The Film Daily (1941)

m~M* DAILY: Thursday, February 20, 1 :< :< REVI6UJS OF THE FI6UJ FILftlS ik A "Andy Hardy's Private Secretary" with Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Fay Holden Metro 101 Mins. SOCKO ENTERTAINMENT FOR ALL AUDIENCES; TOPS TO DATE FOR HARDY SERIES. Metro hits a new peak for the tremendously popular Hardy series with this release, the best to date in every respect. Exhibitors should do a land office business with the film as it is right down the alley as entertainment for all types of audiences. Metro should, by the same token, derive a heavy gross return. The story itself probably has more meat than previous releases, dealing as it does with the commencement of a high school class. There's plenty of down-to-earth reality in the form of a family from "across the tracks." The cast is excellent from top to bottom. Metro parades a new discovery in the picture, Katherine Grayson, who should go over with a bang with audiences. She has plenty of personal charm, considerable ability as an actress and a singing voice that is rich, cultured and capable of delivering anything from opera to modern music in a captivating style. Mickey Rooney outdoes himself as Andy Hardy, making the most of every situation whether it is comedy or serious business. Lewis Stone's portrayal of Judge Hardy could not be improved on, Fay Holden is fine as Mrs. Hardy, Sara Haden competently portrays Aunt Milly, Ann Rutherford fills the bill as Mickey's girl friend, and Ian Hunter, Todd Karris, Gene Reynolds and all the other members of the cast give sterling support to the principals. An expert directorial job is turned in by George B. Seitz. He never lets the action lag, he points every situation and keeps the characters well in hand throughout. Credit for the smoothly geared screenplay goes to Jane Murfin and Harry Ruskin. Picture is tops all around on the technical side with an excellent musical score by Herbert Stothart. Rooney, president and treasurer of the senior class at Carvel High, is also the head of numerous committees and busy with the play the class is giving at graduation. He appoints Miss Grayson as his private secretary and gives her brother, Karns, the job of chairman of the decorating committee. The two motherless children and their father, Hunter, have been having a tough time of things. Rooney's association with Miss Grayson makes his girl, Miss Rutherford mad, and Rooney has plenty of trouble on his hands. On top of this, he rewords a telegram that costs their father a job so they can stay for graduation, flunks his English course and gets himself generally in the doghouse. But a happy ending for everybody is contrived, and the picture should be a happy evening's entertainment for every audience. CAST: Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Fay Holden, Ann Rutherford, Sara Haden, Katherine Grayson, Ian Hunter, Gene Reynolds, George Breakstone, Todd Karns, Addison Richards, Margaret Early, Bertha Priestley, Joseph Crehan, Lee Phelps, John Dilson. CREDITS: Produced by M-G-M; Director, George B. Seitz; Screenplay, Jane Murfin and Harry Ruskin; Based on a story by Katherine Brush; Based on characters cre "Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga" with Lupe Velez, Leon Errol, Helen Parrish Universal 62 Mins. FAST-MOVING MUSICAL COMEDY HAS ABLE CAST OF COMEDIANS AND PLENTY OF LAUGHS FOR SMALLER HOUSES. Lupe Velez-Leon Errol & Company should get a good reception from audiences in the smaller houses in this release, latest in a series they have been making. Picture should fit nicely on double bills. Story is formula stuff, but there are plenty of gags, amusing situations, lots of music and good laugh lines to keep it moving along at a brisk pace which will hold attention. Director John Rawlins keeps the ball rolling from start to finish and makes the most of the laugh situations. Technically the picture is okay, with the briskly paced screenplay written by Larry Rhine, Ben Chapman, Stanley C. Rubin and Marion Orth. Miss Velez and Errol are amusing in the principal roles, Helen Parrish and Charles Lang provide the romantic interest, and William Frawley, Eddie Quillan, "Big Boy" Williams, Shemp Howard and Frank Mitchell help contribute to the laughs. Errol, posing as a South American, and his daughter, Miss Parrish, are en route to Havana to try and get Helen a job in a night club run by Madame La Zonga, Miss Velez. Frawley, also a phoney, is on the boat, and the two men shortly try to outwit each other. Also on the boat are Lang and his cowboy band, going to Havana to get a Latin background so they can get a job in New York. One thing leads to another, Errol cheats Frawley but gets hot money in return for his phoney stock and things pop generally. Everything is finally straightened out satisfactorily. CAST: Lupe Velez, Leon Errol, Helen Parrish, Charles Lang, William Frawley, Eddie Quillan, "Big Boy" Williams, Shemp Howard, Frank Mitchell. CREDITS: Associate producer, Joseph G. Sanford; Director, John Rawlins; Screenplay, Larry Rhine, Ben Chapman, Stanley C. Rubin and Marion Orth. DIRECTION, Fast. