Canadian Film Weekly (Aug 19, 1942)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

Canadian FILM WEEKLY August 19th, 1942 Columbia THE TALK OF THE TOWN Sizeup: A highly intelligent comedy woven out of a modern theme. It maintains a fast pace and a deep interest, as well as Sharp and steady laughter. Jean Arthur, Cary Grant and Ronald Colman make the most of three rich, distinctive roles. What Goes On: Cary Grant is a small-town agitator, wrongly accused of burning down a local factory, who breaks jail when a fair trial seems out of the question. He hides in a cottage rented to Ronald Colman, dean of a law school, by Jean Arthur, a school teacher who hasn't heart to turn Grant in. She gets herself hired as Colman’s secretary, passes Grant off as the gardener until she goads Colman into taking an active part in Grant’s defence. Both men become interested in her romantically. Colman gets a Supreme Court appointment and Grant wins freedom and the girl. Sizeup: Jean Arthur loses nothing at all against the expert playing of Colman and Grant. Colman displays his smoothest manner and tones, a direct contrast to Grant’s honest presentation of a desperate, dirty fugitive. The picture is grim and tense during the early part but lightens up and gives way to comedy. Every part in the film, no matter how small, was expertly cast and so Glenda Farrell, Edgar Buchanan, Rex Ingram, Leonid Kinsky and other well-known players pop up all through. “Talk of the Town” was directed splendidly by George Stevens, who did “Woman of the Year” and should rank as one of the big pictures of the season for its escape value alone. SABOTAGE SQUAD Payoff: The police squad hunts down the leader of a Nazi spy ring, doing it in a fashion that provides suspense and speed throughout for the auditor. What Goes On: There are some loose ends that are hardly noticeable and a few novel twists. Bruce Bennett is the cop whose rival for the affections of Kay Harris, Eddie Norris, is a reformed thief. The cops are out to locate the man who owns a certain medal, the evidence of authority among the spies. Norris’ friend, George McKay, a paroled pickpocket, lifts the wallet of Sydney Blackmer, a respected scientist, and finds the medal. The medal is found on Norris, who is allowed to escape. Norris is trailed by police and spies, the police guessing that the spies will go after him. The action leads to the prevention of sabotage in an aircraft factory, Norris deliberately crashing a dynamiteJaden truck carrying him and Blackmer. Sizeup: This is extremely interesting for a B. BLONDIE FOR VICTORY Payoff: Good issue of the popular series. Plenty of howls and an up-to-the-minute theme. What Goes On: Blondie organizes a housewives’ service brigade and disorganizes the home life of Dagwood and the. neighbors. Dagwood borrows a military uniform and pretends he has enlisted to bring Blondie back to the responsibilities of the home. Then the involvements start. Sizeup: Stuart Erwin, Jonathan Hale and some new faces join Lake, Singleton and the old ones. 20th Century-Fox FOOTLIGHT SERENADE Payoff: Betty Grable and Victor Mature in their most modest offering of recent date which is, nevertheless, tuneful, lively and interesting. John Payne, Jane Wyman, Cobina Wright, Jr., and June Lang lend their weight to it. It’s a musical. What Goes On: Mature is the champ pug starring in a show and hot for Grable, a chorus girl married to Payne. James Gleason, the producer, makes them keep it quiet and Grable has to bear Mature’s wooing. Payne, Mature’s sparring partner in the show, takes a licking in the ring when Mature finds out that Grable has been carrying on with him. When Mature learns that they’re married he’s a sport about it. Sizeup: Though a backstage musical, the prizefight angle, unworked in film musicals since Baer made a picture with Loy, gives it a certain freshness. Phil Silvers, as a stage comic and Gleason’s aide, does much for the film. There are six musical numbers. a RR A eA tc Phone: Adelaide 4316 Republic JOAN OF OZARK Payoff: Good comedy for the lovers of boisterous, countrytype humor as specialized in by Judy Canova. The studio has teamed her with another disciple of broad humor, Joe E. Brown. Together they work out a series of substantial laughs. What Goes On: Joe E. Brown is a vaudeville booker who kids Canova into coming to New York and singing in a night club. He poses as an FBI man, tells her that she’s needed to spy on the night club owners, suspected of being spies. They really are. Sizeup: The picture has four songs. Familiar players are Eddie Foy, Jr., and Jerome Cowan. Universal TREAT ’EM ROUGH Payoff: Nice little prizefight drama about oil thieves. What Goes On: Eddie Albert is a prizefighter against his rich Pappy’s wishes. Pappy is an oil king whose wells are being looted for sale to the enemy. Eddie straightens it out. Sizeup: Peggy Moran, William Frawley, Monte Blue, Jack Mulhall, Ed Pawley and Dewey Robinson. Reviewed Earlier ESCAPE FROM CRIME (Vitagraph) Gangster piece of distinctly minor classification. Richard Travis is a reformed crook who goes straight and helps round up his old mob. Julie Bishop, Jackie C. Gleason, Rex Williams and Frank Wilcox. PARACHUTE NURSE (Columbia) A timely subject is this female branch of the service. Marguerite Chapman just can’t jump and is tricked into it by her pals, thereby remaining in the army. William Wright and Louise Albritton. SUNDAY PUNCH (Regal) Plenty of punch, some laughter and a familiar story. Good names on hand to present this story of a gold-digger who reforms for her college-bred pugilistic sweetheart. William Lundigan, Jean Rogers, Dan Dailey, Jr., Guy Kibbee, J. Carrol Naish, Leo Gorcey and Rags Ragland. TAKE A LETTER, DARLING (Paramount) Long on loud laughter. Rosalind Russell is the advertising executive who needs an escort to placate wives of potential account-givers. Fred MacMurray, Constance Moore and Macdonald Carey. & XHIBITORS BOOKING ASSOCIATION A thoroughly reliable, tried and proven buying and booking service for Independent Theatre Owners. 21 DUNDAS SQUARE Toronto Frank Meyers, Manager