Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1936)

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58 MOTION PICTURE HERALD December 19, 1936 bureau, which for a long time has been trying to assign Edith to an orphan asylum. Bequeathed a house in an adjoining town, a legacy of the condemned prisoner, Edith, Meek and Crosby turn the house into a night club. Forced to close the place for lack of enough money to obtain a license, Crosby does a daredevil act in a circus playing the town. He is injured and sent to the hospital. With Crosby in the hospital, Edith is taken to an orphanage. Crosby blames Miss Evans for the act, but she meanwhile has resigned from the welfare bureau after an argument with its director. Escaping from the hospital, Crosby gathers the circus to play a benefit at the orphanage. An attempt to smuggle Edith out of the orphanage inside a bass drum falls just short of success. Later Miss Evans and Crosby meet in New York. They plan to marry and adopt Edith, who in the. meantime has caused the orphanage authorities no end of trouble by going on a hunger strike. Exploitation angles of the picture are many, but it would appear that the popularity of Bing Crosby coupled with the catchy title should be sufficient drawing power in most cases, not forgetting a word for Edith Fellows. Reviewed at the Paramount theatre. Audience reaction was audibly favorable. — Paul C. Mooney, Jr. Produced and distributed by Columbia. Producer, Emanuel Cohen. Director, Norman Z. McLeod. Story by Katherine Leslie Moore and William Rankin. Screenplay, Jo Swerling. Photography, Robert Pittack. Music by Arthur Johnson. Lyrics by John Burke. Song arrangements, John Scott Trotter. Musical director, George Stoll. Editor, John Rawlins. P. C. A. Certificate No. 2,402. Running time, 83 minutes. Release date, November 25, 1936. General audience classification. CAST Larry Bing Crosby Susan Madge Evans Patsy Edith Fellows Gramp Donald Meek Hart John Gallaudet Henry Louis Armstrong Crowbar Tom Dugan Miss Howard Nana Bryant Warden Charles Wilson Concessionaire Harry Tyler Carmichael William Stack Mr. Briggs Tom Ricketts Louis Armstrong and his Band. Great Guy (Grand National Mac Lean) Drama Never a screen character who permitted his hands to be idle when there was someone around deserving a sock, James Cagney comes back in a fist swinging topical drama that should please his followers and give others an exciting bit of entertainment. Basically, "Great Guy" is a racketeer expose drama. Sticking to that theme fairly consistently, it is one in which the elements of romance, comedy, intrigue and quite a bit of political skullduggery also have prominent functions. Based on a series of stories that ran some time ago in Saturday Evening Post, "Great Guy" concerns itself with a one man crusade to protect the public by wiping out the short weight in merchandise packages. His 100 per cent efficient activities arousing the antagonism of petty politicians, Johnny Cave is framed into a fake character-destroying auto accident by ward healer Marty Cavanaugh. Relieved from his predicament and consequently supposed to be under obligations to the worthy Marty, Johnny continues, however, to put the rap on short weighters. Sensing that there's a higherup master mind, he spurns the Mayor's offer of a soft, well-paying job. Finally he becomes convinced that the supposedly respectable Canning, who, incidentally, is the boss of his sweetheart, Janet Henry, is the big shot. Naturally his suspicions cause her affections for him to take a decided drop, but Johnny, with the aid, of his assistant, Haley, gets the goods on Canning, Cavanaugh, et al. Though strong arm man Burton makes a sucker of him, Johnny, aided by his onetime pal Reilly, is able to trap the two big shots in Burton's apartment, where they have found the evidence which was stolen from him. Ensues a hectic sequence in which Cava naugh quits after a bad beating at the hands of Johnny. The racket broken up therewith, Janet comes to believe with Johnny that he's a great guy in more ways than one. Of the character that stirs the enthusiasm of those who like to see a lot of. action happen on the screen, the picture is also an auspicious reentry for Cagney. In its topical phases, it has elements that can be made the basis for unique exploitation. Previewed in the Village theatre, W estwood. As the producer has announced that sequences which failed to hold audience attention will be eliminated, it may be expected that the speed of the final picture will be considerably stepped up.—G. M. Produced and distributed by Grand National. A Douglas MacLean production. Directed by John G. Blystone. Based on the "Johnny Cave Stories" in The Saturday Evening Post by James Edward Grant. Screen play by Henry McCarthy and Henry Johnson. Additional dialogue by Harry Ruskin. Photographed by Jack McKenzie. Art director, Ben Carre. Musical director, Marlin Skiles. Assistant director, John Sherwood. Sound technician, Harold Bumbaugh. Film editor, Russell Schoengarth. Gowns by Dorothy Beel. P. C. A. Certificate No. 2929. Running time, when seen in Hollywood, 75 minutes (to be cut). Release date, December 23, 1936. General audience classification. CAST Johnny Cave James Cagney Janet Henry Mae Clarke Pat Haley James Burke Pete Reilly Edward Brophy Canning Henry Kolker Hazel Bernadene Hayes Cavanaugh Robert Gleckler Burton Joe Sawyer Tim Matty Fain Al Edward Gargan Mrs. Ogilvie Mary Gordon Joel Green Wallace Clark Mayor Douglas Wood Hanlon Edward McNamara The Flying Doctor ( Gaumont-British ) Romantic