The Film Daily (1940)

DAILY Friday, February 9, 1940 :< •& REVIEWS OF TH€ nCUl flLfliS ,V .V "Pioneer Days" with Jack Randall, June Wilkins Monogram 51 Mins. PLENTY OF SHOOTING AND FAST RIDING SHOULD PLEASE WESTERN FANS. Plenty of bullets and fast riding keep this western moving at a lively pace. The locations are okay and the story holds together. Jack Randall, June Wilkins, Frank Yaconelli, Nelson McDowell and Ted Adams head the cast. Randall makes a dashing figure as the hero. Randall and his pals, Yaconelli and McDowell, are about to rob a stage, but are forced to chase Adams and his gang as they have gotten to the scene first. Miss Wilkins, a passenger, forestalls a robbery by thanking them for saving her life. Randall has considerable trouble with Adams before the picture is over as Adams cheats Miss Wilkins in a business deal and frames Randall for a murder, but he solves everythng and turns out to be a secret agent for the express company. CAST: Jack Randall, June Wilkins, Frank Yaconelli, Nelson McDowell, Ted Adams, Bud Osborne, Robert Walker, Glenn Strange. CREDITS: Producer and Director, Harry Webb; Original Screenplay, Bennett Cohen; Cameraman, Edward Kull; Editor, Robert Golden. DIRECTION, Fast. PHOTOGRAPHY, O.K. Committeeman Raps Dies for "Reds in Hollywood" {Continued from Page 1) writing a series of articles for Liberty Magazine on "The Reds in Hollywood." "The committee has held no hearings in relation to un-American activities in the movie colony," Voorhis stated, "and the appearance of these articles puts the investigation in a very difficult situation and makes it hard for any investigation not to be colored by opinions and statements. "The job of this committee is to take evidence, establish facts and then write a report." Voorhis assailed Dies for his literary activities from the floor of the House. Meanwhile, Dr. J. B. Matthews, Committee research director, told The Film Daily the Hollywood investigatien is marking time, due to the illness of Dies. 'Bullets For Rustlers" MPRC Re-elects Officers San Francisco — Motion Picture Research Council has re-elected all officers for 1940. Slate includes Dr. Ray Lyman Wilbur, president; Mrs. Calvin Coolidge and Stephen P. Cabot, honorary vice-presidents; Mrs. William Cavalier, executive vicepresident; Mrs. Vernon Skewes-Cox, vice-president, and Allen W. Widenham, treasurer. Curby A. Smith, Sr., Dead Morrilton, Ark.— C. A. Smith, 69, father of Curby A. Smith, Jr., manager of the Rialto Theater here, died at the family home in Little Rock. with Charles Starrett, Lorna Gray, Bob Nolan Columbia 58 Mins. WELL-PACED WESTERN HAS PLENTY OF ACTION AND SNAP. The latest of Charles Starrett's western opuses for Columbia is on a par with previous releases and it should please the | cowboy fans. Picture has plenty of action worked into a fast-moving story. The Sons of the Pioneers sing pleasingly and the outdoor locations are well chosen. Starret is manly and capable in the lead role, and Lorna Gray provides the female charm. Dick Curtis, Kenneth MacDonald and Francis Walker fill the villain roles neatly, and the rest of the cast is adequate. Starrett is sent by the cattleman's association to Cottonwood Valley to break up a gang of rustlers. He takes the sheriff into his confidence and the ball is started rolling. He is suspected by the cattlemen and the rustlers at the same time, and he has to get out of a number of tight situations before he achieves his purpose. CAST: Charles Starrett, Lorna Gray, Bob Nolan, Dick Curtis, Kenneth MacDonald, Jack Rockwell, Edward LeSaint, Francis Walker, Eddie Laughton, Lee Prather, Hal Taliaferro, The Sons of the Pioneers. CREDITS: Produced by Columbia; Director, Sam Nelson; Original Screenplay, John Rathmell; Cameraman, George Meehan; Editor, Charles Nelson. DIRECTION, Fast. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Business Groups Launch Attack on Neely Measure {Continued from Page 1) protest to Congress against passage of the Neely bill. Ed Wilder, executive secretary of the local board, said the protests are being made on grounds that large exhibitors of pictures, should the bill be enacted, would be unable to get concessions from the producers and distributing companies upon making large orders for pictures, but would be required to pay the same price to exhibit films as operators of individual theaters have to pay, according to the trade body. Further, the bill would make it necessary for the wholesale distributor to provide each retail exhibitor with a "synopsis" or detailed description of each picture offered, which, in reality, would make it necessary for the distributor to exhibit the picture before offering it for sale, to see that nothing objectionable is contained in the film, the protest further stated. Mildo Forms New Firm Paris (By Cable)— M. Mildo, producer of "Katia," has formed a new producing company, backed by a group of financiers, and plans to make four pictures during 1940-41. "The Lone Wolf Strikes" with