The Film Daily (1940)

10 W *V DAILY Thursday, December 12, 1940 .v :< RCVI6UIS Of THE R€IU flLfllS .v .v "Trail Of The Vigilantes" with Franchot Tone, Broderick Crawford, Peggy Moran, Andy Devine, Mischa Auer Universal 75 Mins. ENTERTAINING WESTERN IS FIRSTRATE SCREENFARE FOR ANY TYPE OF AUDIENCE. Taking the bull by the horns, so to speak, Universal has turned out a Western that pokes fun at itself, still contains lots of action, but maintains its slightly satirical comedy theme with highly entertaining results. Any audience should be thoroughly entertained by the picture, and it deserves special attention by exhibitors and firstrun treatment on its merits. Picture should be a surprise package at the box office. A first-rate cast includes Franchot Tone, Broderick Crawford, Peggy Moran, Andy Devine, Mischa Auer, Warren William, Porter Hall and Charles Trowbridge. Tone, cast as an investigator who goes West to track down the murderer of a newspaper man, fills the bill nicely. Miss Moran is pretty to look at and is personable and able. Andy Devine and Mischa Auer will get lots of laughs. Warren William attends to the villainy in slick fashion, Crawford is fine as a rought-tough cowhand, and others in the cast are equally as well placed in their roles. Director Allan Dwan handles the players expertly, gets every laugh there is to be had from the script and puts plenty of punch into the action. Harold Shumate's original screenplay is different, smartly worked out and well paced. Tone arrives in Peaceful Valley in the middle of a roaring gun fight, with Crawford and his pal Devine wrecking furniture in a saloon, tying up sheriffs and making the welkin ring. Tone gets a job with their outfit and the rancher's daughter, Miss Moran, falls for him in a big way. There is lots of action, lots of fun and lots of entertainment from there to the finish, in fact from start to finish. Tone gets the girl and also gets the villain. CAST: Franchot Tone, Broderick Crawford. Peggy Moran, Andy Devine, Warren William, Mischa Auer, Porter Hall, Samuel S. Hinds, Charles Trowbridge, Paul Fix, Harry Cording, Max Wagner. CREDITS: Produced by Universal; Director, Allan Dwan; Original Screenplay, Harold Shumate; Cameramen, Joseph Valentine and Milton Krasner; Editor, Edward Curtiss. DIRECTION, Smart. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Morros Negotiating with Astaire Hollywood — Boris Morros is negotiating with Fred Astaire to star in "Hayfoot, Strawfoot," a film on conscription by Don Raye and Hugh Prince. Paramount will release it. Dorcthy Lamour may appear in "Caught in the Draft" opposite Bob Hope for Para. RKO to Start "Show Business" Hollywood — "Show Business," which goes before the cameras at the RKO studios on Monday, has acquired Elyze Knox for the feminine lead, also Chester Clute and Mantan Moreland. Irving Reis will direct. "Misbehaving Husbands" with Harry Langdon, Betty Blithe, Ralph Byrd PRC-Jed Buell 65 Mins. (HOLLYWOOD PREVIEW) AUDIENCE COMEDY WITH ENOUGH ENTERTAINMENT VALUE TO SATISFY. "Misbehaving Husbands," Jed Buell's first production for Producers Releasing Corp., sets an interesting pace for his new association. It's a feature with enough entertainment value to more than satisfy any audience. Harry Langdon, given plenty of leeway, and veteran director Bill Beaudine have concentrated more on sure fire laugh situations than on a startling plot, and a district preview house rewarded them with practically solid laughter. It is completely an audience comedy and will do best when booked for nights when a heavy house is likely. It is excellent counter material for any dramatic feature. Production values, never elaborate, are adequate, and the large number of old time favorites in the cast offers opportunity for exploitation plants on the drama pages. Vernon Smith and Claire Parrish have fashioned a swell screenplay, based on an original by Cea Sabin. Harry Langdon, department store owner, works late on the night of his twentieth wedding anniversary, missing a surprise dinner planned by his wife, Betty Blythe. He is seen taking a wax window model to be repaired, and picked up by the police, who suspect a murder. He arrives home with a slipper. Esther Muir, Betty's friend, talks her into planning a divorce, with Esther's lawyer, Gayne Whitman. Since neither will leave the house, Whitman installs Luana Walters, a niece, and Frank Hagney, bodyguard, to protect Betty. Langdon's attorneys put in Ralph Byrd. Byrd and Luana nearly effect a reconciliation, but Whitman brings in his girl friend, Florence Wright, to impersonate the girl who lost her slipper. Byrd and Luana trip Florence into exposing Whitman's game, and his past record. Langdon wheels the dummy home on roller skates, fits the slipper on it and the pair are reconciled. CAST: Harry Langdon, Betty Blythe, Ralph Byrd, Esther Myir, Gayne Whitman, Florence Wright, Luana Walters, Frank Jacquet, Charlotte Treadway, Byron Barr, Frank Hagney, Hennie Brown, Billy Mitchell, Mary McLaren, Gertrude Astor. CREDITS: Producer, Jed Buell; Director, William Beaudine; Author, Cea Sabin; Screenplay, Vernon Smith and Claire Parrish; Cameraman, Art Reed; Editor, Robert Crandall; Art director, George Van Marter. DIRECTION, Okay. