Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1940)

April 6 940 MOTION PICTURE HERALD 43 Ghost Valley Raiders (Republic) Western Republic, which has two western series featuring singing cowboy stars. Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, and one series depending primarily on action, The Three Mesquiteers, has balanced its western production with the addition of Donald Barry. "Ghost Valley Raiders" is the first of the new series and action is the keynote. Barry makes a promising start, with some polishing still to be done. In supporting roles are Lona Andre, Leroy Mason as the heavy, Tom London, Jack Ingram, Horace Murphy, Ralph Peters, Curley Dresden and Yakima Canutt. George Sherman produced and directed from a screen play by Bennett Cohen. The original story idea was by Connie Lee. "Tim Brandon," a government agent, under the assumed name of "The Tolusa Kid," bandit, is sent to Silver City to solve the mystery of repeated stagecoach holdups. "Frank Ewing," manager of the stagecoach line, is secretly the head of the gang. Reviewed in a projection room in New York. — Paul C. Mooney, Jr. Produced and distributed by Republic. Associate producer-director, George Sherman. Screenplay, Bennett Cohen. Based on an original story idea by Connie Lee. Production manager, Al Wilson. Photographed by Ernest Miller. Editor, Lester Orlebeck. Musical director, Cy Feuer. P. C. A. Certificate No. 6104. Running time, 57 minutes. Release date, March 26, 1940. General audience classification. CAST Tim Brandon Donald Barry Linda Lona Andre Frank Ewing Leroy Mason Sheriff Tom London Kennelly Jack Ingram Ringleader Horace Murphy Deputy Sheriff Ralph Peters Rawhide Curley Dresden Marty Owens Yakima Canutt George and Margaret (Warner Brothers British ) Domestic Comedy The original play ran long and successfully on the London stage. The screen version deserves a success no less prolonged and infinitely more widespread. A hilariously funny searchlight on the upper middle class family, it has point as well as polish and is a picture of which any Hollywood studio would be proud. George King herein reveals a very deft hand at directing comedy, and though the film is an adapted play it has unceasing movement and incident. Seldom has a cast — headed here by the irresistible Marie Lohr — worked with a keener zest. There is a laugh in every sequence, several in most of them. Best of all is of course the impeccable Marie Lohr whose "Mrs. Garth Bander" is an epic comedy creation. Ann Casson, too, a peculiarly fascinating girl, is an interesting "Gladys," the comedy creation. There is technical finish throughout. "George and Margaret" is certainly one of the films of the British year. A London trade audience laughed incessantly at the Phoenix Theatre preview. Critical minds hailed its polish and humors. Exhibitor reaction, very favorable without obvious exception, inclined to the belief that apart from the film's intrinsic qualities it was something of an antidote to wartime blues. — Aubrey Flanagan. Produced and distributed by Warner Brothers. Directed by George King. Produced by A. M. Salomon. Screen play by Rodney Ackland and Brock Williams. Editor, Terence Fisher. Photography, Basil Emmott. Sound, Ernest Royls and Leonard Scotchbrook. Art Direction, Norman Arnold. Musical Directon, Bretton Byrd. Running time, 77 minutes. General audience classification. Alice Marie Lohr |/a,nkJe Judy Kelly Malcolm Noel Howlett R°eer Oliver Wakefield , Sa"de John Boxer ' £,a°/s Ann Casson JJudley Arthur Macrae \-°°Y Margaret Yarde ' Wofverton Gus McNaughton Beer Irene Handl Swing with Bing (No release set) Crosby Golf and Song Seldom has a short subject contained such box office potentialities as this, starring Bing Crosby, a host of professional golfers, other athletes, and Arthur Q. Bryan of the "Grouch Club" radio program, against a background of the fourth annual Crosby-sponsored Rancho Santa Fe Pro-Amateur Golf Tournament. Crosby sings "The Little White Pill on the Little Green Hill," original song by John Burke and James V. Monaco, and comedy lightens the introductions of the various golfers and other athletes. The narration is by Roger Keene. Those introduced include Byron Nelson, Jimmy Thompson, Bud Ward, Walter Hagen, Clayton Heafner, Jimmy Demaret, Jug McSpaden, Lawson Little, Ed Oliver, Frank Rodia, Leo Diegel, Tony Penna, Ty Cobb, Marshall Duffield, Jimmy McLarnin, Scotty Chisholm, Henry McLemore and Richard Arlen. John Scott Trotter and his Divot Diggers provide the music. Herbert Polesie produced and directed, with Everett Crosby, Ltd., handling the business management. No release has been set for the subject. Running time, 13 minutes. Information Please, No. 7 (RKO Pathe) Experts at Work The combined knowledge of the regular board of experts and the guest expert, Clarence