Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1934)

Friday, October 5, 1934 MOTION PICTURE DAILY 17 Short Subjects 'Tale of the Vienna Woods" (M-G-M) An entertaining Technicolor cartoon that tells the story of the old fairy tale of the deer and the pedestal satyr. The deer and the satyr play about the woods and are chased by a pack of hounds. Later, the deer is cornered by the dogs and the satyr rescues him. Running time, 8 mins. "His Lucky Day" (Educational) Featuring Ernest Truex and Josephine Dunn, this short is good entertainment for any region. It has everything, particularly comedy. The story centers around a dinner that Truex gives at the hint of his boss in order to impress a big buyer of their company's product. With the help of an Italian gardener and a washer-woman, Truex prepares the meal and the dinner comes off in a manner that ought to hand many a laugh to audiences. Production code seal No. 120. Running time, 18 mins. "Picturesque Portugal" (Fox) The Magic Carpet of Movietone journeys through Portugal in this reel, starting with shots of dances at a fishing village and ending with views of the city of Lisbon. Particularly interesting are scenes of the countryside, herding bulls and rounding them up for the arena, a bullfight in Lisbon and maneuvers of the Republic's crack cavalry. Running time, 7 mins. "Time on Their Hands" (Educational) Featuring Charles Carlisle, the radio star, this short is excellent vocal entertainment. Carlisle sings several numbers, old prison ballads. The Mountain Melodeers form the choral background for all the numbers, along with the Eight Buccaneers. Ferde Grofe supervised the music. Production code seal Xo. 97. Running time, 10 mins. "Stars in the Making" (DuWorld) Good entertainment is this short, with a capable cast and a plausible and interesting story. Audiences will like it because of its behind-the-scene shots of Hollywood's studios. Frank Albertson and Yvonne Pelletier are featured, playing the parts of two extras in pictures, and the film traces a day in their life as they work in a studio. Running time, 16 mins. "The Black Sheep" (Educational) A Terry-Toon cartoon that should appeal to children. It is based on the tale of the sheep who cried wolf once too often, but with a novel twist at the end. Appropriate music accompanies the action. Production code seal No. 144. Running time, 5 mins. "Goofy Movies No. 8" (M-G-M) Pete Smith gives a dissertation on the fashions of 1913 and then presents an old time "mellerdrammer" of 1909. As usual his comments are to the point. Running time, 8 mins. MOTION PICTURE DAILY* HOLLYWOOD PREVIEW "Transcontinental Merry -GoRound" (Reliance-U. A.) Hollywood, Oct. 4. — Varied in entertainment appeal, running the gamut from mystery to melodrama, to backstage, to radio show, to girlie, girlie musical, to cheating cheaters and romance, Edward Small has impounded a highly satisfactory show with vitality and personality. Laid aboard an ocean greyhound, the story is told in retrospect. It visualizes a crazy quilt drama, intermingling wise guys, good and shady ladies, honest hearts and their crisscross motives, which pattern balances with comedy and song set amid lavish and luxurious decorations. Name values are : Gene Raymond, in his best performance ; Jack Benny, the Boswell Sisters, Mitzi Green, Jean Sargent, Jimmy Greers' Orchestra from radio, and a cast with Nancy Carroll, Sidney Blackmer, Ralph Morgan, Shirley Grey, Sam Hardy and William Boyd. Sid Silvers and Sidney Howard, British comics, handle the comedy for boisterous reactions. The production has been smartly directed by Ben Stoloff. It is from Leon Gordon's original, with added agile dialogue by Joseph Moncure March and Harry Conn. Original musical numbers were staged by Larry Ceballos and Sammy Lee with Ted Tetzloff. The photography is superb. The masses will like this for its colorful, vivid and juicy entertainment. Production code seal No. 267. Running time, 93 minutes. Looking 'Em Over "Thunderstorm" (Amkino) In "Thunderstorm" Soyuzfilm has built a grim, sombre tragedy on the theme of an unhappy marriage. Those who like Russian films will find it strong and perhaps satisfying entertainment, but those who go to the theatre chiefly for diversion will find it a bit too drear and ponderous to suit their tastes. From the start there is a feeling of impending doom. The bride of the tale is