The Film Daily (1936)

DAILV Friday, Dec. 11,1936 :< * TlevUws o% #*£ View TU*n& # d "MORE THAN A SECRETARY" with Jean Arthur, George Brent Columbia 77 mins. LIGHT BIT OF FROTH THAT HAS ITS LAUGHING MOMENTS BUT WONT BUST RECORDS ANYWHERE. Another of the office secretary cycle, served with the light touch and not to be taken seriously. Five writers receive credit of a sort for their participation in turning out this one, and that may account for the fact that the story simply did not seem to jell effectively. It wanders along at times as if seeking some place to alight and get going with a purpose and a clear notion of what the climax is going to be. Jean Arthur is an efficiency stenog who learns from a dumb blonde how to handle bosses in the business world. As secretary to the editor of a health mag, George Brent finds her efficient but she finds him a pain in the neck when the dumb little blonde is hired by him as a stenog and he goes for her in a foolish moment. So his sec quits the job, goes off on a vacation, and the editor in desperation realizes he loved her all the time. He gets her back to the office by a ruse, and so the happy ending. Jean Arthur is very stereotyped in her part. George Brent acts as if he hadn't been sold on his part, either. Lionel Stander does his stooge part for the editor, but they didn't give him the lines or the business to score with. Director Alfred E. Green did wonders with a script that called for plenty of directorial bolstering. Cast: Jean Arthur, George Brent, Lionei Slander, Ruth Donnelly, Reginald Denny, Dorothea Kent, Charles Halton, Geraldine Hall. Producer, Everett Riskin; Director, Alfred E Green; Authors, Ethel Hill, Aben Kandell, Mat Taylor; Screenplay, Dale Van Every, Lynn Starling; Editor, Al Clark; Cameraman, Henry Freulich. Direction, Good Photography, Very Good. SHORTS Screen Snapshots — Series 16, No. 3 Columbia 10 mins. Stars by Wholesale One of the best of the series. It moves fast, and introduces scores of Hollywood stars and tennis celebs. The Pacific Southwest tennis tournament is filmed, and this allows opportunity to give close-ups of the stars as they watch from the stands. Two very exciting matches are shown in the tournament. The fans will go for this one in a big way, for the lineup of studio celebs has probably never been equalled for number in any shoi-t. There are literally scores of them seen at close range and in characteristic poses. Photographed by Robert Toby. "Sus-Ti-Ka" DuWorld 10 mins. Scenic Wonders The wonders of the Northwest country are presented in Magnacolor, with a well handled narration bringing out graphically the fine points of the various scenic spectacles presented. Among the highlights are the grandeurs of Mount Shasta and the famous cascades. An old mining town is seen, and nearby the first joss house erected in America. Then come some gorgeous scenes in Trinity County, famed as America's Switzerland. The government's fish hatchery, largest in the nation, is shown. Then into the high snow country, with close-ups of the crater in Lassen Volcanic National Park. The closing sequences present the changing scene of geysers, hot springs, the animal life and the skiing down steep mountainsides. Pi-oduced by Bruce Merman. "A Story of A Rose" DuWorld 10 mins. Pleasing Fantasy . . An old Irish grandpa tells his granddaughter the story of a faded rose. It is a typical fairy story of the Emerald Isle, all about elfins and goblins and the little men of the forest. They come to the help of a poor shepherd lad who is in love with a princess, by providing him with a beautiful rose which she is anxious to possess. The story finishes with grandma coming in to complete the story as the child asks if the story ends with the lovers living happily ever after. The children will like this as a Holiday offering with the special technique of cartoons and marionettes combined with the human actors. Done in Cinecolor. Produced by Smith & Wood. Directed by George Cleveland. Andy Clyde in "Love Comes to Mooneyville" Columbia 18 mins. Good Laffs A typical hicktown comedy, with Andy Clyde as the sheriff, and Bob McKenzie as the volunteer fire chief, find themselves rivals for the affections of a widow (Esther Howard). The competition is fierce, with both of them playing tricks to get each other out of the widow's home as they go courting. The fire chief is away out in front when