Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1942)

MOTION PICTURE HERALD April 25 , I 942 or Spanish derivation. Spencer Tracy _ is the leader of a small group who spend their time wondering how to live, eat and drink without working. When Garfield is bequeathed two unpretentious houses in Tortilla Flat, the entire , group moves in. Tracy's aim is two-fold. One is to rob a beggar, Frank Morgan, who, he thinks, has money. When he learns that the beggar has been saving money to buy a golden candlestick for St. Francis, he relinquishes the idea. The other is to circumvent the blossoming love affair between Garfield and Lamarr. When Garfield is seriously injured, indirectly through the fault of Tracy, Tracy again relents to the point of praying for his friend's recovery, and going to work so that he may buy a boat for him. The end of the picture finds Garfield without his houses, which have burned down, but with the boat and the beautiful Hedy for a bride. Frank Morgan as the simple old beggar with a deep religious feeling steals the picture with a really moving portrayal, and Spencer Tracy is very droll as the peasant who is most adept in the art of fallacious reasoning and getting something for nothing. Previewed at the company projection room, bejore an audience of trade press reviewers, who seemed to appreciate the humorous aspects of the film. — Irene Smolen Release date, May, 1942. Running time, 105 min. PCA No. 8103. General audience classification. Pilon Spencer Trac Dolores Sweets Ramirez Hedy Laman Danny -Tohn Garfield The Pirate Frank Morgan Pablo Akim Tamiroft Tito Ralph".'.'.'... Sheldon Leonard John Qualen, Donald Meek, Connie Gilchrist, Allen Jenkins, Henry O'Neill, Mercedes Ruffino. So's Your Aunt Emma C Monogram ) Farce Melodrama A neatly contrived melodramatic farce, "So's Your Aunt Emma" has ZaSu Pitts enacting the role of an elderly spinster who is mistaken by gangsters as a cold blooded killer. Using the mistaken identity to advantage, a newspaperman exposes the fight between two rival gangsters and cleans up several murders and kidnappings. Miss Pitts, who does an outstanding portrayal, is supported by Roger Pryor, Warren Hymer, Douglas Fowley, Gwen Kenyon, Elizabeth Russell, Tristram Coffin, Bud McTaggart, Stan Blystone, Dick Elliott, Eleanor Counts and Jack Mulhall. Produced by Lindsley Parsons and his associate, Barney Sarecky, the picture was directed by Jean \arbrough from a screenplay by George Bricker and Edmond Kelso. Harry Hervey wrote the original. The preview audience waxed hilarious at various scenes, particularly the one in which the spinster, having been given a quick lesson in underworld slang, uses her new words in confronting one of the gang chiefs. Previewed at the Vista theatre, Hollywood, to excellent audience reception. — Vance King Release date, April 17, 1942. Running time, 62 minutes. P.C.A. No. 8233. General audience classification. Aunt Emma ZaSu Pitts Terry Roger Pryor Joe Warren Hymer Gus Hammond Douglas Fowley Gwen Kenyon, Elizabeth Russell, Tristram Coffin. Bud McTaggart, Stan Blystone, Dick Elliott. Grand Central Murder ( Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) Murder Mystery This unravelling of the mystery surrounding the murder of a gold-digger in a private car in Grand Central Station differs from most melodramas in kind in that it offers, on the minus side, more conversation and less action than is par for the course and, on the plus side, two of the screen's most effective conversationalists REPUBLIC TO RELEASE "SUICIDE SQUADRON" Republic Pictures has set a release date of April 20tb for the film, "Suicide Squadron" ', which -was produced by RKO-Radio in England under the title of "Dangerous Moonlight". The picture was reviewed from London in Motion Picture Herald, issue of July 12, 1941. The reviewer said in part that it was "likely to go over where many another subject inspired by the war might turn them away. For all its generous footage and pedestrian pace it has a certain poignancy and the ultimate air fights smell like the real thing. It is not too English in its accent, and this, with the glimpse it affords of the Battle of Britain, suggests an angle of exploitation to the American exhibitor". and performers — Van Heflin and Sam Levene —to keep it sparkling. They portray, respectively, the lawyer and the police inspector who, in a continuous and competitive questioning of a collection of suspects, ultimately identify the murderer. Apart from the humour which the Messrs. Levene and Van Heflin generate, which is enough to hold most devotees of comedy steadily, the film conforms to the accepted pattern of detective stories. Some eight or ten suspects are brought together at the scene of the crime, also at police headquarters and in an empty theatre, for questioning which persists throughout the night in which all of the action transpires. Everybody had a reason for having killed the murderee and and each is, in turn, in suspicion, but the lawyer finally forces the guilty one to reveal