The Exhibitor (1951)

Lullaby of Broadway L?^EI)Y mom WITH MusIC (U^U) 92m. (Color by Technicolor) Estimate: Entertaining musical. Cast: Doris Day, Gene Nelson, S. Z. Sakall, Billy De Wolfe, Gladys George, Florence Bates, Anne Triola, Hanley Staf¬ ford, Page Cavanaugh Trio, the DeMattlazzis. Produced by William Jacobs; di¬ rected by David Butler. Story: Entertainer Doris Day, after several years in England, decides to come back to surprise her mother, Gladys George, whom she believes is a topnotch American musical comedy star. Actually, George is a singer in a clip joint, and the home address she gives belongs to beer baron S. Z. Sakall, who has a soft spot in his heart for the theatre, and his wife, Florence Bates. Butler Billy De Wolfe and maid Anne Triola, vaudevillians out of work, help keep up the masquerade with the assistance of Sakall, who takes a fancy to Day, and decides to star her in his new show, with Gene Nelson as the male star. Eventually, Day learns the truth, the mis¬ understanding regarding her relationship to Sakall is ironed out, and the show is a hit. X-Ray: Routine in story, but pleasant all the way and studded with a lot of hit songs of years gone by, this is a work¬ manlike musical that doesn’t have much sock but it should please most customers. Day is okeh, and makes a nice partner for Nelson while Sakall is back with stock mannerisms. De Wolfe and Triola help out on the comedy, and, while the pace is sometimes rather slow, the musical num¬ bers and songs are spotted at the proper time. While there is nothing new in this, the material is tried and true, for the most part. Songs include: “In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town”, “Lullaby Of Broadway”, “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone”, “Somebody Loves Me”, “You’re Dependable”, “You’re Getting To Be A Habit With Me”, “Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart”, and “Just One Of Those Things.” Tip On Bidding: Good program price. Ad Lines: “Hit Times . . . Plenty Of Comedy In ‘Lullaby Of Broadway’ “Doris Day . . . Gene Nelson ... A New Team . . . With Fun Galore in ‘Lullaby Of Broadway’ “The Year’s Musical Hit.” Virginia City (018) Melodrama 121m. (Re-release) Estimate: Reissue has names to help. Cast: Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins, Ran¬ dolph Scott, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Hale, Guinn Williams, Frank McHugh, Douglas Dumbrille, Moroni Olsen, John Litel, Charles Middleton, Brandon 'Tyman, Har¬ old Hickman, Victor Killian, Charles Trowbridge,. Produced by Jack L. Warner and Hal B. Wallis; associate producer, Rob¬ ert Fellows; directed by Michael Curtiz. Story: Seventy-three Southern sympa¬ thizers in Virginia City, Nev., attempt, in 1864, to get a wagon train of $5,000,000 in gold across the country to the south in order to prolong the war. The venture fails, but not before union intelligence man Errol Flynn and his buddies, Guinn Williams and Alan Hale, have plenty of adventures with guerrilla Humphrey Bo¬ gart and others. Flynn falls in love with Miriam Hopkins, daughter of the south. X-Ray: When reviewed in The Servisection on March 20, 1940, it was said: “This is an important money show. Lengthy, it is crammed with exciting moments, plenty of comedy, etc., and is a natural for exploitation. It is* lusty out¬ door melodrama, enacted by a top cast.” The screen play was written by Robert H. Buckner. Tip On Bidding: Usual reissue price. Ad Lines: “History Sweeps Across The Screen In One Of The Greatest Outdoor Melodramas Of All Time”; “A Cast Of Favorites In One Of The Screen’s Great¬ est Thrillers”; “Brought Back For Your Reenjoyment.” FOREIGN Melodrama 90m. (Four Continents) (British-made) Estimate: Routine British meller. Cast: William Hartnell, Robert Beatty, Joyce Howard, Raymond Lovell, Herbert Lorn, Alan Wheatley, Cyril Smith, Ivor Barnard, Wally Patch, Victor Weske, Ern¬ est Butcher, Lew Stone and his band. Produced by Louis H. Jackson; directed by John Harlow. Story: A steel grill crushes both of William Hartnell’s wrists while he is at¬ tempting to rob a jewelry store. Raymond Lovell and Victor Weske, who talked Hartnell into doing the job, made no effort to help, and Hartnell is sent to prison. When he gets out of jail, Hartnell seeks revenge. After arranging to have an alibi with taxi dancer Joyce Howard, Hartnell murders Weske with a gun that has Lov¬ ell’s fingerprints. Lovell goes to the head of the gang, respected art dealer Herbert Lorn, for money. Lorn, afraid that the gun might be traced to him, has Lovell killed, but finally agrees to pay Hartnell for the weapon. When the greedy Hart¬ nell attempts to get more money there is a fight, and Lorn is killed. Meanwhile, Inspector Robert Beatty has broken Hart¬ nell’s alibi. Hartnell asks Howard, who now is convinced that Hartnell is evil, to run off with him. Howard tells the police of Hartnell’s plan, and