The Film Daily (1941)

Tuesday, June 24, 1941 W& :< :< R€VI€UJS Of TH6 n€UJ FILMS .v ,v L "They Met In Bombay" «ith Clark Gable, Rosalind Russell, Peter Lorre, Jessie Ralph ,1-G-M 86 Mins. JEWEL THEFT STORY MARKED BY >lEW TWISTS AND PLENTY OF ACTION S MARRED BY STILTED DIALOGUE AND IONFUSED PLOT. This is by no means the best movie Clark jable has made. Stilted dialogue and minor infusions in the plot are responsible for a ew lags. However, Gable's fans will find romfort in the strength of the character he jortrays — a thief, laughing at danger, who nadvertently rehabilitates himself. Hunt Sternberg's production leaves lit— le to be desired. Many interesting locaions are used, and the chase of the two ewel thieves develops into quite a trav:logue. Edwin Justus Mayer, Anita Loos and .eon Gordon's screenplay offers some new wists. These three minds have evolved ruations no patron can say are worn out rom use. Clarence Brown's direction is strong — with many scenes involving extreme action ind suspense having an authentic newsreel :haracter. Rosalind Russell, possibly because she las no comedy lines, is a little difficult to ?et used to, but she grows on you and at i-he curtain you carry away a recollection of naving liked her in this new type of role. The rest of the cast, Peter Lorre, Reginald Dwen, Jessie Ralph and Matthew Boulton are all very sinister and competent as their :arrs require. Cedric Gibbons' sets, and William Daniels' tensing are greatly responsible for unusual enjoyment of the film. Two thieves descend on Bombay during Empire day celebrations to steal a priceess jewel from a tippling duchess. Clark ■ Gable, posing as a detective permits Rosaind Russel Ito lift the gem from its owner, then he takes it from her. They are ooth — in the same taxi — on their way to the airport when the theft is discovered. They become partners and escape by a soat bound for Hong Kong. Peter Lorre, villainous master of the ship discovers their identity and almost turns them over to ■the police at Hong Kong quarantine. But they get away and go into hiding. After six weeks — desperate for money — Gable poses as a British officer and recruits a small army of off duty soldiers and robs ia Chinese merchant. He is forced to return ■a the barracks and lead a company of soldiers in the evacuation of a group of English and Chinese refugees. in a furious encounter with Japanese, Gable distinguishes (himself and on his return to base is awarded the Victoria Cross. The film winds up with Gable and Miss 'Russell returning the stolen jewel and he ipromising to return for enlistment at the conclusion of his prison term. A general analysis shows "They Met In Bombay" to be slightly under the BrownGable-Russell par, but with good possibilities. CAST: Clark Gable, Rosalind Russell, Peter Lorre, Jessie Ralph, Reginald Owen, Matthew Boulton, Edward Ciannelli, Luis Alberni, Rosina Galli, Jjy Novello. CREDITS: Producer, Hunt Stromberg; Director, Clarence Brown; Author, John Kafka; Screenplay, Edwin Justus Mayer, Anita Loos and Leon Gordon; Cameraman, William "San Antonio Rose" with Jane Frazee, Robert Paige, Lon Chaney, Jr. Universal 63 Mins. FEEBLE MUSICAL COMEDY IS THIRDRATE OFFERING FOR NABE CONSUMPTION. Lacking anything novel, really funny or entertaining, this would-be musical comedy is a feeble offering that is third-rate in every respect but one. There are several musical numbers that are snappy and tuneful and are ably put over by the Merry Macs and Jane Frazee. There are no "names" in the cast worth anything as box office lures, what story there is falls woefully short of the mark and there is too much music in it. Picture may fill in as lower bracket offering on duals in nabe houses and that limits its scope. Jane Frazee, personable, attractive and tuneful, fills the bill as the love interest. Robert Paige is adequate, The Merry Macs are good, Eve Arden is helpful, and some attempted comedy is attempted by Lon Chaney, Jr., and Shemp Howard. A couple of slapstick sequences should get a few laughs. Direction and script are on the debit side of ledger. Charles Lamont directed and Hugh Wedlock, Jr., Howard Snyder and Paul G. Smith wrote the screenplay. bve Arden and Miss Frazee "bum" a ride to a town where they hope to get a job in a night club. Howard and Chaney, working for Richard Lane, a rival club operator, force the club to close. The next day Paige and his band show up. So the boys and girls get together to reopen the club. Sic Transit Gloria Teatrum. CAST: Jane Frazee, Robert Paige, Lon Chaney, Jr., Eve Arden, Shemp Howard, Richard Lane, Luis Alberni, The Merry Macs, Mary Lou Cook. CREDITS: Associate Producer, Ken Goldsmith; Director, Charles Lamont; Screenplay, Hugh Wedlock, Jr., Howard Snyder and Paul G. Smith; Original Story, Jack Lait, Jr.; Cameraman, Stanley Cortez; Editor, Milton Carruth. DIRECTION, Weak. PHOTOGRAPHY, Fair. "The Gangs All Here" with Frankie Darro Monogram 61 Mins. FAIR ACTION FILM SHOULD GO OVER ON JUVENILE PROGRAMS. This action picture of truck hijacking will probably do nicely on kid shows and other bookings where quality can be subordinated to speed. A lively, if improbable, yarn involving a truck operator, an insurance agent, and a rival trucker, in a scheme to defraud the insurance people by crackups and phony