The Film Daily (1934)

DAILY » REVIEWS « "HAPPINESS AHEAD" with Dick Powell, Josephine Hutchinson First National 86 mins. \ clicks strong with wholesome ihuman interest drama and swell Romance that will get the fEMMES. Mervyn Le Roy comes through with a ?rand human interest document filled with delightful and natural touches that are sound to panic the femmes of high and low degree. But perhaps initial credit must be given to Harry Sauber for writing 3 down-to-earth original without any Hollywood hoke and plenty of the stuff that brings a catch in the throat and a smile to the lips at the same time. And that's a type of writing very scarce on the screen. Josephine Hutchinson comes through as a great bet with an extremely natural and charming personality that grows on you. And how that girl can troupe! A grand team — she and Dick Powell, the latter doing the best work of his career in this one. It is a Reverse Cinderella story — with the rich girl playing at being a poor girl so she can get some real happiness and romance out of life. And Powell sings a couple of songs — especially a sort of theme song throughout — that fits in perfectly to plot development and makes the lavish musicals look weak stacked against this production's swell human interest story. Cast: Dick Powell, Josephine Hutchinson, John Halliday, Dorothy Dare, Frank McHugh, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly, Marjorie Gateson, Russell Hicks, Mary Louise Treen, J. M. Kerrigan, Mary Russell, Gavin Gordon, Mary Forbes. Director, Mervyn LeRcy; Author, Harry Sauber; Screen play, Harry Sauber, Brian Marlow; Editor, Bill Clemens; Cameraman, Tony Gaudio. Direction, Excellent. Photography, Very Good. SHORTS George Sidney and Charlie Murray in "Back to the Soil" Columbia 20 mins. Good Comedy Just the type of hokum and slapstick that will get plenty of laughs from the family audiences. George Sidney and Charlie Murray do a "back to nature," and in their prospecting for gold they dig up a cache of coins and currency. As a result of their inexperience with the outdoors, they also catch colds, which they try to cure by rubbing themselves with tubes of stuff that is supposed to be medicinal but actually is limburger. The smell, of which they are ignorant due to their congested heads, results in their being kicked off a train with their dough and all. • • • TRUE ROMANCE that tells the sprightly story of how a Great Picture Idea and a Great Merchandising Idea got together for the mutual benefit of their creators the Industry the Public and a slew of smart manufacturers who are Cleaning Up we refer to the Walt Disney Enterprises . . and Kay Kamen merchandising specialist incidentally, this is Mickey Mouse's Official Birthday Story his sixth birthday being Oct. 1. • • • A DECADE ago Walt Disney was busy experimenting in a Kansas City garage with the new technique of picture production called "animated cartoons" at the same time a young man named Kamen was traveling from city to city gaining the respect and confidence of business men everywhere as a merchandising counselor • • • THEN IT came to pass that Disney moved to Hollywood, financed by his brother Roy (Walt had tried unsuccessfully to peddle a half -interest in his cartoon idea for a song, with no takers) meanwhile Mister Kamen had established his headquarters in Kansas City soon the industry began to take notice of these Disney Cartoons for the public was starting to go for 'em while the merchandising world was starting to note the amazingly successful work of Kamen in developing children's business for department stores • • • HERE WAS a logical and natural community of interests Disney had something definite to offer the merchandising world Kamen had something tangible to offer the motion picture world it was inevitable that they would get together and today leaders of American industry representing a capitalization of over a billion dollars manufacture Mickey Mouse Merchandise articles sold in over 100, 000 retail stores in the Youessay Disney branch offices are established in almost every important city in the world and it is all predicated on a marvelous "control" system of the merchandising activities Mister Kamen's organization maintains the dignity and prestige of the Disney Cartoons in the Disney Merchandise an Unbeatable Combination the greatest merchandising publicity plan ever born in the motion pix industry that goes on forever and ever what a Stunt! • • • AS AN indication of the importance of the Trailer in his expert judgment that advertising specialist, A. P. Waxman extended himself on behalf of that pix "Gambling" the joint collaboration of Harold Franklin and George M. Cohan Mister Waxman sold the idea to both of 'em that an important pix deserved a special trailer so the result was that Mister Cohan did a very original trailer on the production he authored and starred in doing it in the inimitable Cohan manner with Rowland V. Lee, no less directing the trailer for the pix he directed incidentally, Director Lee finished "Gambling" four days ahead of schedule • • • OVER AT the Eastern Service studio Al Christie is directing a one-reeler by Wynn, the astrologer in which he will make some startling predictions Wynn has forecast some big events that have brought him world-wide fame Mae West is writing a novel based on her current "Belle of the Nineties" The Chinese Consul General and officials of his staff will attend the showing of "Chu Chin Chow" at the Roxy tonite »DATE BOOK« Sept 28-Ocr. 1: First convention of First Division Exchanges, Park Central Hotel, New York. Oct. 1-2: Meeting of G. F. T. A. Independent Thealer Owners Ass'n. Robert Fulton Hotel, Atlanta. Oct. 1-3: National Film Carriers convention, Statler Hotel, Detroit. Oct. 3-4: Annual convention of Allied Independent Theater Owners of Wisconsin, Hotel Schroeder, Milwaukee. Oct. 7-8: Annual convention of M.P.T.O. of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee (Tri-State), Memphis. Oct. 14: Pittsburgh Variety Club's Sixth Annual Banquet, William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh. Oct. 29-Nov. 1: S.M.P E. Fall Meeting Hotel Pennsylvania, New York. Nov 3: Cleveland Variety Club's first annual ball, Hotel Statler, Cleveland. Nov. 12: Annual ball sponsored by Motion Picture Post of American Legion, Hotel Statler. Boston. U. A. European Activities Being Centered in London (Continued from Page 1) Export Corp. by Universal, is regarded here as further indication of the movement to bring all supervision of European film markets to London. Maurice Silverstone, Florance M. Guedella and George Archibald are directors of the new U. A. company. When President Joseph M. Schenck of United Artists was here a short time ago he revealed that continental Europe was to be put under Silverstone's supervision. Previously that territory had been handled from Paris. « « « » » » Albert Stetson Transferred Salt Lake City — Albert Stetson, Fanchon & Marco representative here for the past year, has been transferred to Los Angeles, where he will be in charge of a first-run house. No changes at the Orpheum or Studio theaters here are contemplated. 13 Denver Holdovers in Year Denver — A total of 13 pictures were held over at local first-runs in the past year. One, "House of Rothschild," remained three weeks, with the current Mae West film, "Belle of the Nineties," likely to have a similar run. Helen Mehrmann Dies Oakland, Cal. — Helen Mehrmann, well-known comedienne in silent films and on the Broadway stage, died here Tuesday after a long illness. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced today. New Russian Short Ready "Baku to Dnieprostro," latest in the new series of Vagabond Adventure films made in Russia by Margaret Bourke-White for RKO Van Beuren, has been made ready for release.