The Film Daily (1940)

^Thursday, June 13, 1940 •^ DAILY ^ ^ SHORT SUBJECT RCVI€IUS ik ^ "Social Security" (Washington Parade No. 4) Columbia 10 mins. Interesting Subject The subject, dealing with the enlactment and operation of the Social ^Security Plan will be of great interto all audiences. Opening with ts of Congress, the President ■■signing the bill and delivering a short speech on its benefits, the reel * ithen goes into the intricate method lof operation of the Plan. Especially i^vorth while are the views of the automatic machinery which records ipayments, draws and signs checks, puts them in envelopes and seals the ienvelopes — all in double-quick time, *'"* "Mechanix Illustrated" ;Warners 10 mins. Interesting and Educational Four interesting items are contained in this short subject. First, ,. |the reel depicts the behind-the-scenes .of LaGuardia Field, most modern ^airport in the U. S. Second sequence shows the latest developments in Vltra scientific designing, followed J. ^by a sequence devoted to tests mde J": >o protect consumers. Reel winds * !jUp with a demonstration of how a "new fire extinguisher smothers any kind of a blaze. m "Hurdle Hoppers" JRKO Pathe News 9 mins. * Interesting Equine Reel : Taken at the Army Cavalry School ^t Fort Riley, Kan., this reel has iconsiderable interest. It shows the lArmy officers schooling their mounts [for all sorts of work, and a couple of remarkably well trained horses give performances that are eyeopeners. An exhibition is also given of group riding and jumping that carries a lot of punch. Reel winds up with a fast cross-country ride participated in by a large picked group of officers and mounts. "The Fouled Ball Player" Paramount 7 mins. Fairly Amusing Latest of the Max Fleischer Stone Age series, this cartoon has some flaughs. It depicts a baseball game (between the Granite Giants and the iMarble Midgets. The game opens with the Giants piling up a big lead, |but the girl friend of one of the Midgets discovers that the Giants' [pitcher gets hay fever from flowers. Result, the game is a sneezing vicitory for the Midgets in short order. "Gun Dog's Life" (Color Parade) (jWarners 10 mins. Wide Audience Interest Here's a handsomely photographed liand assembled reel whose content jlfrom beginning to end will interest jail types of filmgoers, particularly joutdoor enthusiasts and dog lovers, , Jfor it presents Springer Spaniels at Ijtheir skillful chores a-field, aiding the hunter in spotting game birds and flushing them. There are some engaging scenes of Spaniel pups, but the action is provided by the mature dogs who put on a grand show of retrieving, as do the Labrador Retrievers who are depicted swimming out in marsh-fringed ponds to bring back the ducks which the hunter has bagged on the wing. The script is nicely put together by Del Frazier, who authored and directed this short. Narration is finely delivered by John Deering. "Excursions in Science and Engineering" (No. 6) Al O. Bondy-G-E 10 mins. Well-Made Industrial This is a very interesting and well-made industrial reel which deals with the fabrication of the highly delicate quartz springs, whose application in the field of science is in connection with the super-sensitive weighing of materials in laboratories of manufacturing plants. These springs are of glass, and are invaluable aids to research engineers because, in contrast to most substances used in weighing-springs, they are unaffected by most chemicals. Inertness of the quartz glass also lends advantage in the matter of temperature changes. The second portion of this reel discloses two unusual alloys which are becoming very useful to electrical engmeers. These alloys, Alnico and Curie metal, have peculiar magnetic properties which r.re demonstrated by means of heat applied to a wheel, in whose design the alloys are incorporated. Climaxing this G-E subject are fascinating views of the manufacture of sodium lamps for highway illumination. Not alone is this reel for the scientific minded. The general public will find it intriguing and instructive. John Gilmour directed the short, and narration is by John Sheehan, both of which departmenLs are expertly handled. "Tom Thumb in Trouble" Warners 7 mins. Entertaining Cartoon Tiny Tom Thumb and his father, a woodchopper, live on the edge of a huge forest. Tom accidentally falls into a pan of water and is drowning when a bird smashes through the window and rescues him. His father returns and tries to catch the bird, believing it had injured Tom. However, Tom is rescued by the bird again and everything is all right. Children should be particularly pleased with this subject. "Silent Wings" RKO Pathe News 9 mins. Should Interest the Air-Minded Filmed at the annual Elmira glider