Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1934 - Aug 1935)

8 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 1935 AS I SEE THEM . . . Reviews of New Films By ROLAND BARTON Boxoffice Rating • • # + STAR OF MIDNIGHT RKO 90 Minutes William Powell Ginger Rogers Paul Kelly Ralph Morgan Directed by Stephen Roberts Carbon cppy mystery-comedy of "The Thin Man" pattern, and very good. . . . Powell and Rogers team up in same manner as Powell and Loy. ... A clicker everywhere. This is a deliberate copy of "The Thin Man." It makes no pretense at being anything else, and there is no reason why it should. That mysterycomedy was one of the most delightful films of the season and this comes pretty close to being almost as enjoyable. With William Powell again the suave, cocktail-drinking sleuth, and Ginger Rogers taking off on Myrna Loy, we have another gay, swift, suspenseful yarn about murder, a woman-shy detective and a man-chasing woman. "Star At Midnight" is replete with smart dialogue and amusing situations. The mystery may not be quite as ingenious as that in ts popular predecessor, but it is sufficient to give one enough gripping moments for one film. The story skips lightly over the chills, however, and emphasizes its gay romance and comedy. PLOT: When a man is murdered in Powell's apartment, he is forced to solve the crime or stand trial for it himself. With the aid of Ginger Rogers, who trails him everywhere as she is trying to convince him that he should marry her, he locates an actress who had mysteriously disappeared from Chicago, and who, he believes, is in some way connected with the killing. Two gangsters constantly trail Powell to see that he isn't killed, because his death would reveal certain papers he keeps in his vault and which implicate the gang chief. Eventually, the crime is solved and Powell is relieved to find that the murderer is not his friend, who he had suspected all along. The pursuing Ginger finally wins over the stubborn detective to her point of view on the marriage question. Story is based on a novel by the late Arthur Somers Roche. It will not hit the sensational grosses of "The Thin Man," but it is certain to do well above average everywhere. ELK. Boxoffice Rating • • THUNDER IN THE EAST United Artists 80 Minutes Charles Boyer Merle Oberon John Loder Directed by Nicholas Parkas Fine drama of sacrifice for country. . . . especially suited for class houses, but will please all audiences if they can be brought in. . . . Recent popularity of Charles Boyer and Merle Oberon should help selling. . . . NG for children. This picture was originally released in this country under the title of "The Battle." It was made in France and it rates with the best films coming from the other side. Its value to exhibitors has been greatly enhanced in recent months by the increased popularity of Charles Boyer, who won great favor in "Private Worlds," and Merle Oberon. It is a heavy, serious drama, dealing with the philosophy of a strange people, but through the forceful performance of Boyer, it becomes thoroughly understandable and moving. Class audiences will rave about it, while the masses who like dramas dealing with sacrifice will be pleased. For action, there is one of the most thrilling naval battles ever screened and this will aid it in the cheaper neighborhoods. PLOT: Boyer, a Japanese naval officer, is so intensely patriotic and eager to serve his country by winning an important victory, that he sacrifices his dearly loved wife to win certain secret documents from John Loder, a British officer. He deliberately throws his wife, Merle Oberon, and Loder together, until they find themselves in love. In this way he gets the information he desires and wins the battle. At its conclusion, and despite the fact that his wife's lover has been killed in the same fight, he commits hara kiri, in accordance with the traditions of his people, by plunging a dagger into his bowels. Somewhat depressing, but an effective and wellacted drama. Not for children. ELK. Boxoffice Rating • • FOUR HOURS TO KILL Paramount 72 Minutes Richard Barthelmess Helen Mack Gertrude Michael Ray Milland Directed by Mitchell Leisen Actionful and fairly exciting melodrama, taking place almost entirely in theatre lobby. . . . Title lends itself to exploitation. . . . Not much of a success for Barthelmess' first picture for Paramount. . . . Will not do for children. . . . Subject matter heavy and not pleasant. Designed on the now ancient "Grand Hotel" plan, his first Paramount vehicle for Richard Bar thelmess is not a signal success. It has p'.enty of action, suspense and an array of interesting characters, but it is one of those murderous, cheating wife, blackmailing sweetheart affairs, unrelieved by any substantial comedy. The action, except for a small portion, takes place in the foyer of a theatre. This concentration of locale makes for much of the film's excitement. PLOT: Barthelmess is being taken to prison to be executed for several murders. With four hours to wait for the train, the detective accompanying him decides to take in a show to "kill" the time. Barthelmess asks to get a drink of water, so the brilliant detective takes off his handcuffs and permits him to go for it himself. The prisoner e!udes the flatfoot, but stays in the theatre. He phones the man who double-crossed him, inducing him to come to the theatre. Barthelmess waits for him and kills him, whereupon he is shot down by the police. During this central plot's unfolding, there are other sub-plots involving a check boy, who is being blackmailed by one of the girl ushers. She claims that she is to have a baby by him, but he learns that she is married, so he is free to marry his sweetheart. We also have a psek at the indiscretions of a young married woman, who is mixed up with another man. During the course of the actions she learns that he is a worthless rogue and she is foolish. The best this will get in the average house is Average business. There is little to distinguish the film and Barthelmess' name is the only attractive one, and even his drawing strength is problematical. It is unsuitable for children. Boxoffice Rating m • — CEORCE WHITE'S SCANDALS Fox 82 Minutes James Dunn Alice Faye Ned Sparks Cliff Edwards Lyda Roberti George White Directed by George White A musical comedy as stale as last week's newspaper. ... It has a little bit of music that's worth listening to, but no comedy. . . . Story is nil or less. . . . Not much for anybody to enjoy. George White, the Broadway impressario, probably deems it an honor to have his name splashed all over the credit titles of this film, but this reviewer is hardly inclined to agree with him. If I had anything to do with making a musical movie as stale in material and technique as this "George White's Scandals," it seems to me that I'd rather hide my face in shame. Yet Georgie insisted that he be given credit for "conceiving," "producing," "directing," "acting" and we're not quite sure that he didn't do a few other things in connection with the production of this opus. Furthermore, Georgie pops into almost every scene in the picture and in case no one has previously advised the master that he knows very little about acting, then this corner feels it incumbent upon itself to inform him of that fact — for the sake of the next generation. There are two brief highlights in the entire job. They are: Cliff Edwards' rendition of the song, "I Was Born Too Late," and the tap-stepping of Eleanor Powell. The:e two items might well have been incorporated in a short subject and the balance of the "Scandals" scrapped. The oh-so-witty dialogue between Ned Sparks and Arline Judge is really not funny at all. PLOT: There is none to speak of. BOXOFFICE RATING We have been requested by many exhibitors to use some simple system of indicating our rating of the boxoffice value of the films reviewed below. The "point" system of evaluation, at best, can give you only an arbitrary estimate of a picture's drawing power, so we urge you to read the entire reviews. Some pictures are particularly suitable for certain types of audiences and this must be covered in the detailed criticisms. • Means POOR • • Means AVERAGE • • • Means GOOD • • • • Means EXCELLENT Plus (-f-) and minus ( — ) will be used occasionally to indicate slightly above or below the point rating.