Motion Picture Herald (July-Aug 1935)

88 MOTION PICTURE HERALD July 2 0, 19 3 5 into his arms and asking where the kitchen is. The best form of selling is a campaign honestly aimed to convince the public that it is the kind of attraction everybody wants to see. The materials are there with which to work. The love story blends smiles with tears ; drama to stir the most tender emotions, and comedy full of laughter. There's spectacle, too, of times, locales and events that never have been touched, and there are the names. — McCarthy, Hollywood. Produced and distributed by Fox. Producer, Winfield Sheehan. Directed by Victor Fleming. Screen play by Edwin Burke. From Max Gordon's stage play. Authors. Frank B. Elser and Marc Connelly. Based on the novel "Rome Haul" by Walter D, Edmonds. Photography by Ernest Palmer. Sound by Joseph Aiken. Art director, William Darling. Film editor, Harold Schuster. Gowns, Rene Hubert. Musical director, Oscar Bradley. P. C. A. Certificate No. 927. Running time, when seen in Hollywood, 90 minutes. Release date. August 2, 1935. General audience classification. CAST Molly Larkins Janet Gaynor Dan Harrow Henry Fonda Jotham Klore Charles Bickford Fortune Friendly Slim Summerville Elmer Otway Andy D'evine Sam Weaver Roger Imhof Delia Jane Withers Lucy Gurget Margaret Hamilton Blacksmith Siegfried Rumaiin Sol Tinker John Qualen Ivy Kitty Kelly Freight agent Robert Gleckler The Irish In Us (Warner) Comedy Drama Built of the stuff that interests the masses, giving them plenty to laugh about and much to play upon their most tender emotions, this looks like a picture that any exhibitor would like to have on his program. It's an entertainment and showmanship feature from start to finish. Those qualities are to be found in title, cast, story content, production details and directorial technique. Essentially, it's an action-crammed, romancetinged domestic comedy drama. Each quality is an individual part of the whole. With excitement its keynote, it moves at speedy pace, builds its situations, whether comic, dramatic or romantic, in logical fashion. In appeal, as it deals with a family, it is a family picture, yet it is also one that holds much interest for specialized groups. While majoring in elements that ordinarily get under the skin of men folk, there is no lack of romantic love interest with which to intrigue women. Danny, Pat and Mike are Ma O'Hara's brood. Pat is a cop, and Mike a fireman. Danny, the baby, a harum scarum fellow, a manager of bum fighters but always dreaming that he will discover a champ, is closest to Ma's heart. Pat and Danny are always in typical conflict, with the old "why don't you get a job" question. Sympathetic Ma, however, always manages to keep peace, promising that Danny will get his chance, until that worthy chisels in on Pat's girl. Danny gets a match for his slug-nutty protege. Carbarn, who is so far back on his heels that he goes into action whenever he hears any kind of a bell. Kayoed by Delancy in the dressing room when a phone bell makes Carbarn think he is in the ring, Danny has to substitute for him. With Pat and Lucille present, Danny is taking a powerful walloping when Lucille, unable to stand the strain any longer, tells Pat that Danny is the boy with whom she is in love. Blood ties proving stronger than brotherly enmity, Pat goes into the ring to second Danny and gives him the tips that enable him to knock ou Delancy. In the finale Pat steps aside so that Danny may have the girl. While the fight atmosphere is the big production highlight of the feature, it should not be sold as a prizefight picture. An advance campaign that establishes it as a family comedy drama with catchy romantic contrasts looks to be the medium through which the most interest might be aroused. Past performances of the Cagney-O'Brien-McHugh trio should not be overlooked. — McCarthy, Hollywood. Produced and distributed by First National. Director, Lloyd Bacon. Assistant director. Jack Sullivan. Photography, George Barnes. Film editor, James Gibbson. Screen play by Earl Baldwin. Story idea by Frank Orsatti. Art director, Esdras Hartley. Musical director, Leo F. Forbstein. P. C. A. Certificate No. 1049. Running time, when seen in Hollywood, 80 minutes. Release date, August 3, 1935. General audience classification. CAST Danny O'Hara James Cagney Pat O'Hara Pat O'Brien Lucille Jackson Olivia de Havilland Mike O'Hara Frank McHugh Carbarn Allen Jenkins Ma O'Hara Mary Gordon Capt. Jackson J. Farrell MacDonald Doc Mullins Thomas Jackson Joe Delancy Harvey Perry Shanghai ( Paramount W anger) Romantic Drama An interesting dramatic, romantic theme is the subject of this picture. It is a story of a great and honest love — that of a half-white, half-Oriental Eurasian for a white girl, all of which the moral ethics of both races said should not be. While not entirely new as screen material, the expert manner in which it is written, acted and directed, plus the embellishing value of production effects, results in absorbing entertainment with a powerful sympathy stimuling appeal. Modern in every phase, the title indicates the locale in which all the bizarre glamour of one of the world's most famous crossroads cities is reflected. Dmitri Koslov, half-Russian, halfChinese, an aristocrat on both sides but reduced to poverty by the cataclysm of revolution, is tugging a ricksha. Barbara Howard, wealthy young American girl, engages him. They fall in love. Under her inspiration Dmitri becomes a powerful financial figure. Against the advice of friends of both races their romance develops to a point where it would be tragic for either one to break the ties. The wisdom of the East finally convinces Dmitri that he must give up his