20th Century-Fox Dynamo (August 5, 1939)

NEW DYNAMO 3 SHOWMEN, CRITICS AMAZED BY WO NDERS OF “STANLEY” Spencer Tracy’s Performance Already Nominated For 1939 Prize As All Agree Showmanship, As Follow-Up To Zanuck’s Latest Creative Triumph , Should Make It A Top -Grossing Smash! MOVIETONE CITY—Raves and praise unsurpassed in motion picture history! That is the first press reaction to “Stanley and Livingstone.” Ace critics, syndicate writers, wire service and magazine representatives, trade paper reviewers, columnists and others covering Hollywood for countless millions of readers throughout the world saw Darryl F. Zanuck’s latest achievement to date the other day—and started firing their biggest guns in tribute to the smash hit. Four special pre-release screenings for the top flight press people were held in Zanuck’s private projection room at the studio. These showings were in advance of the gala Hollywood preview-premiere at Grauman’s Chinese theatre, scheduled for next Tuesday. The press groups, privi- — ledged to see the Zanuck thriller acclaimed its mag- nitude, its inspired per- formances, its mass appeal for all ages, its humanity, its exploitability — and above all, its sheer enter- tainment. The magnificent portray- als of the stars and featured players — Spencer Tracy, Nancy Kelly, Richard Greene, Walter Brennan, Charles Coburn, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Henry Hull and Henry Travers — and the brilliant direction of Henry King, the associate pro- ducer honors of Kenneth Macgowan and all the other phases of creative and tech- nical perfection contribut- ing to one of the greatest events in screen annals, come in for highest lauda- tion. THOSE THERE Press representatives at the screenings included: Louella 0. Parsons, motion picture editor of International News Service; Hubbard Keavy, Associated Press; Mark Hell- inger, King Features; Alfred Wright, Time Magazine; Rich- ard Pollard, Life Magazine; William Weaver, Motion Picture Herald; Frederick Othman, United Press; Harold Heffernan, Detroit News and North Ameri- can Newspaper Alliance; Hedda Hopper, Los Angeles Times syn- dicated columnist. Ed Sullivan, Chicago Tribune- New York Daily News Syndi- cate; Whitney Boulton, New York Telegraph; Jean Herrick, Look Magazine; Paul Harrison, Newspaper Enterprise Associa- tion; Harrison Carroll, King Features; W. R. Wilkerson, Hol- lywood Reporter; Ivan Spear, Box Office. Ruth Waterbury, Photoplay Magazine; Jack Jungmeyer, Daily Variety; Walter Green, Weekly Variety; Ralph Jordan, International News Service; J. D. Spiro, Screen and Radio Weekly; Ted Magee, Picture Play Maga- zine; Evans Plummer, Radio Guide Magazine; Ernest Heyn, Photoplay Magazine; Whitney Williams, Movies Magazine; Joe Blair, Hollywood Review. Robbin Coons, Associated Press; Jimmy Starr, Los An- geles Herald-Express; Edwin Schallert, Los Angeles Times; E. J. Smithson, Fawcett Publi- cations; Lois Svensrud, Modern Screen Magazine; Ralph Wilk, Irish Hearts Flourish In Jungle! Film Daily; Virginia Wright, Los Angeles Evening News; Richard S. Ames, Rob Wagner’s Script; Harry Mines, Los An- geles Daily News; Elizabeth Wilson, Silver Screen and Screenland Magazines; James Crow, Hollywood Citizen-News; Frank Daugherty, Christian Sci- ence Monitor; Robert Welch, National Box Office Digest; Jack Grant, Picture Reports. A PREVIEW The Los Angeles Examiner headlined, “ ‘Stanley and Living- stone’ Exceeds Expectations of Critics,” said: “Sometimes when a pic- ture has had such glowing advance reports, those of us who write reviews feel we have been oversold. Yester- day was a rare exception. ‘Stanley and Livingstone’ really exceeded our expecta- tions. . . . “In filming Stanley’s ex- pedition into darkest Africa to find Livingstone, Darryl Zanuck has not only offered dramatic entertainment, but an inspirational story of a man’s unselfish devotion to his work and another’s eagerness to be worthy of a trust placed in him. Told with a minimum of heroics, this is one true life story in which there is not exaggera- tion or glorification of the facts. . . . “Spencer Tracy as the brash young reporter whose one aim in life is to get the story for his editor, James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald, may win for himself the Academy Award for his performance. That’s how good he is as Henry M. Stanley. . . . “Henry King, one of 20th Century-Fox’s most reliable directors, does an unusually good job. . . . “Darryl Zanuck not only deserves our thanks for a fine picture, but for showing one newspaper