Harrison's Reports (1939)

70 HARRISON'S REPORTS May 6, 1939 "Union Pacific" (Paramount, May 5 ; running time, 135 min.) An outstanding epic of the development of the great west. It is so well produced that, despite its length, it holds one's interest undiminished to the very end. What makes this picture different, and better, from other pictures of this kind that have been produced in the past is the fact that the action is logical, particularly in the critical situations. One of such situations is where the hero is shown clashing with a bully : the hero had learned that a bully had intimidated the workers into stopping work. He reaches the place and finds him breaking up the wheelbarrows and the shovels, and brandishing an ax, threatening to wield it on any worker who would even touch a shovel, let alone do any work. The hero approaches him in a mild manner ; he then takes a shovel, and digs a bit of ground with it. When the bully was about to bring the ax down on him, he throws the dirt in the bully's eyes, incapacitating him. From that point on, lie had the bully on the "run." That naturally breaks the spell he had on the workers. This situation should cause the spectators to roar with laughter, in approval with what the hero had done. Another thrilling episode is that which shows the Sioux Indians chopping down the posts that held the water tank, and wrecking the train, killing every one of the occupants except McCrea, Stanwyck and Preston. The attack of the Indians on the train is realistic in the extreme. The picture is just full of such tense episodes. The story deals with the efforts of those who believed in the development of the west and who felt that this could be accomplished by building the Union Pacific Railroad, for only thus could the west and the east be brought together. Put a money man (Henry Kolkcr), seeing an opjwrtunity to profit by their failure, engages a ruffian (Brian Donlevy) to put obstacles in the way of their progress. Donlevy follows the end of the line with gambling paraphernalia, liquor and girls, until the promoters of the railroad engage the hero (Joel McCrea) to drive them out, and thus make it possible for them to complete the railroad on time to get the right for the extension to San Francisco. After efforts that put his life and the lives of his pals (Akim Tamiroff and Lynn Overman ) in danger. McCrea succeeds in driving out the villain, bringing about the railroad's completion. He also wins as a wife Barbara Stanwyck, who was the nostmistress of the railroad at the end of the track, moving her postoffice as the track moved ahead. Cecil B. DcMille produced and directed it, from an adaptation by Jack Cunningham, of a story by Ernest Haycox. The screen play was written by Walter DeLeon, C. Gardner Sullivan and Jesse Lasky, Jr. Class A. "Romance of the Redwoods" with Charles Bickford, Jean Parker. Gordon Oliver and Pat O'Malley (Columbia, March 24; time. 67 min.) Fair lumber mill melodrama, with a forest fire as the outstanding feature. The theme is that of two men loving one woman, but it is not very exciting or novel. There is a little human interest, and the love affair between the heroine and the one of the two heroes she loves is fairly interesting. The tempo is fairly fast. Charles Bickford, logger in a lumber mill, is secretly in love with Jean Parker, whom he had reared ever since her father had died. Gordon Oliver comes to the camp seeking a job. The boss would not hire him because he doubted whether he would do, but Bickford prevails on him to change his mind. Bickford takes Oliver under his protection. Oliver saves Bickford's life when the clamp holding the log on the saw table became disengaged, and Bickford is grateful. But Bickford's heart breaks when he learns that Oliver loved Jean and was loved by her. The same accident that happened to Bickford happens to Oliver, but Bickford was too far away to take any action to save his life. Bickford is accused of having deliberately murdered Oliver, jealousy being given as the motive. He is tried but is acquitted. All the lumber camp workers, however, believe him to be guiltv and shun him. Bickford, unable to bear the isolation, decides to leave. A forest fire breaks out and the lives of the very men who were against him are endangered. He is asked to save them, because only he knew of the forest trails. At first he refuses, but soon he changes his mind and goes to their rescue. After being rescued, the loggers change their minds about Bickford. He and Jean at last find happiness in marriage. The plot has been founded on the Jack London story. Michael Simmons wrote the screen play, and Charles Vidor directed it. In the cast are