Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1935 - Aug 1936)

16 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1935 AS I SEE THEM . . . Reviews of New Films By ROLAND BARTON LITTLEST REBEL, The BOXOFFICE RATING COMEDY-DRAMA . . . Shirley's charm is undiminished . . . This has more drama than usual in her pix . . . Bill Robinson helps with acting and dancing . . . Should do almost as well as previous Temples . . . Rates 20th Century-Fox 72 Minutes Sh'rley Temple . . . John Boles . . . Jack Holt Bill Robinson . . . Karen Morley . . . Directed by David Butler Shirley scores again! Those who have been anticipating the inevitable crack-up of the diminutive charmer's appeal shall have to wait longer before demon Time robs La Temple of those qualities that persist in making her irresistible. In "The Littlest Rebel," surrounded by a better than usual cast, Shirley still manages to demonstrate that she is more than merely a cute child. The story, too, is more substantial than what is generally employed as a background for her performance, and the spectator's interest is sustained throughout. All in all, this is one of the better Temple films. Outstanding in the supporting cast is Bill Robinson, whose acting has improved immensely and whose tap dancing remains peerless. Several dances he does with Shirley are fascinating and they are aided no little by the child star's adroit cooperation, both in tapping and in facial expression. Jack Holt, Karen Morley and John Boles are valuable names to add to a Temple picture and their presence gives "R.bel" dramatic stature. Perhaps Shirley's popularity is not quite as intense as it was six months ago, something of the novelty having worn off, but her performance in this film should gain her new adherents. PLOT: While Shirley is entertaining her friends at a birthday party, the Civil War breaks out and her father, John Boles, is called to defend the South. Aftrr Union soldiers take possession of the town, Boles contrives to get through the enemy lines several times to see his wife, Karen Morley, and Shirley. The fighting eventually comes near their home and it i« bur*i"d to the ground. Karen takes ill and Bill Robinson, a faithful slave, goes out for Boles. They arrive just before Karen dies. Boles is tnpped in the slave quarters by Jack Holt, a Union officer, who has been won by Shirley, but, when Boles explans that he is not a rpy and onlv came to see his sirk wife, Holt gives h;m a Union uniform and a pass through the lines to take Shirley to relatives. Boles is caught, how"wr. and he and Holt are sentenced to hang. W'th Robinson, Shirley goes to Washington, where she pleads for her father's life. Both men are freed and there is a happy reunion. AD TIPS: Merchants handling the many Shirley Temple novelties will arrange tie-ups for di<t>tav shace in the lobby. You can call this "Shirley's Most Dramatic Picture." Plug the story. BARTON. BRIDE COMES HOME, The BOXOFFICE RATING COMEDY . . . Excellent direction, clever dialogue and good cast make this above average fun . . . Story is almost non-existent, but it is not missed much . . . Should click to • • • — in most spots; less in action and rural houses. Paramount 83 Minutes Claudette Colbert . . . Fred Ma'-Murray . . . Robert Young . . . William Collier, Sr. . . . Edgar Kennedy . . . Donald Meek . . . Directed by Wesley Ruggles This has plenty of laughs, most of which must be credited to the clever direction of Wesley Ruggles. The plot is so flimsy that one has the impression that Ruggles was handed a skeleton script and told to fill it in with gags and situations as he went along. He has done an excellent job, for "The Bride Comes Home" skips from one amusing situation to another without allowing the so-called plot to impede it to any great extent. What there is of story deals with the usual "good-natured rich boy versus hot-tempered poor boy, competing for poor-rich girl's pretty hand" and, of course, nobody ever expects the rich boy to win. But, when Claudette Colbert is the girl and Fred MacMurray is the poor boy, you have the substance to make young people's hearts flutter. And "Bride" is a young people's picture. Robert Young is acceptable as the rich boy. Involved in the film's funniest situation is red-faced, rageful Edgar Kennedy, as the justice of the peace who works himself into a frenzy while trying to marry Claudette and Robert, and winds up marrying Claudette and Fred. It leaves 'em laughing. This picture should get well above average business where dialogue comedy goes. PLOT: When Young comes into three and a fnlf million dollars, he fires MacMurray, who has been his bodyguard, but rehires him promptly to edit a magazine for men. Claudette's father, meanwhile, has gone broke and she induces her childhood boy friend, Young, to give her a job as assistant to MacMurray. They fall for each other, but discover that both have violent tempers. A scrap breaks up their firrt attempt to get married. Young sells Claudette the idea of marrying him and they elope. Her father convinces MacMurray that their fighting is evidence of true love and they race off in a motorcycle to intercept the elopers. While Edgar Kennedy persists in delivering his memorized marriage ceremony speech before Claudette and Young, MacMurray has time to race to the rescue, snatch the girl frcm Young's arm and marry her himself in an uproarious tumult. AD TIPS: Recall "The Gilded Lily" in which the two stars scored a hit. Sell Colbert and MacMurray as the perfect love team "who love the modern way." Claim that they "will laugh for ten minutes after it is over." Dress up a bride and groom and have them start spats on the corners, then distribute small cards announcing the show. BARTON. EAST OF JAVA BOXOFFICE RATING ADVENTURE MELODRAMA... Unusually strong on suspense and action . . . Will hold 'em on the edges of their seats . . . Lacks only important names to have made this good b. o. . . . Bickford excellent . . . Rates • • + in action houses and will please everywhere. Universal 72 Minutes Charles Bickford . . . Leslie Fenton . . . Elizabeth Young . . . Frank Albertson . . . Siegfried Rumann . . . Clarence Muse . . . Directed by George Melford Excellent action-adventure melodrama! This is the picture during the filming of which Charles Bickford was clawed by a lion, and when one watches some of the amazing scenes in which people are attacked by the animals, it becames evident that there was more fact than publicity to the newspaper stories of Bickford's encounter on the studio lot. For intense, violent action, I doubt that there has been a better picture of this type than "East of Java" for many months. In the early sequences, the story is engrossing enough, but from the time when a terrific typhoon wrecks the ship and casts the central characters upon a deserted island, down to the (Continued on Page 14) 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 0 • • O Means EXCELLENT Plus ( -f) and minus ( — ) will be used occasionally to indicate slightly above or below the point rating.