Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1942)

January 24, I 942 MOTION PICTURE HERALD Born to Sing (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) Music, Comedy and Everything Based on a story by Franz G. Spencer that is crammed with action and devoid of any dull interludes, directed by Edward Ludwig at a pace that makes the most of the opportunities offered, and with a cast that abounds in talented youngsters. "Born to Sing" emerges as a musical comedy that is as gay, breezy and fast-moving as youth itself. It has all the entertainment qualities usually associated with musicals of more epic proportions and greater budget expenditures. The youngsters who dominate the cast are Virginia Weidler, growing up now, but still able to entice that tear from your eye; Ray McDonald, a youth certainly born to dance; Leo Gorcey, the "Dead End" kid, who is as amusing and fresh as ever as a boy just out of reform school ; and Larry Nunn, who portrays another tough urchin. The leading adult in the cast is Sheldon Leonard, the "Pretty Willie" of "Tall, Dark and Handsome." Ray McDonald, Leo Gorcey and Larry Nunn, three New York "Musketeers," befriend Virginia Weidler and her father, a composer, whose work is being stolen by an unscrupulous producer. In their endeavor to make the producer come across, the boys get into all sorts of trouble and complications, but with the aid of a racketeer, Leonard, they are able to prevent the opening of the producer's show and present their own show, comprised of youthful performers, so that the composer's music can be heard as his own. It is a huge success. This children's show is in itself one of the highlights of the picture. Honorable mention must be given to Beverly Hudson, a young girl who sings a song about "not liking to do the Conga," a child, Richard Hall, who is a prodigy at the piano, and Darla Hood, another young girl, who sings about the plight of being a "Quiz Kid." There is enough youthful talent here to supply the nucleus of another Motion Picture Herald "Stars of Tomorrow" poll. Another spectacular sequence is the finale musical number, "Ballad for Americans," written by Earl Robinson and John Latouche. Sung by Douglas McPhail and directed by Busby Berkley, it is handsomely executed, musically thrilling and appropriately patriotic. Frederick Stephani produced. Previewed at the company projection room before an audience of trade press reviewers, one of whom said aloud, "Boy, this picture has everything." He seemed to be expressing everyone' s sentiments. — I. S. Release date, not set. Running time, 82 minutes. PCA No. 7967. General audience classification. Patsy Eastman Virginia Weidler Steve Ray McDonald "Snap" Collins Leo Gorcey "Grunt" "Rags" Ragland Murray Saunders Douglas McPhail Pete Detroit Sheldon Leonard Frank Eastman Henry O'Neill Mike Conroy ^Sj"?? Margaret Dumont, Beverly Hudson, Richard Hall, Darla Hood, Joe Yule North of the Klondike ( Universal) Alaskan Melodrama Melodrama laid in Alaska during pioneer days of gold mining and the first agricultural settling is the fare afforded by Universal's "North of the Klondike," a substantial offering in its entertainment division. Broderick Crawford as a mining engineer who thwarts the attempts of a trader to drive out the settlers in order that he may stake a mine claim, Andy Devine as his partner, Evelyn Ankers as the romantic interest and Lon Chaney as the trader head the cast. Based on Jack London's "Gold Hunters of the North," the script by Clarence Upson Young, Lou Sarecky and George Bricker moves quickly and smoothly to its climax which comes when Crawford and Chaney tangle in the usual last reel battle which marks virtually every story of the north. Erie C. Kenton, the director, paced it neatly and associate producer Paul Malvern made facile use of stock shots to a good impression. Previewed in studio projection room. — Vance King. Release date, Jan. 23, 1942. Running time, 58 minutes. PCA No. 7924. General audience classification. Johnny Thorn Brod Crawford Nate Carson Lon Chaney, Jr. Klondike Andy Devine Mary Sloan Evelyn Ankers Dorothy Granger, Willie Fung, Keye Luke, Lloyd Corrigan, Stanley Andrews, Roy Harris, Paul Dubov, Monte Blue. Fly by Night (Paramount) Melodrama "Fly by Night" is a melodrama whose chief characters are a young doctor, accused of murdering an assistant of an inventor of a war device, a girl who helps him escape, and a band of spies who use an insane asylum as their headquarters in attempts to obtain the secret weapon. Richard Carlson, Nancy Kelly, Albert Basserman, Miles Mander and Martin Kosleck head the cast of the film, which was directed by Robert Siodmak and produced by Colbert