The Film Daily (1940)

Thursday, February 8, 1940 iw1« DAILY: .V :< REVIEWS OF THE DEW flLfllS ■'< -V "Village Bam Dance" with Richard Cromwell, Doris Day, George Barbier Republic 74 Mins. f^Y ROMANTIC-COMEDY-MUSICAL WELL SUITED TO FAMILY TRADE AND YOUTHFUL FANS. Pitched in the modern key and tempo, via a bevy of popular radio entertainers augmenting the main body of pix personalities, this newest Republic opus carries its appeal to family audiences, particularly the younger generation which appears ever more interested in pep than in plot. Richard Cromwell essays the leading male role of romance, while wholesomely alluring Doris Day handles the top femme assignment. The former, armed with personableness and personality, bobs into a small town in an effort to make his recently acquired college degree pay his way in the world. His vocation is that of an electrical engineer, and so, befriended by George Barbier, who is "some pumpkins" in the town, despite the fact that the community is ruled in almost dictatorial fashion by Esther Dale (who is disclosed at the finale to be Barbier's storywife), the youth lands a job in the local radio station. Of course young Mr. Cromwell and young Miss Day fall in love, unaware that their affection is jeopardizing the chances of the town getting a new power plant, and new industries in its wake. It's a delicate situation 'cause Cromwell's rival has the say-so as to whether his dad's big milk enterprise will locate in the town, and if it doesn't the merchants who have mortgaged their all will be ruined. But everything turns out for the best and love triumphs. There's a lot of action and good melody throughout. The principals are efficient, as are the radio-ites, Lulubelle and Scotty, Barbara Jo Allen (Vera Vague), Don Wilson, The Kidoodlers, Helen Troy, Frank Cook, and the Texas Wanderers. Frank McDonald's direction is good, as is Ernest Miller's photography. CAST: Richard Cromwell, Doris Day, George Barbier, Esther Dale, Robert Baldwin, Andrew Tombes, plus the radio entertainers listed above. CREDITS: Associate Producer, Armand Schaefer; Director, Frank McDonald; Original Screenplay, Dorrell and Stuart McGowan; Production Manager, Al Wilson; Cameraman, Ernest Miller; Supervising Editor, Murray Seldeen; Film Editor, Edward Mann; Art Director, John Victor Mackay; Musical Director, Cy Feuer; Wardrobe, Adele Palmer. DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. * SHORTS * "Teddy, The Rough Rider" Warners 19 mins. Splendid Historical Short Here's a worthy addition to the historical series of featurets. Every audience will be thrilled by it, as it is historically accurate and paints one of the greatest eras in U. S. history. The characterization of TheodoVe Roosevelt by Sidney Blackmer is artistic acting on a high plane, with Roosevelt seemingly alive on the screen with all his vitality and fierce crusading spirit. Film opens in 1895 when he took over the post of New York police commissioner. From there on it traces his history as assistant secretary of the Navy, leader of the Rough Riders in the Spanish war, governor of New York, vice-president, and then president when McKinley was assassinated. His accomplishments as president are depicted and in the closing sequence of the film, following his retirement from public life, he makes an impassioned plea for Americanism and Democracy that could well be used as the watchword of this nation today. Director Ray Enright; Charles L. Tedford, author of the original screenplay; and the Warner Brothers, deserve praise for this outstanding contribution in the shorts field, not only as a picture, but as a part of our Americana that makes us Americans in the true sense of the word. Edgar breaks loose and makes a beeline for the track. He wins the race and the junkman and Edgar invest their winnings very satisfactorily. Short is a Paul Terry production. Pix Title for Book Pocket Books, Inc., in arrangement with Warners, will publish a special edition of Paul DeKruif's "Microbe Hunters" under the title i of "Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet," title of the forthcoming WB production, starring Edward G. Robinson. "Mighty Hunters" Warners 7 mins. Fine Cartoon First cartoon in a series based on the James Swinnerton characters, Canyon Kiddies, this reel should get a favorable reception, especially from kids. Another unusual feature is the use of oils to paint the backgrounds, giving a sense of depth and natural color that is very effective. Reel shows the kiddies starting on a hunting trip. They have a number of adventures before they return empty handed, but safely, to their beds in the peaceful Indian village. Leon Sehlesinger was the producer. French Pix to RKO RKO has