Drama Quite apart from any question of merit, "The Flying Doctor" claims international attention. It is the first talking picture made in Australia by an Australian producing organization in association with a British corporation. It is the first film made in the Commonwealth by a British director with British technicians, and its star is the American actor, Charles Farrell. Moreover, its distribution will be handled on the Australian market by Twentieth CenturyFox free of cost as a gesture towards the local producing industry, thereby saving National Productions an estimated sum of £12,000. Judged on Australian standards, "The Flying Doctor" rates high. While it lacks the production polish of imported product, it nevertheless represents a decided advancement over previous Australian pictures, leading one to believe that, with experience, local studios will deliver something that looks more like the work of professionals and less like the result of an amateur's hobby. In contrast to the earlier Australian pictures, the players have created an illusion of reality, and that awkward "staginess" which always has been a depressing feature of local product is for the most part absent. Charles Farrell's performance is unquestionably up to the best he has delivered in Hollywood films. The feminine members of the cast are inadequate. Mary McGuire, who since has found a niche for herself in Hollywood with Twentieth Century-Fox, photographs brilliantly but acts with a total lack of animation and imagination. If she has latent talent more strenuous direction should help her considerably. The story is shockingly weak. Had the director and players been given an expertly prepared script, they may have turned out a most praiseworthy venture. From a technical standpoint, "The Flying Doctor" leaves nothing to be desired. Sound and photography are faultless. Overseas audiences will see typical Australian scenes and landmarks that should interest them greatly. Not only will they see glimpses of out-back station life, but the rush and bustle of Aus tralian cities, the famous Sydney harbor and harbor bridge, Australia's surfing beaches, its night life and other features of a vividly interesting country will help to increase the picture's popularity among audiences that have not yet visited the Commonwealth. According to official announcements, "The Flying Doctor" cost £40,000 ($200,000) to produce. It will be distributed in the United States and the British Isles. — Cliff Holt, Melbourne. Produced by National Productions, Ltd. (Australia) in association with Gaumont-British. Distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox. Directed by Miles Mander. Original story by Robert Waldron. Adaption and scenario by J. O. C. Orton. Photography, Derik Williams. Art direction, Richard Ridgway. Sound, Leslie Fry and D. H. Box. Music, Alfred Lawrence and Willy Redstone. Cinematograph Films (Australian Quota) Act. Registration No. 2015. Length, 8274 feet. Running time, 92 minutes. CAST Sandy Nelson Charles Farrell Jenny Rutherford Mary Maguire Dr. John Vaughan ("The Flying Doctor") Jas. Raglan Dodger Green Joe Valli Betty Webb Margaret Vyner Geoffrey Webb Eric Colman Blotch Burns Tom Lurich Phyllis Maudie Edwards Dr. Rutherford Phyllip Lytton Mr. Rutherford Andrew Beresford Mrs. O'Toole Katie Towers Barman Joe Phil Smith Pop Schnitzel Jack Clarke A Son of Mongolia (Amkino) Russian Melodrama This is advertised in its New York run as the first Mongolian motion picture and appears to bear out the billing. It was produced in Mongolia by Lenfilm, of Leningrad, and the story deals with the adventures of the Mongol, Tseven, who goes into Manchukuo, experiences adventure, capture, torture and imprisonment, escaping finally to return to Mongolia after many hardships and to tell the home folk, as he has also told the Manchukuoans, that all are free and happy in Mongolia whereas life in Manchukuo under the Japanese is pretty bad. It is this point, of course, which accounts for the Russian sponsorship of the film. On the plus side, if the film is considered as a commercial product, there is to be seen a good deal of what is presented as life in Mongolia, and likewise much of what is depicted as misery in Manchukuo. Dress, manner, occupation, custom, all are in themselves interesting. Three incidents stand out: a Mongolian wrestling match, a Manchukuoan theatrical entertainment and an episode in which shepherds pursued by militia hide among their flocks. Tavern and street scenes in both territories also possess novelty. Reviewed at the Cameo theatre, New York, where the less restrained sympathizers with things Russian gave audible approval of the Mongolian hero's heroism. — W. R. W. Produced by Lenfilm, Leningrad, U.S.S.R. Distributed by Amkino. Directed by Ilya Trauberg. Scenario by B. Lapin, L. Slavin and Z. Khazrevin. Music score by N. Rabinovitch and E. Griukov. No P. C. A. certificate. Release date, Nov. 20. Running time, 90 minutes. Adult audience classification. CAST Tseven Tseven Rabdan Dulma Igin Khorlo The Chauffeur Sosor-Barma The Innkeeper Gombo The Prince Bato-Ochir The Prince's Foreign Advisor Ir-Kan The Monk Zigmit Cavalry (ICI-United Artists) Romantic Drama "Cavalry," as did "Cavalcade," has a twofold story. It traces the life of a generation extremely romantic, and the heroism of the Italian cavalry. The action starts in Turin in 1899, in the middle of the era of the Piedmontese aristocracy. Two sisters, Speranza and Carlotta de Frasseneto, are in love with Lieutenant Solaro, a famous rider, Speranza is secretly engaged to