The Film Daily (1945)

12 : W*\fckttY Friday, November 2, 1945, :< flLfil DfllLV REVIEWS Of DEW SHORTS A "People on Paper" (John Nesbitt's Passing Parade) M-G-M 11 Mins. Highly Entertaining This one will prove especially interesting to the millions who read the comics daily. Nesbitt has assembled the foremost cartoon creators into this reel, showing them in intimate scenes at work in the office or at home; and has filled in commentary with behind the scenes information on the various types of cartoons. Included in the subject are the men who create Dick Tracy, Terry, Li'l Abner, Mutt and Jeff, Blondie, Buck Rogers, and many others. "Purity Squad" (Crime Does Not Pay) M-G-M 20 Mins. Good Melodramatic Short How the Federal government's purity sleuths operate in safeguarding the public health has been effectively dramatized in a short that is good entertainment besides adding to one's store of knowledge. The two-reeler picks for its purpose the case of a couple of men who throw on the market a substitute for insulin that proves a menace to life. The tracking down of the culprits has been accomplished with a commendable display of suspense. The engrossing short, capably produced, has been directed well by Harold Kress. The film has been competently acted by a cast including Paul Langton, Byron Foulger, Selmer Jackson, Gladden James, Arthur Space, William Forrest and Dick Elliott. "Paddle Your Own" (Grantland Rice Sportlights) Paramount 9 Mins. Fine Booking Turning to canoeing, Jack Eaton has added another fine subject to his series of shorts. Photographed in Ontario, Canada, the film presents an instructive and entertaining demonstration of various methods of handling a canoe. Much attention is given to the technique employed by the Algonquin Indians. Scenes of canoe races are included in the footage for a touch of excitement. Highly recommended. "Guest Pests" (Pete Smith Specialty) M-G-M 9 Mins. Laugh-Getter Guest Pests will remind nearly everyone witnessing the reel of someone they know. Although slightly exaggerated for laughs, it has the fellow who keeps poking and slapping you with every wise-crack; the guests who suddenly pop in at dinner time, the mischievous kid who breaks your furniture; the musical soup eater; and the card kibitzer. "Hare Tonic" (Bugs Bunny Special) Warner Bros. 7 Mini. Wonderful The situations in this Technicolor rib-tickler have the irrepressible Bunny outwitting Elmer Fudd as the latter is about to prepare a rabbit stew. Bugsy fakes a radio rtport that there's an epidemic of rabbit fever, which causes Elmer to try every method to escape from the clever hare. "Stairway to Light" (Passing Parade) M-G-M 10 Mins. Fine Tabloid Drama With Sammy Lee supplying taut direction, John Nesbitt has produced a dramatic little gem inspired by the experiences of Dr. Philip Pinel, the French physician of the 18th century who revolutionized the treatment of the mentally afflicted. This record of a man's unselfish devotion to a noble cause carries a strong human appeal, representing one of the best of the series. The film has been unusually well done with photography that is outstanding. "Mess Production" (Popeye) Paramount 7!/i Mins. Humorous Here's another chapter in the rivalry between Popeye and Bluto for the attention of Olive Oyl. The scene is a plant where the gal works as a welder. When she is accidently dazed by a blow meant for Popeye, she walks among the machinery at risk of her life. It is Popeye who rescues her and wins her affection. The Technicolor cartoon has enough humorous situations to please the customers. "A Self-Made Mongrel" (Noveltoons) Paramount 8 mins. Passably Amusing The misunderstanding between a talking mongrel and his master over the latter's determination to give the animal polish is productive of some fairly diverting interludes in this Technicolor cartoon. When the mutt insists he is just a ferocious watchdog and intends to remain that way, his master puts him to the test with results that make a liar of him. "Wild and Woolfy" M-G-M 8 Mins. Very Funny In this Technicolor cartoon the wolf, a desperate bandit who rides a contortionist horse, holds up the Good Rumor man for two popsicles, tries to kidnap a beautiful entertainer in a Western saloon, has the sheriff's posse running ragged in a merry chase, but is always thwarted in his plans by a midget character who rides a midget horse. "Lease on Life" National Tuberculosis Association 25 Mins. Highly