love. At a magnificent party, he announces his determination. But the impetuosity of the West impels Barbara to a desire to override any barrier. When Dmitri seeks to lose himself in the wild interior of China, she follows to re-pledge her love. Gripped in a situation which neither can understand, they return to Shanghai. There the wisdom of Lun Sing convinces both that the union of East and West cannot be. Understanding, the lovers part. Naturally, because of its topic, this picture is essentially serious, but there is a goodly portion of contrasting comedy, found particularly in the dialogue of Warner Oland and Alison Skipworth. On the surface, because of its content, the picture might seem to be exclusively a woman's attraction. That it will arouse much feminine interest, given the benefit of a revealing campaign, is hardly to be doubted. But as an adult feature, it also holds much that should entertain men. Concentration on its intriguing topic, use of the appeal of names to the full extent of their box office value, and taking advantage of the other showmanship values included in the production, it is material for not only specialized audiences but also for the run-of-the-mill theatregoers. — McCarthy, Hollywood. Produced and distributed by Paramount. Pruducer. Walter Wanger. Directed by James Flood. Original and screen play by Gene Towne, Graham Baker and Lynn Starling. Photographed by James Van Trees. Recorded by Hugo Grenzbach, Art director, Alexander Toluboff. P. C. A. Certificate No. 983. Running time, when seen in Hollywood. 75 minutes. Release date, July 19. 1935. Adult audience classification. CAST Barbara Howard Loretta Young Dmitri Koslov Charles Boyer His E.xcellency, Lun Sing Warner Oland T. B Alison Skipworth Tommy Sherwood Fred Keating Truesdale Charles Grapewin Hilton Walter Kingsford Mrs. Truesdale Josephine Whittell Mrs. Hilton Olive Tell Corona Libby Taylor Ambassador's Son Keye Luke Front Page Woman (Warner) Romantic Drama There should be sales value alone in the top names in the cast of this active and romantic drama, set in the lively field of the newspaper business, as well as in the origin of the story. The film is an adaptation of a story which appeared, in serial form, not long ago in the Saturday Evening Post, under the title "Women Are Bum Newspapermen," which in itself opens a lead for sales copy on the part of the exhibitor. Through an execution, a trial, murder mystery and more mystery, runs the friendly, sporting rivalry of a man and a woman, the man trying to prove to the girl, because he loves her, that women are no good as reporters and would be much better off if they would simply settle down and marry. She, on her side, and also largely because she loves him, tries to prove that women are just as good reporters as men, if not a great deal better. There is punch and lively action, and suspense as the story moves along at a rapid pace. Heading the cast are two names which should mean something on the theatre's marquee, those of Bette Davis and George Brent. Together and individually they have appeared in several recent pictures which have added to their reputations and popularity. The best supporting names are those of Roscoe Karns, largely for comedy, and Winifred Shaw. Rivals of the press, sweethearts when not working. Miss Davis accepts a bet by Brent that she will finally say "yes" if he proves to her that she is not nearly as good a newspaper reporter as he is. At a fire two men get away in a taxicab while Miss Davis is unable to get through the fire lines. She learns the identity of the man, finds him dead in a hospital of a stab wound, and beats Brent with the story. He tells her she was lucky, that the real test will come when the killer is unearthed. They go to work. Brent beating her with the story of the culprit. The case goes to trial and Brent, in a fashion known only to the audience, gets the inside news, edition by edition, of the progress of the jury deliberations. Finally he gets the actual result of balloting by the jury, and flashes it to the paper before the jury returns its verdict officially. Meanwhile Brent has framed Miss Davis by entering the jury room, preparing fake ballots and arranging that she gain admittance to the room. She does, flashes the "not guilty" lead to her paper, and as the jury returns its "guilty" verdict, her paper is being sold in the streets with the wrong headline. Her career as a newspaper reporter appears finished, but with Brent temporarily behind the bars for contempt of court, she goes out, finds the right person and obtains a confession from the real murderer, thus freeing the suspect. Then Brent and Miss Davis decide to call off the war, she having won her point anyway, and the romance has its expected conclusion. — Aaronson, New York. Produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Director. Michael Curtiz. From a story by Richard Macauley. Screen play. Roy Chanslor. Lillie Edward, Laird Doyle. Dialogue by Laird Doyle. Cameraman. Tony Gaudio. Art director, John Hughes. Assistant director. Sherry Shourds. Supervisor. .Sam Bischoflf. Dialogue director, Frank McDonald. Film editor, Terry Morse. P. C, A. Certificate No. 923. Running time, 82 minutes. Release date, July 20, 1935. General audience classification. CAST Ellen Bette Davis Curt George Brent Olive June Martel Mae Dorothy Dare .Spike Kiley Joseph Crehan Hartnett Joe King Toots Roscoe Karns Inez Cordoza Winifred ShawRobert J. Carroll Naish Judge Rickard Walter Walker trma Barnett Grace Hale Joe Davis Selmar Jacksor? Hallohan i.J. Farrell McDonald Maitland Gordon Westcott District Attorney Addison Richards Fuji Mike Morita Chinard Georges Renavent Marvin O. Stone Huntley Gordon