Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1945)

Opinions on Current Produetions, and Exploitips for Selling to the Publit FEATURE REVIEWS u War Drama Objective , Burma! F Warner Bros. ( ) 138 Minutes Rel. In assaying the commercial potency of this important picture, one must take into consideration the still undecided question as to whether or not the public is sated with war subjects. There is no gainsaying that it is possibly the most exciting, stirring, suspense-laden footage of its kind ever created; that it is very convincingly delineated by an expert all-male cast; that it is unstintingly produced and brilliantly directed. On the other hand it uncompromisingly shows jungle warfare as the grim business it undoubtedly is. Weighing these qualifications, the showman who knows his own situation and whether his oustomers prefer rugged reality or pure escapist entertainment will be able to judge how much appeal the praiseworthy offering will have in his theatre. Raoul Walsh directed. Errol Flynn, James Brown, Warner Anderson, William Prince, George Tobias, Henry Hull, John Alvin. Tonight and Every Night F Columbia (G002) 92 Minutes Rel. Feb. 22, *45 Columbia has made a spectacular and entertaining picture out of the career of a London theatre which stayed open all during the blitz. Rita Hayworth in Technicolor is as exciting as her song number, "You Excite Me," and Janet Blair shares many of the honors with her. Lee Bowman in an RAF uniform will palpitate pulses of feminine customers and the dance numbers of Marc Platt are not only artistically rendered but have their comic moments, as when he does one to Hitler's strident radio harangue. The main story concerns a young RAF squadron leader (Bowman) who is charmed by the young Music Box Theatre star, Rosalind Bruce (Hayworth). With his first intentions not strictly honorable, he gets rebuffs that put him in his place until Rosalind discovers she really loves him and he proposes marriage. Produced and directed by Victor Saville. Rita Hayworth, Lee Bowman, Janet Blair, Marc Platt, Leslie Brooks, Professor Lamberti, Dusty Anderson. Here Come the Co-Eds F Universal (9002) 88 Minutes Rel. Feb. 2, '45 Comedy With Music No better background could have been conceived for the inimitable shenanigans of Abbott and Costello. Precipitated onto the campus of a girls' college, the zestful, zany duo are afforded opportunity to trot out a plethora of gags. Some are reissues, many are riotously new. Treated to the A&C technique they are all sure-fire for laughs. Just in case their screwball antics needed bolstering, which they did not, Producer Jack Grant tossed plenty of production values into the hopper, not the least of which, for both entertainment and marquee magnetism, is Phil Spitalny's all-girl orchestra, supplying musical interludes. It adds up to win appraisal as one of the best Abbott and Costello films and exhibitors who are familiar with their popularity will be able to figure what to expect in the way of top takes. Jean Yarbrough directed. Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Martha O'Driscoll, Lon Chaney jr., Charles Dingle, Peggy Ryan, Donald Cook. Roughly Speaking Comedy Drama Warner Bros. ( ) 125 Minutes Rel. Lucid and lengthy is this film portrait of a noble woman, the unfolding of whose adversity-laden experiences projects an unusually accurate history of the life and time of that generation of Americans which reached middle age with the advent of the current World War. Wholesome, engrossing and nostalgic, the screenplay is crowded with shifting periods of comedy, pathos and tragedy. The manifest accent that is placed on authenticity of details and atmosphere reflects the meticulous care with which the picture was produced. A sterling cast, spark-plugged by Rosalind Russell's standout performance, never permits the situations to become maudlin, which easily could have happened with less expert mummers. Throughout, the offering is good taste, good theatre and should spell good grosses Directed with expected expertness by Michael Curtiz. Rosalind Russell, Ann Doran, Hobart Cavanaugh, Eily Malyon, Alan Hale, Donald Woods, Craig Stevens. 600 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn F Drama 20th-Fox (517) 128 Minutes Rel. A picture of great beauty and sensitivity has been brought to the screen, and the prediction can be safely made that the nation's theatre audiences will take it closely to their hearts. The film is certain to become one of the notable achievements of the year. Exhibitors can be proud to show this picture, and will be rewarded with a popular acclaim which will mount with each succeeding engagement. Without a glamor name cast, and without lavish production values, the film is nevertheless a magnificent accomplishment in the art of the motion picture. The simple story of a struggling family in dire circumstances is told with lyrical tenderness and heart-choking emotion, and never descends to the level of the maudlin tear-jerker it might have easily become. Performances are superb, with that of young Peggy Ann Garner a rare gem. Elia Kazan directed. Dorothy McGuire, James Dunn, Joan Blondell, Peggy Ann Garner, Ted Donaldson, Lloyd Nolan, James Gleason. Biographical Drama A Song to Remember F Columbia ( ) 112 Minutes Rel. Occasionally does Hollywood endow the screens of the world with that rare film which soars to the uppermost heights of motion picture artistry without sacrificing one whit those proven elements that go for financial success; which appeals alike and equally to the esthetic and the emotions. This is such a picture and its just due in critical acclaim and commercial recognition should know no ceiling. With the immortal music of Chopin— upon whose life the screenplay is based — to stir the soul; its magnificent production trappings, filmed in Technicolor to please the eye; and a tempestuous, romantic story to stimulate the emotions, it is difficult to imagine a theatregoer who fails to find a plethora of entertainment in its entire, engrossing length. In every department the picture is a solid triumph for those concerned with its making. Charles Vidor directed. Paul Muni, Merle Oberon, Cornel Wilde, Stephen Bekassy, Nina Foch, George Coulouris, Sig Arno. Thunderhead — SonolFlicka F Drama 20th-Fox (518) 78 Minutes Rel. Mar., '45 The love of a boy for a horse — and what a horse! — is the appealing theme of this Technicolor feature. Set in locales of impressive grandeur, Thunderhead calls for a salaam toward Hollywood's long-unsung forgotten man— the location scout. Certain to equal if not surpass in popularity "My Friend Flicka," this picture should please all. Preston Foster and Rita Johnson, as always, are excellent; James Bell, Diana Hale, Ralph Sanford and Carleton Young please in supporting roles; only Roddy McDowal'l, who has outgrown his boyishness but not his English accent, seems unsuited to his role. Although action is occasionally repetitious and the dialog unnecessarily expository, it has movement, beauty and Louis King's direction. Roddy McDowall, Preston Foster, Rita Johnson, James Bell, Diana Hale, Ralph Sanford, Carleton Young. The Man Who Walked Alone F Comedy PRC Pictures ( ) 72 Minutes Rel. Mar. 15, '45 Personally produced by PRC's president, Leon Fromkess, and reflecting that company's growing tendency toward treating its pictures to costlier mountings, this surely will impress audiences in the market the outfit normally serves and, at the same time, should get attention as an acceptable supporting programmer in lusher fields. David O'Brien, in the male lead, handles himself exceptionally well and proves that he can be perfectly at home before the cameras without his customary chaps and six-guns. In fact, the entire cast, ably directed by Christy Cabanne, does everything possible with available material, the scripting of which is the film's weakest point. The story treats with the light and romantic side of the problems confronting the hero returned from the wars. Its situations are more comical than its dialog, tending to put brakes on the overall tempo. Dave O'Brien, Kay Aldredge, Walter Catlett, Guinn Williams, Isabel Randolph, Smith Ballew, Nancy June Robinson. BOXOFFICE February 3, 1945 599