Motion Picture Herald (Sep-Oct 1941)

October 4, 194 1 MANAGERS' ROUND TABLE ADVANCE SYNOPSES and information THE CORSICAN BROTHERS (United Artists) Romance-Drama PRODUCED by Edward Small. Directed by Gregory Ratoff. PLAYERS: Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Akim Tamiroff, Ruth Warrick. SYNOPSIS Twins are born to a noble Corsican family. The twins are joined by a bond of flesh. As preparations for an operation to sever the bond is going on the Baron Colonna (Akim Tamiroff), blood enemy of the family, wipes out the family but the twins are saved and the operation is performed. They are given the names of Lucien and Mario. Twenty-one years later Lucien (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) has become the daring leader of an outlaw band. Mario (also played by Fairbanks) has become a young man of the world and resides in Paris. The brothers are reunited in Corsica and both become enamored of the Countess Isabelle (Ruth Warrick) . Baron Colonna holds the countess prisoner in order to trap the twins. Mario is captured. Lucien comes to his rescue. In the ensuing battle, Lucien is mortally wounded and Mario bests Colonna. SAILORS ON LEAVE (Republic) Comedy-Romance ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Albert J. Cohen. Directed by Albert S. Rogell. PLAYERS: William Lundigan, Shirley Ross, Chick Chandler, Ruth Donelly, Mae Clarke, Cliff Nazarro. SYNOPSIS This tells of a sailor who is allergic to women. As a gag his two pals trump up a letter supposedly written by an attorney notifying him that he will inherit twenty-five thousand dollars provided he marries before his twenty-seventh birthday. Since he owes all the gobs on the boat, they serve as match-makers, that is all except the two pals, who are fearful their hoax will be exposed. The sailor does his best, also, to avoid matrimony but to satisfy the gobs he makes a pretense of courting a night club singer. The upshot of the matter is that he falls in love with the girl, marries her and receives a reward for locating a stolen necklace. SPECIAL REMARKS The musical score consists of "Since You," "How Ya' Sailor," "Sextet from Lucia Di Lammermoor," "I'm Proud I'm a Navy Man," "When a Sailor Goes Ashore," "Sentimental Folks," "Finale" and "Because We Are Americans." NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK (Universal) Comedy DIRECTED by Edward P. Cline. PLAYERS: W. C. Fields, Gloria Jean, Butch and Buddy, Ann Nagel, Franklyn Pangborn, Mona Barrie. SYNOPSIS W. C. Fields (himself) is en route to Esoteric Studios for a story conference. But his path to the studios is beset with woes. Two candid youngsters, Butch and Buddy inform his last picture was a "buptkie." A husky gent handy with his fists sends him flying into the shrubbery when he catches Fields eyeing his girl friend. A waitress slops icewater over his pants and thwarts his attempt to exchange his battered sailor hat for another customer's fine Panama. At the studios Fields tries to sell his new original script to producer Franklyn Pangborn, but Pangborn's wife (Mona Barrie) objects to being cast as a bearded lady — although Fields assures her she would only have to wear a small beard. Upon emerging from the conference, Fields discovers his niece, Gloria Jean (herself) acting as a shill with Butch & Buddy in a shooting gallery. The gallery is part of a movie set. A series of events involving Gloria's mother sends Fields and Gloria to Mexico. At the end it is revealed that the Mexican adventure is all part of the script which Fields has been reading to Pangborn. SWAMP WATER (Twentieth Century-Fox) Ac/ion Drama PRODUCED by Len Hammond. Directed by Jean Renoir. PLAYERS: Walter Brennan, Walter Huston, Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews, Virginia Gilmore, John Carradine, Mary Howard, Eugene Pallette. SYNOPSIS Ben Ragan (Dana Andrews) seeking his dogin a treacherous Georgia swamp against his father's orders, is made prisoner by Tom Keefer (Walter Brennan), a fugitive convicted of murder. As the two become friends, Tom names the true murderers, friends of Ben's father, Thursday (Walter Huston). He finally shows Ben the way