himself. Production by B. F. Zeidman is adequate and direction by S. Sylvan Simon keeps the story lines clear. The script is by Peter Ruric, from a novel by Sue MacVeigh. Previewed at the Uptown theatre, Los Angeles, to an audience attracted by the advertised "The Fleet's In" which had an audibly pleasant evening with both pictures. — W. R. W. Release date. May, 1942 Running time, 71 min. PCA No. 8249. General audience classification. Rocky King Van Heflin Inspector Gunther Sanj Levene Patricia Dane, Cecilia Parker, Virginia Grey, Samuel S. Hinds, Connie Gilchrist, Mark Daniels, Horace McNally, Tom Conway, Betty Wales, George Lynn Four Flights to Love (English Films) Sentimental French Film From the France before Vichy comes another motion picture not previously shown here. This one is a sentimental film that moves at a too leisurely pace and overlong for the story it has to tell. It stars Fernand Gravet, one of the best known French stars. The tale starts off in pre-World War I in Paris with the budding romance of Gravet, who portrays, an artist, and Micheline Presle, a dressmaker's assistant. The artist has a flair for designing clothes and soon creates a sensation. They marry but the war comes along and they are separated. The girl dies in childbirth. No longer desiring to live, Gravet volunteers for a dangerous patrol. Recuperating in the hospital from a wound, Gravet draws sketches of dresses and after the war becomes rich and famous. Finally, after years of devoting himself to his daughter, the artist seeks a marriage with a girl no older than his daughter. A conflict develops and to insure his daughter's happiness, the artist sacrifices his own plans. The continuity is jerky, the photography vague and the sound scratchy. Abel Gance directed from an original story by Joseph Than. English titles are by Herman Weinberg. Produced by Taris-Films in Paris, the picture is released here by English Films, Inc. Seen at the Little Carnegie Playhouse, New York. An occasional response to the French dialogue was the only reaction noted. — Paul C. Mooney, Jr. Release date, April 11, 1942. Running time, 86 minutes. General audience classification. Pierre Fernand Gravet Sonia (Princess Vorochine) Elvire Popesco Robert Le Vigan, Micheline Presle, Monique Rolland. Alerme. The Girl from Alaska (Republic) Alaskan Girl and Gold Based on the Saturday Evening Post serial, "Golden Portage," "The Girl from Alaska," as the title indicates, is a story about the gold country, replete with all the familiar accoutrements of that territory, with the two motivating forces gold and love, in that order. The plot concerns a man who, believing he has committed a murder, is forced to enter a conspiracy to rob an old prospector of his great wealth in gold. He discovers that the old prospector has died and that his daughter hopes to move the gold back to civilization. Eventually one conspirator is arrested for murder, the hero is cleared of the murder charge and reunited with the heroine. Ray Middleton is the hero, Jean Parker the heroine, Jerome Cowan and Robert H. Barat are villains. While the picture lacks conviction and suspense, it does have some exciting moments, the warm, human touches evident throughout, scenery is particularly effective and there are Armand Schaefer was the associate producer and Nick Grinde directed. Seen at the home office projection room. — I. S. Release date, April 16. 1942. Running time, 75 min. PCA No. 8199. General audience classification. Steve Bentley Ray Middleton Mary "Pete" McCoy Jean Parker Jerome Cowan, Robert H. Barrat, Ray Mala, Francis McDonald. Raymond Hatton, Milton Parsons. The Mad Martindales (Twentieth Century-Fox — Block 10) Period Comedy-Drama With this picture Jane Withers winds up her long association with the house of 20th Century-Fox on what might be called an upcurve. In point of production value, story and treatment, cast and direction it rates well above the average of the vehicles provided her previously. Showmen disposed to regard the occasion of its exhibition as warranting a letdown in exploitation should be pleased to discover that it is rather an occasion for increasing their campaigning directed toward her following. The period of the film is 1900 and the place is San Francisco. The story presents the star as the young lady daughter of an improvident architect whose financial difficulties she sets out to adjust. Francis Edward Faragoh's screenplay avoids the ridiculous devices common to these situations and keeps events rolling smoothly and entertainingly to a happy conclusion. Production by Walter Morosco and direction by Alfred Werker are of the best and performances are uniformly satisfactory. Previewed at the studio. — W. R. W. Release date, May IS, 1942. Running time, 65 minutes. PCA No. 7978. General audience classification. Kathy Martindale Jane Withers Evelyn Marjorie Weaver Byron Barr, George Reeves, Charles Lane, Kathleen Howard, Robert Greig, Alan Mowbray, Jimmy Lydon. (Review reprinted from last week s Herald) 622 Product Digest Section