man who is a real credit to the profes- sion.” The Los Angeles Times said: “ ‘Stanley and Living- stone’ is a top picture. It’s in the ace class especially for acting. It is also more than capably produced, with fine pictorial backgrounds, secured in many cases in Africa, and efficiently di- rected in its human story by Henry King. Spen- cer Tracy gives a champ performance as Stanley. Sir Cedric Hardwicke is bril- liant as Livingstone. Others to be highly commended are Henry Hull, Nancy Kelly, ACE SHOWMAN HAILS LATEST STAR DISCOVERY IN “HOTEL FOR WOMEN” MOVIETONE CITY—The following self-explanatory tele- gram was sent to Darryl Zanuck by John Hamrick, head of the circuit of theatres in Seattle and one of the greatest the- atre operators and showmen in the country: “Dear Darryl: Last night I previewed ‘Hotel for Women’ and it is a great picture. Definitely, without a doubt, you have now made a feminine discovery in Linda Darnell that is equal to your Tyrone Power. This girl is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and she can act. I sure hope ‘Hotel for Women’ makes the box office spot to which it is entitled. Best wishes.” i Charles Coburn, Walter Brennan, Henry Travers and Richard Greene. . . . “ ‘Stanley and Livingstone’ goes far enough along realistic paths, and then effectively chooses to leave the rest to im- agination. It does not bore with tedium of detail. And the temp- tation to stress such detail must have been perpetual. . . . “Tracy perforce carries the picture as the newspaperman Stanley, and none could be bet- ter chosen for the duty. The strict simplicity of his style, and his virility make the character entirely credible. His final speech in defense of the truth of his story about Livingstone will very likely win applause. He sustains the earlier action splendidly. . . . “As the religious zealot and courageous explorer Livingstone, Hardwicke does not enter the picture until toward the end, but he makes a remarkably vivid impression. The same can well be said of Henry Hull in an earlier part of the picture. Miss Kelly is very pleasing in this film and Travers and Brennan are expert. Coburn has another forceful part to do. . . . “One may note such support- ing players as Miles Mander, David Torrence, Paul Stanton, Holmes Herbert and others. ‘Stanley and Livingstone’ is one of the year’s most important screen events.” TRADE PRESS Daily Variety said: “The most spectacular repor- torial assignment ever made, James Gordon Bennett’s delega- tion of Henry M. Stanley to find the pioneer missionary, Dr. David Livingstone, in the un- charted heart of Africa, is in its resurrection for the screen a powerful and grandiose piece of entertainment. A great adven- ture tale, filmed with unusual fidelity to its essential docu- mented facts, rich in emotional appeal, spectacular, fundamen- tally dramatic and engrossingly pictorial it has many sure-fire elements for smash success. . . . “The pairing of Spencer Tracy as Stanley and Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Livingstone is as near perfect casting as could be had for these complementary roles, justified by brilliant, un- forgettable performances of liv- ing quality. Informed with deep understanding of what their roles stood for, and guided with equal certainty by Henry King’s direction, Tracy and Hardwicke blend their finest talents in the exploits of two admirable and courageous foreloopers in a raw continent, a man of Press and a man of God. . . . “From first scenes to last, the sense of adventurous ex- citement and suspense is maintained as the celebrated reporter of the New York Herald carries out the his- toric assignment of his pub- lisher in discovering the fate or whereabouts of the Eng- lish missionary who had been accounted dead. The long safari trek into the un- explored Tanganyika land of savage blacks is pictured with vivid detail through elaborate film footage se- cured by 20th Century-Fox’s African expedition led by Mrs. Martin Johnson. The meeting of the fevered, hag- gard, utterly challenged re- porter and the minister in his remote wilderness parish is a piece of high drama to stir the pulse. Very moving and exhilarating is the spir- itual quality breathed by the servant of God in the Hardwicke performance and bequeathed to the newspa- perman so splendidly enact- ed by Tracy. . . . “Meantime, the whole wild beauty of the central African plateau country is exhibited in gorgeous camera scapes and sidelights of peril, battle, oner- ous march, animal life, native Continued on Page 14