The Exhibitor (Nov 1939-May 1940)

12 THE EXHIBITOR National Legion of Decency List March 2 8, 1940 UNOBJECTIONABLE FOR GENERAL PATRONAGE— “It’s a Date” (Universal); “Viva Cisco Kid,” (20th Century-Fox); “Oh Johnny, How You Can Love,” (Universal). UNOBJECTIONABLE FOR ADULTS — “Free, Blonde and 21,” (20th Century-Fox); “Men without Souls,” (Columbia); “The Outsider,” (Alliance). CONDEMNED — “Strange Cargo,” Metro). Advance Shots On COMING REVIEWS New Pictures Tersely Cited Philadelphia — Received at the home office of The Exhibitor since last week’s edition of the Blue Section was printed have been reviews of the following pictures. Complete Six-Point Reviews will be printed in the next Blue Section. THE COURAGEOUS DOCTOR CHRISTIAN (RKO-Radio) — Jean Hersholt, Dorothy Lovett, Robert Baldwin, Tom Neal. 67m. Here is a picture that would make a pleasing associate feature on any dualler. It has human interest and packs a lot of entertainment. For the provinces and smaller nabes it might advantageously be top-spotted or single-billed. FRENCH WITHOUT TEARS (Paramount— English made) — Ray Milland, Ellen Drew, Roland Culver. 66m. This Englishmade picture version of a Broadway day success of several years ago turns out to be pleasing comedy fare. HALF A SINNER (Universal)— Heather Angel, John King, Constance Collier, Emma Dunn, Walter Catlett. 59m. A lightweight for the bottom of the duallers. The cast is pleasant enough, but the whole thing is strictly for the nabes. Heather Angel, John King and Constance Collier stand out, but the script doesn’t give them much chance. IT ALL CAME TRUE (Warners)— Ann Sheridan, Jeffrey Lynn, Humphrey Bogart, ZaSu Pitts, Una O’Connor, Grant Mitchell, Felix Bressart. 87m. Louis Bromfield’s story is the basis for a programmer loosely woven in the first half, but which winds up enough speed toward the end to send audiences out with a happy “everything all right in the end” spirit. It also allows “oomph girl” Ann Sheridan to act, and she acquits herself creditably. All in all, this is a different type of show. IT’S A DATE (Universal) — Deanna Durbin, Kay Francis, Walter Pidgeon, Eugene Pallette, Henry Stephenson, Samuel S. Hinds, Fritz Feld, Lewis Howard, Cissie Loftus. 105m. Number seven in the Deanna Durbin series from Universal will not only prove lucky for the company but also for the exhibitors who play it. Made Warren Stokes’ HOLLYWOOD NEWSREEL * TICKET BUYING in the first-run situations screening “Grapes of Wrath,” and “Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet” is already influencing the producers. Watching these and other current vehicles creates in the minds of the picture makers what they believe to be a barometer by which this industry can gauge its future production activities. A Change Due * IT DOES SIGNIFY, perhaps, that the public is ready for a change in cinema entertainment. It definitely does not, however, signify that the public is ready and willing to accept another proverbial cycle. We think these pictures prove that the danger point in such subject matter has been sucessfully dealt with. It should also prove that Hollywood’s main problem is to avoid its usual custom of overdoing a good thing. These pictures are good pictures and they are free and apart from the current formula. They have injected a certain amount of variety into the otherwise routine releases. Door Is Open * THE DOOR HAS BEEN OPENED, we are told, for many other subjects that studios have feared. True, the doors of the first-run theatres have been swinging to a favorable response on this type pictures but Hollywood has too long made the mistake of immediately wagering its future on firstrun reports. It has seldom, if ever, concerned itself with the box office returns in the second, third and subsequent runs. It has not yet learned the significance of the old adage, “One man’s meat is another man’s poison.” Neither has it learned that the antidote for the poison can be found only after the major portion of the patrons have been subjected to the new story germ. It seems, therefore,Hollywood should await a more general diagnosis, before jumping to the conclusion that they have discovered a boxoffice cure, which might, through such hasty judgment, launch the industry on a cycle of sociological subjects, bringing on an epidemic of box-office jitters, through an overdose of the same medicine. in the swelegant Universal manner, this has all the angles, and is as pleasant a bit of film as seen in many moons. Number seven rings the bell. RANCHO GRANDE (Republic)— Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, June Storey, Mary Lee, Dick Hogan. 68m. Taking advantage of the tremendous success of “South of the Border,” the Gene Autry oatie based upon the popular song hit, Republic follows through with another song hit as a title tab in this one. It should keep Autry fans happy. REBECCA (United Artists) — Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Judith Anderson, Nigel Bruce, Reginald Following the Leader » SOCIOLOGICAL SUBJECTS are no exception to the rule. Hollywood’s rule of follow the leader who dares to use a new theme, usually breeds just another cycle of carbon-copy celluloid. This holds true with an overdose of sea stories, adventure, autobiographical matter, or any other matter used as a film pattern which happens to click mostly because it is out of the cinema rut. This success is largely due to a change from the commonplace. It makes for variety in screen entertainment, the keynote of successful showmanship. Too often, that which is new in pictures becomes old and commonplace, losing its true value to the industry because it is immediately duplicated on a wholesale basis. Variety, the life’s blood of successful showmanship, ceases to exist the moment the cycles come in. • THE LITTLE MAN who wasn’t there seems to be the second, third and subsequent run exhibitor. Hollywood has always figured on getting the negative cost out of the first runs, politely referring to the rest of the situations as velvet. That is good business logic, provided one can count on the velvet. In this industry, however, it is next to impossible to count on the first runs making the velvet pathway possible. In some cases, the little men of the exhibition field pay off the mortgage on the big city flops, and they have to make up the negative cost as well as the velvet. By the same token, the big city chaps have had to reverse the situation. In the long run, however, it is the little fellow that must be counted on for a more accurate consensus of the movie-goers’ like and dislikes. He represents the mass, the class is a minority. Celluloid entertainment is still the entertainment fodder of the masses. When the votes are in from the rural precincts, that will be time enough to consider the real value of the merchandise. The Real Gauge * BOX-OFFICE RECEIPTS, warranting public interest in a certain type of entertainment, are the safest gauge for this industry to follow. It still holds, however, that such interest can only be retained when that type of entertainment is varied with that of a different pattern. It is a fallacy for Hollywood to play follow the leader with hopes of cashing in on what is so erroneously termed The Public Trend in Entertainment. The current need of the production end of his industry is variety in its celluloid fare, more leaders in the production end and less followers in Hollywood. Denny. 127m. This is sombre, psychological drama, and expert piece of screen craftsmanship, exceptionally well directed and produced, but largely for the class trade and will need selling to garner the returns it richly deserves. VIVA CISCO KID (20th Century-Fox) — Cesar Romero, Jean Rogers, Chris-Pin Martin. 71m. Just another picture, with Cesar Romero making a valiant attempt to impersonate Warner Baxter as the personable Robin Hood of the sagebrush and tumbleweed. When it is all over, the main accomplishment seems to be the expenditure of 71 minutes and a few scenes of the Western wilds, stern and rockbound. March 27, 1940 1