Alan Bridge, Ann Shoemaker, Lloyd Huges and others. Suitability, Class A. "The Lady's From Kentucky" with George Raft, Ellen Drew and Hugh Herbert (Paramount , April 28; /i;;ic, 76 min.) A fair drama. The action centers around the breeding of horses and horse racing, and is, therefore, limited in its appeal. The plot is pretty thin; before the picture is half finished, the spectator, knowing how it will end, loses interest in the outcome. With the exception of two exciting races, the action is slow, dealing for the most part with the breeding of horses and the ethics of racing. The performances are adequate enough, considering the fact that the players were up against trite material. Hugh Herbert and Zasu Pitts supply the lighter mood and do it well. The romance 1 is pleasant : — George Rait, a bookmaker, who had risen to prosperity only to lose everything in one race, is consoled by bis friend (Hugh Herbert), who worked with him. While going through his papers, Raft discovers an assignment giving him half ownership in a race horse that was being raised on a Kentucky farm owned by Ellen Drew. She is shocked when she learns the truth, but tries to make the best of things. Raft's attitude towards racing sickens her, for he was concerned only with what he could make out of it. Against her orders, he race-, the horse. Although the horse wins, the effort was too much for him, for he was young ; for a time it seems that he would die. Raft is sorry for what he had done, but Miss Drew refuses to talk to him. With good care, the horse recovers and is trained further by Miss Drew. On the day of the big race, Miss Drew is informed that she would have to scratch her horse because of Raft's reputation. But Raft delivers to the Racing Commissioner a release of his share to Miss Drew. The horse is allowed to run; despite an injury, he comes through the winner. The injury meant, however, that his racing days were over. Miss Drew, sorry for having mistrusted Rait, begs his forgiveness; they are reconciled, and look forward to marriage. Rowland Brown wrote the story, and Malcolm S. Boyland, the screen play; Alexander Hal! directed it, and Jeff Lazarus produced it. In the cast are Louise Beavers, Lew Payton, Forrester Harvey, Edward J. Pawley, and others. Suitability, Class A. "Calling Dr. Kildare" with Lew Ayres, Lionel Barrymore, Laraine Day and Laria Turner (MGM, April 28; time. 86 min,) Very good. It is one of those pictures that should please almost every one who sees it, for there is comedy in almost every foot of the film ; there is also human interest, and the spectator is held in pretty tense suspense. The comedy is caused by the talk and acts of Mr. Barrymore ; it is the kind that should appeal to class audiences as well as to the masses. The way Mr. Barrymore handles the situation in his desire to save Lew Ayres, the hero, from serious consequences and to help him become a real doctor gives one great pleasure. The only discordant note is the fact that the young doctor is not punished for having violated the ethics of his profession by having failed to report that he had treated a young man with a bullet in his chest. But the other doings are so pleasurable that the spectator will, no doubt, fail to take this infraction into much account: — As in the previous "Kildare" picture, Mr. Ayres is a young doctor, bent upon learning his profession well, and Mr. Lionel Barrymore. the ingenious diagnostician. Mr. Barr\more, crippled but still "alive," treats young Ayres with, what appeared to be. unjustified harshness. But Ayres never wavers in his belief that Barrymore is a great doctor. Barrymore, to give Ayres a chance to get "down to earth," dis.-harges him as his assistant in the hospital and has him transferred to a field clinic ; at the same time, he assigns a trusted nurse (Laraine Day) to report his doings. Ayres is called out on an emergency case but finds that the case was that of a young man with a bullet in his chest. The wounded boy's sister comes to the basement where the patient was kept and convinces Ayres that her brother had not murdered the man the newspapers had written about. Convinced of the young man's innocence, Ayres fails to report the case. This eventually gets him into great trouble, from which only the ingenuity of Barrymore is able to extricate him. In the end, Ayres proves that the young man whom he had treated was innocent, and brings about the murderer's arrest. Max Brand wrote the story, and Harry Ruskin and Willis Goldbeck, the screen play: Harold S. Bucquet directed it. In the cast are Nat Pendleton, Samuel S. Hinds, Lynne Carver and Emma Dunn. Suitability, as well as quality, Class A. Tempo, pretty fast.