Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1940)

40 MOTION PICTURE HERALD January 13, 1940 (Continued from page 38) ciate producer never more at ease than when deaHng with a humorous assignment. Previewed at the studio in Bur bank. — W. R. W. Produced and distributed by Warner Brothers. A First National Picture, executive producer, Hal B. Wallis, associate producer, Robert Lord. Directed by Ray Enright. Screen play by John Monks, Jr., and Fred F. Finkelhoffe. Photographed by Charles Rosher. Edited by Clarence Kolster. PGA certificate 5634. Release date. Jan. 13, 1940. Running time, when seen in Hollywood, 90 minutes. General audience classification. CAST Joyce Winfree Priscilla Lane Billy Randolph Wayne Morris Kate Jane Bryan "Bing" Edwards Eddie Albert Claire Terry Jane Wyman Dan Crawford Ronald Reagan Commencement Peter B. Good Snelling Arthur Treacher Major Terry Moroni Olsen Mrs. Brooks Jessie Busley Harley Harrington Larry Williams Mr. Harper Berton Churchill Mrs. Harper Nana Bryant Sterling Randolph Paul Harvey Girl in Bus Mayo Methot Cqh Driver Ed Gargan Emergency Squad (Paramount) Melodrama This is the one about the girl graduate of a journalism' school whose first story lands on page one with a by-line. It is also the one about the heroic work done by the police emergency squad. In putting the two together, the writers, Garnett Weston and Stuart Palmer, working from an original idea by Robert Musel and Michael Raymond, have conspired to have the girl instrumental in unearthing a series of criminally-inspired mine explosions, and to have her marry one of the members of the squad in the final footage. William Henry, Louise Campbell, Richard Denning, Robert Paige, Anthony Quinn and John Mil j an have principal roles in the story, directed by Edward Dmytryk, with Stuart Walker as associate producer. Two dogs, "Boots" and "Saddles," do much to sustain interest. Previewed in a studio projection room in Hollywood where a press audience betrayed its restlessness. — Walter Selden. Produced and distributed by Paramount. Associate producer, Stuart Walker. Directed by Edward Dmytryk. Screen play by Garnett Weston and Stuart Palmer, based on an idea by Robert Musel and Michael Raymond. Director of photography, Stuart Thompson. Edited by Everett Douglas. P. C. A. certificate No. 5689. Release date, Jan. 5, 1940. Running time, when seen in Hollywood, 58 minutes. General audience classification. CAST Pete Barton William Henry Betty Bryant Louise Campbell Dan Barton Richard Denning Chester Miller Robert Paige Nick Buller Anthony Quinn Slade Wiley John Miljan Lieutenant Murdock Joseph Marston Joyce (Editor) Joseph Crehan Music in My Heart ( Columbia) Comedy with Music Tony Martin's singing and the music of Andre Kostelanetz and his orchestra are the top box office merchandise offered showmen here. Five song numbers by Robert Wright and Chet Forrest are of the right sort for the Martin personality and for screen purposes, a pleasant combination of circumstances resulting in audibly favorable audience reaction to the musical portions of the picture. The comedy content, the principal ingredient of the story and screen play by James Edward Grant, is spotty but adequate. It is at its best when Alan Mowbray and Eric Blore are on the screen. Rita Hayworth and Edith Fellows handle the feminine side nicely. Joseph Santley directed the picture in workaday fashion, hitting his best stride with a bit of street music early in the picture. The Kos telanetz orchestra figures prominently in the closing minutes, broadcasting a CBS program with the CBS insignia prominently and repeatedly emphasized. Previewed at the Pantages Theatre, Hollyzvood, where the song numbers registered solidly. — William R. Weaver. Produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Producer, Irving Starr. Director, Joseph Santley. Assistant director, Eugene Anderson. Original story and screen play, James Edward Grant. Musical numbers, "No Other Love," "Prelude to Love," "Oh What a Lovely Dream," "I've Got Music in My Heart," "It's a Blue World," "No Taboleior Da Bahiana" (Barroso), and "Punchinello," by Robert Wright and Chet Forrest. Photographer, John Stumar. Film editor, Otto Meyer. Art director, Lionel Banks. Gowns, Kalloch. Musical director, M. W. Stolofif. Dialogue director, William Castle. Vocal arrangements, Charles Henderson. Sound engineer, George Cooper. P.C.A. Certificate No. 3877. Release date. January 10, 1940. Running time, when seen in Hollywood, 70 minutes. General audience classification. CAST Robert Gregory Tony Martin Patricia O'Malley Rita Hayworth Mary Edith Fellows Charles Gardner Alan Mowbray Griggs Eric Blore Sascha George Tobias "Mark C. Oilman Joseph Crehan Luigi George Humbert Miller Joey Ray Taxi Driver Don Brodie Leading Lady Julieta Novis Blake Eddie Kane Marshall Phil Tead Barrett Marten Lamont and Andre Kostelanetz and His Music Tevya (Maymon Film) Yiddish Classic The distinguished Yiddish actor and director, Maurice Schwartz, has done a most noteworthy job of this adaptation of Sholem Aleichem's "Tevya, the Dairyman." His direction and characterization