The Film Daily (1938)

Wednesday, October 12, 1938 DAILY v .v R6VKUJS Of TH€ ITCUI FILMS V t< 'King of Alcatraz" Paramount EXCELLENT MELLER WITH 56 Mins. UNUSUAL G/"-£STER THEME ABOARD SHIP HAS G:^D PUNCH. Here is a melodrama that carries a terrific punch and holds a quality of suspense that few of the gangster films can equal. The grand result is due to a combination of things, such as a well-written original and script, fine performance by the principals, and some bang-up direction. The title is misleading, for it is the tale of a gangster who escaped from Alcatraz while being transferred to another prison, and embarks disguised as an old ladv on a tramp steamer with his gang. They take over the tramp, and then the meller really gets going in high, and stays that way to the finish. The action centers around two radio officers, both in love with the ship's nurse. The gang, under their chief (J. Carroll Naish), work systematically, taking over the captain and his officers, the engineer, the boiler crew, and the radio operators. The gang chief wants to put a message over the radio to his lieutenant on shore to arrange plans for his getaway when he reaches shore. Mucft of the suspense and excitement is built around the clever attempt of the two radio men to outwit the gangster and get a message for help to some other ship. Then there is a thrilling sequence when one of the radio operators is wounded, and the gangster allows the other to radio for medical instructions to another ship while the nurse performs the operation. Gail Patrick as the girl is just right for the part. Lloyd Nolan and Robert Preston as the radio operators are immense, and really make the picture. J. Carroll Naish is a terrifying menace, a real tough guy who makes you feel he is tough. Harry Carey plays the part of the captain of the freighter with conviction. But the direction of Robert Florey is the main asset, along with a tightly knit yarn. CAST: Gail Patrick, Lloyd Nolan, Harry Carey, J. Carroll Naish, Robert Preston, Anthony Quinn, Richard Stanley, Virginia Dabney, Nora Cecil, Emory Parnell, Dorothy Howe, John Hart, Philip Warren, Porter Hall, Richard Danning. CREDITS: Director, Robert Florey; Author, Irving Reis; Screenplay, Same; Editor, Eda Warren; Cameraman, Harry Fishbeck. DIRECTION, Excellent. PHOTOGRAPHY, Very good. "If I Were Kin^Gives^ N. Y. Para. Biggest Second Paramount's "If I Were King" closed its second week at the New York Paramount Theater with the biggest second week's gross in the history of the theater. The attendance for the second week was approximately 118,000 admissions. The picture is now in its third week, along with Tommy Dorsey's ork on the stage. "Room Service" Held Over In addition to its three-week run at the Rivoli, which was rounded out yesterday, RKO's "Room Service" will be held over for today, Thursday and Friday. "Young Dr. Kildare" with Lew Ayres, Lionel Barrymore, Lynne Carver M-G-M 8IV2 mins. NEAT MELODRAMATIC STORY MAKES FINE ENTERTAINMENT FOR NABE AUDIENCES. "Young Dr. Kildare" is not a pretentious offering, but it has a neat story, some good hokum, and an able cast to make it first-class entertainment for the neighborhood patrons. There have been a number of screen stories concerning the medical profession and there will be many more, but given a fresh and intelligent treatment they make enjoyable entertainment. Lew Ayres as the young doctor, and Lionel Barrymore as the gruff and noted diagnostician, carry the brunt of the story ably. However, they are supported by an extremely competent cast which includes, Lynne Carver, the feminine interest, Nat Pendleton, Samuel S. Hinds and Walter Kingsford. Director Harold S. Bucquet has managed to make the hokum stuff convincing and turns in a well-rounded job. The screen play was contributed by Willis Goldbeck and Harry Ruskin, with Frederick Faust penning the original story. The picture has been given a fine production value and the technical work is good. Ayres returns home after two years at medical school to find his parents have fitted out the parlor as his office. He leaves to take a job in New York, however, as he believes he has possibilities as a diagnostician, and wants the opportunity to work in the hosptial that Barrymore is connected with. Barrymore singles him out as being brilliant, but insults him and puts him through some difficult situations to make him prove his worth. He does prove that he knows his stuff, and after he has been discharged by the hospital for insubordination he is rehired by Barrymore as his assistant, the goal of every interne who ever worked there. The picture is well paced and some good dramatic situations as well as comedy has been skillfully worked into the script. CAST: Lew Ayres, Lionel Barrymore, Lynne Carver, Nat Pendleton, Jo Ann Sayers, Samuel S. Hinds, Emma Dunn, Walter Kingsford, Truman Bradley, Monty Wooley, Pierre Watkin, Nella Walker. CREDITS: Produced by M-G-M; Director, Harold S. Bucquet; Screenplay, Willis Goldbeck and Harry Ruskin; Original Story, Frederick Faust; Cameraman, John Seitz; Editor, Elmo Vernon. DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Five Golden Fellowships Five additional fellowships have been granted to as many promising playwrights by the John Golden Fellowship Committee, it was announced last night by Frank Crowninshield, chairman of the Committee. The recipients are: George Sklar, Melvin Levy, Robert Turney, Philip Lewis and Janet Marshall. The