Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1938)

8 %dependeHt EXHIBITOR! FILM BULLETIN 'SINNERS IN PARADISE' CONFUSING MELODRAMA Kates • • ~. Hollywood Preview Universal 65 Minutes Madge Evans. John Boles. Bruce Cabot, Marion Martin, Gene Lockhart. Nana Bryant, Charlotte Wynters, Milburn Stone. Donald Barry, Morgan Conway. Willie Fung Directed by James Whale SINNERS IN PARADISE starts off with every promise of being a gripping and compelling drama. But, before many sequences have passed it turns into a hodge podge of meaningless situations too ridiculous to hold inter est. Three writers worked on this script, which indicates once more the truth of the old adage that "too many cooks spoil the broth." Several good names are wasted. This will get the go-by in the better grade houses, except where Evans and Boles are popular. The title will help it in action houses. Yarn concerns a group of people aboard a plane bound for the Orient. It crashes in mid-Pacific and the survivors land on an island, deserted save for the presence of John Boles, whose reason for being there he does not reveal. Boles refuses to help them get to the mainland in his boat. They are forced to make their own way. Several are killed, Bruce Cabot falls in love with Marion Martin and Boles himself makes a play for Madge Evans. Eventually Boles' Chinese servant returns with the boat which has been stolen. Boles and the others start for civilization. The suggestion is that the island has cleansed them of all their sins. With few exceptions the performances are ell pretty terrible. Nana Bryant manages to die nicely. So does Willie Fund. James Whale's direction is a far cry from the compelling type of melodrama filmgoers have come to expect of him. AD TIPS: Sell the title. HANNA (Hollywood). 'STORM IN A TEACUP' FINE COMEDY Rates • • • for arty houses; secondary dualler elsewhere. FOR INTELLECTUALS United Artists (Korda) 83 Minutes Vivien Leigh, Rex Harrison. Cecil Parker, Ursula Jeans. Gus McNaughton. Sara Allgood. Scruiiy. the mongrel dog, others Directed by Victor Saville and Ian Dalrymple STORM IN A TEACUP is a delightful comedy, but, alas, only for a limited audience. It's strictly for the class houses and won't mean a thing in the action and nabe locations. The atmosphere and dialogue are Scotch-English and it has no marquee names. It is a very smart, sparkling little satire on Scottish nationalism, pompous statesmen, politics in general. The acting is excellent all down the line, and superb direction by Saville and Dalrymple constantly enlivens the story. By shots of wind-blown trees, stormchurned seas, etc., the directors adroitly suggest the "tempest" that is gaining momentum in the small Scotch village of Baikie, where the action of the film is laid. The dialogue is always intelligible. Harrison, a young London reporter, comes to the little Scottish town for a job on the paper. He rouses a whole nation against Parker, an overbearing politician, because of his unfair treatment of Allgood, a delightful old Irish woman who couldn't afford a license for her beloved mongrel dog, Scruffy. He also meets and falls in love with Parker's daughter, Leigh, and she sticks by him through it all. Whole picture is full of droll, satiric jibes at Parker, who has ambitions of being the first dictator of Scotland. The dog sequence, wherein Harrison turns loose hundreds of "mutts" in Parker's home, and the trial scenes are very comical. The entire film is filmed with deliciously portrayed characters. PIX. 'FEMALE FUGITIVE' GOOD TITLE AND FAIR MELLER Kates * * for action houses; OK dualler elsewhere. Monogram 60 Minutes Evelyn Venable, Craig Reynolds, Reed Hadley. John Kelly. Charlotte Treadway, Reginald Sheffield, Rafael Bennett. John Merton Directed by William Nigh This has a swell exploitation title, a fine performance by Evelyn Venable and good direction by William Nigh. Action houses should find it easy to sell for above average grosses, while the nabes can use it to ad vantage on duals with a comedy or musical feature for support. The story of an innocent wife being implicated in crime by her husband is saleable material. It is developed quite logically here. Craig Reynolds, truck hi-jacking husband of Venable, gets her mixed up in a get-away from the law. She then flees from him, poses as a cook and gets employment with Reed Hadley, artist. His fiancee and her mother call at inopportune time and make false accusations regarding Hadley and Venable. He leaves for city. From memory he paints her picture and, not knowing she is the "female fugitive," sells it for a magazine cover. Reynolds, meanwhile, has located his wife and comes to take her away with him, but not before Hadley realizes he loves her and returns to tell her so. A fight follows, resulting in Reynolds being killed by a detective, who arrives in nick of time. Venable is told that there is evidence that may clear her. Supporting performances are adequate. AD TIPS: Sell the innocent wife-crooked husband angle; fleeing from law for love, etc. PIX. 'CRIME TAKES A HOLIDAY' NEAT ACTION OFFERING Rates • * in action houses. ■ — ■ Hollywood Preview — ■ — — — Columbia 61 Minutes Jack Holt, Marcia Ralston, Russell Hopton, Douglass Dumbrille, Arthur Hohl, Thomas Jackson, John Wray. William Pawley, Paul Fix, Harry Woods. Joe Crehan Directed by Lev/is D. Collins Here's a smartly contrived action offering which will click with Holt's fans and other patrons of the shoot 'em up houses. A novel angle is the substitution of a clever tag finish for the usual chase sequence. Yarn has some confusing moments in the earlier sequences, but Collins' shrewd direction straightens them out to make this satisfactory filmfare in its category. It has an above-average cast for this type of film. Holt is the crime busting district attorney of a large city whose merchants are harassed by racketeer demands for protection money. Douglass Dumbrille is the big shot of the crook organization, who hides his identity by posing as the head of a group of good citizens. Marcia Ralston's father is railroaded to the gallows for a murder committed by the gangsters. Holt is aware of his innocence, but uses him as a foil to trap the gang leader. At the last moment the governor refuses a pardon. Holt works fast and through a conversation slip-up made by Dumbrille, he succeeds in obtaining a complete confession. Holt does his usual vigorous job. Marcia Ralston and Russell Hopton adequately handle their romantic assignments. Dumbrille scores as the crook chieftan ably abetted by Arthur Hohl and others. AD TIPS: Feature the "crime-busting" angle. Suggest its connection with Dewey Vice Crusade in New York. HANNA (Hollywood). MORE REVIEWS ON PACE 10