The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

Page 230 The Educational Screen The Film Estimates Annapolis Farewell (Sir Guy Standing, Tom Brown) (Para) Sincere, well acted story of Annapolis life, centered around a very wrong- headed midshipman and rare old retired Com- mander, with fine emphasis on best naval tradi- tions. Patriotic, appealinpr, very sentimental but gripping: even to theatrical climax. 9-17-35 (A)Verygd. (Y) Excellent (C)Gd. if nottoo sad Atlantic Adventure (Nancy Carroll) (Colum- bia) Fairly continuous excitement over assorted crooks on Atlantic liner trying to trick each other out of valuable diamonds. Endless com- plications, but breezy reporter-hero solves all, arrests all, and wins back his lost job and the intermittently terrified heroine. 9 17-35 (A) Depends on taste (Y) Perhaps (C) No Bigr Broadcast of 1936 (Jack Oakie and Radio Stars) (Para) A score of radio acts loosely hung together by wild yarn about a crazy invention and two station owners kid- napped, threatened with death, and their final hectic escape. Includes some fine talent, parts amusing, but whole tiresome. 9-24-35 (A) Hardly (Y> Probably good (C) No Bright Lights (Joe E. Brown) (Warner) Small-town vaudeville team, man and wife, al- most estranged by his sudden rise to star on Broadway with madcap heiress as partner but, disillusioned, he rushes back to wife. Charac- ter interest slight. Brown's slapstick antics replace plot. 10-8-35 (A) Good of kind (Y) Amusing (C) Funny Condemned to Live (Ralph Morgan) (Ches terfield) Grim, fantastic tale about fine man supposedly marked at birth when mother was killed by huge vampire bat. He develops dual personality, becoming a blood-sucking monster at night, with many victims. His suicide final solution. 9-24-35 (A) Hardly (Y) No (C) No Dark Angel, The (March, Marshall. Merle Oberon) (U.A.) The well known post-war play splendidly screened. The tensely emotional theme is splendidly acted and directed with extreme skill, as notable for what it omits as for what it includes. A poignant love story convinc- ingly and beautifully told. 9-17-35 (A) Exc. (Y) Very fine tho mature (C) Beyond them Der Traumende Mund (Dreaming Lips) <E. Bergner) (German Prod.) Early Bergner film, mechanically and artistically below par, Ger- man dialog with poor English titles, and choppy action. Story is slow-moving triangle with sui- cide as tragic end for unhappy heroine. Berg- ner's presence only outstanding feature. 10-1-35 (A) Disappointing (Y) Doubtful (C) No Don Quixote (Fe^Ddor Chaliapin, George Robey) (Made in France. English dialog) Hi;?h- ly artistic screening of Cervantes' great char- acter, wistful, tragic, true. Finely acted, set, directed. Accurate in detail, with tempo and atmosphere of the period. A joy to all who know their Don Quixote. 10-1-35 (A) Excel. (Y) Mat. but good (C) Beyond them Gay Deception. The (Francis Lederer, Frances Dee) (Fox) Improbable, romantic whimsy about naive country girl winning $5,000 in lottery and going cityward to spend it. An incognito Prince, as bell-hop. elevator boy. etc.. trails her faith- fully, carries her triumphantly through social embarrassments. Lederer very engaging. 10-1-35 (A) Very gd. of kind (Y) Very amusing (C) Gd. Girl Friend (Ann Sothern. Jack Haley) (Fox) Nonsense comedy about actor and pals out of work, who sponge on farm family. pro<*uce crazy play as compensation, trick New York producer into seeing it, and he buys it! Amus- ing moments rather lost in various amateurish mediocrities. 10-8-35 (A) Waste of time (Y) Harmless (C) Funny Goose and the Gander. The (Kay Francis. Geo. Brent) (Warner) Sophisticated farce. Her- oine is ex-wife plotting revenge on husband- snstching vamp, starting new affair with bache- lor-hero. Hilarious, but involved situations, enti- ing in romance for bachelor and heroine and return of flirt to her ineffectual husband. 