giants will be made from a fund of "The Lady Objects" Columbia 62 Mins. UNCONVINCING DRAMA OF SMART WIFE AND HELPLESS HUBBY HOLDS SLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT. One of the futile and inconsequential offerings in the school of stories about a brilliant career woman and her less brilliant husband. She wanted a career. He wanted a home and love. The wife (Gloria Stuart) starts as a secretary in the law office, and the first thing you know she is a junior partner and a brilliant lawyer with everybody in the city knowing how brilliant she is. Right there the story loses all conviction. The rest of the plot does not strengthen it any. The husband (Lanny Ross) acts like a mechanized figure, and only when he sings does he seem to take on life. Finally, hubby gets fed up by his wife turning their fashionable home into a bar association for all the legal lights to argue cases out of court, and lights out to a night club and gets himself a job as a singer where he can make more money than at his job of draughtsmen in an architects' office. Wifie visits the club one night with her lawyer friends, and sees hubby being vamped by a girl entertainer, gets sore, and walks out after insulting her husband in the midst of his song. And so they part, and later a girl is found dead in his apartments, she having strangled herself after getting drunk. The husband is accused of murder, and the wife comes in at the climax to make an impassioned plea to the jury, even though she is not the defense counsel. This will probably make all the lawyers smile. Her plea, in which she takes all the blame for being a selfish wife and breaking up their home causes the jury to bring in a verdict of not guilty, and so they live happily ever after. CAST: Lanny Ross, Gloria Stuart, Joan Marsh, Roy Benson, Pierre Walkin, Robert Paige, Arthur Loft, Stanley Andrews, Jan Buckingham, Bess Flowers, Ann Doran, Vessey O'Davoren. CREDITS: Producer, William Perlberg; Director, Clifford Broughton; Screenplay, Gladys Lehman, Charles Kenyon; Editor, Al Clark; Cameraman, Allan G. Siegler. DIRECTION: Weak. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Don Lee Sells Television Patent Rights to RCA West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Don Lee Broadcasting system has sold patent rights for te 1 e v i s i o n synchronization methods and apparatus to Radio Corporation of America for United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany. Equipment was invented by Harry Lubcke, director of television for the Don Lee organization. The network will continue use of its equipment. Garber's Ork In Short Leslie Roush is currently directing a Paramount musical short featuring Jan Garber's orchestra at the Film Art studios in the Bronx. Up( town studio is being used while East$5,000 contributed to the Dramatists' ern Service studio is under capacity Guild by Golden. I shooting schedule. * f 0REIGD * "Maga Lesz A Ferjem" (You Will Be My Husband) with Irene Agai, Paul Javor, Gyla Kabos Hungarian Pictures, Inc. 82 mins. WELL PACED COMEDY ABLY ACTED BY TOP NOTCH HUNGARIAN STARS. This new Hungarian release is an entertaining comedy amiably acted by the cast, insuring entertainment for the Magyar fans. Irene Agai, Paul Javor and Gyula Kabos, three of Hungary's top notch performers! handle the principal roles skillfully, and the supporting cast is more than adequate. Bela Gaal directs the picture deftly and gets a maximum of laughs from the story. Miss Agai in trying to snare an eligible young man, apparently shy with the female sex, gets another bachelor to pose as her about-to-be-divorced husband. With that set-up an unlimited field for amusing complications was constructed. The results are amusing and satisfactory for the audience. Well mounted, the picture has a nice pace that is well maintained. CAST: Paul Javor, Irene Agai, Gyula Kabos, Hajmassy Miklos, Miriska Vizvary, Maria Sulyok, Manyi Kiss, Gyula Csortos, Joseph Berky. CREDITS: Produced by Rex Films; Director, Bela Gaal; Screenplay, Karoly Noti. Presented at the Modern Playhouse with Hungarian dialogue and no English titles. DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. "Magdat Kicsapjak" (Magda Is Expelled) with Ida Turay, Klari Tolnay, Antal Pager Danubia Pictures 89 Mins. AMUSING COMEDY SKILLFULLY DIRECTED WILL ENTERTAIN THE MAGYAR FANS. Amusing and well paced, this new Hungarian picture will find high favor with the Magyar audiences. Lack of English titles restricts its exhibitor value. The film is smoothly directed by Laszlo Vajda and ably acted by a topnotch cast of Hungarian players. The film is also on a high standard technically. Story deals with a stenography class of a school. The girls have been taking dictation to a supposedly mythical Englishman in London. However, the instructress, Klari Tolnay, writes a romantic note which accidentally is mailed and it reaches a very real person by the name she uses. Pager, who receives the letter, decides to investigate the matter further with hilarious results. Antal Pager, Klari Tolnay and Ida Turay handle the principal roles ably and the rest of the cast provides strong support. CAST: Ida Turay, Klari Tolnay, Antal Pager, George Nagy, Piri Peeri, Sandor Goth, Julius Gozon. CREDITS: Produced by Harmonia Films; Director, Laszlo Vajda. Presented at the Modern Playhouse with Hungarian' dialogue and no English titles. DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good.