Canadian Film Weekly (Jan 19, 1944)

THE PICK OF THE PICTURES REVIEWS ! INFORMATION | RATINGS j Vol. 9, No. 8 REVIEWS FROM FILM DAILY, NEW YORK January 19, 1944 The Gang’s All Here Faye, Carmen Miranda, James Ellison with Alice 20th-Fox 103 Mins. LUSH MUSICAL PACKS TREMENDOUS EYE AND EAR APPEAL; IT CANNOT MISS AT THE BOX OFFICE Again 20th-Fox has applied the pattern with resounding success in its latest Technicolor musical. A stunning show of tremendous appeal to eye and ear, “The Gang’s All Here” is popular entertainment of the first water. It has everything that the man in the _ street relishes in the way of diversion. Music, comedy and lovely girls fill the film to capacity. Producer William Le Baron was denied nothing to assure the box office magnetism of the film, one of the lushest and most lavish musical offerings to come out of the 20th-Fox cutting rooms. Technicolor has been used strikingly in production numbers done with an abandon and an expansiveness that only a Busby Berkeley can achieve. Berkeley's direction has made possible song and dance numbers possessed of powerful showmanship allure. The director has given his pen+ chant for the spectacular a free rein. The story is of no consequence. What there is of it is a familiar little affair having to do with a romance between a _ soldier (James Ellison) and an entertainer in a hoity-toity night club What matters is the tunes and the comedy. The story fortunately doesn’t get in the way very much. Seven tunes encompassing a variety of moods have been contributed by Leo Robin and Harry Warren. Those calling for a tender treatment are sung by Miss Faye; those requiring boisterousness in their delivery, by Carmen Miranda. As a special treat for the young people there is Benny Goodman and his orchestra. While Miss Faye and Elison are looking after the romance, Miss Miranda, Phil Baker, Eugene Pallette, Charlotte Greenwood and Edward Everett Horton are giving out with the comedy—and most satisfactorily. CAST: Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, Phil Baker, Benny Goodman and orchestra, Eugene Pallette, Charlotte Greenwood, Edward Everett Horton, Tony De Marco, James Ellison, Sheila Ryan, Dave Willock, Miriam Lavelle, Charles Saggau, George Debbs, Leon Belasco, DIRECTION, Geod. PHOTOGRAPHY, Superb. Where Are Your Children? with Jackie Cooper, Gale Storm Monogram 73 Mins. FIRST OFFERING ON JUVENILE DELINQUENCY HITS THE TARGET AS AN EXPLOITATION PICTURE. Monogram should be able to capitalize handsomely on its astuteness in being the first in the field with a film taking cognizance of the delinquency problem arising. out of the war. In “Where Are Your Children?” it presents exhibitors with an exploitation film that is capable of stirring up plenty of interest. The timeliness of the subject gives the production social significance that transcends its value as mere entertainment. The seriousness of the question of wayward youth in these days of stress makes the film one that parents and others concerned with the problems of youth will want to see. Youthful delinquency has been treated with understanding in “Where Are Your Children?” The film goes to the extent of showing ways and means of ameliorating the situation. Here indeed is entertainment with 2a purpose that will prove a powerful magnet for the family trade. The film tells the story of a good girl who gets innocently involved with the law in her search for a little fun to make her humdrum life more bearable. A .casual acquaintance with a boy from the other side of the tracks leads to love. The girl's sister-in-law misunderstands the relation between the two. Driven from home, the girl gets into trouble, but all ends happily for her dnd the boy after a lot of misery, caused partly by the fact that the youth tries to end the romance after he joins the Navy. The blame for the plight of the young people in the film is laid squarely on the shoulders of parents who permit other interests to interfere with their duties as custodians of their children’s welfare. Jackie Cooper and Gail Storm play the boy and girl nicely. Patricia Morison handles well the role of a juvenile court officer. Jeffrey Bernard more than deserves the producer credit. William Nigh’s direction is good. CAST: Jackie Cooper, Gale