The Exhibitor (Nov 1941-May 1942)

,..r V crp Z2 ~\ £ m r L. kf^rio^ SERVISECTION ACTUAL REVIEWS _ J with ALL pertinent data, plus the X-RAY ✓ \ &m * t COLUMBIA Canal Zone Melodrama 78m. Estimate: Fair aviation meller for the duallers. Cast: Chester Morris, John Hubbard, Harriet Hilliard, Stanley Andrews, Forrest Tucker, Eddie Laughton, Larry Parks, Lloyd Bridges, George McKay, John Tyr¬ rell, Stanley Brown, John Shay. Directed by Lew Landers. Story: John Hubbard, socialite playboy, joins the air force at a field near the Canal Zone to train to fly Army bombers to Africa. He gets in a jam when he almost crashed into a plane while stunting, and is grounded. Not only does he antagonize Chester Morris, officer who helps train The Year’s Finest Air Picture”; “He Dared the men, on general grounds, but he makes a play for Harriet Hilliard, Morris’ girl and daughter of the commander. One thing follows another, with Hubbard gen¬ erally in trouble, until the windup, when Morris crashes in the jungle on a squad¬ ron flight to Africa. Hubbard proves him¬ self a hero, despite orders forbidding him, and rescues Morris. Proving his worth, he flies to Africa with the squadron, leav¬ ing Hilliard for Morris. X-Ray: Pictures of aviation offer ex¬ ploitation possibilities these days, and the title also is adaptable to strong attention. The cast is not of star calibre, but for the action trade it is sufficient. There are moments of suspense in the film, but, all in all, it will probably be relegated to the duallers. Ad Lines: “The Dramatic Story Of the Air Squadron”; “Thrills In Sky . . . Sea and Jungle . . . The Story Of America’s Air Aces”; “Cloud-Crashing Thrills . . . Death To Prove Himself Worthy Of Uncle Sam’s Air Traditions”; “Heroes Over Am¬ erica’s Life-Line Of Defense Shown In Thrilling Action.” Join The Exhibitor’s Kit Parade — The Finest Service The Industry Has Ever Seen. Lawless Plainsmen Western (3204) 59m. Estimate: Good western. Cast: Charles Starrett, Russell Hayden, Cliff “Ukulele Ike” Edwards, Luana Wal¬ ters, Raphael Bennett, Gwen Kenyon, Frank LaRue, Stanley Brown, Nick Thom¬ son, Eddie Laughton. Directed by William Berge. Story: At the behest of Gwen Kenyon, whose father had been killed by bandits, Charles Starrett takes charge of the Ken¬ yon wagon train, with its $60,000 cargo, headed for Tucson. Raphael Bennett, a member of the wagon train, hires a band of Indians to attack the train in order that he might obtain for himself the valuable cargo. The Indians are driven off, and Starrett discovers the perfidy of Bennett. Sometime later, Starrett rescues a friendly Pima Indian from a band of enemy Apache red-skins. Then, in thankfulness, the In¬ dian offers to have his tribe provide an escort for the wagon train. Bennett kills the Pima before the escort can be pro¬ vided, and is in turn killed. The Pima Indians, infuriated by the death of their chief’s son at the hands of a white man, attack the wagon train, but are finally driven off by the timely arrival of a band of cavalry. X-Ray: While there is nothing new in this offering, it has continuous action, with plenty of good rough and tumble scraps, without the usual love angle, but with a good light line of comedy and songs by Cliff Edwards. Ad Lines: “Charles Starrett and Russell Hayden In a Blaze of Thrills and Tunes”; “Cavalry Routs Redmen . . . Red-Skins Bite the Dust.” North of the Rockies Wes™ Estimate: High rating western. Cast: Bill Elliott, Tex Ritter, Frank Mitchell, Shirley Patterson, Larry Parks, John Miljan, Ian MacDonald, Lloyd Bridges, Gertrude Hoffman, Earl Gunn, Boyd Irwin. Directed by Lambert Hillyer. Story: The Northwest Mounted Police are having trouble with fur bandits and smugglers when Sergeant Bill Elliott, at¬ tracted by shots, investigates, and follows two men fleeing across the border into the U.S., where he is stopped by Tex Ritter, foreman of Gertrude Hoffman’s ranch whose grandson, Larry Parks, a wild lad, and Earl Gunn, a tough character, are the riders. Words ensue. Elliott goes back to his post thinking Ritter is one of the gang. Ritter is trying to save Parks from dis¬ gracing his grandmother. It develops that John Miljan, posing as a rich American sportsman, is the brains of the smuggling outfit. Ritter is arrested, but later re¬ leased with Frank Mitchell, a FrenchCanadian with aspirations to become a Mountie, who was with Ritter at the time of arrest. Elliott joins forces with Ritter. They capture the gang after a terrific fight, and rescue Shirley Patterson, who runs the trading company near the post. X-Ray: With lots of hard riding and gun play, this one is okey. Ritter sings three songs; “Get Your Man, Mountie Boy”, “Ridin’ Down The Trail”; “99 Days Are Not So Long”. Ad Lines: “A Northwest Mountie and a Yankee Cowboy Clean Out a Nest Of Fur Smugglers”; “Action, Thrills, Gunplay, and Hard Riding Across the Border”, “The Northwest Mountie Got His Man . . . The Yankee Cowboy Got His Gal”. Tramp, Tramp, Tramp comedy (3033) 68m. Estimate: Service type comedy for dual¬ lers, nabes. Cast: Jackie Gleason, Jack Durant, Florence Rice, Bruce Bennett, Hellene Hill, Billy Curtis, Mabel Todd, Forrest Tucker, James Seay, John Tyrrell, John Harmon, Eddie Foster, A1 Hill, Borrah Minevitch and his Harmonica Rascals. Di¬ rected by Charles Barton. Story: Jackie Gleason and Jack Durant operate a barber shop in a small town, but when Bruce Bennett and other local boys