The Exhibitor (Nov 1938-May 1939)

SPECIAL FEATURES 11 ings too matter-of-factly. Once we lose consciousness of the fact that we are perhaps the only free people in the world, we are going to hold our freedom too cheaply. We need constant reminders, and I have yet to hear of any reminder half as effective as our stirring national anthem, and the sight of Old Glory waving in the breeze. It is good to be able to report this, in spite of the number of questions we have been asked on this point, none of them seemed to be prompted by annoyance. People were startled, but pleased. Many of them seemed to be aware of the British custom of playing "God Save the King” at every public entertainment and asked if we planned to continue our tribute to America. Our answer is, "Yes.” (Signed) A Manager. ADVANCE SHOTS Tip-Off to New Pictures Reviews of the following pictures have been received during the past week. The advance shots are given for the benefit of out-of-the-can exhibitors, pending complete Six-Point Reviews in the next issue of the Blue Section. BEAUTY FOR THE ASKING (RKO-Radio) — Lucille Ball, Patric Knowles, Donald Woods. 64m. An interesting story, with a beauty-parlor background, this involves romantic, business ambitions thwarted by unforeseen circumstances. CODE OF THE STREETS (Universal) — Harry Carey, Frankie Thomas, "Little Tough Guy” Boys. 70m. Setting a new high for the "Little Tough Guy” Boys, this has them ultimately saving an innocent man from the electric chair. DRIFTING WESTWARD (Monogram)— Jack Randall, Frank Yacanelli, Edna Duran. 47m. A high-rating Jack Randall western, this has Randall saving a Mexican don, his "lost mine.” FOUR GIRLS IN WHITE (Metro)— Florence Rice, Una Merkel, Ann Rutherford, Mary Howard, Alan Marshall. 70m. A routine hospital story, this deals of four probationers, their troubles. IDIOT’S DELIGHT (Metro) — Norma Shearer, Clark Gable, Edward Arnold, Joseph Schildkraut. 109m. Picturization of the Pulitzer prize-winner, this should do well on the ShearerGable draw, despite its alterations from the Robert E. Sherwood’s play. THE LONE WOLF SPY HUNT (Columbia) — Warren William, Ida Lupino, Rita Hayworth, Virginia Weidler. 67m. A good action-melodrama, with mirth, mystery, this has the Lone Wolf on the side of the G-Men, even though he is implicated unwittingly. NANCY DREW, REPORTER (Warners) — Bonita Granville, Frank Thomas, Jr., John Litel. “Gunga Din” The advance reports are all correct: "Gunga Din” has everything they said it would have. It is a money show, definitely in the front rank, a stop picture, a showman’s show, a picture that will mean a world of difference to RKO and the trade. Topnotch pictures belong to the business. "Gunga Din” is that kind of a show, one even a hardboiled exhibitor could see more than once and enjoy. Give the credit to George Stevens, who directed and produced the show, who made Victor McLaglen seem like a new face, who turned Cary Grant into a swell laugh pace-setter, who presented a new Doug Fairbanks, Jr. You can believe the show costs more than $1,000,000; it looks it. You can believe it will do business; it looks that, too. And those smiles on the faces of George J. Schaefer and the RKO boys who work with and under him are deserved. They know this one is IN — the big money. — Jay Emanuel. 67m. Better than the former Nancy Drew picture, this has the wonder girl solving a murder, winning a journalism prize. NAVY SECRETS (Monogram) — Fay Wray, Grant Withers, Craig Reynolds. 60m. Another spy drama, with navy plans the object of the espionage, this stacks up as nice entertainment for the sub-runs. NORTH OF SHANGHAI (Columbia) — Jtmes Craig, Betty Furness, Keye Luke. 59m. A timely, swift, suspenseful yarn of the Sino-Japanese "war,” this is an exploitable drama for the neighborhood houses. PERSONS IN HIDING (Paramount) — Lynne Overman, Patricia Morison, J. Carrol Naish. 