Storm, Patricia Morison, John Litel, Gertrude Michael, Addison Richards, Herbert Rawlinson, Betty Blythe, Anthony Ward, Charlies Williams, Evelyn Eaton, Jimmy Zaner, Sarah Edwards, John Laurenz, Neyle Marx. DIRECTION, Geed. PHOTOGRAPHY, Isle of Forgotten Sins with John Carradine and Gale Sondergaard PRC 82 Mins. ACTION-PACKED SOUTH SEAS MELODRAMA OFFERS PLENTY OF ENTERTAINMENT. Here is an ambitious offering in the modest budget field. This melodrama of the South Seas has plenty of action, and has been well directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, who wrote the original story. Peter R. Van Duinen provided excellent production values and Raymond L. Schrock wrote the screenplay. Ira H. Morgan contributed splendid photo graphy. John Carradine and Frank Fenton, expert deep sea-divers, learn the location of a liner that was scuttled by its captain, Sidney Toler, and its purser, Rick Vallin. In the hold of the sunken boat is $3,000,000 in gold. Toler and Vallin deliberately bait Carradine and Fenton, determined to highjack the gold from the ambitious sea divers. When. the treasure is finally brought to the surface, Toler, Vallin and their henchmen overpower the divers and take the loot from them. Toler and Vallin quarrel over the spoils and kill each other. A monsoon sweeps away the treasure, but Fenton, Carradine and his sweetheart, Gale Sondergaard, are saved. CAST: John Carradine, gaard, Sidney Toler, Frank Fenton, Veda Ann Borg, Rita Quigley, Rick Vallin, Betty Amann, Tala Birell, Patti Gale Sender McCarty, Marian Colby, William Edmonds. CREDITS: Producer, Peter R. Van Duinen; Leon Fromkess in charge of Production; Director, Edgar G. Ulmer; Author, Raymond L. Schreck; Sereenplay, same; Based on story by Edgar G. Ulmer; Cameraman, Ira Morgan; Editor, Charles Henkel, Jr.; Art Director, Fred Preble; Dialogue Director, Ben Kamsler; Special effects, Gene Stone: Music, Lee Erdody. DIRECTION, Excellent PHOTOGRAPHY, Excellent. ° Blind ‘See’, Hear WB's ‘Desert Song' Using a seeing eye commentator, a unique experiment was conducted at the Brooklyn Academy of Music recently under the auspices of the Industrial Home for the Blind with the showing of Warners’ “Desert Song.” The scheme is getting a try-out with a view to national adoption by veterans’ hospitals. The Heat’s On with Mae West, Victor Moore, Willian: Gaxton Columbia 80 Mins. MILD MUSICAL MAY GET BY IN NEIGHBORHOODS THANKS TO DRAWING POWER OF NAMES IN CAST. The heat isn’t on long enough in this film to warm up the paying customers’ sufficiently to warrant any more than a lukewarm reaction. Although the intentions were apparently good, the picture misses fire badly. If the film fails to make its mark it cannot be said to be any lack of drawing names. ‘The production boasts a number of names that mean something at the box office. Witness the presence in the lineup of Mae West, Victor Moore, William Gaxton, Hazel Scott and Xavier Cugat and his orchestra. The trouble is that the script writers and directors have not been able to extract the best from the talent available to them. The film possesses just about enough good moments to get by in the neighborhood theatres. Moore and Gaxton do a lot with weak material. Everytime the Cugat outfit appears the entertainment perks up immeasurably. Also of great help are several sequences making use of the talents of Miss Scott and Lina Romay. Miss West doesn’t come up to expectations, overdoing the part of a worldly-wise musical comedy star of the hardboiled school. The story has Gaxton Alan Dinehart as stage producers competing for the services of Miss West. The former enlists the aid of Moore, brother of Almira Sessions, head of a crusading group. Moore makes available to Gaxton funds of the morals organization to put on the show. A mess of complications results. Other players not already mentioned who are prominent in the doings are Lester Allen and Mary Roche. Milton Carter functioned’ as associate producer, and Gregory Ratoff directed in slipshod manner, and _ CAST: Mae West, Victor Moore, Wil liam Gaxton, Lester Allen, Mary Roche, Almira Sessions, Hazel Scott, Alan Dine. hart, Licyd Bridges, Sam Ash, Xavier a set Sree, Lina Romay, David chine, nar $ Le ae ad Sues, Jack Owens, DIRECTION, Se-so, PHOTOGRAPRY,