Motion Picture Herald (Jul-Aug 1936)

64 MOTION PICTURE H ERALD July 2 5, 19 3 6 (Continued from page 62) necessary are available, and made known to the public in good showmanship style, they appear to be capable of generating unusual interest. Previewed in Grauman s Chinese theatre. The audience was satisfied with the entertainment provided and appreciative of the work contributed by Baxter and Myrna Loy, it appeared to be particularly enthusiastic about that provided by Hunter. McCarthy, Hollywood. Produced and distributed by Twentieth CenturyFox. Associate producer, Kenneth Macgowan. Directed by John Cromwell. Screen play by Richard Sherman and Howard Ellis Smith. From the story by Richard Sherman. Photographed by Sidney Wagner. Art director, Mark-Lee Kirk. Set decorations by Thomas Little. Assistant director, A. F. Erickson. Film editor, Ralph Dietrich. Costumes by Royer. Sound, E. Clayton Ward and Roger Heman. Musical direction, Louis Silvers. F. C. A. Certificate No. 2306. Running time, when seen in Hollywood, 90 minutes. Release date, August 1, 1936. General audience classification. CAST Jock Wallace Warner Baxter Mary Wallace .' Myrna Loy Bill Hallam Ian Hunter Kitty Brant Claire Trevor Irene Jean Dixon Sloan Potter Pat Somerset Switchboard Nurse Helen Brown S Wedgewood Nowell Doctors } Harold Foshav Drunk Paul Hurst ( Franklin F'angborn Guests | Tyler Brooke Bartender ....Arthur Aylesworth Salesgirl — Florence Lake Butler Edward Cooper ,T S Margaret Fielding Nurses 1 Ruth Clifford Ticket to Paradise (Republic) Comedy This is an inconspicuous little picture that is productive of quite a bit of fun and excitement. It concerns an amnesia victim and his attempts to recall his identity, all with the help of an attractive girl and her millionaire father. The complications that arise to confront the poor victim and the situations in which he finds himself while suffering from loss of memory are numerous and hilarious, but the fun really begins when the girl and boy start a cross-country tour of exploits aimed at getting pictures in newspapers in the hope of recognition. Ingenious showmanship is applicable to many sequences and the cast names of Roger Pryor, Wendy Barrie, Gaude Gillingwater, Andrew Tombes and Luis Alberni should mean something. Direction is by Aubrey Scotto, known for his comedies. Terry Dodd, go-getting young financier, is just leaving Chicago for Pittsburgh on a big business deal when he loses his memory following a taxi smashup. Rushing to the first train, he lands in New York with $10,000 in his pocket, but with no idea of who he is or where he is going. The police turn him over to a group of alienists, who name him Jack Doe, make a ridiculous test which indicates he is a taxi driver and put him to work at that, urging him to ask everyone to identify him. Dodd's first passenger is a wealthy girl, Jane Forbes, and he winds up at a cocktail party at her home. This leads to a job in her father's office, but when Dodd disrupts the routine by sending out inquiries through the business channels to try and discover his identity, he is fired. By this time, Jane is in love with Dodd, and vice versa, so the two start a ludicrous tour across the country seeking newspaper publicity in the hopes Dodd's picture may be printed and seen by a friend. The tour, interspersed with hilarious situations, finally takes the pair to Chicago, where, following another series of hijinks, it is revealed that Dodd is quite the honest business man and this dissolves Forbes' newly-aroused objections, so that the way is paved for "two tickets to Paradise" for the two lovers, as Miss Barrie puts it. Reviewed in a projection room. Baehler, New York. Produced and distributed by Republic Pictures. Produced by Nat Levine. Directed by Aubrey Scotto. Supervised by Victor Zobell. Screen play by Jack Natteford and Nathaniel West from an original story by David Silverstein. Photographed by Ernest Miller. Release date, July 10, 1936. P. C. A. Certificate No. 2282. Running time, 67 minutes. General audience classification. CAST Terry Dodd Roger Pryor Jane Forbes Wendy Barrie Forbes Claude Gillingwater Nirney Andrew Tombes Dr. Munson Luis Alberni Barkins E. E. Clive Taxi driver John Sheehan Dawson Harry Woods Milk man Duke Yorke Spotter Harry Harvey Shyster Charles Lane Merry-go-round man Harrison Greene Dr. Eckstrom Eric Mayne Interne Wallace Gregory Gracie Shirley O'Brien Taxi dispatcher Bud Jamison Tony Gavin Gordon Early to Bed (Paramount) Comedy This is a straight comedy without the slightest attempt to infuse dramatic or other serious element at any point in its development. The principal roles are enacted by Charles Ruggles, Mary Boland, George Barbier and Lucien Littlefield, who is also credited, in collaboration with Chandler Sprague, with authorship of the story. Their roles are of the kind in which they have been most successful at the box office in the past, and the placarding of their names in billing serves to describe the picture exactly. Exploitation resting principally upon these names appears to be indicated. Such effort would seem qualified to attract audiences^ of appropriate entertainment preference. Various stunts suggested by the extremely animated action in the picture harmonize with expectancies born of the cast names and borne out by the picture. Sleepwalking, honeymooning and amateur detecting are the major topical ingredients, all treated lightly and with exclusively comic intent. The story is of Chester Beatty, middle aged salesman, and his middle