Effective Power of the motion picture to perform the double duty of entertaining and informing, and doing both effectively and efficiently, is exemplified by this skillfully fashioned two-reeler produced by the Emerson Yojke Studio for the National Tuberculosis Association, and starring Gene Lockhart, supported by a cast of Hollywood and Broadway luminaries. Lockhart, cast as one of those wise and versatile "family doctors" so indigenous to the profession in this nation at the turn of the century, and beloved for his counsel but handicapped by the relative infancy of medical science, turns in a foursquare performance. It is his spirit which really returns to the little town of Plainville. In the community, modern medicine is marching strongly onward, but there are still reactionaries cleaving to old ways, deprecating up-to-date methods, and doing nothing to maintain health, which displeases him. Such a one is the "Granny" of a Plainville family, but fortunately the generations immediately behind her are rightly devotees of health-preservation, and even she, before the film's finale, becomes a convert to the new order of keeping a sound body through recourse to greatly advantageous media such a clinics, physical checkups, and authoritative medical advice. Through numerous characters, the film charts strongly the courses to health's maintenance, and does so with delightful flavor and human interest. Yorke's direction is excellent, and the high technical quality of the footage is enhanced by a fine music score composed by Solita Palmer. The theme song is particularly haunting. Picture is distributed by NTA on a non-profit basis. "Spreadin' the Jam" (Miniature) M-G-M 10 Mins. Ordinary This commonplace musical novelty is primarily entertainment for the young people. The production, strictly routine, is something about a cutie with rent trouble. Her pals come to her rescue with a jam session to raise the do-re-mi to quiet the landlady, whom they convert to a jitterbug at the end. The cast is headed by Jan Clayton, Ben Lessy and Helen Boise. A triviality, but lively. "Strange Destiny" (Carey Wilson Miniature) M-G-M 10 Mins. Well Done This one is a dramatization on the life of Asa K. Jennings, a YMCA worker who lived for 7 years after medical science had given him up, * SERIAL it "Secret Agent X-y" Universal 18-20 Mins Villainy and Action I Since serials are meant primarilj for the kids, perhaps it doesn't matter so much that "Secret Agent X-9' has lost its timeliness with the enc of the war. It is fortunate that tht youngsters are interested chiefly ir. action and villainy, the current exhibit getting high marks on botl counts. Persons of mature mentalitj will find the film as dated as yesterday's newspaper. The story has to do with a plot bj the Nips to obtain a secret American formula for synthetic aviation gasoline. Joining forces to foil the enemy's efforts to slip an agent into the United States, the secret operative of the title, an American, and an Australian gal spy get mixed up in plenty of violence and time and again come close to forfeiting their lives. The action takes place on an island off the Chinese Coast which is a beehive of espionage and counterespionage. The film is based on the comic -trip of the same name. Morgan B. Cox produced, Ray Taylor and Lewis D. Collins sharing the direction. The Allied agents are played by Lloyd Bridges and Jan Wiley. Among other players are Keye Luke, Victoria Home and Samuel S. Hinds. whom fate had decreed to save the lives of 350,000 Greeks when the Turkish ruler Mustepha Kemal granted his request to evacuate the besieged city of Smyrna in 1922. Louis K. Heydt plays the role of Jennings. "Merida and Campeche" (FitzPatrick Traveltalk) M-G-M 8 Mins. Good Travel Short Again James FitzPatrick has won the gratitude of the travelogue devotee. His latest, deserving of a showing wherever this sort of stuff is appreciated, is a trip to Merida, Yucatan capital, and Campeche, another of the old and fascinating cities of that Central American country. Showing vestiges of Mayan civilization, the film is very much of a contrast between the ancient and the modern. "Where Time Stands Still" (FitzPatrick Traveltalk) M-G-M 9 Mins. Colorful This is an educational Technicolor visit to Southern Guatemala showing how the native Indians live in the rural regions, their customs and their occupations. Highlight is the re-enactment of customary courtships and marriage proposals.