Harrison's Reports (1938)

June 4, 1938 HARRISON'S REPORTS 91 "Kidnapped" with Warner Baxter, Freddie Bartholomew and Arleen Whelan (20th Century-Fox, May 27; time, 90 min.) A fairly good melodrama, centering around the Scottish rebellion during the 18th Century. It may do very well at the box-office because of the name values of the stars and of the publicity Miss Whelan has been receiving. Although it lacks real tense excitement, owing to a rather choppy script, there is enough in it to please the average picture-goer — romance, adventure, and human appeal. One's attention is held mainly because of the sympathy one feels for Freddie, a lad with principles, who becomes innocently involved with the leader of the rebels and meets with many mishaps before he comes into possession of an inheritance rightfully due him. A few of the situations hold one in tense suspense. One such situation is where Freddie's conniving uncle tries to send the boy to his death. The romance is fairly appealing: — Alan Breck (Warner Baxter), leader of the Scottish rebels who were fighting against the cruel tax system the English had imposed on them, is enraged when one of his men kills a tax collector. The only witness to the shooting was David Balfour (Freddie), who was on his way to his uncle's castle. Breck is, therefore, compelled to take David with him. David at first hates Breck, for he believed that the rebels were criminals, but association with Breck makes him change his mind. Breck insists that the man who had killed the tax collector must leave the country but, when the man insists that he would not leave without his fiancee Jean MacDonald (Miss Whelan), Breck promises to bring the girl to him at an appointed place. He and David travel with Jean and escape detection. David bids them goodbye, to go to his uncle's castle, promising not to talk. He is shocked at his uncle's attempt to kill him and learns, for the first time, that he was the rightful owner of the •estates. His uncle plots with an unscrupulous Captain to shanghai David; the plan works. Again David meets Breck, who was travelling with Jean towards their ■destination. The Captain finds out who Breck was; but before he could do anything, Breck, Jean, and David escape. With the help of Breck, David comes into rightful possession of his estates. But Breck is caught. Through David's intervention, Breck's sentence is commuted from hanging to exile. But Breck is not too unhappy for he and Jean had fallen in love with each other and, since her fiancee had run away without her, had decided to marry. The plot was adapted from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson; Sonya Levien, Eleanor Harris, Ernest Pascal and Edwin Blum wrote the screen play; Alfred Werker directed it, and Kenneth Macgowan produced it. In the cast are C. Aubrey Smith, Reginald Owen, John Carradine, Nigel Bruce, and others. Suitability, Class A. "Blond Cheat" with Joan Fontaine and Derrick DeMarney (RKO, June 17 ; time, 61 min.) This silly comedy won't mean much at the box-office. In addition to a weak story, the players, with the exception possibly of Joan Fontaine, are practically unknown to American audiences. The majority of the players are British and speak with a decided English accent; this gives one the feeling that the picture was produced in England instead of in Hollywood. The story lacks human appeal, for no one does anything to awaken sympathy. And the comedy is, for the most part, so forced that it fails to arouse laughter: — Cecil Kellaway is eager to break up his daughter's (Lilian Bond's) romance with Derrick DeHarney, a clerk in his office, whom his wife (Cecil Cunningham) considered desirable because of good family bark ground. By promising to put up the money for a show, Kellaway induces a producer and his star (Miss Fontaine) to enter into a scheme to compromise DeMarney. They do this by inducing DeMarney to give them a loan on earrings worn by Miss Fontaine. After the money had been turned over, they inform DeMarney that the earrings could not be removed and, therefore, he would have to keep Miss Fontaine under his care until the loan was repayed. This naturally complicates matters and brings about a break between DeMarney and Miss Bond. Eventually DeMarney learns about the scheme and is happy, for he had fallen in love with Miss Fontaine, who loved him; they are united. Aladar Laszlo wrote the story, and Charles Kaufman, Paul Yawitz, Viola Brothers Shore and Harry Segall, the screen play; Joseph Santley directed it, and William Sistrom produced it. In the cast are Robert Coofe, Olaf Hytten, and others. It is a little suggestive in spots; best suited for adults. Class B. "Holiday" with Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Doris Nolan and Lew Ayres (Columbia, June 15 ; time, 94 min.) Lavishly produced and capably acted and directed, this comedy-drama, which was first made by Pathe in 1930, with Ann Harding as the star, will direct its greatest appeal to class audiences. The story has been modernized by the addition of dialogue pertaining to present conditions; but somehow it lacks the vitality of its predecessor. Its one drawback, as far as the masses of today are concerned, is the fact that the story is developed entirely by dialogue; there is very little action. Yet, it is, in its way, good entertainment, for it has human appeal, comedy, and pathos; and it has been produced in the best of taste. One is in deep sympathy with the hero, the heroine, and the heroine's brother, three persons who suffer because of misunderstanding. The ending pleases one considerably: — When Doris Nolan, daughter of a millionaire banker (Henry Kolker), introduces her family to Cary Grant, a young self-made man with whom she had fallen in love, she brings great happiness to her sister (Katharine Hepburn), who hated the stuffiness and formality of their existence. Both Miss Hepburn and her brother (Lew Ayres) were different from the usual type of rich children, in that they longed for independence and wanted to associate with real people. Everything goes smoothly until Grant makes his plans known; it was his intention to marry Miss Nolan and go with her on a spree as long as his money would last, for he wanted to enjoy life while he was still young; after that he would settle down to work. But Miss Nolan and her father both object to such an idea, for Kolker was all set to take him into his firm. In the meantime, Miss Hepburn, who had fallen deepely in love with Grant, pleads with her sister to do what Grant wanted; but her sister asks her to mind her own business. Grant is willing to compromise by going to work in the bank; but when Kolker again becomes insistent about plans for the honeymoon and about where the couple should live, Grant realizes she was not meant for such a life and breaks the engagement. He leaves to join his two dearest friends who were sailing that night for Europe. Miss Hepburn, realizing that her sister had never really loved Grant, bids her family goodbye and rushes after Grant; he is happy to see her. The plot was adapted from the play by Philip Barry; Donald Ogden Stewart and Sidney Buchman wrote the screen play, George Cukor directed it, and Everett Riskin produced it. In the cast are Binnie Barnes, Edward Everett Horton, Jean Dixon, Henry Daniell, and others. Suitability, Class A.