Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1938)

AUGUST 13th, 1938 19 What the Newspaper Critics Say ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND (20th Century-Fox) ". . . Owes much of its cunning showmanship to Henry King's direction. . . . You will find yourself being tolerant with a rather sorry narrative because of the pace and excitement of the sequences. . . . Generally beguiling show. . . ." Barnes. N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE ". . . Excellent fare. . . . The music alone carries it along. . . . One of the best films of the year. . . ." Whipple. N. Y. WORLD-TELEGRAM ". . . An impressively big picture. . . . Lavish production in costumes and sets tailored to era and the characteristic activities of each period. . . ." Winsten, N. Y. POST ". . . Demands recognition as the best musical show of the year. . . . Long, elaborate, handsomely produced musical review, a pictorial trip down Memory Lane with one of this generation's most competent ballad-makers. . . ." Nugent. N. Y. TIMES THE CROWD ROARS (M-G-M) ". . . Good film, exciting, well directed and well played. . Heartily recommended. . . ." Whipple. N. Y. WORLD-TELEGRAM Story has a surprising amount of content and charac terization. B. R. C.. N. Y. TIMES ". . . Mr. Taylor plays the pug seriously and with a good deal more command of make-believe than he has mustered in the past. . . . Frank Morgan is splendid as his venal father. . . ." Barnes. N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE ". . . Robert Taylor slugs out one of the notable triumphs of his career. Murdock, PHILA. LEDGER ". . . Recommended as a highly exciting fight picture which will continue to boost the star's new 'he man' reputation. . . ." Pullen. CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER MOTHER CAREY'S CHICKENS (RKO-Radio) ". . . Superlative performances turned in by Ruby Keeler and Fay Bainter. . . . Sadness in the film is not overdone. . . . Excellent. . . ." Whipple, N. Y. WORLD-TELEGRAM ". . . Guaranteed tears and laughter, wholesome fun, villains discomfited and a happy ending. . . ." Winsten. N. Y. POST ". . . Rollicking, folksy comedy for all its vintage and as delightful an entertainment as one dare hope to meet in such unpleasant weather. . . ." Nugent. N. Y. TIMES ". . . General level of acting support is more than adequate, with Fay Bainter turning in her usual sweet-faced, intelligent job as Mother Carey. . . ." E. H. S., PHILA. RECORD ". . . RKO has dressed this juvenile epic in truly sumptuous style and an expert cast has been assembled to create the proper illusions. . . ." G. G.. PHILA. LEDGER THE TEXANS (Paramount) ". . . Sometimes it makes exciting use of panoramic action. . . . Players are of very little help in keeping the photoplay spectacularly entertaining. . . . Too bad that so much excellent spectacle has been wasted on a tedious yarn. . . ." Barnes. N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE ". . . Just another romance with unjustified pretensions to importance. . . . Moderately entertaining show. . . ." Nugent. N. Y. ,TIMES ". . . Interesting enough material, but it has all been done before. . . . Scott is a plausible plainsman hero. . . ." Murdock, PHILA. LEDGER ". . . Paramount's mighty romantic drama of the great Southwest adds up to nothing much more than a large and expensive cast playing cowboys and Indians over wide expanses of California scenery. . . ." E. H. S.. PHILA. RECORD WE'RE GOING TO BE RICH (20th Century-Fox) ". . . Vigorous, lusty, amusing comedy, excellently backgrounded and graced with a strong supporting cast. . . . Good fun. . . ." Nugent. N. Y. TIMES ". . . Vic McLaglen is still the stout swashbuckler of old, and there are plenty of scenes productive of the wholesale slaughter that delights his fans. . . ." Whipple. N. Y. WORLD-TELEGRAM ". . . Story is entertaining, and is set in the colorful period of the gold rush days in Australia and South Africa of the '80s. The musical sequences are adroitly woven into the mining camp background. . . ." G. G.. PHILA. LEDGER GATEWAY (20th Century-Fox) "... A preposterous story of romance and rough stuff at the portals of New York, but it contains enough comedy to make you forget, from time to time, the unbelievable plot. . . ." Whipple. N. Y. WORLD-TELEGRAM ". . . Neat plot unwinds comedy and violence. . . . Falls into the hot-weather amusement category. . . ." Winsten. N. Y. POST ". . . Shoddy and synthetic photoplay. . . . Lack of conviction. . . ." Barnes. N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE ". . . Idea of the story is not new, but the dialogue and directorial treatment cause the picture to scintillate from beginning to end. . . ." R. O N.. WASH. TIMES BOOLOO (Paramount) "... A dull jungle motion picture. . . . There are some moderately exciting battles between lords of the jungle. . . ." Barnes. N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE ". . . If you like stark animal viciousness, it is all there. . . . The jungle shots are truly amazing. . . ." S. B. W.. N. Y. WORLD-TELEGRAM ". . . Effects an exciting and quite entertaining blend of the real and the make-believe. . . ." Nugent. N. Y. TIMES ". . . So long as the camera points to the activities of animals, to chattering monkeys flying through trees, and to baby elephants being trapped alive, the film is interesting. . . ." A. B.. PHILA. RECORD