The Exhibitor (Nov 1939-May 1940)

Servisection 4 THE EXHIBITOR cash. Obviously produced on a pretty small budget, this Joe Seiden show is an overacted tearjerker. Brightest spots in the picture are Sholom Secunda’s music and the singing of Chaim Tauber (he plays the title role), Seymour Rechzeit, and Cantor Leibele Waldman. Tauber is seriously injured while striking against his employer. His wife (Malvina Rappel), destitute, allows the child to be adopted, then commits suicide. Climax comes when son, now a lawyer, successfully defends Tauber against a murder charge. Jacob Zanger and Yetta Zwerling contribute a few raucous bits of comedy. Estimate: Mediocre Yiddish celluloid. It is the story of three officers — French, British, and German — all of whose countries were in the throes of war preparation and who realize, when faced by a common death, the folly of their former attitude. Pierre Fresnay, one of our favorite Gallic performers is superb as the French officer; Rolf Wanka and Kim Peacock, as the German and Englishman, are equally impressive. Nadine Vogel carries the brunt of the femme lead burden. English, German and French are spoken and superimposed titles follow the story perfectly. Estimate: Should make money for foreign and art theatres. SOS Mediterranean (Vedis Films) 78m. Pierre Fresnay, Rolf Wanka, Kim Peacock, Nadine Vogel, Jean-Claude Debully, Ledoux, Aimos, Bergeron, Jean Temerson, Ardisson, Michael Hogarth, Kronegger, Pierre Labry, Pizani, Seignier, Jean d’yd. Directed by Leo Joannon. As timely a picture as any showman could hope for at this time, “SOS Mediterranean” should reap a golden harvest at foreign and art-house box offices and can be exploited on the basis of its newsworthiness, for profit for general-run theatres. Winner of the 1939 Grand Prix du Cinema Francais, this celluloid plea for peace is now banned in its native France. Tevya Family Melodrama (Mayman) 93m. Maurice Schwartz, Miriam Riselle, Rebecca Weintraub, Paula Lubelska, Leon Liebgold, Vicki Marcus, Perle Marcus, Julius Adler. Directed by Maurice Schwartz. An “Abie’s Irish Rose” set in preSoviet Russia, “Tevya” makes its mark as one of the best Yiddish pictures — from both production and entertainment angles — to hit the domestic screens. With Maurice Schwartz, the Yiddish stage’s Number One actordirector, handling the megaphone plus the thespian lead, the film holds interest throughout. Unless of war or some other force majeure, “Tevya” should prove a bonanza to its backers and to the exhibitors who can play Jewish pictures. Mirian Riselle, whom we marked as Hollywood material a year ago, plays Schwartz’s daughter, the girl who was ready to run off and wed a shagitz against her folks’ wishes, she returns to the fold in time, author Sholom Aleichem’s chief divergence from the “Abie’s Irish Rose” theme. It’s grand cinema throughout. The film was made in Long Island. English titles are excellent. Estimate: Box office for Yiddish houses. They Wanted Peace Family 1 Drama (Amkino) 73M. F. Bagashvili, Tamara Makarova, S. Smirnova, K. Miuffo, M. Gelovani, G. Sagaradze, D. Ivanov, V. Mativ, M. Chikhladze. Directed by M. Chiareli. A propaganda picture, which as far as we could see, attempts to rationalize Russia’s alliance with Germany, “They Wanted Peace” should do okay business in spots where Soviet films have gone over in the past. It’s strictly for the radical element and shouldn’t even be tried upon the average movie-goer. Briefly, it tells of the sacrifices made by the Russians during the reign of the Kerensky provisional government in 1917. It winds up with Lenin and Stalin and the successful revolution. Estimate: Left-wing fare. THE SHORTS TWO-REEL Comedy OH, YOU NATZY SPY. Columbia— Comedy. 18m. In as blistering burlesque of the present German regime as has yet come to the screen, the Three Stooges traipse through the rise and fall of a dictator in one of their best offerings. When munitions-makers find that they are positively starving on a $5,000,000 profit on the year, they contrive to have Moe named dictator, Curly field marshal, and Larry minister of propaganda. What happens will not please Hitler, Goering, Goebbels and Company, but U. S. audiences (still possessing a sense of humor), and particularly the legion of Stooge fans, will find it excruciatingly funny. EXCELLENT. (1404). Dramatic THE REPUBLIC OF FINLAND. 