The Canadian Motion Picture Exhibitor (Jun 16, 1941)

Page 4 Thel Exhibitor “June 16th, 1941 LOVE CRAZY: | MGM The old Powell-Myrna double play, with beak-nosed Bill and the limpid Loy staging a low comedy rampage. Bill’s bashed hat, usual now in all their pictures, is a symbol of the duo’s brand of jinx and ought to replace Leo the Lion in the intro shots. As is always the case with them, they talk gaily around everything and get into all sorts of involvements. This time a quirk in their fourth anniversary celebration knocks everything out of line. A bitter sweet mother-in-law doesn’t help any. Jealousy enters via Gail Patrick, causing a cleft, and Bill gets himself jugged in a booby-hatch to help keep Myrna. It ain’t as riotous as some of their previous capers but will command its quota of the faithful. And is still funny enough for anybody else’s money too. VLL WAIT FOR YOU: Remake of Bob Montgomery’s 1934 stint for the same studio, “Hideaway.’’ Remember? All about the regeneration of a hoodlum on the lam in the cow and chicken country. The farmer’s daughter, Marsha Hunt, does the trick. Robert Sterling wears Montgomery’s old suit and Fay Holden and Henry Travers are a pair of nice old folks. Paul Kelly, as a slick and sure cop, does _ well. Most of the faces being new, it lacks pull-in names and will _... have to be teamed. But it’s worth it. ‘THE GOOSE GOES SOUTH: This fairly-funny cartoon has a meek-and-mild version of ‘Donald, the duck that laid the 14-karat spheroid for Disney. A series of snappy gags with Kentucky cunnels, Esquire hicks, cotton pickers and other goony Americana. Okay stuff. ONE NIGHT IN LISBoN PARAMOUNT A story about love at first slight that’s full of laughs of every variety from titters to outright roars. A first-rate romantic comedy. Madeleine Carroll is the English girl who’s overwhelmed by Texas Fred MacMurray, commuter of bombers, glib and devil-may-care fellow. Fresh in several ways, the locale being blitzed London. Has patriotic appeal, there being a rendition of “There'll Always Be An England” and a subtle sequence on British-American mutual devotion. Cast is full of names—John Loder, Watricia Morison, Billie Burke, Edmund Gwen, Dame May Whitty, Reginald Denny and Billy Gilbert. COLUMBIA ADVENTURE IN WASHINGTON: This studio sure has the hang of those Washington topics. This one holds you all the way, has a novel background and is loaded with swell sentiment and smart flag-waving. Beauteous Virginia Bruce and crisp Herbert Marshall are the name draws but the picture belongs to boy star Gene Reynolds. About page boys who serve senators, it’s a new way of presenting the old school spirit idea. Young Reynolds is a bad boy reformed by it. Excellently played by all and will do well anywhere. ‘Exhibitor Meets Thumb Down Doubles After several years of anti|double-feature agitation, the matter seems to be coming ,to a head. At the MPTOA convention definite. opposition was made known by a majority of the delegates. At the same time the Pacific Coast independent exhibitors, also meeting in Hollywood, declared themselves against dual bills. The Pacific Coast group pledged their support to producers who stood with them, such as Goldwyn, Selznick, Warner and Wanger. “Your action,’ the message read, “sponsoring the elimination of double bills highly commended.” Canadian opinion is still to be aj thoroughly studied before its direction can be: judged. SHINING VICTORY WARNERS . A clinical study of the off-base world, the locale being an asylum in Scotland. Full of dark forboding, chill thrills and deep drama. Yet never get eerie. Humorless but relieved somewhat by contrast of characters and sincerity of portrayals. It even has an unhappy ending. Completely masculine part of the way but there’s soon love in the lab. James Stephenson is the plugger for science and Geraldine Fitzgerald his sweetheart-assistant who. dies in the asylum fire to save his notes. Donald Crisp, Sig Rumann and Barbara O’Neil help make it a distinguished piece of work. Should do all right in the knitted-brow neighborhoods but needs special selling anywhere else. OF THE FOG Supported by a strong cast, John Garfield returns to the role he does best, that of a hard young hoodlum. A deeply human picture, with a simple but good story. Occasionally dramatic and has some first-rate comedy. About the protection racket and its effect on ordinary people. Others in it are Ida Lupino, Thomas Mitchell, Eddie Albert, John Qualen, Aline MacMahon and See Tobias. OUT TOO MANY BLONDES UNIVERSAL A very ordinary little effort which maintains a minimum of interest. Has no sparkle, though it has music, and Eddie Quillan, Lon Chaney, Jr., and Shemp Howard create the too-rare laughs. Rudy Vallee had his face overhauled for this one but it didn’t do him or the picture any good. Helen Parrish is the girl. IN THE NAVY This looks as though Universal decided to cash in on the Abbot and Costello success in Buck Privates but quick! It’s the same old team with the same old routines, the same old gags— and, we predict, the same old box-office returns and they ought to make everybody happy. TIGHT SHOES: A boisterous comedy about rackets, strongarm gents & love among the hoodlums. It follows the Runyon technique of spinning a twisty tale from the most simple beginning—in this case a tight pair of shoes and how they affected the lives of various people. Interesting to the ear is the way the mugs speak in quaintly-stilted tones, a la Runyon’s writings. Broderick Crawford, as a love-sick mobster, and Binnie Barnes, as his stripteasing sweetie, are good. John Howard, Anne Gwynne, and Leo Carrillo are there. Fast nearly all the way, furious the rest, and full of laughs. MAJOR BARBARA UNITED ARTISTS Outstanding comedy drama for class patronage. The direction is brilliant, the Shaw wit needs no comment and Wendy Hiller, Rex Harrison and Robert Morley head a highly competent cast. This fills a crying need for the classes but will take promotion to bring in the masses. BROADWAY LIMITED: Mistaken identity plot, a baby being the character that causes the confusion. Hal Roach dug up some newand oldtimers for this one. Top-heavy with comedians but not as funny as it should be. Leonid Kinsky, a cross between Auer and Ratoff, plays a Hollywood ham. Marjorie Ellsworth, now being boomed by the studio, looks enough like Harlow to startle everyone. Doing duty are Patsy Kelly, Dennis O’Keefe, Vic McLaglin, Zasu Pitts and George E. Stone. All right on the opening end of the daily double. The assortment of names may make it well worth while. R. K. O. SCATTERGOOD PULLS THE STRINGS: Second of the homey series from C. B. Kelland’s stories in the Saturday Evening Post. The title gives you the idea. Guy Kibbee plays the kindly old meddler who saves Monte Blue from a false murder rap. Young Bobs Watson, best of the juvenile tear-jerkers, is the faithful son. Christy Cabanne directed and Jerrold T. Brown, who travelled through Canada recently checking the circuit, produced. A nice picture. One thing about this type of continued stuff is that the public is rarely disappointed. The people know just what they’re going to get—friendly, restful human interest stuff punched up with one big problem per picture. That’s why they keep coming back. No oversold sagas-—and no letdowns. :