Motion Picture Herald (Jun-Sep 1934)

52 MOTION PICTURE HERALD June 30, 1934 $HOWMEN*$ REVIEWS This department deals with new product from the point of view of the exhibitor who is to purvey it to his own public lllllill Shoot the Works (Paramount ) Romantic Comedy This is a showman's show and an audience picture. Just plain amusement is its keynote. It's an exploitation feature, because, centering upon a supershowman, it's loaded with easily adaptable effective business stimulating features. As it runs its scale it's an object lesson in the art of ballyhoo. It's audience because it sparkles with breezy and refreshing comedy. Its romantic twist is tinged with charming human interest. This element takes on an added importance due to the tragic misfortune of the leading lady, which, without undue publicity, should have an unusual effect upon audiences. It's clean and wholesome. On its personnel, story and production values, it's a big theatre attraction. The manner in which it mixes its hokum-slapstick comedv with sympathy stimulating dramatic romance, its color and the signticance of its theme song and one or two other musical numbers, makes it an all-family attraction. Well acted, with Jack Oakie, Dorothy Dell, Roscoe Karns, Arline Judge and Alison Skipworth turning in capitaj performances and Ben Bernie proving a pleasing surprise and intelligently directed, the show is a story of common folks presented in a way that common folks understand. There's no sophisticated drawing room stuff about it ; no sex — only amusement that takes good advantage of the theatric elements of which it is built. Full of color, it's the story of a cocky, superegotist, Nicky Nelson, and the Nicky Nelson Enterprises. They're honky-tonky store show people; flag-ix)le sitters, dead whale exhibitors, tvk^o-bit orchestras and flea-circus impresarios. Nicky has millions of million dollar ideas, but somehow or other they never turn into cash. The group breaks up; led by Joe Davis, Jackie and Sailor secede, Nicky starts to slip. Then he meets Lily. Realizing that his big talk is so much wind, she falls in love with him. Fun and human interest romance drama counterbalancing, the yarn builds until Joe Davis has attained the fame that is Ben Bernie's. Then Lily is loved by the radio magnate and even though Nicky has gambled away her ring and songs and played every other dirty trick on her, she still has a real affection for him. Learning that he is still barking his dead whale, that the Countess is still sticking to him, she invites him to Joe's Russian Night Club. There, paraphrasing the Winchell-Jolson publicity feud, he socks the keyhole peeking columnist who threatens to scandalize Lily. Even though the old gang knows that Nicky can't buy coffee and cakes, they sop up all his big-money bombastic rantings, until the finale uncovers Nicky as a sensational radio master of ceremonies and, of course, Lily's husband. This show demands flamboyant carnival exploitation, even to atmospherically turning your theatre, no matter how dignified a civic asset it is, into a bannered, lithographed store sideshow. For exploitation, flag-pole sitters, a whale exhibit gag, peephole windows, a flee circus, if possible, may be bromides, but tied up with this picture they have a new curiosity-arousing interest. Printed advertising should accentuate the gaudy comedy to the limit. Then there is the natural Ben Bernie inspired radio tieup possibilities for those who must have modern dignity. Put your shoulder to the wheel on this one " utilize every medium possible to let your patrons know all about all the entertainment values it contains. — McCarthy, Hollywood. Produced and distributed by Paramount. Directed by Wesley Ruggles. From a play by Ben Hecht and Gene Fowler. Screen play by Howard J. Green. Dialogue by Claude Binyon. Lyrics and music by Mack Gordon and Harry Revel and Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger. Sound, M. M. Paggi. Art directors, Hans Dreier and Robert Usher. Photographed by Leo Tover, A.S.C. CAST Nicky Jack Oakie Joe Davis Ben Bernie Lilly Raquel Dorothy Del! Jackie Arline Judge The Countess Alison Skipworth Sailor Burke Roscoe Karns Larry Hale William Frawley Bill Ritchie Paul Cavanagh Axel Hanratty Lew Cody Man from Board of Health Monte Vandergrift Wanda JiU Dennett Professor Jonas Lee Kohlmer Head Waiter Tony Merlo Detective Ben Taggart Policeman Charles McAvoy Crooner Frank Prince One Night of Love ( Columbia ) Music, Romance, Comedy There is a real thrill in this picture — the thrill of classical operatic music, wonderfully sung by Grace Moore — that is the show's outstanding entertainment and showmanship value. It's novel quality entertainment, refined and wholesome. It carries undeniable appeal for the intelligentsia, those demanding better pictures, that calls for their support in bringing it to the attention of the rank and file. At the same time, because of story content, its temperamental human