Harrison's Reports (1948)

82 HARRISON'S REPORTS May 22, 1948 "Melody Time" (RKO, no release date set; time, 75 min.) This latest Walt Disney feature draws comparison with his "Make Mine Music," both from the standpoint of construction and of entertainment value. The business done by that picture should serve as a pretty accurate guide in judging the box-office possibilities of this one. Like "Make Mine Music," this novelty feature is comprised of a series of unrelated short subjects of varying character and length, each of which has something that is bound to please the varied tastes of picture-goers of all ages. Several are more entertaintaining than others, but all have been executed with an imagery, artistry, and dexterity that is nothing short of magnificent. The first subject, "Little Toot," is an amusing fable about the adventures of a baby tugboat in New York Harbor, featuring the voices of the Andrews Sisters, who sing the song of the same title as the story unfolds. The next subject, "Johnny Appleseed," is an entertaining folk tale relating the legend of how a young farmer left his apple orchard in the East to plant the appleseed throughout the unsettled West. Featured in this subject is the voice of Dennis Day, who speaks in different brogues for the various characters and sings several songs. The third subject, "Bumble Boogie," featuring the music of Freddie Martin's Orchestra, is a highly imaginative fantasy of a bee's nightmare, showing the bee zooming about in frenzied flight as a piano keyboard and musical notes assume all sorts of wierd shapes in an effort to trap it. "Once Upon a Wintertime," sung by Frances Langford, makes up the next subject, which is an amusing tale about a sleighing and skating outing of a young couple in the early 1800's. The fifth subject, "Trees," is based on Joyce Kilmer's famous poem, and features the music and singing of Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians. The animated pictorial beauty of this subject, is breathtaking. Subject six, "Blame It On the Samba," combines live action and animation, featuring Ethel Smith at the organ, the singing of the Dinning Sisters, and the wild but hilarious antics of Donald Duck, Jose Carioca, and the Aracuan Bird of Brazil as they dance to the Latin tune. The last subject, "Pecos Bill," is another combination of live action and animation, in which Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioners relate to little Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten the sage of "Pecos Bill," the "toughest critter west of the Alamo." This subject is extremely well done and should provoke many laughs. "Best Man Wins" with Edgar Buchanan and Anna Lee (Columbia, May 6; time, 75 min.) A slow-moving but fairly interesting program comedydrama, best suited for theatres that cater to the family trade. Drawing its story idea from Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," the action revolves around small-town characters and deals with the regeneration of a middle-aged gambler who changes his ways to win back the affections of his former wife, whom he had deserted. The picture's leisurely pace matches its gentle humor, and there is considerable human interest throughout. Much of it is hokum, but it is not too hard to take. The direction is expert and the performances uniformly good. The action takes place in 1853: — Returning to his home in Missouri after an absence of ten years, Edgar Buchanan finds that his wife, Anna Lee, had divorced him, and that she was preparing to marry Robert Shayne, a stuffed-shirt local judge. Anna is cordial to him and permits him to become acquainted with Gary Gray, his ten-year-old son, whom he had never seen. He gets along famously with the youngster, particularly after buying the boy a racing greyhound, which he wanted to enter in a forthcoming race at a county fair. The purchase, however, cleans him out of all his assets except a pet jumping frog and his ability to gamble. Unable to see Shayne as his son's step-father, and still in love with Anna himself, Buchanan decides to reform in an effort to win back her love. But on the day of the race, Buchanan, by betting on his jumping frog, is able to scrape up enough money to place a last bet, not on his son's dog, but on a prize racer entered by Shayne, planning to turn the winnings over to Anna. Gary's dog, however, wins the race. Anna, delighted to see that Buchanan had not placed a bet on the boy's dog, believes that his reformation was complete and agrees to marry him. But on the day of the wedding, Shayne, peeved, tries to break up the re marriage by revealing that Buchanan had placed a bet on his dog. Buchanan, however, goes to Anna before the ceremony and admits that he had pulled the wool over her eyes, despite his good intentions. Convinced that he really meant to stabilize himself, Anna decides to go through with the re-marriage. Ted Richmond produced it and John Sturges directed it from a screenplay by Edward Huebsch. The cast includes Herbert Cavanaugh and others. Suitable for the family. "Give My Regards to Broadway" with Dan Dailey, Charles Winninger and Nancy Guild (20th Century Fux, June; time, 89 min.) Photographed in Technicolor, this is a heart-warming domestic comedy-drama, the sort that should appeal to all lovers of human-interest entertainment. Its story about an old trouper's faith in the return of vaudeville, and the training he gives to his son and two daughters so that they will be ready to join his act, is a well-balanced mixture of pathos laughter, romance and music that retains a homespun flavor throughout its telling. The musical interludes are highly enjoyable, not only because of their intimate quality, but also because the songs are old time favorites. Every one of the characters is lovable — there isn't a villain in the cast. All in all, it is a winning movie, the kind that makes one feel good, for it is unpretentious, tender and thoroughly wholesome : — With vaudeville on the way out, Charles Winninger, a juggler, is compelled to give up his act and to accept employment in a factory in order to support his wife (Fay Bainter) and three children (Dan Dailey, Jane Nigh, and Barbara Lawrence). The years go by swiftly and Winninger becomes assistant foreman at the plant, but he still believes that vaudeville will come back and, towards that end, rehearses his children daily in song, dance, and juggling routines on a homemade stage in his garage. Winninger is keenly disappointed when Jane elopes with Herbert Anderson, but he gets over it and reorganizes the act as a trio. When Barbara falls in love with Charles Russell, he tries to discourage their matrimonial ideas, but he soon accepts the inevitable and consoles himself with the thought of doing a "double" with his son. Meanwhile Dailey had been smitten with the charms of Nancy Guild, whose father coached the baseball team of the company where he (Dailey) was employed as a draughtsman. He becomes more interested in Nancy and in baseball than in juggling, but does not tell his father. Matters reach a showdown when Sig Ruman, an old friend, offers Winninger a sixteen-week booking out west. Jubilant, he quits his job to resume his stage career, but Dailey declines to go along with him, preferring to remain with his firm, which had offered him an advancement. Dejected at the turn of events, Winninger creates a rift between himself and the family and decides to carry on the act as a "single." But when he goes down to the station to catch his train he has a change of heart and realizes that he would rather be at home with his family. The years slip by and. in the closing scenes, Winninger is shown surrounded by his children and grandchildren, who applaud him as he joins Dailey in a song-and-dance routine for their entertainment. Walter Morosco produced it and Lloyd Bacon directed it from a screenplay by Samuel Hoffenstein and Elizabeth Reinhardt, based on a story by John Klempner. The cast includes Charles Ruggles. Howard Freeman and others. Excellent for the entire family.