Beatty goes with her on the train. When Hartnell tries to escape from the train window, Beatty pushes it up, and Hartnell is once more caught by his wrists. X-Ray: This routine British melodrama doesn’t have too many selling angles. The story is good but too much talk and not enough action slow things up. The screen play by John Harlow, from a story by Michael Leighton. Ad Lines: “The Perfect Crime . . . Al¬ most”; “An Exciting Story Of A Man Seeking Revenge”; “His Wrists Cost Him His Life.” Crossroads Of Passion MEL0DRg^ (Films International) (French-made) (English titles) Estimate: Standard foreign meller. Cast: Viviane Romance, Valentina Cortese, Clement Duhour, Fosco Giachetti, Gina Falkenberg, Giovanni Hinrich, Olinto Cristina, Job Van Huelsen, Sembt, Jean Wall. Produced by Ettore Giannini; di¬ rected by Jacques Companeez. Story: In World War II, Viviane Ro¬ mance, forced to leave Italy because she is suspected by the Germans, goes to neutral Lisbon where she meets Clement Duhour, who killed Romance’s lover in Italy. Romance, who has sworn revenge, goes to the Germans, and tells her story. A Gestapo agent convinces Romance that she can best get her revenge by joining Duhour’s organization. After a while she is able to give the Germans vital informa¬ tion about the underground organization. Romance regrets her decision when sev¬ eral people she likes are killed because of her work. In the meantime, Duhour and Romance realize that they love each other. When the Germans kill Valentina Cortese, who has always befriended her, Romance decides to leave Lisbon, and go to Brazil. However, the underground mem¬ Appointment With Crime bers capture her. As the group is trying her, Duhour enters, and when Romance admits her guilt Duhour carries out the penalty by shooting her. X-Ray: This gloomy story of World War II has a rather limited appeal although Romance gives a good performance. The direction shows little imagination and the photography is dark. The story is by Jacques Companeez and Claude Heymann. Ad Lines: “Viviane Romance In Her Most Tempting Role”; “A Story Of Re¬ venge And A Forbidden Love”; “See Sexy, Sultry Viviane Romance.” Exchange Girl Comedy Drama 83m. (Films International) (English-made) Estimate: Pleasing British comedy for the art spots. Cast: Yolande Donlan, Michael Rennie, Garry Marsh, Emrys Jones, Reginald Beckwith, Helena Pickard, Jon Pertwee, Richard Littledale, Bruce Belfarge, Peter Butterworth, Barry Faber, Valentine Dyall. Produced by Daniel M. Axgrl; directed by Val Guest. Story: American factory worker Yo¬ lande Donlan arrives in England as part of a plan where English and American workers swap jobs for a month. The town throws a dance, and she meets Michael Rennie. The town learns that it will be forced to move because the village is obsolete. The townspeople, led by Rennie, refuse to leave their homes, and Donlan adds fuel to the fire by quoting the Magna Carta. Donlan, however, is reprimanded by the American Vice-Consul. As she prepares to board the plane for America the town turns out, and presents her with a gift. When she is told she has too much baggage, she gives a suitcase to Rennie and says she will return soon. X-Ray: An interesting import, thii offers a simple device to point out differences in customs and language between Americans and their British cousins. The sense of humor widens the appeal of this comedy, which would ordinarily be restricted to the art houses. Although Donlan’s portrayal of the American girl is a little heavy, she still gives a charming performance. The screen play is by Val Guest. Ad Lines: “The Season’s Most Delight¬ ful Comedy”; “Here Is A Film As Ameri¬ can As Corn On The Cob, And As English As Crumpets”; “The Merry Story Of What Happens When A Bit Of New Jersey Lands In The British Isles.” Comedy Drama Lady Paname Musical 97m. (Discina International) (French-made) (English titles) Estimate: Lively French import. Cast: Louis Jouvet, Henri Guisol, Suzy Delair, Monique Melinand, Jane Marken, Jane Hellv, Raymond Souplex, Vera Nor¬ man, Henri Cremieux, Pierre Trabaud. Produced by Michel Safra; directed by Henri Jeanson. Story: Henri Guisol gives cafe singer Suzy Delair and manager Louis Jouvet a song v he had written, and which had brought bad luck to everyone. Delair gets the song, and good luck smiles upon her. While on the stage she does an impromptu strip tease. A commotion starts, and Jouvet provokes a duel between Guisol and one of the patrons. Delair becomes a sensation, and the singer who had prior right to the song, Raymond Souplex, loses his voice, his wife, and his money. Delair goes to song writer Guisol, whom she loves, to prevent the duel. After the duel is called off, Guisol tells Delair that he doesn’t really love her. She then attempts suicide by going to the lair of a gang try¬ ing to extort money from her. She hopes to provoke them. Jouvet discovers her 3048 Servisection 4