Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 5, 1945)

THE PICK OF THE PICTURES me CANADIAN MOTION PICTURE INDUSTAY REVIEWS INFORMATION RATINGS Vol. 10, No. 49 REVIEWS FROM FILM DAILY, NEW YORK $2.00 Per Annum Johnny Angel with George Raft, Claire Trevor, Signe Hasso RKO 79 Mins. EFFECTIVELY DONE MELODRAMA IS ENTERTAINMENT THAT WILL GO OVER WELL. “Johnny Angel’ is a taut melodrama that will get by nicely. The film possesses atmosphere, vividness and a story told with a fair amount of ‘suspense, managing to hold the interest in spite of one or two points that are not made exactly clear in the development of the plot. Aided by the photography of Harry J. Wild, the film creates a mood that strengthens the story. The film profits, too, from Edwin L. Marin’s tense direction of the Steve Fisher screenplay, which stems from a Frank Gruber, adaptation of a yarn by Charles Gordon Booth called ‘Mr. Angel Comes Aboard.” Well produced by William L. Pereira for a film of modest proportions, “Johnny Angel,” set almost wholly in New Orleans, has George Raft as a sea captain determined to lift the mystery surrounding his father’s ship, found adrift at sea with no sign of life aboard. He solves the riddle with a good deal of excitement. A plot involving the theft of millions in Free French funds on the way to a safe repository in America is at the bottom of the mystery. The film has been acceptably acted. Raft is forceful if nothing else. Signe Hasso, at first suspected of having a hand in the plot, eventually becomes the object of Raft’s affections. Claire Trevor is a party to the plot who wants to leave her husband and run away with our hero, who isn’t interested. CAST: George Raft, Claire Trevor, Signe Hasso, Lowell Gilmore, Hoagy Carmichael, Marvin Miller, Margaret Wycherly, J. Farrell Macdonald, Mack Gray. CREDITS: Executive Producer, Jack J. Gross; Producer, (William L. Pereira; Director, Edwin L. Marin. DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Dinah Shore Signed For Disney Film Walt Disney has signed Dinah Shore for a top role in his musical comedy film version of “Bongo,” a Sinclair Lewis story. Miss Shore will not only appear before the camera and sing several numbers but she will also narrate the plot. What Next, Corporal Hargrove? with Robert Walker, Keenan Wynn MGM 95 Mins. ° HARGROVE SEQUEL SUPPLIES GOOD COMEDY DIVERSION; SURE OF STRONG BO SHOWING. The characters created by Marion Hargrove in “See Here, Private Hargrove” have inspired a sequel that serves the cause of comedy equally well as did the original. Any aversion one may have to war pictures now that the conflict is over cannot justifiably apply in this instance since “What Next, Corporal Hargrove?” looks at the late disturbance strictly through the eyes of a humorist. The film strives purely for fun, and a laugh is a laugh whatever the background. Its entertainment is such that the offering will be heavily patronized wherever placed on display. Played in the spirit in which it was conceived, the picture marches along snappily, not one dull moment being allowed to intrude. Once more teamed are Robert Walker and Keenan Wynn in the roles they played in “See Here, Private Hargrove.” (Walker) is the same ineffectual individual, his advancement to corporal having changed him little. He is still doing everything wrong to the great amusement of the audience. Private Mulvehill (Wynn) continues to exercise his talents as a conniver without much success, being himself victimized when a scheme financed with Hargrove’s dough goes awry. Hargrove’s mistakes result in his being temporarily busted to a private. He wins back his corporalcy when a blunder ironically facilitates the occupancy of a French town by American troops. The acting is a big asset to the film, with Wynn stealing a lot of the thunder from the star. William “Bill” Phillips has some choice bits as a buddy of Hargrove and Wynn. CAST: Robert Walker, Keenan Wynn, Jean Porter, Chill Wills, Hugo Haas, William “Bill” Phillips, Fred Essler, Cameron Mitchell, Ted Lundigan, Dick Hirbe, Arthur Walsh, Maurice Marks, Paul Langton, James Davis, John Car lyle, Walter Sande, Theodore