Boxoffice (Jan-Mar 1945)

Opinions on Current Productions , and Exploitips for Selling to the Public FEATURE REVIEWS The Chicago Kid F Drama Republic ( ) 68 Minutes Rel. The theme of the clean living, upstanding young man who takes the wrong road and comes to a tragic end driven by a mistaken desire for revenge is depicted in the film by Don Barry. A topical twist has been introduced into this staple yarn by tailoring the "Kid's" illegal activities to fit dealing in frozen commodities stolen from government warehouses. Picture has achieved a good dramatic balance, and is a natural for situations where patrons prefer their entertainment with a punch. An important contributing factor is the high level of performance by the entire cast. Barry is outstanding in the leading role, and delivers a high-voltage job, reminiscent of James Cagney in manner and projection of personality. He is a dynamic figure on the screen at all times, and should become a popular favorite with the public. Frank McDonald directed. Donald Barry, Otto Kruger, Tom Powers, Lynne Roberts, Henry Daniels, Chick Chandler, Joseph Crehan. Comedy Drama Rel. Feb. 15, '45 Keep Your Powder Dry F M-G-M (520) 93 Minutes Calculated to appeal to women of all ages, this picture follows the tried and proven Hollywood formula of a personal vendetta between two girls from different social strata. Lana Turner, a wealthy playgirl, enlists as a Wac to get an inheritance coming to her only if she proves herself worthy of it. Laraine Day, a general's daughter raised in army posts, joins up to keep unbroken the military tradition of her family. From the outset the girls' temperaments conflict and, during weeks of basic training, mutual dislike mounts. Affairs reach a climax when Laraine, temporarily in command of their platoon, unmercifully rides Lana who, goaded beyond endurance, strikes her superior. Called before a board, both girls face dismissal. Lana submits her resignation; plans to resume her civilian wastrel's life. A third Wac's sacrifice solves everything. Edward Buzzell directed. Lana Turner, Laraine Day, Susan Peters, Agnes Moorehead, Bill Johnson, Natalie Schafer, Lee Patrick. Circumstantial Evidence F Drama 20th-Fox (519) 67 Minutes Rel. March, '45 Here's a picture that moves quickly, carries a heart punch and never lets the spectator's interest lag. Director John Larkin has tightened up a story by keeping footage to a minimum. For a man whose background is writing rather than photography, Larkin shows an excellent grasp of camera movement and angles. Harry Jackson's photography is superb, reflecting each of the picture's many and sudden changes in mood. Outstanding and sincere performances by Michael O'Shea and Lloyd Nolan should go far to speed these two always-dependable players toward deserved stardom. Nat Ferber and Sam Duncan's original, adapted by Sam Ornitz, furnishes Robert Metzler a strong foundation for the well-knit, ably dialoged screenplay, effectively constructed with frequent change of pace, plot twists and powerful situations. One minor story weakness is cleverly glossed over. Lloyd Nolan, Michael O'Shea, Trudy Marshall, Billy Cummings, Ruth Ford, Reed Hadley, Roy Roberts. Bring On the Girls F Paramount ( ) 91 Minutes Rel. Musical Also, it will bring on the boys and men and women. They should queue up in front of the ticker window with shekels in their hands and in sufficient numbers to make this an unusually happy exhibition venture in any man's theatre. Rightly mounted, filmed in flaming Technicolor, strongly cast and light as a zephyr in story, situations and dialog, the film has everything an audience can possibly expect from a high-priced filmusical. There are breath-taking production numbers, plenty of pulchritude, catchy tunes, and a nice sparkling of laughs, the best of which is won by the Spike Jones orchestra in a specialty interlude. It is a poor little rich boy story. He joins the navy to get away from fortune hunters and to find true friendship and romance. He does, plus plenty of trouble. Sidney Lanfield, directed. Veronica Lake, Sonny Tufts, Eddie Bracken, Marjorie Reynolds, Johnny Coy, Peter Whitney, Alan Mowbray. Pan-Americana F RKO Radio ( ) 84 Minutes Rel. Comedy With Music In both critical acclaim and customer enthusiasm, this should attract much more attention than one would expect when considering its comparatively-modest budget and its cast. By the same token it is richly deserving of extra attention from the showmen who book it, because, given the buildup it merits, the picture is a cinch for important money. A breezy, brightly-dialogued romantic comedy, the story is liberally garnished with a constant parade of specialties, every one of which is as hot as a bottle of chili peppers. John Auer produced and directed and the manner in which he squeezed the last ounce of entertainment from every dollar and the enthusiastic actors adds materially to his growing stature as one of the industry's more dependable hit makers. In short, the feature assays as one of the season's most pleasant musicals. Philip Terry, Audrey Long, Robert Benchley, Eve Arden. Ernest Truex, Marc Cramer, Isabelita. Having Wonderful Crime F Comedy Mystery RKO Radio (514) 70 Minutes Rel. That time-honored formula — a wise-cracking, dame-dizzy amateur detective and his dumb Girl Friday — herein is employed with sufficient zest and zaniness to make it a satisfactory entertainment investment for average audiences, while the trio of potent names that heads the cast should be sufficiently magnetic to assure profitable patronage. The screenplay makes a pass, successfully in many instances, at various brands of humor, ranging from the subtle to slapstick, resulting in a sizable crop of laughs. Speedy direction and enthusiastic performances tend to minimize that part of the fun-making which embodies the cliches. Because of a brush with the police, Pat O'Brien, the neophyte sleuth, accompanies George Murphy and Carole Landis on their honeymoon. They run into a murder and undertake to solve it, nearly losing their lives thereby. Directed by Eddie Sutherland. Pat O'Brien, George Murphy, Carole Landis, Lenore Aubert, George Zucco, Anje Berens, Richard Martin. Enchanted Cottage , The F Drama RKO Radio (515) 92 Minutes Rel. To those in whose souls romance is deeply embedded and to that segment of theatregoers who have a true appreciation of screen artistry, this will be as enchanting as its title. A modern fairy story, the screenplay is, in some of its situations, highly imaginative and will consequently tax the credibility of the more prosaic. Nonetheless, its fine-grained performances by a carefully-selected cast, the obvious values of production accoutrements, and thoughtful direction label the offering as one of the month's more noteworthy screen events for first run houses. Probably in the subsequent situations the picture will need strong support to attract rank and file patronage. The story is the idyll of a handsome pilot, maimed and disfigured in combat, who finds love and happiness with a comparably ugly wife. Directed by John Cromwell. Dorothy McGuire, Robert Young, Herbert Marshall, Mildred Natwick, Spring Byington, Hillary Brooke. Richard Gaines. Crime Drama Rel. Mar. 31, '45 Strange Illusion PRC Pictures (517) 87 Minutes Here is PRC's outstanding best to date, a production upon which any major company would be proud to put its trademark. That it will earn bookings in situations where the company's product heretofore has not been considered seems inescapable; and that it will engross audiences in such bookings— whether the film goes top or bottom of the bill — is equally certain. Produced by Leon Fromkess in excellent taste and with impressive mountings, it is a crime detection yarn in the modern manner. The cast, impressive enough to lend magnetism to the marquee, performs excellently under the sensitive direction of Edgar G. Ulmer, and in every other detail the offering is definitely big league. The plot revolves around a dream in which a youngster gets the idea that the man wooing his mother had murdered his father and how he proves it. James Lydon, Warren William, Sally Eilers, Regis Toomey, Charles Amt, George H. Reed, Jayne Hazard. 604 BOXOFFICE February 17, 1945 603