Harrison's Reports (1941)

38 HARRISON'S REPORTS March 8, 1941 "Nice Girl?" with Deanna Durbin, Franchot Tone, Walter Brennan and Robert Stack (Universal, February 21 ; running lime, 95 min.) Deanna Durbin continues to delight one with her charm, her fine singing voice, and her acting ability. But "Nice Girl ?" is not so strong, from a story standpoint, as some of her other pictures. It is nevertheless entertaining, for it has human interest and plentiful comedy, in addition to the music. Moreover Miss Durbin is surrounded by competent players who give her excellent support. Miss Durbin's romantic involvements are handled in a light vein and prove to be amusing : — Robert Benchley, a scientist, who lived in a small Connecticut town with his three daughters (Miss Durbin, Ann Gillis and Anne Gwynne), is excited when he receives word that a representative of a New York scientific foundation was on his way to interview him. The girls, expecting the representative to be an old man with a beard, are taken by surprise when he turns out to be a young and charming man (Franchot Tone). Annoyed because her boy friend (Robert Stack) took her for granted, Jane contrives, through a trick, to drive Tone back to the city when he is ready to leave. They arrive in the city late at night during a heavy rainstorm. Tone suggests that Miss Durbin spend the night at his home. She is a little uneasy, but, wanting to appear sophisticated, accepts the invitation, half expecting 1 one to make love to her. When Miss Durbin overhears him talking over the telephone to his mother, who was outof-town, telling her how amused he was by the whole affair, she is ashamed and angered, and leaves the house. She arrives at her town in the early morning. Something goes wrong with the horn of the car, and everyone in town is awakened. Shocked at seeing Miss Durbin at such an hour, the gossipers get to work. Before long, the rumor spreads that she was going to mary Tone; Miss Durbin, to spite Stack, confirms the rumor. She is surprised when Tone arrives; he had come to tell Benchley that he had been awarded a fellowship. When Tone hears of the predicament Miss Durbin was in, he purposely acts like a cad, thus leaving the way clear for her to renounce their "engagement." Stack forgives Miss Durbin ; they are reconciled. Phyllis Duganne wrote the story, and Richard Connell and Gladys Lehman, the screen play ; William A. Seiter directed it, and Joe Pasternak produced it. In the cast are Helen Broderick, Elisabeth Risdon, Nana Bryant, and cithers. Class A. "Here Comes Happiness" with Edward Norris and Mildred Coles (Warner Bros., March IS; time, 57 min.) Minor program fare. The story is so ordinary that one knows almost from the very beginning just how it will progress and end ; for that reason it naturally fails to hold one in suspense. Its box-office possibilities are slight, not only because of the hackneyed plot, but also because the players lack drawing power. Nor will this picture do much to build up a following for the young players, who are hampered by poor story material : — On the day of her marriage to Richard Ainley, a fortune seeker, Mildred Coles rebels and runs away; her father (Russell Hicks) is delighted, for he disliked Ainley. She moves to a cheap apartment, her intention being to look for work. The first night she moves in she becomes acquainted with her next-door neighbors and there meets Edward Norris, who worked at the hazardous job of cleaning the outside of buildings. After a few meetings, Miss Coles and Xorris fall in love and become engaged. With money supplied by her father, she tries to buy an interest in a business for Norris. But he finds out about it, misunderstands, and insults Miss Coles. She goes back home and tells her mother she was now prepared to marry Ainley. But Hicks contrives to get Norris to the house on the day of the wedding. Through a trick he leads Ainley to believe that he had lost his fortune ; Ainley promptly runs away. Hicks then brings Norris out, explains everything to him, and insists that he and Miss Coles marry. The young sweethearts are delighted. Harry Sauber wrote the story, and Charles Tedford, the screen play ; Noel M. Smith directed it, and William Jacobs produced it. In the cast are Marjorie Gateson, John Ridgley. and others. Suitability, Class A. . . . "The Great Train Robbery" with Bob Steele, Claire Carleton and Milburn Stone (Republic, February 28; time, 61 mitt.) This program outdoor action melodrama should go over well with the followers of such pictures, for it is both novel and exciting. Although it lacks players of note, the story is the important thing ; it is entertaining and holds one in tense suspense throughout. The plot developments provide several thrills ; and there are fights and chases of the usual order. This picture has no connection with the picture of the same name produced in 1903: — Bob Steele, a railroad detective, arrives at the station to board the train carrying a rich shipment of gold which he was to guard. As the train pulls out, Claire Carleton, an entertainer in a cafe owned by Steele's brother (Milburn .Vone) jumps on. Hal Taliaferro, chief of the railroad detectives, feels that something was wrong and wires orders to different stations to stop the train. But the train passes all signals and finally disappears completely. How that could happen is a complete mystery to everyone for the train had travelled along a single track road which supposedly had no sidings. Actually what had happened was that Stone and his gang had boarded the train, knocked out Steele, forced the passengers to leave, and had then thrown the engineer oft. Steele had escaped. They had then run the train to a rusty old side track which ran through a tunnel ; once they had the train through the tunnel, they had dynamited the entrance, thereby closing it. An old prospector, who had seen what the gang had done, gives the information to Steele, who had been walking to the nearest station. Steele manages to get to the train to rescue Miss Carleton, who had gone there to warn him of his brother's plan. By that time the railroad officials and detectives arrive ; they are able to overpower the gang. Stone is killed trying to escape. Olive Cooper, Garnett Weston, and Robert T. Shannon wrote the screen play ; Joseph Kane directed and produced it. In the cast are Helen MacKellar, Si Jenks, Monte Blue, and others. Not for children. Class B. "Meet Boston Blackie" with Chester Morris, and Rochelle Hudson (Columbia, February 20 ; time, 60 min.) A fairly good program melodrama. The story is extremely far-fetched; yet the action is fast and at times exciting and the background is colorful. And, since both the hero and the heroine are in constant danger, the spectator is held in suspense throughout. The romantic interest seems to be forced, and is of little importance to the development of the plot : — Chester Morris, former safe-cracker, and his pal (Charles Wagenheim), returning to America, notice one of the passengers (Constance Worth) being molested by a sinister-looking man. Morris goes to her help : she thanks him but refuses to tell him anything. When the liner docks, Morris receives a visit from Richard Lane, detective inspector, who believed that Morris had been in some way involved before he left for Europe in the theft of valuable jewels. Morris goes to his stateroom for his bags and there finds a dead man, the very one who had annoyed Miss Worth. Morris, knowing that Miss Worth had committed the murder, realizes that he would have to find her to prove his own innocence. His search takes him to a carnival show ; there he finds her and demands an explanation. They enter a car to take a ride in a side show so that they could talk in private ; but before she could tell him much, she is murdered by two men. Morris runs away. From what Miss Worth had told him, he knows that the "Mechanical Man" at one of the side shows was in some way involved in the case. Fearing that the murderers were after him, Morris forces Rochelle Hudson, who was sitting in her car nearby, to drive him away. They are pursued by the murderers but manage to elude them. By this time, Lane is after Morris for the two murders. But Morris finally proves his innocence and solves the case by revealing that the "Mechanical Man" and his henchmen were the murderers, also secret agents who were attempting to smuggle out of the country a bomb sight belonging to the U. S. Government. The case finished, Morris takes leave of Miss Hudson to continue with his adventures. Jay Dratler wrote the screen play, Robert Florey directed it, and Ralph Cohn produced it. In the cast are Jack O'Malley, George Magrill, and others. Not for children. Class B.