The Film Daily (1937)

THE -Z&*\ DAILY Tuesday, May 18, 1937 & ik Jleulews o% the Hew films A) luesi Robert Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck and Victor McLaglen in "This Is My Affair" 20th-Fox 100 Mins. (HOLLYWOOD PREVIEW) RICH IN COLOR AND SUSPENSE, THIS SHOULD DO NICELY AT THE BOXOFFICE. This is rich in color and suspense and should do nicely at the box-office. It has the names of Taylor, Stanwyck and McLaglen to decorate the marquees, and William A. Seiter's direction is at his best and skillfully blends color, comedy and drama. The time is the early years of the 20th Century, and Writers Allen Rivkin and Lamar Trotti did much with the material. The story was originally called "The McKinley Case" and deals with the executive's war on a gang of bank robbers who terrorized the country and had powerful connexions. In fact, the man higherup allegedly was an important government official. Taylor plays a young naval lieutenant assigned by the President to ferret out the higher-up. His search leads to St. Paul, where city officials sheltered criminals on condition that they did not operate in that city. Taylor meets and falls in love with Barbara Stanwyck, a beer-hall singer. By pretending to be a bank robber, Taylor wins the confidence of Brian Donlevy and together with McLaglen, they pull a big bank robbery in Baltimore. Donlevy is killed, and Taylor and McLaglen sentenced to be hung. Taylor finally forces McLaglen to reveal the name of the higher-up and is confident that the President will come to his aid. Taylor sends word to the President, but before his letter can be read, the President is assassinated. Barbara appeals to President Roosevelt, and Taylor's innocence is finally established. Sidney Blackmer is outstanding as President Roosevelt, while Frank Conroy is convincing as President McKinley, and Robert McWade as Admiral Dewey. Kenneth Macgowan deserves much credii as associate producer. Robert H. Planck's photography is high-grade. Cast: Robert Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck, Victor McLaglen, Brian Donlevy, Sidney Blackmer, John Carradine, Alan Dinehart, Douglas Fowley, Robert McWade, Frank Conroy, Sig Rumann, Marjone Weaver, J. C. Nugent, Tyler Brooke, Willard Robertson, Paul Hurst, Douglas Wood, Jonathan Hale, John Hamilton, Joseph Crehan, Mary Young, Maurice Cass, Paul McVey, Jayne Regan, Ruth Gillette, Jim Donlan, Davison Clark, Fred Santley, Helen Brown, DeWitt Jennings. Associate Producer, Kenneth Macgowan; Director, William A, Seiter; Authors, Allen Rivkin, Lamar Trotti; Screenplay, same; Cameraman, Robert Planck; Music Director, Arthur Lange; Dance Director, Jack Haskell; Art Director, Rudolph Sternad; Editor, Allen McNeil; Music and Lyrics, Mack Gordon and Harry Revel. Direction, Skillful. Photography, Highgrade. "Walt Disney's Academy Award Revue" United Artists 44 Mins. DELIGHTFUL ENTERTAINMENT WITH PARADE OF FIVE DISNEY CARTOON MASTERPIECES. The Academy Award winners of the past five years in the cartoon field make a very fine screen entertainment for threequarters of anybody's hour in the theater. They are of course all Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies in Technicolor. The compilation opens with a swirl of rainbow colors moving across the main title as the bronze figure of the Academy Award statue is shown. This statue is featured before the presentation of each of the five cartoons, along with a special commentator's remarks concerning the current year's prize award about to be shown, and musical accompaniment. First comes the 1932 winner, "Flowers and Trees," the first cartoon in Technicolor. Then the immensely popular "Three Little Pigs" that won the 1933 prize, and which again revives the scng craze, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" The third cartoon is "The Tortoise and the Hare," of the 1934 crop, outstanding for its fine fantasy. Then the 1935 entry, "Three Orphan Kittens," one of the most charming and appealing of all the Symphonies. Finally, the 1936 winner, "The Country Cousin," showing life in the big city through the adventures of the country mouse. Here is a novelty feature with tremendous popular appeal already built up through the years. It will not be hard to sell this unit feature with a little intelligent propaganda to your patronage. The Disney cartoons are one screen attraction that most theatergoers are willing and eager to sit through more than once. From the distributor's exchanges can be obtained a special broadside pressbook giving a wealth of publicity stories, ads and exploitation suggestions. This manual makes your selling problem easy. Corcoran Joins Law Firm William J. Corcoran, formerly associated with Phillips and Nizer, has become a member of the law tirm of Levy, Galotta and Corcoran. SHORTS "Swing Stars" (Sportlight No. R6-11) Paramount 10 Mins. Swell Theater patrons don't have to be dyed-in-the-wool golfers to get plenty of "kick" via this unusually well-made reel, whose content is designed to appeal, and does, to picturegoers at large. After revealing how golf balls are manufactured, and "needled" to give them generous resiliency, it taken only a few scenes of golfers themselves to prove how widespread is the game's hold on all ages and types of its devotees. The high point of the reel is the collection of views of famous golfers in action, — Harry Cooper, Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Joe