acquired six French pictures from Nat Wachsberger for distribution in South America. "Edgar Runs Again" 20th-Fox 7 mins. Amusing Cartoon Edgar, a broken down race horse, is the hero of this cartoon. Edgar is ousted from his park bench and chased by the cops when he becomes a fugitive from a glue factory. However, his luck turns when he upsets a peddlar's cart and the man befriends him. He pulls the cart, but his zeal to help his new master gets them both in trouble with the police. It looks bad for them when the police radio is tuned in on a race. "Top-Notch Tennis" 20th-Fox 10 mins. Interesting Sport Reel Tennis, as it is demonstrated by the top ranking stars in this reel, is something to watch. Anybody who plays the game will be particularly interested, the reel proving highly instructive. World's singles champion Bobby Riggs is seen doing his stuff. The attractive English topnotch player in the female tennis world, Miss Kay Stammers, and Dorothy Bundy, daughter of a former lady champion, are seen. Welby Van Horn, sensational young California player, and the great Australian players, now doubles champions of the world, Adrian Quist and Jack Bromwich, are also seen in action. A variety of shots are demonstrated by the players and some fast tennis in actual competition is shown. Ed. Thorgersen gives the commentary in interesting fashion. * FOREIGn * "Following the Hounds" 20th-Fox 10 mins. Superb Sport Reel Using the magnificent Westchester hunting country as a background, and photographed in breathtakingly beautiful Technicolor, this short is outstanding. It combines dramatic action and beauty perfectly to hold the attention of an audience from start to finish. Cameraman Jack Painter does a splendid job of photography. Opening with a sequence devoted to the training of hunters, the reel moves briskly into an exhibition of what a well trained hunter can do when it comes to takingjumps. Reel then shows a Westchester hunt club starting out for the day's chase. The scarlet coats provide a striking contrast against the hues of the autumnal countryside. The chase is thrilling and finally the fox is run into his den. "II Paraninfo" (Italian dialogue, no English titles) A. Marozzo 83 Mins. DAILY NEWS: Musco comedy provides a lot of fun. HERALD TRIBUNE: Musco' s merry personality amuses patrons of New York Italian cinemas. CREDITS: Ventura Film Production; Director, Amleto Palermi. PLAYERS: Angelo Musco, Rosina Anselmi, Mariu Glick. "Mechanix Illustrated No. 3" Warners 10 mins. Very Interesting Reel rates as one of the best in this series. First sequence deals with a new chemical substance resembling silk which can be manufactured to take the place of silk in wearing apparel. Second sequence deals with cold light. Another sequence deals with election signs and reel concludes with a sequence devoted to the salmon fishing industry in Alaska. Color helps bring out the beauty of the Alaskan background and also highlights the other subject matter. Short was written and directed by Ira Genet. John Deering does the narration. "Fashion Forecast" 20th-Fox 10 mins. Beautiful Style Show Beautiful clothes and beautiful girls delight the eye in this new release of the Vyvyan Donner "Fashion Forecast" series 20th-Fox Movietone News is producing. Style show features play clothes for indoors and out of doors for the north and south in winter. Women should be particularly intrigued with the reel. Commentary by Ilka Chase is witty and the Technicolor photography by Jack Painter is fine. Reel uses several sets depicting a cabana colony, a beach eating place on the swanky side and a night dancing set. The male members of audiences will also see what they should wear while at the beach or dancing under a tropical moon at night. "Aqua poise" RKO Pathe News 9 mins. Fair Sport Reel Beginners in the art of aquaplaning are shown how to become experts in this reel. Their instruction starts on dry land for balancing lessons. Then, taking to the water they are towed behind speedboats with instructors riding near them to tell them when they make a mistake and how to correct it. Short is set against a Florida background, but the stunts done by the experts have been done before, and there is nothing that is really new or novel in the reel. Frederic Ullman, Jr., produced, and Frank Donovan supervised. "Dog In a Mansion" 20th-Fox 7 mins. Fair Cartoon This cartoon will probably amuse kids. It depicts the life of a pampered dog. The poor animal gets egg shampoos and all sorts of other annoying indignities heaped upon its shoulders when it would rather be out digging in the dirt. Comes a day when Fido gets loose and invites all the gutter dogs in and a merry time is had by all. Reel is a Paul Terry production.