19191940. RKO-Radio — The March of Time, No. 6. 18m. Of all the saleable MOT subjects to hit the screen during the past few years, these 18 minutes of strictly pro-Finnish material rates at the top. That the American public is overwhelmingly sympathetic to little Finland’s valiant struggle against Russia is an established fact. That same American public will pay their way to see this excellentlyproduced subject, that shows what makes the Finns tick. Opening with shots of the key foreign ambassadors in Washington, the action shifts to the popular Finnish representative. The camera then records the Finns’ struggle to gain their independence after the Reds had taken over Russia, of which Finland was then a part. Also shown are the country’s forests; the manner in which the people take advantage of the woodlands; the nation’s industries; the peoples’ manner of living; training of a civilian army, et cetera. Here is, without qualification, one of the most worthy and exploitable short subjects available. EXCELLENT. (03106). L. S. M. ONE-REEL Color Cartoon THE EARLY WORM “GETS THE BIRD.” Vitaphone — Merrie Melody. 7m. PARADE The little bird doesn’t believe the story, wants to find out for himself, is caught by the bad fox, and then saved by the little worm, all of which is familiar, but made in the better Schlesinger vein. GOOD. (5310) H. M. Comedy THAT INFERIOR FEELING. Metro— Robert Benchley. 9m. Benchley comes into the higher rating this time, with some instances of what an inferior complex can do, showing the effects on a man getting married, a man getting a suit, trying to understand a timetable, cashing a check, and other things. It should prove funny. GOOD. (F-143) . H. M. Novelty MAINTAIN THE RIGHT. Metro— Pete Smith Specialty. 10m. Pete Smith treats the Northwest Mounted Police with respect and a few observations, winding up with the story of a mountie who gave his life doing his duty. Actual shots of the Highlight Shorts SERIAL The Shadow — Columbia TWO REEL Comedy Three Sappy People — Columbia Color Dramatic Old Hickory — Vitaphone Dramatic Pound Foolish — Metro ONE REEL Color Cartoon The Blue Danube — Metro Musical Hal Kemp and Orchestra — Paramount Color Novelty Fashion Forecast No. 6 — 20th CenturyFox Novelty Forgotten Victory — Metro Miracles at Lourdes — Metro World of 1960 — Columbia Sport Sky Game — RKO training school are enlivened by incidents befalling three rookies during the training period. It makes for an interesting subject. GOOD. (S-104). H. M. Sport AQUAPOISE. RKO-Radio — Sportscope. 10m. Shots of aquaplaning in Florida, with some thrilling rides recorded. Acrobatic stunts, with men and women contributing, highlight the reel, which is among the better numbers of similar nature. GOOD. (04306). H. M. COURT FAVORITES. RKO-Radio — Sportscope. 9m. All about the game of lawn tennis as she is played by the experts, this reel is good and should interest the tennis fans as well as the armchair athletes. Vinny Richards, Big Bill Tilden, and several other famous names on and off the court appear and give vigorous demonstrations of what to do when confronted by that little felt-covered ball. GOOD. (04307) . D. O. MEN OF MUSCLE. RKO— Reelism 9m. Springfield (Massachusetts) College and how athletic and physical instructors are trained (for YMCA work), with emphasis not on victory but on sportsmanship, accomplishment, and science. A wellmade, instructive reel, it deserves better booking attention. GOOD. (04605). H. M. TOPNOTCH TENNIS. 20th CenturyFox-Sports Review. 10m. Tennis, with shots of the recent Davis cup matches at Philadelphia the highlights. Included also are views of the 1939 open championships. If nothing striking, at least it keeps moving. FAIR. (0303). H. M. Travel THE PYRAMIDS OF MEXICO. Atlas. 11m. One of the most unusual of travel subjects, this Max Urban camera tour of the Aztec ruins in Mexico is worthy of playing time on anyone’s bill. There’s one scene showing what apparently are statues, but the narrator informs us that we are viewing the bodies of petrified humans. Here’s an exploitable bit. EXCELLENT. L. S. M. XOCHMILCO. Atlas. 11m. America’s Venice, Xochmilco (pronounced So-chimil-co), proxides an excellent subject around which Max Urban filmed this well-done tour of Mexico City’s floating gardens. It provides, as the program notes, a cross-section of Mexico’s inhabitants. GOOD. L. S. M. 458