69m. Based on the boy by J. Edgar Hoover, this comes out a fast-moving thriller of the crime-does-notpay sort. RED RIVER RANGE (Republic) — Three Mesquiteers, Lorna Gray, Polly Moran. The saddle break up a real rustlers gang, operating as a dude ranch’s faked attraction. THE THUNDERING WEST (Columbia) — Charles Starret, Iris Meredith, Sons of the Pioneers. 5 7m. Charles Starrett, member of the outlaw gang, turns honest, is named sheriff, cleans up the outlaws. Short subjects reviewed during the past week included the following: ALWAYS KICKIN’ (Paramount)— 7m. Those two biological phenomena — mule Hunky, son Spunky — pay a return Color Classic visit, with Spunky rescuing a little bird from a hawk. COMMUNITY SING, No. 5 (Columbia) — 10m. Stanley Brown leads a cycle of songs on friends, friendship. FLYING G-MEN (Columbia). Serial in 15 episodes. Another excellent chapter-picture, this deals with airplanes, spies, with plenty of thrills, action on the ground, in the air, with the titular characters (one of whom is the Black Falcon) arrayed against "the professor.” I’M JUST A JITTERBUG (Universal)— 7m. Walter Lantz presents a cartoonal jitterburg contest. KANGAROO KID (Columbia) — 7/2 m. In a Color Rhapsodie, the Kangaroo Kid is a fiddle player to poppa’s disgust, but gets the parental o.k. when he k.o.’s his ring rival. MUSIC THROUGH THE YEARS (Paramount)— 10m. Jan Garber, orchestra offer a musical summary of 1929 to 193 8. MUTINY ON THE BODY (Columbia) — 17}4m. Smith and Dale are seen in another typical comedy. MY FRIEND THE MONKEY (Paramount) — Betty Boop adopts a bad-mannered monkey as a playmate for Pudgy. READIN’, WRITIN’, AND RHYTHM (RKORadio) — 10m. A jitterbug jam session, after the manner of the usual, Nu-Atlas musical, this is a good entry. SAMOVAR SERENADE (RKO-Radio)— 10m. A Nu-Atlas musical, this is built in the Russian motif. SOUP TO NUTS (Universal)— 7m. A fair Walter Lantz cartoon, this has the dogs holding an amateur show. SWING YOU SWINGERS (Columbia) — 19 ’4 m. Andy Clyde, supposedly a distant relative of Beethoven, dislikes swing, children — and thereby lies the tale. THE THREE BEARS (20th Century-Fox) — 7m. A cartoon burlesque of the Goldilocks story, this comes out as one of the better technicolor Terrytoons. THREE LITTLE SEW AND SEWS (Columbia)— 16m. The Three Stooges at their excruciating, hilarious best, this has Larry, Moe, Curly in a spy comedy that should have the customers literally holding their sides — those, that is, who are not rolling in the aisles. UNUSUAL OCCUPATIONS, No. 4 (Paramount)— The usual array of unusual businesses, helped by technicolor. WE WANT OUR MUMMY (Columbia) — 17m. The Three Stooges turn Egyptologists, go searching for a missing professor, a missing mummy. MARCUS A. BENN President, BENN THEATRES HOLDING CORP., of AMERICA, Philadelphia, Pa. "We are proud to be a subscriber to THE PHILADELPHIA EXHIBITOR under the management of Jay Emanuel. The Exhibitor consists of and contains more than journalism; classic editorials under a competent editorial staff and the entire publication is conducted in a business-like performance. News items are the most interesting locally and nationally, classified ads are most distinct and profitable and the whole makeup and composition is a credit to THE PHILADELPHIA EXHIBITOR. "We will refrain from elaborating more on this valuable periodical and we are civicly proud that it is a product of our home city of Philadelphia.” Nearly every Exhibitor reads THFIXHIBITOR ! AN INVITATION Throughout 1 939, expressions of praise, comment, criticism or suggestion from our many Exhibitor Friends will be carried in similar form in every issue. W.e welcome the expression of every reader and will use them in the order in which they are received. February 1, 1939