hijacking, plus the youthful cast, should put it over with the juveniles. Frankie Darro is his usual spunky, talkative self and his Negro partner, Mantan Moreland, supplies some comedy relief. Marcia Mae Jones, Jackie Moran and Keye Luke are the rest of the "gang." Frankie and Moreland get mixed up with the trucking company as drivers when nobody else will take the jobs because of an epidemic of smashups. They are pushed around a little by the conspiring competing line but manage to save their skins until, with the help of a Chinese detective (Keye Luke), they break up the racket. CAST: Frankie Darro, Marcia Mae Jones, Jackie Moran, Mantan Moreland, Keye Luke, Robert Homans, Irving Mitchell, Ed Cassidy, Pat Gleason, Jack Kenney, Laurence Criner, Paul Bryar, Jack Ingraham. CREDITS: Producer, Lindsley Parsons; Director, Jean Yarbrough; Screenplay, Edmond Kelso; Cameraman, Mack Stengler; Editor, Jack Ogilvie. DIRECTION, Okay. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Regional Showings Set For "Bride Came C.O.D." Hoffman Extending Stay To Complete Sales Staff M. H. Hoffman has extended his stay in the East pending the choice and appointment of members of the sales staff for his newly-organized Liberty-National Pictures. Hoffman also hopes to conclude negotiations for one or two important properties for his higher bracket features for th-; second quarter of the 1941-42 season. Shooting scripts have already been completed for the first quarter product and production will get under way immediately upon Hoffman's return to Hollywood. Daniels, ASC; Art Director, Cedric Gibbons; Associate, Randall Duell; Special Effects, Warren Newcombe; Editor, Blanche Sewell; Musical Score, Herbert Stothart; Technical Advisor, Major G. 0. T. Bagley. DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Five regional showings in the West have been set by Warners for "The Bride Came C.O.D.", the James Cagney-Bette Davis vehicle which goes into national release July 12. The bookings are: Orpheum, Portland, Ore., June 25; Fox Theater, San Francisco, July 3; Ohpheum, Seattle, July 4; Denver Theater, Denver, July 8 and Center, Salt Lake City, July 18. Sam Clark and Marty Weiser, Warner exploitation men, have been assigned to help launch the openings. Exit March for President San Francisco — President Theater, one-time legit house, later a downtown grind, and more recently dark, will be torn down to make room for a parking lot. It is the fourth onetime legit house to meet that fate in the last two years here. All four tackled talkies after stage tenants became rare, but isolated locations off the main drag were too much handicap. Acquires "Bride of Buddha" "Bride Of Buddha" has been acquired by J. H. Hoffberg for national distribution in this country, it was announced at the week-end. Picture will be released as a road show attraction. , "The Pioneers" with Tex Ritter Monogram 58 Mins. OLD-TYPE WESTERN SUFFERS BY COMPARISON WITH CURRENT OUTDOOR FILMS. A familiar yarn — that of the pioneers beset by Indian raids framed by the renegade white — plus draggy direction and poor performances, make this a pretty uninteresting Western. Put it down as something to amuse the kids at a Saturday matinee. Based on some of the James Fenimore Cooper "Leatherstocking Tales," the yarn relates the trials of a series of wagon trains trying to cross Indian lands to get to a new frontier. Indians have been stirred up by a white renegade, acting for a land agent trying to acquire the new territory. Scout Tex Ritter guides the trains and eventually makes friends with the redskins only to be crossed by the outlaws who attack in Indian style and massacre the outfit. He is not to be stopped however, so he joins another wagon train, after exposing the white's racket, and they proceed to the promised land. Performances are poor all around, the direction is not convincing, and the screenplay too loose and old-fashioned to stand comparison with other current Westerns. CAST: Tex Ritter, Arkansas "Slim" Andrews, Red Foley, Doye O'Dell, Wanda McKay, George, Chesebro, Del Lawrence, Post Park, Karl Hackett, Lynton Brent, Chick Hannan, Gene Alsace, Jack Smith, Chief Many Treaties, Chief Soldani. CREDITS: Producer, Edward Finney; Director, Al Herman; Screenplay, Charles Anderson; Cameraman, Marcel A. LePicard; Editor, Fred Bain. DIRECTION, Dull. PHOTOGRAPHY, Fair. Schenck-Moskowitz File Their Records on Appeal Joseph M. Schenck and Joseph H. Moscowitz yesterday filed their records on appeal from a jury conviction for alleged violations of income tax laws in the U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Argument on the appeals will be heard by the threejudge court at the beginning of October under the Court's rules. Attorneys for the defendants stated that the briefs would be filed at the end of the Summer. Metro Releases Baldwin West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Earl Baldwin, who signed a term writing contract at M-G-M in March, after nine years at Warner Bros., has asked for and secured a release from his Metro contract and is leaving next week for Maine where he is going to take a long vacation and write a play. "Red" Edinson, Kassel Aide Chicago — "Red" Edinson of the Essaness Lake theater has joined the circuit's publicity department under Norman Kassel.