Harrison's Reports (1941)

26 HARRISON'S REPORTS February 15, 1941 "Road Show" with Adolphe Menjou, Carole Landis and John Hubbard (United Artists, January 24 ; time, 86 min.) This comedy is made up of such a hodgepodge of nonsense that its appeal will be directed only to the most ardent followers of slapstick. It makes use of some pretty old gags to provoke laughter, but only on occasion do they prove amusing. It starts off well enough ; but it soon peters out, with poor results. The players try hard, but they are up against such poor material, that their struggle is a hopeless one : — Millionaire John Hubbard, on the day of his marriage to Polly Ann Young, suddenly gets frightened and pretends to have a fit. She sees through the trick and is so enraged that she has him placed in a sanitarium for the insane, threatening to keep him there until he promised to go through with the marriage. Hubbard cannot convince the doctors of his sanity. He becomes acquainted with Adolphe Menjou, one of the inmates, who claimed he was sane but found it more comfortable to live at the sanitarium, since his wealthy nephew (Charles Butterworth) paid all the bills. Menjou and Hubbard escape, and join a carnival show owned by Carole Landis. She learns that the police were after them, but, since she felt sorry for them, she permits them to stay with the show, even though it caused her inconvenience ; Hubbard does not tell her who he was. The show has bad luck. Menjou, in order to impress Miss Landis, claims that Hubbard was a famous lion tamer. She is overjoyed at the news, because with such an act, her carnival would become famous. Hubbard is terrified when he has to get in the cage ; he climbs out through the top and one of the lions follows ; this causes a riot, but they finally get the lion back in the cage. Menjou leads the carnival to Butterworth's estate ; he orders them to set up their tents. Then he invites Butterworth and his friends to pay them a visit, his intention being to charge them high prices. But a gang of rowdies, angry at being kept out, break up the circus. Hubbard, whose secretary had found him, orders the man to buy an up-to-date carnival, which he eventually presents to Miss Landis. They are united. Eric Hatch wrote the story, and Arnold Belgard, Harry Langdon and Mickell Novak, the screen play ; Hal Roach directed and produced it. In the cast are Patsy Kelly, George E. Stone, Margaret Roach, Willie Best, and others. Suitability, Class A. "Petticoat Politics" with Roscoe Karns and Ruth Donnelly (Republic, January 31 ; time, 66 min.) This latest addition to the "Higgins Family" series is a slapstick comedy, limited in its appeal. The story is silly, and the comedy is of the nerve-racking type that tires instead of amusing one. It may go over in neighborhood theatres where the family trade is not too exacting in their demands ; but intelligent audiences will find the whole thing pretty tiresome : — Ruth Donnelly becomes worried when an insurance salesman tells her that men who retire do not live long ; her husband (Roscoe Karns) had just retired from business in order to live a life of ease on his annuity policy income. She tries to induce him to do little things around the house, but he bungles everything and in the end proves to be more of a nuisance than a help. Miss Donnelly hits upon a solution — to have Karns nominated to run as Mayor against the crooked politician who was in office. At first Karns is annoyed, but then he decides to run in order to become some one important in his community and thus be able to join the "Knights of Bedlam," an exclusive men's club from which he had been blackballed. But then his troubles begin — first, he makes a bet with one of the crooked politicians that he could beat the crooked Mayor ; and later he learns tha: the politicians and racketeers would stop at nothing to insure the election of their man. The reform ticket is split when Pierre Watkin is entered as another candidate. But he realizes the danger, and soon withdraws as a candidate ; he decides to see to it that Karns is made a member of the "Knights of Bedlam." He and a few of the other members, wearing masks, "kidnap" Karns in order to put him through the initiation ceremony. But Karns, thinking they were the politicians out to get him, tries to escape through a window, only to find himself hanging from an electric sign that was gradually giving way. He is finally rescued, inducted into the society, and even elected Mayor, thereby winning prominence and a large sum of money. Ewart Adamson and Taylor Caven wrote the original screen play. Eric C. Kenton directed it. and Robert North produced it. In the cast are Spencer Charters. George