out of the swamp, and asks him to look after his daughter, Julie. Although forbidden his father's house, Ben uncovers a situation which forces the exposure of the true criminals. They escape into the alligator-infested swamp, but meet their death when Ben returns to restore Tom Keefer to society. THE TWINS (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) Comedy-Drama PRODUCED by Gottfried Reinhardt. Directed by George Cukor. PLAYERS: Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas, Ruth Gordon, Roland Young, Constance Bennett. SYNOPSIS Lawrence Blake (Melvyn Douglas) marries his ski instructress Karin Borg (Greta Garbo) during a retreat to the mountains from high life and the publishing business. He returns to New York full of good intentions, but meets complications in the form of his old friends, especially Griselda Vaughan (Constance Bennett). Karin goes after him but in the person of her glamorous "twin" who scores an immediate success with Blake and his group. When the disguise gets out of hand she returns to the mountains where she is forced to impersonate both twins in turn until the situation is finally cleared. BILLY THE KID WANTED (Producers Rel. Corp.) Western PRODUCED by Sigmund Neufeld. Directed by Sherman Scott. PLAYERS: Buster Crabbe, Al St. John, Dave O'Brien. SYNOPSIS Billy, Fuzzy and Jeff befriend the farmers of the Paradise Land Development district and thereby incur the wrath of the unscrupulous owner. Jeff is caught by the owner and his henchmen and when Billy tries to free him, he, too, is captured. Billy and Jeff by a ruse get the drop on the gang. HOT-SPOT (Twentieth Century-Fox) Murder Mystery PRODUCED by Milton Sperling. Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone. PLAYERS: Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Carole Landis, Laird Cregar, William Gargan, Allyn Joslyn. SYNOPSIS Christopher has written a hit play and fallen in love with its star who is suddenly and inexplicably found murdered. Evidence and Ed Cornell, a detective, point to him as a suspect. The dead girl's sister arrives in time to be implicated and to further incriminate Christopher, although she loves him. The couple finally escape, as the law is closing in on them, and uncover the real murderer. SPECIAL REMARKS The screen play was adapted from the novel, "I Wake Up Screaming" by Steve Fisher. MOON OVER HER SHOULDER (Twentieth Century-Fox) Drama ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Walter M orosco. Directed by Alfred Werker. PLAYERS: John Sutton, Lynn Bari, Alan Mowbray, Dan Dailey, Jr. SYNOPSIS An authority on matrimonial problems is too busy advising other people how to conduct their lives and neglects his wife. Feeling her husband's abstraction deeply, the wife starts a campaign to recapture his interest, hoping eventually for a second honeymoon. Her campaign seems to miss fire somehow and she becomes very depressed. Then she meets a man and becomes very interested in him. Perplexed as to what to do, she writes her husband an anonymous letter explaining the circumstances and asking him what to do. The letter leads to a reunion with her husband. SMALL TOWN DEB (Twentieth Century-Fox) Comedy PRODUCED by Lou Ostrow. Directed by Harold Schuster. PLAYERS: Jane Withers, Cobina Wright, Jr., Jane Darwell, Bruce Edwards, Cecil Kellaway, Katharine Alexander, Jack Searle, Buddy Pepper. SYNOPSIS This is the first of a new type of Jane Withers stories for 1941-42 release. A down-toearth, human story in which a girl successfully bridges the gap between childhood and young womanhood. SADDLE MOUNTAIN ROUNDUP (Monogram) "Western PRODUCED by George W. Weeks. Directed by S. Roy Luby. PLAYERS: Ray Corrigan, John King, Max Terhune, Lita Conway, Jack Mulhall. SYNOPSIS The Range Busters in this one of the series are called upon to solve the murder of an old rancher. The rancher was overburdened with enemies and any one of them could have committed the crime. The Range Busters by process of elimination ferret out the real culprit. SPECIAL REMARKS Songs are "Little Brown Jug," "The Doggone Dogie Got Away," and "That Little Green Valley of Mine." Product Digest Section 299