Kirkwood, Jimmy Thompson, Lawson Little, Gene Sarazen, et al. Subject concludes with some human interest footage devoted to Sarazen on his Connecticut farm and playing in one of the major tourneys. Swell stuff. "Talk of the Devil" with Ricardo Cortez, Sally Eilers GB 76 mins. SLOW AND CUMBERSOME DRAMA FROM BRITISH STUDIOS HAS LITTLE TO OFFER AMERICAN AUDIENCES. This production runs for almost a half hour before it really gets into the action of the story. And then it is too late to save it, for the developments are not sufficiently stirring to justify the slow buildup. Sally Eilers is the adopted daughter ov a rich financier whose company is building a giant ocean liner. There is a stock deal, quite involved, and the financier's brother who is a crook muscles in by raising a check the other gives him and making it appear that the financier is trying to profit on a stock market deal at the expense of his associates. Then comes the suicide of the great man when he realizes the disgrace. But before he kills himself, the financier confides in Ricardo Cortez, his American friend, and tells him his brother is really not his kin, but he "adopted" him to shield his wife's family, the man being her exconvict brother. And so on and on in a lot of perplexing involvements, much conversation, and little action. The scoundrel then tries to frame the girl and her sweetheart, Cortez, as the murderers, but Cortez cleverly puts him on the spot with the London police. So the villain conveniently shoots himself, forcing the happy ending for the lovers. Cast: Ricardo Cortez, Sally Eilers, Basil Sydney, Randle Ayrton, Fred Cully, Charles Carson, Gordon McLeod, Denis Cowles, Langley Howard, Quenton McPherson, Margaret Rutherford, Moore Marriot, Pam Downing, Anne Daniels, Stafford Hilliard, A. Mallalieu. Producers, B & D Productions; Director, Carol Reed; Authors, Carol Reed, Anthony Kimmins; Screenplay, same. Direction, Poor Photography, Good. "Song of the Islands" (Musical Romance G6-5) Paramount 10 Mins. Delightful Produced and photographed in Technicolor, this single-reeler shows much of the grandeur of Hawaii's land and seascapes. The characteristically delightful and plaintive music of the isles is used to set off the beauty of the scenes. Robert Bruce, the film's maker, has used a group of native actors for enlivenient, as well as for the rendition chorally of the scored selections. Their singing is rich and well shaded. Camera angles are particularly interesting, and in general the camera has caught the varied vistas of white-plumed breakers, the archipelago's flowered and arbored hills and glades, the magnificent skies, and even the sunsets, with telling effect. The color is very lifelike and the values good. Audiences cannot help but react favorably to this meticulously prepared and eye-filling scenic gem. Bob Steel in "Gun Lords of Stirrup Basin" Republic 57 mins. SOMEWHAT STANDARDIZED STORY MADE ACCEPTABLE BY STAR, SUSTAINED ACTION AND HEROINE. Male patrons who ride the range by proxy will find the three most pleasing elements in this routine western — the heroics of Bob Steel, the generally snappy action, and last, but by no means least, the easy-to-look-at Louise Stanley. The latter, while interpreting the non-emotional portions of her role, as well as the love interludes, is considerably more alluring with her endowment of form and face than the majority of the episodes depicted in the fancily titled "Gun Lords of Stirrup Basin." The yarn concerns itself with a feud raging between the farmers on the mesa and the local cattle gentry. Most of the feuding revolves about the respective families of Louise Stanley and that of Bob Steel. Naturally, for purposes of drama, suspense, and making their mutual love slow to conquer the obstacles in its path, they are on opposite sides fundamentally in the feud. Members of both their clans are alternately murdered, but withal the lovers decide to take no part. To the consternation of all the hot-headed feuders they ride off and get married. Their decision to stay "on the sidelines" and try to stop the farmers-cattlemen arguments temporarily fail. Eventually Bob Steel catches the villain who is stirring up the trouble, ends the gunplay and wins apologies of all the feuders who thought him white livered. Plenteous punching and six-shooting is on display. Direction is well paced, photography clear. Cast: Bob Steel, Louise Stanley, Karl Hackett, Ernie Adams, Frank LaRue, Frank Ball, Steve Clark, Lew Meehan Frank Ellis. Producer, A. W. Hackel; Director, Sam Newfield; Author, Harry F. Olmstead; Screenplay, George Plympton, Fred Myton; Cameraman, Bert Longenecker; Editor, S. Roy Luby. Direction, Well Paced. Photography, Clea.r. "Please Keep Me In Your Dreams" (Screen Song SC6-5) Paramount 8 Mins. Good Melodic Number Brief and melodic short produced by Max Fleischer, with Henry King and his Orchestra, together with mellow-voiced, comely Barbara Blake featured. There is an interlude chorus employing the Bouncing Ball technique which makes it pretty easy for audiences to sing and hold the proper tempo at first sight of music and lyrics. Prior to and following the screen so are burlesque newsreel topics p ing fun at various up to date a"! pects of everyday life. Henry King is an effective, restrained m.c, and Barbara Blake has an engaging personality that makes her as likable as her voice. Subject will grace surrounding film programs nicely. II&