Harrison's Reports (1939)

2 HARRISON'S REPORTS January 7, 1939 "Topper Takes a Trip" with Constance Bennett and Roland Young (United Artists, January 12; time, 80 min.) This fantastic comedy, which is a sequel to the first "Topper" picture, is only mildly entertaining. Those who saw the other one will find little in this to entertain them, for the comedy is caused in the same way — that is, hy the materialization and dematerialization of one of the characters and of her dog; what was novel then is just slightly boresome now. In the very beginning, parts of the old picture are used in order to explain to those who did not see it what the whole thing is about — during those scenes Cary Grant appears. The fact that he does not appear later is to the picture's detriment, for he is missed. Moreover, none of the other players are strong box-office attractions. In the development of the plot. Miss Bennett comes back to earth because she felt her work had not been completed. Reading that Roland Young's wife (Billie Burke) was divorcing him because of his escapades with her on her former visit to earth, Miss Bennett decides to help him. Young, remembering the trouble Miss Bennett had caused him, begs her to go away, but she refuses. They follow Miss Burke to Paris where, in company with a friend (Verree Teasdale), she had gone for her divorce. Naturally Miss Bennett embarrasses Young when in public places, but invisible to the public, she pushes him around causing him to stumble. Finding out that an impoverished Baron was trying to marry Miss Burke for her money, she suddenly appears in his room, making it look as if she were on intimate terms with him. Miss Burke is shocked. Finally, through Miss Bennett's efforts, Young and Miss Burke are reconciled. Feeling that her work was completed, Miss Bennett prepares to leave the earth to join her husband. Thorne Smith wrote the story, and Eddie Moran, Jack Jevnc, and Corey Ford, the screen play; Norman Z. McLeod directed it, and Milton H. Bren produced it. In the cast are Alan Mowbray, Franklin Pangborn, Alexander D'Arcy, and others. Not particularly suitable for children. Suitability, Class B. "Trade Winds" with Fredric March and Joan Bennett ( United Artists, December 22 ; time, 93l/> min.) Just a fair comedy-melodrama. The story is extremely thin and unbelievable ; one of its weakest points is the fact that, for the sake of comedy, the detective is made dumb. His actions lack comedy ; as a matter of fact they are so silly that they tend to weaken the story dramatically. The background, with the exception of just a few interior sets, is made up of processed shots of different foreign ports ; this might be acceptable to patrons who enjoy travelogues, btu the average audience may resent it. At times the action lags, particularly in the romantic scenes ; the most exciting part of the picture is the end, where the hero traps the murderer. The romance is developed in the routine way : — Overcome with grief at the suicide of her sister, Joan Bennett goes to see the man (Sidney Blackmer) responsible for it. In a jesting mood, he hands her a gun asking her to shoot him, and that is just what she does. Thinking that she had killed him, she runs away. Blackmer's body is found by the police, with Miss Bennett's purse near it. The police inspector decides to send Fredric March, a private detective, in search of Miss Bennett ; knowing March's weakness for pretty girls, he sends Ralph Bellamy, a sober, serious but rather silly detective, along with March. Their search takes them to many foreign ports ; March finally catches up with Miss Bennett. They fall deeply in love with each other, and everything is serene until Miss Bennett finds out who March is. March pleads with her to have faith in him ; he even shows willingness to give up his career just to protect her. But, since the police knew where March was, and had ordered Miss Bennett's arrest, March insists on taking her back himself, pretending that he was doing so just for the $100,000 reward offered by Blackmer's father. Miss Bennett is disgusted, not knowing that March wanted to use the money to obtain proof of her innocence. Through a ruse, he finally accomplishes this, proving that Miss Bennett had used a gun with blanks, and that the jealous husband of one of Blackmer's women friends, who had witin i d the scene, had entered and actually killed Blackmer. Miss Bennett and March are joyfully reunited. Tay Garnett wrote the story and directed the picture ; Dorothv Parker, Alan Campbell, and Frank R. Adams wrote the screen play, and Walter Wanger produced it. In the cast are Ann Sothern, Thomas Mitchell, Robert