Warren William, Joan Perry, Eric Blore Columbia 57 Mins. CROOK MELLER IS ENTERTAINING FARE FOR AUDIENCES GENERALLY. With Warren William suavely portraying the role of Michael Lanyard, urbane crook hero of the Joseph Vance stories, this release is entertaining screenfare for audiences generally. Picture has plenty of action and is well paced. In addition to William, there are Joan Perry, Eric Blore, Alan Baxter, Astrid Allwyn, Montagu Love and Robert Wilcox to make the proceedings lively. Fred Kohlmar produced and Sidney Salkow directed. Wnen a murder has been committed and a priceless string of pearls stolen, William is asked by a friend to find out what is going on and recover the pearls for Joan Perry, who is the daughter of the murdered man. William immediately sets out on his task, but has considerable difficulty before he finally gets back the pearls and turns the murderer over to the police. CAST: Warren William, Joan Perry, Alan Baxter, Astrid Allwyn, Eric Blore, Montagu Love, Robert Wilcox, Don Beddoe, Fred A. Kelsey, Addison Richards, Roy Gordon, Harland I ucker, Peter Lynn. CREDITS: Producer, Fred Kohlmar; Director, Sidney Salkow; Screenplay, Harry Segall and Albert Duffy; Story, Daiton irumoo; eased on a novel oy Joseph Vance; Cameraman, Henry Freunch; Editor, Al Clark. DIRECTION, Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Censorship Fee Measure Reported Passed in Brazil (Continued from Page 1) over of newsreels is expected by legislative channels in that country. Currently, representations are being made via the American diplomatic channels to the Brazilian Government protesting the latter's action, since, it is claimed, legislation which has just been passed violates both the spirit and letter of the existing trade pact between the two countries. The pact calls specifically for a status in which U. S. commercial products, including films, will not be placed in a position more subservient than that which they occupied at the time of the pact's effectuation. What The Brazilian Government appears to be striving for specifically is that newsreels from that country shall be shown in the U. S. in some proportionate degree to the exhibition of American newsreels in American houses. Farren Will Freelance William A. (Bill) Farren, network and Paramount newsreel announcer, has resigned after seven years from the NBC announcing staff to freelance. Farren has established business headquarters with Voices, Inc., in the RCA Building. "The Invisible Killer" with Grace Bradley, Roland Drew, William Newell Producers Distributing Corp. 61 Mins. LIVELY RACKET MELLER WIlIJVlT IN NEATLY AS SECOND ATTRACTION ON NABE BILLS. Nabe audiences will be satisfied with this release as a second attraction on local bills. Film is lively and has plenty of acton to keep it moving. Story deals with the smashing of a racket ring. Grace Bradley is attractive and able as a reporter, and Roland Drew is equally good as a hard nitting police lieutenant. William Newell, Alex Callam, Frank Coletti, Sydney Grayler, and a cast of capable players support them. Miss Bradley has a considerable amount of inside information on the local gambling ring. Drew worries about this with trouble brewing in several quarters. Murder, more murder and attempted murder keep Drew busy until he and Miss Bradley clean up the gang in a fast climax. CAST: Grace Bradley, Roland Drew, William Newell, Alex Callam, Frank Coletti, Sydney Grayler, Glen Wilenchick, Boyd Irwin, Jeanne Kelly, David Oliver, Harry Worth, Ernie Adams. CREDITS: Produced by Producers Pictures Corp.; Director, Sherman Stout; Original Story, Carter Wayne; Cameraman, Jack Greenhalgh; Editor, H. N. Todd. DIRECTOR, O.K. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Local Republic Sales Meet Inaugurates Regional Series Eastern regional sales meet of Republic opens today in the New York Athletic Club, paving the way for further sessions set for Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, and Los Angeles. Plans for company operations in the next quarter will be discussed, and progress in the last quarter reviewed. On the agenda today will be interchanges of delegates' views on the distribution of the company's de luxe production, "Dark Command," which is scheduled for release on or about March 1. Franchise holders and branch managers from the Eastern territories will participate in the local huddle. The Chicago meeting tomorrow will be held in the Drake Hotel; the Atlanta conclave on Feb. 15 in the Henry Grady Hotel; Dallas, on Feb. 17, in the Hotel Adolphus; and the final meet at Republic's studios in North Hollywood on Feb. 19. Bondholders Accept Offer Chicago — Majority of the bondholders of the Sheridan Theater Building at 4038 Sheridan Road, have accepted the offer to sell their interest to William J. McCormack for $155,000. The American National Bank and Trust Company is trustee. The 2,649-seater is leased to the Greater Chicago Theater Corp., an Essaness subsidiary, on a long-time lease.