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. Briggs Defers Return From Coast to March 1 West Coast Bureau of THE FILM DAILY Hollywood — Initial preparations for PRC's 1941-42 program will keep Prexy O. Henry Briggs in Hollywood until March 1. Briggs will then return to New York, stopping off en route at PRC branches in Dallas, Charlotte, Atlanta, Washington, D. C, and Philadelphia to confer with franchise holders. T. H. (Ted) Richmond, who produced "Caught in the Act," for PRC, will make "South of Panama," a spy melodrama, from an original story by Sidney Sheldon and Ben Roberts. Pix starts March 10. ated by Aurania Rouverol; Cameraman, Lester White; Editor, Elmo Vernon. DIRECTION, Fine. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good. "Road Show" with Adolphe Menjou, Carole Landis, John Hubbard United Artists 87 Mins. AMUSING COMEDY SUITED TO ALL BUT TOP STANDS. LACK OF PACE AND LOGICAL ROMANCE ARE DRAWBACKS. All the ingredients are present in the Hal Roach-directed "Road Show" to make it a successful production, — but it rarely reaches expected potentialities for several reasons. Chief of these is apparent compromise 'twixt outright slapstick and smartness. The result is that it's neither. Secondly, the footage, while almost always amusing, is seldom uproarious and possessed of situations which "build." In other words, pace and progressive action are lacking. This might have been achieved if the film were not so lengthy, gags were better and more frequent, and had characterizations a little more human and sympathy-provoking been devised for Carole Landis and John Hubbard. The average filmgoer, loving romance, will find that element skipped-over so lightly that there is small solicitude evoked as to whether this boy and girl ever belong to one another. Somewhere along the line, Mr. Roach should have, — bromidic as it is and sounds, — brought the lovers down to scene or scenes which might make the onlooker feel a heart throb. But, shortcomings to the contrary, there is much worthwhile entertainment in the film for run-o'-mine fans. The cast is capable, particularly in the top spots, with Adolphe Menjou handling his assignment well as key comedian. The Charioteers sing very effectively, and the Hoagy Carmichael tunes are tip-top. Gem of song and individual rendition honors go to "I Should Have Known You Years Ago" and Carole Landis. This combo is bull's-eye stuff. The story is pretty superficial, recounting the romance of a wealthy playboy who is "railroaded" to an asylum, escapes, joins an itinerant carnival, and finds in its proprietress the girl of his dreams. "Road Show" doesn't pack enough real wallop for the big stands, but for average situations is okay. CAST: Adolphe Menjou, Carole Landis, John Hubbard, Charles Butterworth, Patsy Kelly, George E. Stone, Margaret Roach, Polly Ann Young, Edward Norris, Marjorie Woodworth, Florence Bates, Willie Best, The Charioteers. CREDITS: Director, Hal Roach; Author, Eric Hatch; Screenplay, Arnold Belgard, Harry Langdon, Mickell Novak; Associate Directors, Gordon Douglas, Hal Roach, Jr.; Director of Photography, Norbert Brodine; Photographic Effects, Roy Seawright; Editor, Bert Jordan; Art Director, Charles D. Hall; Set Decorations, W. L. Stevens; Sound Recording, William Randall; Assistant Director, Bernard Carr; Musical Score by George Stoll; Music by Hoagy Carmichael; Lyrics, Harris Robison, Stanley Adams. DIRECTION, Skillful. PHOTOGRAPHY, Fine. -■'■■ fORCIGn * Mitchell Plans New Mag. Curtis Mitchell, editor of Movie and Radio Guide, has resigned his position with the Annenberg Publications, Inc., to start research into the possibilities of a new type of publication. "The Dream Of Butterfly" (Italian dialogue, English titles) Esperia Films 96 M DAILY NEWS: Poignant dra musical excellence and liberal co; appeal make picture one of the fir, to ever come from Italian studios. NEW YORK TIMES: A ha-, wedding of the operatic and ciner tic has been effected by the prod ers of Puccini's "Madame Butterf] DAILY MIRROR: The picture m its attention for several reasons. CREDITS: Produced by Grandi Fill Director, Carmine Gallone. PLAYEl Maria Cebotari, Fosco Giachetti, Gem Paolieri. * SHORTS * "A Village In India" Paramount 11 mi Very Good Travelogue Filmed in Technicolor, a srfl village in India is depicted by camera. This village is no cen of tourist crossroads and the peo and their way of life are that mi more interesting. The daily exi ence of the peasant from dawn dusk is shown and a fire destrc the village in a climactic sequen Short is extremely intex-esting. 'More About Nostradamus" Metro 11 mi Tremendously Interesting Subjec Every audience should be int< ested in this short. Continuing series about the noted prognostical of the middle ages, this subj< brings even more startling pred tions to the screen that were ma by this occult man hundreds of yes ago. He predicts the downfall Hitler, he predicted the first a second World Wars, and other thin discovered in his writings are so t curate as to be unbelievable, b there they are for all to see. Third Dimensional Murder" Metro 7 mil Unusual and Interesting Some weird effects are achiev in this third dimensional short, thi in a series Metro has been makir and audiences should like it mensely. Use of special cardboa glasses are necessary for getting t effects of the unusual screen tec nique. There are plenty of thrills the subject. Pete Smith produc the reel.