of "Tevya," a Ukrainian Jew and a role he previously has essayed on the Yiddish stage, was obviously a labor of love. It is an artistic achievement that sets a mark for future Yiddish pictures to shoot at. There are English titles. "Tevya" is a man of the soil, proud of his farm and family and of his religion. He is a self-educated, tolerant man and a good neighbor. But "Tevya" who has lived long and happily suddenly comes on evil days. His younger daughter "Chave" (Miriam Riselle) marries outside the Jewish faith despite parental objections. The marriage casts a pall over "Tevya's" home and is somewhat responsible for the death of "Tevya's" beloved wife. The final blow comes when "Tevya" is forced to leave his farm because of the Czar's pogroms on the Jews. As the picture ends "Tevya" sets out for other lands with a heavy heart but happy in that his daughter has returned to him, she having been sorely treated by her husband's family. Reviewed at the Continental theatre. New York. The film was zvell received. — P'. C. MooNEY, Jr. Distributed by Maymon Film, Inc. Produced by Henry Ziskin. Directed by Maurice Schwartz. Based on Sholem Aleichem's "Tevya. the Dairyman." Yiddish dialogue with English titles. Photography, Larry Williams. Music, Sholem Secunda. Running time, 93 minutes. Release date, February 5, 1939. General audience classification. CAST Tevya Maurice Schwartz Chave Miriam Riselle Golde Rebecca Weintraub Zeitel Paula Lubeleska Fedia Leon Liebgold Sholinele Vicki Marcus Surele Perle Marcus Priest Julius Adler The Shadow (Columbia) Serial Shivers Transformed from pulp pages and air waves to the screen, the gentleman with that horrendous laugh signature will be dropping in weekly at cinema centers for a period of fifteen weeks and a regular crowd may be expected, if the pace of the first chapters is maintained. It is material for record citation that it was as "The Shadow" of the radio that Mr. Orson Welles did his preparatory work for scaring the daylights out of half a country's air audience one Sunday night in October of 1938 with his broadcast of a Martian invasion. In screen form Victor Jory essays his first chapter role as "The Shadow," besides tackling two subordinate parts as the scientist-crusader, "Lamont Cranston," and the Chinese merchant, "Lin Chang," assignments which act as blinds for the more important business of shadowing a gang of criminals who are beleaguering a city with a reign of terror. The ringleader of this clique is a spooky somebody called "The Black Tiger" who speaks through the electrified head of a cat. The actor playing this part is listed with a triple question mark, which should encourage audience attendance. With Jory in the cast are Veda Ann Borg, Roger Moore, Robert Fiske, Charles Hamilton, and Frank La Rue. James W. Horne directed from the screen play of Joseph Poland, Ned Dandy and Joseph O'Donnell, as based upon stories in "The Shadow" magazine. Release date, Nov. 24, 1939. Running time, 31 minutes first chapter, subsequent 14 chapters two reels each. Screwball Football (Vitaphone) Madcap Merry Melody A little bit post seasonal as far as pigskin sport is concerned, but nonetheless filled with seven minutes of continuous chuckles, an ingredient that is always timeless, is this Merrie Melodic burlesque of big time gridiron football. Players and spectators are taken for a merry ride of kidding and the whole travesty lives up to the nonsense title of the subject. Sharp edged drawing and cleverly devised sound effects combine to effect one of the breeziest pen point portraits of the season. Collegiate circles and graduate pigskin partisans should derive the most enjoyment from the fun but general audiences should not be far behind in demonstrating their loud and laughing approval. Running time, seven minutes. Xochimiico (Atlas Film Exchange) Traveltour The floating gardens of Mexico City, playground since the days of the Aztecs, are recorded in the Max Urban production, "Xochimiico." The spirit of the daily carnival of marketing and dancing has been captured by the camera. There is no off-screen commentary, however. The introduction offers a slight but interesting history of Xochimiico. — Running time, 11 minutes. New Horizons (Vitaphone) A Color Parade Alaska is the directional focus for this Color Parade contribution. As every school boy of American history can testify, this land, when purchased from Russia, received the name of "Seward's Folly." It is part of the business of this miniature to indicate that the buy was not such a spendthrift effort after all. Besides a glance around the Alaskan scenery of mountain and valley variety, there are some sequences detailing the agricultural and industrial life of the region. It should be a bit of a surprise for some spectators to view the country's rich farm lands and the fat, grazing herds at pasture, when the land was supposed to be fit for igloo dwellers and polar bears. In the light of current governmental plans for stocking the arctic outpost as a frontier defense post, the subject should be both timely and entertaining. — Running time, 10 minutes.