Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1938)

1 1 9m((ciw tide tit EXHIBITORS FILM BULLETIN 'INVISIBLE ENEMY' FAR-FETCHED ADVENTURE Kates • • — for nabes and action spots. Republic 66 Minutes Alan Marshal. Tola Birell, Mady Correll. C. Henry Gordon. Herbert Mundin, Gerald Oliver Smith Directed by John Auer Producer-director John Auer had the makings of a grand Bulldog Drummond sort of adventure — but allowed it to go haywire. Outcome— a vague and far-fetched melodrama about some important oil deal and a group of shady international connivers, with none of the facts quite clear. What does rescue INVISIBLE ENEMY from complete failure and actually makes it entertaining at times is the ingratiating performance by Alan Marshal. This attractive your.g man displays a Ronald Colmanish flair for smiling and making love in the face of grave danger, and he will prove appealing to both male and female. The menace is in the capable hands of swarthy C. Henry Gordon. Pity more care was not taken with the script! It will get by on its own in action houses, but rates only as secondary dual material in the naborhoods. Marshal, impoverished ex-playboy of London, is hired by an English oil syndicate to check the scheme of Gordon, agent for a foreign ring, to obtain possession of the company's fields. Tala Birell, one of his former sweethearts, is now married to Gordon, and Marshal meets her again through Mady Correll, who loves Marshal silently. Gordon invites Marshal to his home, where he intends to kill him. With the aid of Herbert Mundin, a Scotland Yard man acting as his valet, Marshal outwits his enemy and prevents the anti-British oil deal from being consummated. Gordon kills himself and Marshal confesses his love for Mady. The cast is superior to its material. Miss Correll is very attractive, as well as capable. Miss Birell and Mundin do well also. Auer, who is capable of better things, handled several of the action scenes in very slipshod manner. His work is spotty, being alternately topnotch and terrible. AD TIPS: Sell the title and feature Marshal as a handsome, daring and reckless new adventure star. BARTON 'RECKLESS LIVING' POOR RACE TRACK YARN Rates * * — as d nailer. Hollywood Preview Universal 65 Minutes Robert Wilcox, Nan Grey, Jimmy Savo, William Lundigan, Frank Jenks, Harry Davenport, May Boley, Charles Judels, Harlan Briggs, Eddie Anderson Directed by Frank McDonald A cheaply produced comedy of the race track, this will mean little if anything to the average exhibitor or filmgoer. The plot is shallow, the dialogue cumbersome and the romantic conflict practically nil. The saddest aspect of the picture is perhaps the failure of its makers to utilize the superb comedy talent of Jimmy Savo. For, as seems to be his fate on the screen, the comedian suffers from stupid material and worse direction. Suitable only for dualling in the smaller houses. Action spots can exploit the racing angle. Yarn casts a group of racing fiends — Wilcox, Grey, Savo, Jenks and Charles Judels — in a boarding house run by May Boley. All are flat broke, but when a hot tip comes in they hock a statue of Boley's husband to get some cash. They lose, but Wilcox unexpectedly gets enough cash to retrieve the statue. Another tip and again the deceased husband finances their bets. This time they click, but Wilcox turns his share of the pro ceeds over to blind Harry Davenport, who believes his horse has won, thus enabling him to go to the Old Folks' Home. Nan Grey hears of this and immediately switches her affections from wealthy William Lundigan to Wilcox. Frank McDonald shows little imagination in his direction of a fairly good cast. Their performances are colorless, lacking the zip and finesse good directing might have given them. AD TIPS: Sell the title. Dig up all the race track gags, like tip sheet, jockey outfits for ushers, etc. HANNA (Hollywood) 'CALL OF THE ROCKIES' OKEH WESTERN WITH MUSIC Rates • • for action and western houses. Columbia 58 Minutes Charles Starrett, Iris Meredith, Dick Curtis, Donald Grayson, Sons of Pioneers Directed by Allan James Nicely made formula western with music that moves at mile-a-minute clip and has sufficient action for the most ardent western fans. Starrett turns in another of his con sistently good performances; Meredith is likeable heroine, who can ride with the best of them, and Curtis, in villain role, makes several fist fights with Starrett the "punch" of the picture. Singing by Grayson and the Sons of Pioneers is above average for Westerns. It has been given careful direction and acting is never overdone. There is riding, shooting, and fist fighting in plenty. Starrett buys half interest in Meredith's ranch, which Curtis is anxious to foreclose on for realty syndicate employing him. Check is stolen by one of Curtis' henchmen; Starrett is waylaid and becomes Curtis' prisoner; but Meredith and her ranchmen come to his rescue. After gun-battle in heart of western town, Curtis and his bad men are turned over to sheriff and deeds to ranches that Curtis managed to get by many fraudulent means are returned to rightful owners. AD TIPS: Sell it as an actionful, singing western. PIX. 'WHEN G-MEN STEP II Rates • • for cheaper action spots. Columbia 61 Minutes Don Terry, Robert Paige, Jacqueline Wells, Gene Morgan Directed by C. C. Coleman, Jr. Cheap action fare, this Columbia quickie will satisfy gang film fans in the sub-run shooting galleries. The action moves fast and ' OK GANG YARN FOR furious, refusing to be obstructed by illogical story developments. However, those who sit on the edge of their seats for such stuff will find it as thrilling as any epic. Acting and direction are good. Don Terry, big shot racketeer, has become wealthy in the fake lottery ticket racket. Robert Paige, his brother, is a federal agent and they come into conflict. Jacqueline Wells is a society girl with whom Terry falls in love, POP HOUSES she not knowing his "business." Terry is finally shot in a G-men raid, the tip being given by loyal Paige. Terry, a powerfully built specimen, lends plenty of punch to his gangster role. AD TIPS: Action houses should be able to get good returns by plugging the racketeer vs. G-men angles. PIX