Newton, Robert Kent, Matt Willis, Richard Bailey. CREDITS: Producer, George Haight; Director, Richard Thorpe; Screenplay, Harry Kurnitz; Based on _ characters created by Marion Hargrove; Cameraman, Henry Sharp. DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Hargrove — How Do You Do with Bert Gordon, Harry Von Zell, Cheryl Walker PRC 80 Mins. SURPRISING COMEDY SITUATIONS AND QUIPS BY “THE MAD RUSSIAN” WILL PUT THIS ACROSS, Building up from a mediocre beginning, the picture develops into a burlesque on who-dun-it murder films, with Bert ‘Mad Russian” Gordon projecting his comedy style to bridge the situations. Ella Mae Morse handles her comedy role opposite Gordon in pleasing fashion but her singing forte is badly managed with a couple of unimpressive tunes. Cheryl Walker and Frank Albertson, (fresh out of the U.S. Army), blend nicely in the boymeets-girl department; and Harry Von Zell is himself with an easy going radio style. Highlight of the film is reached when Gordon sends for five of his friends, who are familiar as movie cops and detectives, to use their movie knowledge in getting Von Zell and himself out of a jam at the Desert Springs Hotel where they had gone for a vacation but were unwittingly implicated in a murder. The picture ends with the cast watching a preview of their efforts in a projection room. The producer has no faith in its release because the murdered man returns to life. Gordon asks the producer to run off the last 100 feet and shoots the murderer on the screen who falls dead in response to the comic twist. And so the film ends to everyone’s satisfaction. CAST: Bert Gordon, Harry Von Zell, Cheryl Walker, Frank Albertson, Ella Mae Morse, Claire Windsor, Keye Luke, Charles Middleton, Thomas Jackson, James Burke, Fred Kelsey, Matt Mc Hugh, Leslie Denison, Francis Pierlot, Sidney Marion. CREDITS: Producer, Director, Ralph Murphy. DIRECTION, Fair. PHOTOGRAPHY, Fair. Gable's ‘Adventure’ “Adventure” will be the title of Clark Gable’s first post-war film for MGM, in which he costars with Greer Garson. Cast includes Joan Blondell and Thomas Mitchell. Harry Sauber; Mowbray's Story Alan Mowbray will star in a Monogram picture, ‘Father Had a Wife,” based on a story which he wrote himself. Follow That Woman with William Gargan and Nancy Kelly Paramount 69/2 Mins. NEAT COMEDY MYSTERY, WELL PLAYED AND DIRECTED, SHOULD SATISFY EASILY . This is a neat comedy mystery, with William Gargan and Nancy Kelly doing splendid work in the starring roles. It has been given good direction by Lew Landers, with William Pine and William Thomas functioning as producers and Maxwell Shane as associate producer. Audrey Young a _ nightclub singer, is found murdered in her dresssing room, William Gargan, a private detective, is engaged to solve the murder, and his wife, Nancy Kelly, is determined to help him. Gargan talks in his sleep and the various leads he mentions while slumbering are investigated by Nancy, much to his annoyance. Regis Toomey, a gambler; Don Costello, a nightclub operator; Pierre Watkin, a wealthy playboy, and Byron Barr, a student, who was in love with Audrey Young, are all suspected of the murder. Gargan is finally able to force a confession from Barr. CAST: William Gargan, Nancy Kelly, Ed Gargan, Regis Toomey, Byron Barr, Don Costello, Pierre Watkin, Nella Walker, Audrey Young. CREDITS: Producers, William Pine and William Thomas; Associate Producer, Maxwell Shane; Director, Lew Landers; Based on a story by Ben Perry; Screenplay, Winston Miller, Maxwell Shane; Cameraman, Fred Jackman, Jr.; Supervising Editor, Howard Smith; Editor, Henry Adams; Art Director, F. Paul Sylos; Musical Score, Alexander Laszlo, DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Allied Co-Op Meets In Toronto on 4th The recently-organized Allied Co-Operative Theatres, which represents 25 Ontario theatres, will hold the first of its annual meetings at the King Edward Hotel, Toronto, on December 4th. Session to determine policies will be presided over by William Weiss, general. manager, and held in private. It will be preceded by a luncheon. Announcement of affiliation of several new theatres is expected.