Ernest. Lois Ranson. Polly Moran and Paul Hurst Suitabilitv. Class A "Meet the Chump" with Hugh Herbert, Lewis Howard and Jeanne Kelly (Universal, February 14; time, 60 min.) A program farce, suitable mostly for the Hugh Herbert fans. The story, and most of the action, is silly. Herbert, in the typical part of a scatter-brained character, is occasionally comical ; but by the time the picture is half finished, one begins to get a little tired of his antics, for he is constantly on the screen : — Herbert, who acted as trustee for his nephew's inheritance, is reminded by his secretary that, according to the terms of the will, he was to turn over $10,000,000 to his nephew (Lewis Howard) the next day, on condition that Howard was married before sundown of that day. But Herbert had dissipated at least half the estate, and, realizing that the penalty would be a ten year prison term, decides to act insane. The first tlung he does is to discourage Howard's fiancee (Kathryn Adams) from marrying him. Then he goes to a sanitarium ; when Howard visits him there, Herbert leads everyone to believe it was Howard who was insane. But Howard manages to escape; one of the nurses goes after him. He offers a taxi driver a large sum of money to get him back to the city in time to marry. But the taxi driver was a member of a gang headed by Richard Lane, and, thinking the gang could get money out of Howard, takes him and the nurse (Jeanne Kelly) to the hideout. Lane listens to Howard's story. First he induces Miss Kelly to marry Howard. Then he and the gang go after Herbert, hoping to make him pay Howard so that they could collect. But everything is finally adjusted when it develops that Herbert had made a large sum of money on some investments and could pay off Howard. Hal Hudson and Otis Garrett wrote the story, and Alex ( iottlicb, the screen play ; Edward Cline directed it, and Ken Goldsmith produced it. In the cast are Anne Nagel, Shemp Howard, Andrew Tombes, and others. Suitability, Class A. "Western Union" with Robert Young, Randolph Scott, Dean Jagger, and Virginia Gilmore (20th Century-Fox, February 21 ; time, 95 mitt.) Photographed in technicolor, this outdoor melodrama is not only visually exciting, but has some thrilling action, good comedy bits, and romance. And to top it off the perlormances are very good. Particularly outstanding is the acting of Randolph Scott. Not too much time is wasted on plot details ; instead it goes in for action, of the type that the fans enjoy — riding, fighting, and heroic deeds. And yet the story, in its simple way, is interesting, for it deals with the initial efforts of Western Union to string cables westward, and the hardships endured by men in carrying out that task : — Randolph Scott, one-time member of a band of outlaws, saves the life of Dean Jagger, head builder for Western Union. When Scott joins Jagger's crew as scout, Jagger makes him understand that he would not give his past away. Robert Young, a young college graduate from the East, is signed on as surveyor. Every one finds him amusing at first, because of his fine clothes and good manners ; but he soon proves his worth to them. The Western Union workers are hampered by Indian raids. Scott, who knew the territory well and was surprised at Indian attacks, decides to track the matter down. He finds that the raiders were not Indians, but the members of his former gang, headed by Barton MacLane, who disguised themselves as Indians. Scott returns to the camp, but reports that the attackers were Indians. Next day the advance crew is attacked by Indians, and manage to beat off the raiders when they receive help from the main camp. By the time they return to the main camp, they find it in ruins, and the livestock stolen. They trace the cattle to MacLane's headquarters, but are forced to pay $5,000 for its return. Although Scott is greeted familiarly by MacLane, Jagger asks no questions, but emphasizes his confidence in Scott. MacLane kidnaps Scott, and then starts a forest fire, destroying the camp again. Scott escapes, but arrives too late. Jagger demands an explanation ; instead of giving one, Scott resigns. Just before lie leaves he tells Young to tell Jagger that MacLane was his brother. Scott goes after MacLane, but is killed. Young shoots it out with MacLane and kills him. The Western Union line is finished. Young and Virginia Gilmore, Jagger's sister, are united. They regret that Scott was not alive to see the proceedings. Zane Grey wrote the story, and Robert Carson, the screen play : Fritz Lang directed it. and Harry Joe Brown produced it. In the cast are John Carradine. Chill Wills. Russeil Hicks. Victor Kilian. and others. Suitability. Class A.