Budington Kelland, is encyclopaedic in scope, but it can miss, as Clifton Fadiman, who fires the questions, can testify. Oscar Levant, F. P. Adams and John Kieran are on hand as usual. Mr. Levant, musician, wit and now author of the best selling book "A Smattering of Ignorance," always has his hand up and usually makes a good fling at the question. — Running time, 10 minutes. The Domineering Male (MGM) Pete Smith Specialty An interesting and entertaining subject that should find many a chuckle forthcoming from the harassed male was probably inspired by Leap Year. The story has to do with a woman's tactics in pursuit of man. The man in the case, of course, is quite certain that he is doing the pursuing, but Pete Smith has taken his cameras behind the scenes to show the snares set by the girl. Johnny Hines, former star of the silent screen, wrote the script, prepared the screen play, and directed the film. — Running time, 10 minutes. Seattle, Gateway to the Northwest (FitzPatrick-MGM) Travelogue James A. FitzPatrick, continuing his tour of the United States, has stopped off at Seattle, to make a travelogue for his new domestic series. Seattle, the gateway to the northwest, is a thriving city and typically American. Traveling by airplane, automobile and by foot, the cameramen have caught glimpses of the commerce, buildings and play resorts in the Washington city. — Running time, 9 minutes. Climbing the Spirit's Home (20th Century-Fox) Exploring in Alaska The series of subjects edited from filmings by the Jesuit, Father Hubbard, during his explorations of glaciers in Alaska, is continued with this reel in which the priest and three students of Santa Clara University climb to the birthplace of one of the territory's mightiest rivers of ice, a vast snowfield held in superstitious awe by the native Indians. The purpose of the expedition is to take temperature readings of the ice at various levels in the glacier, and to this end one of the party is lowered into one of the dangerous crevasses which crisscross the surface. The commentary, by Father Hubbard and Lowell Thomas, is not as smooth as that in previous reels. — Running time, 10 minutes. Stranger Than Fiction, No. 73 (Universal) Oddity Reel A miniature stone mansion constructed by a mason as a hobby opens this interesting reel. Shown also is a one man school where the only pupil is a boy about seven years old. In Louisville, Fritz Bade makes pictures with various types of natural colored wood, later inlaid. A man in Kirksville, Mo., trains a horse to do tricks and mind the baby. The highlight of the reel is a photographer, "Slim" Summerville (not the actor) of San Antonio, who looks, acts, speaks and dresses like Abraham Lincoln. — Running time, 9J4 minutes. Over the Seven Seas (20th Century-Fox) Thorgersen Sport Review Because sailing yachts and small craft are among the most photogenic of subjects, this reel should appeal to an even wider audience than solely of those who feel the fascination of salt water and a spanking breeze. The subject includes many individual shots of sailing craft which are singularly beautiful and is only slightly marred by a lack of continuity and one or two instances of photographic shortcoming.— Running time, 10 minutes. Going Places, No. 73 (Universal) R. R. and Canines Number 73 ot the Going Places series enjoyably concerns itself with the latest developments in railroad economy and passenger comfort. To give longer life to tracks and to eliminate the monotonous clicking from the rails, companies now are laying tracks one quarter mile long by electrical welding (they're 39 feet now). The second portion of the reel deals with thoroughbred dogs and a visit to the Morris and Essex Dog Show in New Jersey. — Running time, nine minutes. Dinner for Chamberlain Variety Club Tent No. 13, in Philadelphia, gave a testimonial dinner Monday at the Warwick Hotel for L. J. Chamberlain, early Pennsylvania exhibitor and general manager of the Victoria Amusement Enterprises, Inc., of Shamokin, Pa. About 200 Pennsylvania exhibitors and exchange men were present. Colvin Brown, vice-president of Quigley Publishing Company, also attended. Col. Cooper Is Reelected The Motion Picture Distributors and Exhibitors of Canada reelected all officers and directors at the annual meeting held Tuesday in Toronto. The president is Col. John A. Cooper. Directors include Clair Hague, J. P. O'Loghlin, M. A. Milligan, Henry Nathanson, Leo M. Devaney, H. M. Masters and Col. Cooper. The next meeting of the organization is scheduled for April 8th. Beatrice Votes Sunday Shows Robert Taylor's home town, Beatrice, Nebraska, voted on Tuesday to have motion picture shows on Sundays. The tally was 2,472 to 1,873. It was the sixth time the town had voted on the question in the past 10 years. The population of Beatrice is 10,000.