Film and Radio Guide (Oct 1945-Jun 1946)

May, 1946 FILM AND RADIO GUIDE 51 lects subjects for investigation — subjects concerning t a x ation, collective bargaining, housing, distribution costs, foreign trade, national resources, cartels, monopolies, and similar topics. The Fund presents the results in the form of books, radio talks, motion pictures, pamphlets and teaching directions. The work has unusual value for schools and colleges. F. H. Law. ★ ★ ★ NEVER SAY GOODBYE. Social comedy. Warner Bros. James V. Kern, Director. Screen play by I. A. L. Diamond and James V. Kern. Original story by Ben and Norma Benzman. Recommended for all. Never Say Goodbye is an altogether pleasing comedy founded upon divorce — and incidentally, and at the same time strongly, emphasizing the harm that divorce does to children. Little Patti Brady plays the part of a seven-year-old girl set adrift on the sea of life by the quarrels of her parents, and hoping with all her heart to bring the two together again. Errol Flynn is the artist-father who has an eye for his models as well as for his art. Eleanor Parker is the beautiful, sharpsighted wife, eager to return to her husband but constantly discovering him in the company of another woman. The director and co-author, James V. Kern, skillfully avoided all that might prove heavy and serious and kept the entire production in the spirit of goodnature and good humor. To the humor of the picture-play S. Z. Sakall, as a sympathetic friend of all concerned, adds much. In the latter part of the action Forrest Tucker, as a more-than-sixfoot Marine, provides counteraction and suspense. Whimsical, farcical as Never Say Goodbye is, the story runs smoothly, constantly suggesting the coming of a happy ending, always showing the fundamental good nature of a quarreling pair, and at all times holding the sympathy of the audience. “Imagine,” says S. Z. Sakall as Luigi, the friendly restaurant keeper, “you take a girl out to dinner two or three hundred times and right away folks think you are interested in her.” Such malapropic remarks, and his constant blundering, help to lead the events on their merry — or temporarily semi-tragic — way. Never Say Goodbye is a cheerful, kindly play that enables us to laugh at others — and think a bit seriously also. F. H. Law. ★ ★ ★ NIGHT IN PARADISE. Satiric fable. Universal Pictures. Directed by Arthur Lubin. Recommended for all. Imaginary fable is woven around that master of fables, Aesop, his historical trip from Samos to visit, first, the rich Croesus, and, after that, the Delphic oracle. By means of lavish Technicolor, the romance of the story is heightened and the debaucheries of a dissolute court given the right setting. Although the plot seems more like that of a fairy tale, interest and suspense are maintained throughout. An excellent script provides the satiric note reminiscent of the operetta Helen of Troy, and it is always amusing to hear characters who belong to ancient history speak our vernacular. Even a minor comic role is played by such a talented actor as Ernest Truex, who was one of the hits in Helen of Troy. Children will love this film for its fantasy. Adults will enjoy it for its satire. All will appreciate the colorful, artistic sets and the competent acting. Carolyn Harrow. DO YOU LOVE ME? Musical romance. 20th-Fox. Gregory R a t o f f. Director. Screen play by Robert Ellis and Helen Logan. Based on a story by Bert Granet. Beautiful Maureen O’Hara transforms herself from a staid, plainly-dressed, extremely conservative head of a college of classical music and becomes a glamour girl of the first degree, a lover of swing and the wife of a crooner. Do You Love Me? shows the stages in opening the cocoon and letting the butterfly emerge. Necessarily, throughout all those stages we hear music and song — sometimes classical music, sometimes swing, and sometimes crooning. The motion-picture play is a charming melange of music, color, and romance. If one should object that the bespectacled dean of a college, brought up to be a conservative of the conservatives, would not be likely to be swept off her feet by love of feminine finery, and to forsake classical music for swing and crooning. Director Ratoff might reply, “Who said this is real? It is simply fantasy based on swing.” Throughout the action Harry James and his “million-dollar band” provide plenty of swing with the new songs, “Do You Love Me,” “As If I Didn’t Have Enough On My Mind,” “I Didn’t Mean a Word I Said,” and “Moonlight Propaganda.” In the course of events also we hear selections from Tschaikowski, Mozart, and Mendelssohn. Technicolor, costuming, and make-up give Maureen O’Hara glamour with a capital “G.” Because the story tells how she comes forth from the chrysalis, she makes the entire motion picture what it is, dominating its action from start to finish. General feminine yearning for physical beauty and fashionable dress appear to give popularity to a whole series of motion pic