9-24-:^5 (A) Amusing (Y) By no means (C) Ni Harmony Lane (D. Montgomery, Evelyn Ven- able) (Mascot) Artistic, credible, moving story Being the Combined Judgments of a National Committee on Current Theatrical Films (The Film Estimates, In whole or in part, may be reprinted only by special arrangement with The Educational Screen} Date of mailing on weekly service is shown on each film. (A) Discriminating Adults (Y) Youth (C) Children of romance, drama and tragedy of Stephen Foster's life, with charming setting and back- ground of his much-loved melodies. Title role. and one or two others, outstanding in finely acted whole. 10-8-35 (A) Excellent (Y) Excellent (C) Mature Healer, The (Ralph Bellamy, Karen Morley) (Monogram) Old Herrick novel of doctor and nurse doing great work for child cripples in humble, rural district. Nurse's cheap but wealthy rival lures him away for "bigger things" but he recovers for happy ending. Mostly convincing. 9-17-35 (A) Fair (Y) Fair (C) Possible Here Comes the Band (Virginia Bruce, Harry Stockwell) (MGM) Lively musical farce-comedy, often amusing but uneven, with plot built around hero's song stolen by publisher. Numerous comic and romantic complications involve everybody till wildly improbable trial solves all. Plenty of Ted Lewis. Stockwell's singing notable. 10-1-35 (A) Fairly good (Y) Amusing (C) If it interests Here's to Romance (G. Tobin. Nino Martini) (Fox) Rich playboy finances blonde dancer in Paris, his wife does same for young singer. Their "art interest" fades when proteges fall in love. Fine music. Martini's notable singing, and Schumann-Heink's minor role deserve better story. 10-8-35 (A)Fairly good (Y)Perhaps (C)Little interest His Family Tree (James Barton. Margaret Callahan) (RKO) Labored comedy about an Irishman seeking election as mayor when his heavy-drinking father arrives from Ireland to "help". Becomes mere hash of fights, speeches and songs that bore fully as much as they amuse. 10-1-35 (A) Dull (Y) Worthless (C) No Hot Tip (James Gleason. Zasu Pitts) (RKO) Lunch - counter owner, playing the ponies, mortgages his home and business to bet on a horse ~ and wins. Lively tempo and some good comedy by principals, but not enough to redeem feeble plot and weak story. 9-17-35 (A) Feeble (Y) Passable (C) Little interest Peasants (Russian Production) (Amkinoi Realistic portrayal of hog-raising peasants in transition to new Soviet regime. Fine photog- raphy of faces and environment. Grows dreary with confused narrative, slow tempo, crudity of benighted life, and ponderous propaganda for collective farming. 10-8-35 (A) Dull (Y) No (C) No Public Menace (Jean Arthur, Geo. Murphy I (Columbia) Heroine offers scoop on famous gangster to reporter-hero if he will marry her to solve an emergency. Gangster's escape ruins plan and couple wrangles on through compli- cations until accidental capture of gangster solves all. 10-8-35 (A) Hardly (Y) Not the best (C) No My Song for You (Jan Kiepura) (Gaumont- British) Musical film notab'e chiefly for Kie- pura's fine singing. Implausible but fairly amus ing plot tells of star's meeting and romance with Viennese heroine, their usual misunderstand- ings and separation, and final reunion. Over- acting of Sonnie Hale a marring feature, 9-24-35 (A) Fairly gd. (Y) Probably gd. (C) Doubt, int Red Salute (Barbara Stanwyck, R. Young) (Reliance) Father-fiouting heroine and conceited hero wrangle incessantly through lively ad- ventures, dodging the law from Washington to Mexico and back. Advocates Americanism vs. Reds, but too clumsily to convince. Merclv wisecracking comedy. 