Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (Sep 1935 - Aug 1936)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 1936 1 1 plundered and fought to make England master of the waters and, incidentally, enrich his Queen's coffers. Fashioned in the style of "Captain Blood," this film lacks the vigor and fire of the Sabatini fiction. However, there are many exciting action sequences that bridge the heavy tedious royal court scenes, which are necessary to hold the historical tale together. The sea fighting is fierce and bloody, undoubtedly the best thing the Britishers have done in this line. Historically, "Drake" strives to justify England's conquest of the Spanish fleet, even if that was brought about by the employment of the most ruthless pirate sailing the seas — Sir Francis Drake. In the title role Matheson Lang is excellent, but his name will mean nothing to American audiences. Jane Baxter, who was one of the wives in "Henry the 8 th," is pleasing as Drake's wife. The balance of the cast are competent, if unknown. All this picture needed was a touch of inspiration on the part of the director to have made it a really important film; it lacks that. If sold strongly as a successor to "Blood" this should bring slightly above average grosses. PLOT: Elizabeth, Queen of England, is told that her country is practically broke when Drake, a pirate sailor, is introduced at court to tell of the possibilities of conquering untold Spanish millions. Unofficially, she sends him on a plunder. ng journey and he returns with ships laden with treasure. He meets and marries Jane Baxter, the betrothed of Henry Mollison, who is engaged in espionage. With the idea of starting mutiny on Drake's next voyage, Mollison sails along with his brother. Their plans are discovered and Mollison is found guilty and sentenced to death. With the Spanish bottled up in a harbor, Drake employs a ruse to force them out and engages the armada in a fierce battle. Victorious and reeking with plundered gold, Drake returns to England, where he is knighted by the Queen. AD TIPS: Sell this through all libraries, historical societies. Mention "Captain Blood" and "Mutiny" in all copy, playing this up as their successor in sea adventures. Avoid mention of the cast; just refer to "Cast of 5000." NONNIE. Girt From Mandalay, The BOXOFFICE RATING MELODRAMA . . . Dull jungle story plus some interesting animal shots . . . Too slow getting started, but suspense and fair action in latter reels will help in action spots, where it rates • • — ; less in better class houses. Republic 60 Minutes Conrad Nagel . . . Kay Linaker . . . Donald Cook . . . Esther Ralston . . . Reginald Barlow Directed by Howard Bretherton Slow in getting started. Too much footage is devoted to the efforts of a joy girl to go straight after being swept into sudden marriage by an English gentleman who has gone "native" in the Malay jungles. In the final two or three reels gripping suspense is built up by the tiger menace, which threatens the village. It is this portion, to which more footage should have been allotted, that "Girl From Mandalay" achieves some note of success as exciting melodrama. The cast, while well balanced, has no outstanding names. Conrad Nagel is pretty much a "has been" as regards drawing value. Kay Linaker is the most impressive personality among the players. She shows promise. Sex angles take it out of juvenile class and offer good exploitation opportunities. This will pass for fair-minus returns in action and nabe spots. Can do better with strong selling. Too routine for better class houses. PLOT: Nagel, an ambitious young English overseer, is the pal of Donald Cook, in charge of a neighboring plantation. After four years, Nagel is jilted by his fiancee, back in England. In a Mandalay joint, where he goes to drown his sorrows, he falls for Kay Linaker, one of the girls. He marries her and the two return to the jungle. The girl's determination to go straight is upset by the disclosure that she had previously been intimate with Cook. Nagel's jealousy leads him to plan to shoot his supposed rival. At the crucial moment, a man-eating tiger enters the scene and the two men, joined in a common purpose, set out to get the beast. Cook falls into the tiger pit, from which Nagel rescues him. This gesture leads to 3 reconciliation with Kay leading the way. AD TIPS: Catch-line: "Jungle heat flaming into passionate love" . . . "Two love-starved men and one beautiful woman, Far from Civilization" . . . "The Thrills of a Tiger Hunt Plus Tropical Romance." Play up the sweeping away of harriers between humans where they must fight for the same purpose. Stress the animal stuff. Plug Kay Linaker as a comer. HAR BLAIR (Hollywood). MOONLIGHT MURDER BOXOFFICE RATING MURDER-MYSTERY . . . Another routine detective-making love whilesolving-murder quickie . . . Won't get average grosses anywhere, because it's the same as dozens before it . . . Rates * * — in action spots and less elsewhere. M-G-M 68 Minutes Chester Morris . . . Madge Evans . . . Leo Carrillo . . . Frank McHugh . . . Benita Hume . . . Grant Mitchell . . . Katherine Alexander ... J. Carrol Naish . . . H. B. Warner Directed by Edward L. Marin This time they pop off a famed opera singer before 20,000 startled spectators in Hollywood Bowl and a detective with a pipe in his mouth and a pretty girl in his heart goes nonchalantly about the business of playing "guess who?" with the audience. "Moonlight Murder" is just another mystery quickie that will please only those fans addicted to searching for solutions to movie homicides. There are all the false leads to throw the audience off the trail of the real criminal (he's a "mercy killer" this time!), the usual romance, some not particularly funny comedy and quite a bit of opera singing. The point that Metro should have considered more carefully is that the type of people who like pictures like "Moonlight Murder" generally don't like opera and vice versa. No one in the cast takes the story too seriously and their performances are merely adequate. This will get by in action houses, but rates well below average elsewhere. PLOT: Leo Carrillo, opera singer, die* mysteriously while singing in the Hollywood Bowl before a vast audience. The entire accompanying group of players are suspected and practically everyone acts suspicious while detective Chester Morris tries to solve the crime. Madge Evans, a chemist, helps him solve the crime, revealing Grant Mitchell, Madge's uncle, as the one who poisoned the microphone. He confesses that he did it to save Carrillo from a lingering death, the inevitable result of an incurable throat disease. AD TIPS: The cast, while not outstanding includes a long list of well-known names; use it in all copy. Stress the murder being committed before 20,000 people and no one knew who did it. L. j. SNOWED UNDER BOXOFFICE RATING COMEDY . . . Hair-brained farce that didn't turn out as funny as its authors intended . . . Mildly amusing and often annoyingly screwy . . . Will have tough pull to get • • — , except in action houses, where it will get less. First National 63 Minutes George Brent . . . Glenda Farrell . . . Genevieve Tobin . . . Frank McHugh . . . Patricia Ellis . . . John Eldredge Directed by Raymond Enright This is farce, but not as funny as farces should be. It concerns the mixup of a playwrite who secludes himself in a cabin to finish a play in peace and quiet, only to have three women, two of them formerly married to him and the other anxious to be the third, do their best to disturb his equanimity. There is an appalling lot of conversation, much of which is not laugh-provoking and the spectacle of three ladies verbally tearing each other's hair over one man isn't something to please either male or female. Best feature of "Snowed Under" is the cast. Frank McHugh, Glenda Farrell and Genevieve Tobin are amusing and delightful. George Brent still doesn't impress this reviewer as (Continued on page 12)