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Next for Two "U" Directors West Coast Buy can of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Henry Koster's next film for Universal will be "Almost An Angel." Ladislaus Fcdor and Norman Krasna are writing the scenario. William Seiter will probably direct Deanna Durbin's next picture, following "Nice People" which he is now directing. Her new picture will be "Ready for Romance" in which she will be co-starred with Charles Boyer. "It's In The Air" with George Formby, Polly Ward, Garry Marsh B. S. B. Corp. 74 Mins. BRITISH-MADE FARCE CONCERNING THE RAF HAS PLENTY OF LAUGHS. A typical sample of British humor as personified and presented by George Formby, Britain's leading comedian, in this release. It should get plenty of laughs from audiences here. Done in a tongue-in-cheek slapstick vein, the humor is not forced, but is completely natural as Formby bungles from one jam to another. His supporting cast is adequate and the picture moves along at a smooth clip. Formby is supported by Polly Ward, Garry Marsh, Julien Mitchell, Jack Hobbs and other capable players. Anthony Kimmins, who directed and wrote the original screenplay, handles the material and players nicely. The picture is moderately amusing throughout, with several particularly hilarious sequences climaxed by a sequence that should get very heavy laughs from any audience. Formby helps out one of his friends, Frank Leighton, by putting on his uniform and riding to headquarters with the dispatch rider's messages. He winds up at the proper airdrome, but just as he is about to leave he runs afoul of Mitchell, a sergeant major, who informs him that he, as Leighton, has been assigned to a week's training with the RAF unit. The commanding officer has an attractive daughter, Miss Ward, and Formby discovers that there is plenty of competition in this direction. Formby finally takes off in a test plane and in his complete ignorance about flying gives such an amazing exhibition that he is cited for promotion. CAST: George Formby, Polly Ward, Garry Marsh, Julien Mitchell, Jack Hobbs, Frank Leighton, C. Denier Warren, Michael Shepley, Hal Gordon, Joe Cunningham, Jack Melford. CREDITS: Producer, Basil Dean; Direction and original screenplay, Anthony Kimmins; Music and Lyrics, George Formby, Harry Gifford, Fred E. Cliffe and Harry Parr Davis. DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, O. K. Linda Darnell Gets Lead West Coast Bureau, of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Twentieth CenturyFox has assigned Linda Darnell to the feminine lead in "Blood and Sand" opposite Tyrone Power. Studio has assigned Ray McCarey to direct "The Cowboy and the Blonde" with Gecrge Montgomery and Cobina Wright, Jr. "Trilby" a WB British Remake London (By Air Mail) — Following "Transatlantic Ferry" which goes soon into work at Warners' Teddington studios, the company will do a remake of George du Maurier's "Trilby." Metro to Remake "Mary Dugan" West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Metro will star Laraine Day in a remake of Bayard Veiller's old thriller, "The Trial of Mary Dugan." 'Pony Post' with Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Nell O'Day Universal 59 M'ns. DULL WESTERN FAILS TO BE INTER ESTING DUE TO HACKNEYED STORY. Lacking any originality or new twists, I hackneyed story makes this new Universa western a dull affair. There is plenty of riding, quite a few blanks are discharged and Johnny Mack Brown tangles with the villains in the standard action scenes, but it lacks any spark of earnestness. A few laughs are contributed by Fuzzy Knight and the usual musical routine is worked Probably the Brown fans will get a measure of entertainment from the picture, but for the dyed-in-the-wool action fans it will be pretty tame. Brown has Fuzzy Knight, Nell O'Day Dorothy Short, Tom Chatterton, Stanley Blystone, Jack Rockwell and Ray Teal, latter three the villains of the piece, in his supporting cast. Ray Taylor directed from an original screenplay by Sherman Lowe Brown rescues a pony express rider from Indians and is talked into taking the job of manager of the Ruby Valley posts in place of Blystone, who has caused the com pany too much grief. Blystone conspires against Brown, but Brown cleans things up in approved style. CAST: Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight Nell O'Day, Dorothy Short, Tom Chatterton Stanley Blystone, Jack Rockwell, Ray Teal Kermit Maynard. CREDITS: Produced by Universal; Director, Ray Taylor; Original screenplay, Sherman Lowe; Editor, Paul Landres. DIRECTION, Adequate. PHOTOGRAPHY 0. K. Coast's 17-Car Special Oii for "Santa Fe" Bow West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Headed by Charles Einfeld, Warners' director of advertising and publicity, over 150 stars, newspaper and trade paper editors, feature and magazine writers and other Hollywood celebrities leave here today on a 17-car special train headed for the three-day jubilee and world premiere of "Santa Fe Trail" at Santa Fe, N. M., tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday. The West Coast "Santa Fe Special" will arrive in Lamy, N. M., early tomorrow afternoon where it will join the Eastern delegation which left New York yesterday and will then proceed as cne unit to Santa Fe. Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. stars of the feature, head the array of Hollywood talent which includes : John Barrymore. Olympe Bradna. Nancy Carroll, Donald Crisp. Alice Faye, Virginia Field. Reginald Gardiner. Rita Havworth, Mary Healy. Irene Hervey. Allan Jones. Arline Judge. Priscilla Lane. William Lundigan, Jean Parker, Walter Pidgeon. Roger Pryor, Ronald Reagan. Gilbert Roland. Charlie Ruggles, Ann Sothern. Rudy Vallee and Johnnie Weissmuller. From the Warner Burbank studio, in addition to Einfeld. are : Robert Taplinger. West Coast publicity director, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hazen of the home office who were visi'ing the studio. Sam Clark, Lou Espinosa. Irving Fein. William Guthrie. Carlisle Jones, Ed Manson. Blayney Matthews. Scotty Welbourne and Kenneth Whitmore. :.