he gets the widow to go to a dance with him, but Andy evens things up as a fire burns the rival's store and he is left with the widow in his arms. Pro j duced by Jules White. Directed by Preston Black. i "Zizzy Ducks" (Scrappy Cartoon) Columbia 7 ming Lively This cartoon features a duck hunt with Scrappy and Oopy in then boat hitting everything but thi ducks. They are getting frantic ai their ammunition is being used uj and no ducks to show for it. Th< climax has the youngsters tumbling out of bed, for it was all a night mare. Story by Art Davis. "Plane Devils" (News World of Sports) Columbia 9 mins An assembly of old library shot of the early airplanes, from th( Wright Brothers experiments right down to the present day. Some exciting crashes are shown in th< earlier planes and also some thril! shots of modern daredevils doing their stunts and risking their necks A fast reel with plenty of excitement. Narrative by Jack Kofoed Described by Ford Bond. "A Boy and His Dog" (Color Rhapsody) Columbia 7 mins. Very Good The story of a little boy who wa always teasing his dog, and hi mother warned him of the conse quences when the dog grew up \ be bigger than he was. The youn] ster falls asleep, and in his drean the doggie becomes a monster th: makes his life miserable by toi menting him as he had been in th habit of worrying the pup. Has good moral for the kids that wi please the mothers. Produced b? Charles Mintz in Technicolor. Story by Sid Marcus. DETROIT M. A. Tork, has been appointed manager of the Booth Theater formerly the Gladwin Park by Julius D. London, owner. Sol Krim, circuit owner, has been in the hospital suffering from grippe. Election of officers for the Detroit Variety Club is scheduled to be held today. Gus Coplan, veteran Detroit owner, formerly of the Columbia, has opened the new Vanity Theater at Windsor, across the river in Canada, in partnership with William Furlong, K. C. Cronin, and A. D. Cronin. Plans for a 400-seat theater at Lake Odessa are announced by H. H. Chase, operator of the Diamond Theater there. New Avon Theater has opened at Rochester. Formerly the Idle Hour, it was remodelled by Bennett and Straight, theatrical architects, of Detroit. DENVER OMAHA New publicity director at the Denham is John Echols from Fort Wayne, Ind. Allan B. Cooper, former assistant manager in charge of publicity, has gone to Los Angeles. Homestake Milling & Mining Co. have sold the Homestake opera house to the Black Hills Amusement Co., of Deadwood, S. D. Harry Nolan is vacationing on his ranch in Brownsville, Texas. Ross Labart, who already runs a portable circuit and film delivery route, has now started selling Buicks on the side. Seen driving new Buicks are Harry Nolan, Ort O'Connell, Bob Kane, Gene Gerbase and Frank Sheffield. It's a new girl at the home of Max Gilbert, shipping clerk at the Columbia exchange. L. L. Dent, Westland Theaters, Inc., is back in town from his ranch in Ramah, N. M. Eddie C. Rohr, engineer for ERPI, United Artists Manager D. V. McLucas is combatting an attack of neuritis at Excelsior Springs, Mo. Pre-Holiday shifts by Grand National brought Salesman Ed Solig to the Omaha office from Milwaukee for two weeks and sent Larry Hensler to the Des Moines office until Jan. 1. M-G-M's annual office party will be held the third Saturday in January. The committee in charge includes Hazel Andersen, Elaine Anderson, Mrs. Frank Sanders and Jane Stam. Assistant Manager Johnny Quinlan of the Brandeis is visiting his folks in Minneapolis. is now at the Seattle office, on transfer. J. H. Moran has bought the Isis theater at Red Lodge, Mont. He will reopen it as the Park theater after installation of new equipment and remodelling and redecorating. MINNEAPOLIS Ed Rubin opened his Hollywo in LaCrosse, Wis., last week. T Bolnick is manager, and John Di' tenhoffer assistant manager. Moe Levy has been promoted to district manager for Fox here, and '' Joe Podoloff has been made branch manager for 20th Century-Fox. John Cliplef is in town from Devils Lake, N. D., his father \i very ill. Dave Gillman has purchased a house in Merrill, Wis. GB Film For RKO Circuit "Everything Is Thunder" GB's screen adaptation of the famous novel by Jocelyn Lee Hardy, has been booked to play over the entire RKO Metropolitan Circuit. The picture will play in the New York theaters commencing Dec. 22, and in the j Brooklyn theaters starting Jan. 5.