10-8-35 (A)Mediocre (Y)HardIy good (C)Little interest Redheads on Parade (John Boles. Dixie Lee) (Fox) Light, frothy bit about what happens backstage on a movie lot, made up of usual in- gredients—hero in love with heroine, jealous financial backer, high-powered publicity man, etc. Slight plot prolonged by spectacular dance ensembles and overdone comedy. 9-24-35 (A) Thin (Yl Fair IC) No interest Silk Hat Kid (Lew Ayres. Mae Clarke) (Fox) Unpretentious little story centering around Set- tlement House for boys, its wise director, and his loyal secretary. Two crook pals, despite gangland complications, are supposedly won back to right attitudes and happiness. Meant to be wholesome. 10-1-35 (A) Hardly (Y) Doubtful (C) Doubtful She Gets Her Man (Zasu Pitts, Hugh O'Con- nell) ( Univ. I Crazy slapstick farce in which timid waitress accidentally prevents bank robbery and becomes national heroine through efforts of high- pressure promoter, leading women in war against crime and even reforming gangsters who kid- nap her. Exaggerated burlesque stuff. 9-24-35 (A) Absurd (Y) Probably funny (C ) Undesirable She Married Her Boss (Claudette Colbert, Melvyn Douglas) (Columbia) Rather mirthless, unconvincing comedy about skilled secretary who manages to marry her unromantic store- owner boss with desolate home. Clever, out- rageous child a factor. Too much of film is dull and drunken ending is stupidly false. 9-17-35 (A) Poor (Y) No (C) No Super Speed (Preston Foster. Mary Carlisle) (Columbia) Lively, human story, a bit con- fused by two heroines, about young inventor of device valuable to auto field. Tricked out of it by crooks, chance lets him equip an out- board motor. Wins out in thrilling race-test climax. 9-17-35 (A) Hardly (Y) Fairly good (C) Perhaps Sweepstakes Annie(Marian Nixon, Tom Brown I (Libertyl Stupid production, with crude acting. banal dialog, unskilled direction, and painfully unconvincing story about dull people. Dumb her- oine wins huge priz**, goes in for life of luxury, is being rap'dly swindled by parasites and crooks until childhood sweetheart saves day. 10-1-35 \\) Stupid (Y) Poor (C) No Thunder Mountain (Geo. O'Brien) (Fox) Just another western. Hero and pal find gold mine. Villain and pal steal it. Hero gets it back via mighty heroics. Passable plot, notable photography, but mediocre direction and poor dialog. 10-8-35 (A) Mediocre (Yl Passable (C) Better not Welcome Home (Jas. Dunne. Arline Judge) (Fox I Small town comedy about four city slickers, some worthless bonds, and the village rich man -resulting in the crook-hero trick- ing him out of $15,000 and donating it for the upbuilding of his home town. 10-1-35 (A) Mediocre (Y) No (C) No Wiener Blut—Viennese Blood (German cast and dialog) German production, with better than average photography and sound quality. Por- trays life of Johann Strauss, his melodies, and the cabal against Die Fledermans, 1870. Fun for Germans but English titles entirely inade- quate for general interest in film. 9-17-35 (A) Rather good (Y) No (C) No William Tell (C:)nrad Veidt) (Swiss produc- tion with English dialog) Historically accurate filming of Swiss revolt under Austrian tyranny in 14th Century, produced in the Alps. Stoi^y slow and obscure at times but film notable for majes- tic scenery and authentic portrayal of architec- ture, life and customs of the period. 9-24-35 (A) Interesting: (Y) Yes (C) Probably good Without.Regret (Elissa Landi, PauJCavanagh') (Para) Grim, sensational, largely unpleasant story. Giddy heroine, loose in China, marries heart- less adventurer who supposedly dies. His black- mailing mistress threatens heroine's happy second marriage. First husband returns, kills mistres.s, surrenders, assures heroine's happiness. 9-24-35 (A) Depends on taste (Y) No (C) No