Hollywood Spectator (1938)

Hollywood Spectator Page Nine sufficient laughs, and Dick Baldwin and June Lang play with freshness and vitality. Running time, 72 minutes. if KIDNAPPED (28) — One which misses. Slow, plodding, unbelievable, all that Warner Baxter, Freddie Bartholo¬ mew and a capable cast can do does not give it substan¬ tial box-office rating. Do not let distributor salesmen put over anything on you in the way of selling Century’s latest “glamour girl,” Arleen Whalen. She has nothing yet; may have later, but I doubt it. Running time, 85 minutes. UNIVERSAL ★ SINNERS IN PARADISE (7)— Feeble stuff. The story is pointless and dull, a hodgepodge of divergent viewpoints and objectives. Characters do not win our interest; noth¬ ing much happens. The picture, in which a group of as¬ sorted personalities are thrown together on a desert is¬ land following the recking of an aeroplane, lends itself to lurid advertising, but most of your patrons would be dis¬ appointed. Running time, 65 minutes. ★ THE LADY IN THE MORGUE (14)— A smart mys¬ tery picture that will please all the fans, and especially those who want to see a fast-moving picture. No special names to sell, but one of the Thin Man cycle that is a worthy successor. Running time, 70 minutes. if THE DEVIL’S PARTY (28) — Story material is rather shallow, vague in intent. The characters do not sufficiently capture our interest to be much concerned over their plight. Much of the action is given over to controversy between them, and the yarn slumps in the middle. The preview audience was evidently restless. Players try hard to make something of their parts, but they have little to work with. Running time, 62 minutes. UNITED ARTISTS if STORM IN A TEACUP (7) — Distinguished for its vitality. The sheer momentum the story gathers is truly remarkable. Though the picture decries political tyranny and privilege, its dominant tone is one of whimsicality. Superbly acted. The Scotch dialect of some minor char¬ acters becomes a little thick now and then, and the record¬ ing is not at all times as meticulous as in American films. But audiences which like good cinema, and have gotten beyond being disconcerted by superficial differences be¬ tween foreign and American films, will find the picture highly enjoyable. 'A THE DIVORCE OF LADY X (14) — If English pic¬ tures generally find favor with your audiences, they will like this one. The charm of the piece lies mostly in the debonair and sophisticated spirit in which the story is told. Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, and others give good performances. Do not overplay the bedroom situa¬ tion in advertising, as it is not really very torrid. In technicolor. ★ COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (21)— They are digging up old successes in an effort to plug the holes in the boxoffice dike, and none should do better in revival than this one. Artistically and technically it is as fresh as if it had been made yesterday. It is outstanding entertainment with all the elements which make for popularity, a pic¬ ture on a grand scale but with appeal to our elemental emotions. Get behind it and it should perform nicely at your box-office. WARNER BROTHERS ★ THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (7)— One for the whole family. Full of those joyous deeds of daring and narrow escapes which could not happen but which all of us have dreamt of doing ourselves. A purely imag¬ inary reincarnation of a mythical Scotch hero, Warners have mounted it magnificently, cast it superbly, and it comes to the screen as a great piece of entertainment. In a measure its success thus far proves the soundness of the Spectator’s selling theory presented above in the in¬ troduction to this month’s resume of last month’s reviews. Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn are not yet in the Gary Cooper-Shirley Temple box-office class, yet Robin Hood is making money because it is being presented as good entertainment and not as a star vehicle. Running time, 105 minutes. if CRIME SCHOOL (14) — An engrossing sociological study, ably written, directed and acted, but somewhat over the heads of the ordinary run of picture patrons. Rather drab in theme and locale, but so very well done that it will justify all the exploitation you can give it. In the cast are all the rowdy boys who figured so largely in Dead End. That may mean something to your people. Run¬ ning time, 85 minutes. ★ GOLD DIGGERS IN PARIS (21) — Though it has num¬ erous touches of originality and wit, good pace, and a measure of glitter, there are stretches of the film com¬ prised of such fustian, and the story itself is such a propped-up thing, that this can scarcely be rated as an outstanding musical. Rudy Vallee is seen to better ad¬ vantage than in previous screen appearances, and other members of the cast are in good form. You might hand out cotton, to be plugged in the ears when the shrill Schnickelfritz Band comes on. Running time, 97 minutes. PREVIEWS (Continued from page 7) ula whereby the horse thought to be out of the run¬ ning rewards the confidence of those who take him in hand by winning the race. However, the youngsters, who were generously represented in the preview aud¬ ience, having come also to see Judge Hardy’s Children, were intensely stimulated by the proceedings, clapped and roared no end. Spectators with maturity of out¬ look, though, are likely to turn thumbs down. This exclusive appeal of the film I view as a production fault. Kids Would Understand . . . HERE is no reason why a picture of this kind could not be made to appeal to both children and mature persons. I am sure that, had the characters been written and directed to act like human beings, and the situations more carefully developed, invested with greater conviction and emotional potency, no kid would have scratched his head and complained, “I can’t understand what this is all about.” It is not that the race-track formula is at fault, for it has been used to create many interesting films in the past, and, given imaginative treatment, will be used to make many good films in the future. Treatment is every¬ thing. No Stinting with Sound . . . NOTHER shortcoming of this picture is that it is created according to a prevalent theory that a talking picture can only live up to its name by talk¬ ing or making a noise almost incessantly. During a period of several minutes, and when scenes were