aged bride, who go for their honeymoon to a remote lake, site of a hotel and sanitarium, to be near and sell a bill of goods to Horace Stanton, manufacturer. A golf links episode puts the prospect under obligations to the salesman, but the bride's well intentioned efforts to help her husband result in successive placements and cancellations of a large order. Beatty's habit of walking in his sleep leads him and his bride to believe him inadvertently guilty of a jewel robbery and, later, a murder. A writer of detective stories, guest of the hotel, attempts to solve the successive mysteries. Beatty consults a doctor, who prescribes various unsuccessful means of overcoming his somnambulism. It is through their failure that the mysteries are solved, after which Beatty is employed by Stanton and moves on with his bride to a honeymoon at Niagara Falls. Reviewed at the Paramount theatre, New York, where a mid-evening weekday audience of capacity proportions laughed so loudly and long at various points in the picture as to drown out portions of ensuing dialogue for a reviewer contributing his share from fourth row center. Weaver, New York. Produced by Harlan Thompson. Distributed by Paramount. Directed by Norman McLeod. Screen play by Arthur Kober. Story by Lucien Littlefield and Chandler Sprague. Art direction by Hans Dreier and Robert Odell. Photographed by Henry Sharp. P. C. A. Certificate No. 2187. Release date, June 5, 1936. Running time, 73 minutes. General audience classification. CAST Tessie Weeks Mary Boland Chester Beatty Charlie Ruggles Horace Stanton George Barbier Grace Stanton . . Gail Patrick Burgess Frisbie Robert McWade Mr. O'Leary Lucien Littlefield Doctor Colin Tapley Mrs. Duvall Helen Flint Miss Benson Rae Daggett Salesman William Wayne Salesman Eddie Borden Craig Brooks Benedict Joe Tom Watson Rex Daniels Sidney Blackmer Smithers Arthur Hoyt Mrs. Fosbinder Jane Gittleson Burger Billy Gilbert Miss Barton Sarah Edwards White Fang (20th Century-Fox) Adventure Romance Sequel to Jack London's "Call of the Wild," this story of adventure and romance in Alaska, with a motivating dog theme, is unpretentious in plot and setting, but emerges as an entertaining production. Set in the Yukon country during the gold rush days at the turn of the century, the story, primarily, relates the legend of a wolf-dog, a magnificent animal, who befriends a man, later demonstrates fidelity to this same man and is his constant protector. The title derives its name from the dog, who otherwise is known as Lightning, and who should be a great favorite with the children. It is to them the campaign, it would seem, would be best directed. Not forgetting, of course, the vast public who are readers of the London stories. Jean Muir and Michael Whalen head a notable cast of character actors. Miss Muir especially gives a very excellent performance with Whalen, a comparative newcomer, showing evidences of future stardom. With them in the picture are Slim Summerville, Charles Winniger, John Carradine, Jane Darwell and Thomas Beck. In the story, Whalen, on the pleadings of Miss Muir, consents to act as a guide to her brother Beck, in his quest of the family gold mine. Bad weather and lack of food contribute to the downfall of Beck, who kills himself. Whalen staggers on but gives out before he reaches the mine. White Fang watches over him and attracts the attention of a passing sled by his howls. When Whalen recovers in the small community that adjoins the mine he poses as Beck and ousts Carradine, who has been robbing the mine. He nurses White Fang, who had been shot. Miss Muir arrives on the scene and falls in love with Whalen. Carradine accuses Whalen of the murder of Beck and is about to hang him when Summerville arrives with Beck's dairy which absolves Whalen of the crime. Reviewed at the Roxy Theatre in New York, where a mixed afternoon audience demonstrated its appreciation of the picture, breaking out in applause on several occasions. Mooney, New York. Produced and distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox. Producer, Darryl F. Zanuck. Associate producer, Bogart Rogers. Directed by David Butler. Story by Jack London. Screen play by Hal Long, Gene Fowler and S. G. Duncan. Photography by Arthur Miller. Editor, Irene Morra. P. C. A. Certificate No. 2,253. Running time, 70 minutes. Release date, July 3, 1936. General audience classification. CAST Sylvia Burgess Jean Muir Weedon Scott Michael Whalen Slats Slim Summerville Doc McFane Charles Winniger Beauty Smith John Carradine Maud Mahoney Jane Darwell Hal Burgess Thomas Beck Kobi v Joseph Herrick Francois George Ducount Nomi Marie Chorie White Fang Lightning Rythm on the Range ( Paramount ) Comedy with Music A different Bing Crosby picture, this stacks up as worthy audience entertainment material and, because of character of story and personalities presented, is an exploitation feature of more than usual quality. With music, the film moves to the tune of comedy action. Novel in theme, it moves fast. Diverting from customary production technique, it introduces several specialty features that are hilariously amusing. Considerable worth is added to the show inasmuch as Crosby's part is always comedy. While for necessary contrasting drama purposes some little semblance of seriousness is worked into the yarn, that quality is always secondary to the motivating comedy. Opening at a Madison Square Garden rodeo, singing cowboy Jeff, abetted by his bazooka tooting buddy Buck, wins sufficient money to (Continued on page 66)