Singing Hill”. The film has been given excellent production, a swell feminine lead, smooth direction, and five grand new songs. There can be little doubt that this one will assay high at the box office.”