Elliott, and others. Suitability, Class B. "Pacific Liner" with Victor McLaglen, Chester Morris and Wendy Barrie (RKO, January 6 ; time, 75 min.) A pretty depressing program melodrama. Most of the action takes place in the boiler and engine rooms oi a large ocean-going liner, where the crew, some of whom were suffering from cholera contracted from a Chinese stowaway, are kept virtual prisoners so as to prevent the disease from spreading. There is not much movement, and just slight comic relief; everything centers around the trapped m"n and their reactions to their misfortune. Spectators with delicate stomachs may shudder at the sight of the men putting dead bodies into the furnaces to be burned, this being done as a means of precaution ; also at the unpleasantness of watching men collapse one by one, having contracted the disease. A romance has been worked into the plot, but it does not help matters much. No fault can be found with the individual performances; it is just that the material lacks dramatic power. The character that is impersonated by McLaglen is egotistical : — A Chinese stowaway is discovered by Victor McLaglen, chief engineer of a large passenger liner bound for San Francisco, who insists on putting him to work. But the man collapses ; upon examining him, Chester Morris, the ship's doctor, discovers that the man was suffering from cholera. He dies; his body is burned in the furnace. Morris issues orders that no man was to leave his post, so that the disease would not spread to the passengers. Ho sets to work trying U) prevent the men from contracting the disease, but he has a difficult time. McLaglen, who was infatuated with Wendy Barrie, the ship's nurse, suggests that she visit Morris, knowing that once she was down below she would not be permitted to return to her own quarters, and he would thus have a chance to make love to her. She helps Morris, with whom she was in love, but from whom she had parted because of his incurable desire to wander all over the world. When McLaglen is stricken, the remaining memb',r« of the crew try to revolt and leave the boiler room, but McLaglen gets out of his sick bed in time to prevent them. Finally the ship gets to port, without any of the passengers realizing what had happened; McLaglen recovers. Miss Barrie finally agrees to marry Morris. Anthony Coldeway and Henry R. Symonds wrote the story, and John Twist, the screen play ; Lew Landers directed it, and Robert Sisk produced it. In the cast are Alan Hale, Barry Fitzgerald, Allan Lane, Halliwcll Hobbes, and others. Too depressing for children. Adult fare. Class B. "The Girl Downstairs" with Franchct Tone, Franciska Gaal and Walter Connolly (MGM, December 23 ; time, 76 min.) Just a mildly entertaining comedy. The production is extremely lavish, but the story is artificial, tiring one. It seems a pity to waste the talents of good actors like Franchot Tone and Walter Connolly in anything so silly as this, for, in spite of their efforts, they are so handicapped by the material that they fail to make an impression. One or two spots provoke laughter ; but for the most part the antics of the characters are far from amusing : — Franchot Tone, a wealthy playboy, is in love with Rita Johnson, daughter of millionaire Connolly, who opjwses the match. Connolly orders his servants not to allow Tone to enter the house. But Tone, determined to outwit Connolly, makes friends with the scullery maid (Franciska Gaal), the one servant who did not know who he was. He pretends to be his own chauffeur ; Miss Gaal, an unsophisticated country girl, falls madly in love with him. When she arrives at his apartment with a note from Miss Johnson, Tone carries on the deception ; a friend visiting him pretends to be the master and "discharges" Tone. Thinking she had been the cause of it all, Miss Gaal invests her savings to buy a dilapidated taxicab so that Tone might earn a living. Touched by her kindness, he takes her out again ; he then realizes that he loved her. She learns of the deception when Tone arrives at a party given to celebrate his engagement to Miss Johnson ; she did not know that he planned to break the engagement. She leaves the house so as to go back to her farm home ; Tone, in order to prevent her from leaving, enters a charge against her with the police. They find her at the station and arrest her ; Tone obtains her release. They are reconciled. Sandor Hunyady wrote the story, and Harold Goldman, Felix Jackson and Karl Noti, the screen play ; Norman Taurog directed it, and Harry Rapf produced it. In the cast are Reginald Gardner, Reginald Owen, Franklin Pangborn, and others. Suitability, Class A.