married to a stolid young merchant with nothing of the lover about him. To make matters worse he is slavishly obedient to his mother. With him it is mother first and wife second. Driven frantic by his neglect of her, she falls in love with a man possessing the romantic qualities lacking in her husband. In a highly dramatic scene the woman confesses her guilt when she is seized with fear at the end of a church service. Knowing what lies in store for her should she remain with her husband and defeated in her effort to throw in her lot with her lover, she casts herself into the Volga. A. K. Tarasova plays the tragic bride with great effect. The others, comprising V. O. Massalitinova, I. P. Tschouvelev, I. P. Zaroubina, M. M. Tarkhanov, I. I. Jaroff and M. I. Tsarev, are first-rate. Vladimir Petrov directed. There are English sub-titles in profusion. Running time, 78 minutes. "A Successful Failure" (Monogram) An entertaining melodrama designed for family appeal. William Collier, Sr., is outstanding on the list of performances which includes Lucile Gleason, Russell Hopton, Gloria Shea, William Janney, Jameson Thomas, George Breakstone, Richard Tucker and Clarence Wilson. Hounded by his family to get an increase in salary, Gleason is fired by his newspaper when his eyes begin to fail. Hopton, who is in love with Gleason's daughter, Miss Shea, quits his job because he has faith in the older man's possibilities as a columnist. Gleason has been writing some stuff which continues to be rejected by editors. Hopton becomes his manager and through Tucker, head of a radio station, Gleason gets a radio booking and later becomes a sensation. Gleason manages to keep the change in jobs from his family until he is injured in a park riot in which his son, Janney, is one of the instigators. The rift between Miss Shea and Hopton is settled satisfactorily as well as the family troubles. Running time, 62 minutes. (Additional reviews on page 18) Short Subjects "Yokel Dog Makes Good" (DuWorld) A dog whose main accomplishments are walking on his hind legs and rolling over is featured in this short. The dog crashes Hollywood and attains stardom in pictures only to lose out with the advent of sound. The final shot has the animal returning with a litter of pups, to launch them as "baby stars." It's all rather silly. Running time, 16 mins. 'Nifty Nurses" (Educational) Here is a short that is ace entertainment. It appears to be a musical burlesque of "Men in White." The entire action is in a hospital, with Billy Gilbert taking the play away from Johnny Downs and Sally Sweet, who are featured. The wind-up of the film is in an operating room, with nurses and internes acting as a cheering section, and this part of the picture, with its dialogue and comedy, should have audiences holding their sides. Reviewed without production code seal. Running time, 18^4 mins. "On Foreign Service" (Fox) Another of the Adventures of a News Cameraman series. It is very interesting. Europe and outlying places are covered. Shots include fighting elephants in India, whip fighters in Bali, African warrior dances, swordfishing off New Zealand, sabot making in Holland and canoe racing on the Rhine. Reviewed without a production code seal. Running time, 7 mins. "Mickey Plays Papa" (Disney-United Artists) Pluto, the dog, steals this hilarious cartoon away from Mickey Mouse. A baby is left on Mickey's doorstep one stormy night and Pluto's efforts to amuse the child, assisting Mickey and on his own, had a local theatre audience howling. By far one of the funniest Walt Disney cartoons in some time. Recommended for any audience. Production code seal No. 248. Running time, 7 mins. "Sword of the Arab" (DuWorld) Western fans may appreciate this short, but, except for some stunts by a trained horse and some excellent horsemanship, it is shy on entertainment content. The story is centered around an American rancher in Arabia to buy some native horses. His prize mount is stolen, along with his daughter, by bandits and recovered by his top hand. Running time, 26 mins. "The Chump" (DuWorld) With Hal Skelly, Lina Basquette and Sally Starr in the cast, this short is disappointing. Skelly is an escaped lunatic with a passion for writing checks to pretty girls and finally becomes entangled with Miss Basquette and Miss Starr, only to leave them stranded with no money in a night club. Running time, 20 mins.