interest romantic motivation, its natural comedy contrasts, but mainly because of its uniquely popular musical quality, it's mass entertainment of high caliber. The preview audience, once in the spirit of the picture, broke into applause time after time. Actually the show, well acted and intelligently directed, is a series of opportunities for Grace Moore's singing. The principal locale is Milan, Italy, although it covers many European capitals and New York for the finale. The setup is simple. Monteverdi, great teacher, first discovers Mary and loves her for her voice alone. The years of preliminary training, difficult enough, are complicated by Bill's romantic intrusions, welcome to Mary because they afford her relief from the rigid discipline. As a Parisian triumph comes, temperaments clash. Against Monteverdi's advice, Mary accepts a. Metropolitan Opera engagement. Her debut seems a hopeless tragedy until Monteverdi appears in the prompter's box to inspire her to a great triumph and understanding of his love. The story is the background for the singing of first, 'Ah For E Lui" from Traviata, then "Ciri-Biri-Bin," to be followed by "Habanara" from Carmen, climaxed in the finale by "One Fine Day" from "Madame Butterfly." Connecting all is Schertzinger's theme song accompaniment, "One Night of Love." It's an unusual picture. It requires unusual selling methods. The title is good. Grace Moore hasn't been on the screen since "New Moon." Tullio Carminati appeared in "Gallant Lady" and "Moulin Rouge." The balance of the cast represents but little name draw. Consequently the attraction itself is the most saleable element. Ordinary methods won't do the entire job. Something new should be utilized. With an aim of packing the house for first performances and placing of dependence on word-of-mouth advertising, strong efforts should be exerted toward obtaining the cooperation of the influential elements. Because of events of the past few days, the time is phychologically ripe to call upon those who have been yelling for better pictures to be just as active in bringing patrons into the theatres as they have been in urging them to stay away. In any analysis, however, whether this picture gets the financial box office support which its merits entitle is a matter resting almost wholly in the business and opinion-creatiiig ability of those who play it. In this connection, it might be well to remember "Be Mine Tonight" and its phenomenal popular success. Because of the stirring quality of the music, there is a direct parallel between the two pictures. — McCarthy, Hollywood. Produced and distributed by Columbia. Story by Dorothy Speare and Charles Beahan. Screen play by S. K. Lauren, James Gaw and Edmund North. Director, Victor Schertzinger. Assistant director, Arthur Black. Cameraman, Joseph Walker, A.S.C. Sound engineer. Paul Neal. Film editor, Gene Milford. Musical director. Dr. Pietro Cimini. Music, Louis Silvers. Associate producer, Everett J. Riskin. CAST Mary , Grace Moore Monteverdi Tullio Carminati Bill Lyle Talbot Lally Mona Barrie AngeHna Jessie Ralph Giovanni Luis Alberni Galuppi Andres De Segurola Frappazini Rosemary Golsz Muriel Nydia Westman Murder in the Private Car (MGM) Melodramatic Comedy As hokum melodramatic thrill comedy, this show socks the entertainment ball right on vhe stitches. It's the kind of picture that makes 'em laugh while they blanch in terror. New and novel, despite its age, the story, because of good acting and smart direction, takes fine advantage of a weird variety of tried and proved amusement elements. Thus if there is potential money-producing showmanship in farcically treated comedy, romance, mystery, melodrama, thrill, spectacular action and suspense, "Murder in the Private Car" dishes them up for cinch selling. Bizarre and ridiculous, from beginning to end, the show is motivated by a foolish dignity. The major locale is the rear car of a transcontinental train. To give reason for the burlesque, Ruth is made a fabulous heiress. Her fortune and life menaced, she, together with Georgia and Scott, a nutty detective who tabs himself a "crime deflector," board the train and then the real menace to Ruth and the audience's sense of humor gets underway. Murders, vanishings, to the tune of sliding doors, lights going out, and a gorilla, all play heck with Scott's crime prevention theories. Then, when all the standby exciters have been worked to the limit, the car breaks loose from the train and rolls down the Great Divide right in the path of another onrushing limited. Of course, everything is unraveled in the end. The gorilla isn't a gorilla, and the crime deflector isn't such a balmy guy after all. This picture is all-laugh entertainment. There's fun in action dialogue and situations. Being burlesque hokum, it comes denitely within the entire family classification. There are so many varied exploitation possibilities that picking the most powerful seems the most difficult