meet, this reel is interesting in every respect. It not only shows that gliding is a sport which is becoming more popular every day, but it also proves that gliding is one of the best basic backgrounds a plane pilot can have. The photography is fine and and the reel should help stimulate interest in the sport. "Onion Pacific" Paramount 7 mins. Spinach Scores Again The redoubtable Popeye once again demonstrates the efficacy of his spinach. Popeye and Bluto, engineers on two rival engines racing for a franchise, get off to a fast start. Olive gets on board accidentally. Bluto's dirty work fails to keep the determined Popeye from winning. "Sport of Kings" (News World of Sports) Columbia 10 mins. Background of Racing The many horse racing fans will be glad to see these shots of activities behind the scenes of the game. Included are views of early morning workouts in the training of horses, an explanation of how the judging camera works, and some slow-motion shots of the new Puett starting gate. "Cinderella's Feller" Warners 19 mins. Entertaining Fairy Story Done in Technicolor, this subject is entertaining, and it should appeal enormously to children. Using an all-child cast, with the exception of the king, the well known story of Cinderella has been colorfully brought to the screen. Juanita Quigley and Scotty Beckett head the juvenile cast, with young Miss Quigley portraying Cinderella and Beckett cast as the young prince. "Blue Barron And His Orchestra" Paramount 10 mins. Good Musical Number Against a night club setting. Blue Barron and his orchestra play several snappy numbers, with solos by its individual members. Anita Boyer, radio singer, does a guest-star. Reel winds up with "Tiny" Wolf, a rotund 200-pounder, in a song and dance specialty. "Boobs in the Woods" Columbia 16 mins. Poor Slapstick A series of time-worn gags strung on an old story formula (the interfering brother-in-law) make up this latest Andy Clyde comedy. Shemp Howard, brother of one of the Three Stooges, is the annoying relative who gets Andy fired and then takes him on a harrowing vacation trip. Del Lord directed. "Stray Lamb" RKO Paithe News S'/z mins. Unusual Short A distinct departure from Pathe's usual short production, this reel is different and has a lot of laughs. The dialogue is exceptionally good, and there is a lot of high grade trick photography and animal work, which is always difficult. Reel tells the story of the adventure of a lamb that strays away. It is caught by an eagle and finally rescued by its St. Bernard friend. Audiences generally should get a big kick out of it. "You're Next" Columbia 17 mins. Fair Mystery Comedy Walter Catlett and Monte Collins as a couple of dumb detectives stumble through this fair slapstick mystery comedy about a screwball scientist trying to turn kidnapped men into monkeys. "Information Please No. 11" RKO Pathe News 10 mins. One of Best in Series There are plenty of laughs in this edition of the Information Please series, with short one of the best to date. Christopher Morley is the guest star augmenting the regular board of experts, Oscar Levant, John Kieran and Franklin P. Adams. The experts muff two questions, but their barbershop rendition of "Old Black Joe" compensates for everything. "Wimmen Is A Mystery" Paramount 7 mins. So-So Cartoon Popeye has woman trouble in this reel. He proposes to Olive and she tells him to return the next morning for an answer. During the night, Olive dreams that she and Popeye are married and have four little Pop Eyes. After what the children do to her, when Popeye comes around for an answer the next morning, he gets a very flat "no" for his answer. "Information Please No. 10" RKO Pathe News 11 mins. Interesting and Entertaining The three regular experts on the Information Please show are augmented by Deems Taylor in this release. The boys go through their paces with a lot of zip and turn in an almost perfect score. The questions are exceptionally good and a lot of laughs ensue from numerous wisecracks. "South of the Boudoir" Columbia 18 Vz mins. Typical Charley Chase The usual Charley Chase routine — situation piled on situation. This time Charley has to bring the boss home to dinner, against wifey's wishes. She walks out — Charley gets a waitress to pose as his wife — the boss picks up the real wife and brings her to dinner as his guest — etc. They even have a dish-breaking contest and hit Charley in the face with a cake. "Ozzie Nelson & Orchestra" Warners 10 mins. Pleasing Musical Number Ozzie Nelson and his ork go through their paces with a bandstand setting used as a background in this shoi't. Nelson also sings a number, which is acted out at the same time, to show the trials and tribulations of an ork leader. Roy Mack directed.