Clark. The screenplay by Jay Dratler, who adapted the story by Ben Roberts and Sidney Sheldon, makes a valiant attempt at humour but the dialogue falls of its own weight. Miss Kelly does exceptionally well with her role, as the girl who helps the doctor escape and is forced by circumstances to marry him during the chase by the spies. Trade shown at the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles, to an audience of exhibitors and trade press representatives who laughed in the wrong places. — V. K. Release date, not set. Running time, 68 minutes. PCA No. 7601. General audience classification. Pat Lindsey Nancy Kelly Jeff Burton Richard Carlson Dr. Storm Albert Basserman Professor Langner Miles Mander Walter Kingsford, Martin Kosleck, Marion Martin, Oscar O'Shea, Mary Gordon, Edward Gargan, Clem Bevans, Arthur Loft, Michael Morris. The Lady Has Plans (Paramount) Spy Stuff for Laughs The presence of Ray Milland, Paulette Goddard, Roland Young and some other marquee people in the cast of this offering provide exploitation copy of general usefulness. The story in which these personalities are seen is a tale of spying, the scene is principally Lisbon and the hero is a radio correspondent. The treatment is in the key of "One Night in Lisbon" and some of the other films in kind, presented before America's entry into the war, which handled the smuggling of plans, the operations of espionage rings and such matters as materials for the manufacture of humour. Things which have happened in and to the world since the cameras stopped grinding on "The Lady Has Plans" discount its value as comedy. Quite a number of the incidents intended to induce laughter had been discounted, in point of taste, long before that. Miss Goddard portrays an American girl flown to Lisbon by a broadcasting company to serve as assistant to its commentator there, played by Mr. Milland. She is mistaken by a Nazi agent and a British agent, later also by her employer, for a woman upon whose back has been drawn, in invisible ink, some military plans. This premise is basis for several sequences during which the three men, to the accompaniment of much double entendre dialogue, attempt by direct means and otherwise, and successfully, to obtain photographs of the lady's back. Ultimately, the hero and, heroine are captured by the Nazis and ultimately they escape, though the effort to maintain the light tone is never abandoned. Production is by Fred Kohlmar, direction by Sidney Lanfield, screenplay by Harry Tugend and story by Leo Birinski. In that era when many thought they knew that the war was going to stay over there, the ideas, angles and attitudes displayed might have made certain types of audiences laugh heartily at what these workmen have wrought. Times have changed. In any era, some of the humour would have been open to question. Tradeshown at the Hotel Ambassador theatre, Los Angeles, to a goodly turnout of exhibitors who had spontaneously applauded "The Remarkable Andrew," screened immediately ahead of this picture. They not only refrained from applauding this one but broke out in the wrong kind of laughter now and again as the effort to amuse traversed the boundaries of taste.— W. R. W. Release date, not set. Running time, 75 minutes. PCA No. 7782. Adult audience classification. Kenneth Harper Ray Milland Sidney Royce Paulette Goddard Ronald Dean Roland Young Albert Dekker, Margaret Hayes, Cecil Kellaway, Addison Richards, Edward Norris, Charles Arnt, Hans Schumm, Hans von Morhart, Genia Nikola, Gerald Mohr. Treat 'Em Rough (Universal) Melodrama In Universal's "Treat 'Em Rough," Eddie Albert, absent from the screen for some time, enacts a prize fighter who breaks up a gang stealing oil from the wells of his father and selling it to an unidentified sea raider. Supporting him are Peggy Moran, William Frawley, Lloyd Corrigan, Mantan Moreland and others. Neither the spies nor the locale of the action are identified. Roy Chanslor and Bob Williams made of the original screen story a fast moving melodrama, leavening the action with sufficient comedy sequences to render it most palatable in its budgetary division. Ray Taylor directed, under associate produc :r Marshall Grant. No prize fight scenes are shown. Previewed at the Universal studio where trade press reaction was satisfactory. — V. K. Release date, Jan. 30, 1942. Running time, 61 mins. PCA No. 7924. General audience classification. Panama Kid Eddie Albert Betty Peggy Moran "Hotfoot" William Frawley Gray Kingsford Lloyd Corrigan Truman Bradley, Mantan Moreland, Joe Crehan, Ed Pawley, William Ruhl, James Flavin, Peter Leeds, Monte Blue, Dewey Robinson, Jack Mulhall. ADVANCE SYNOPSIS MR. WISE GUY (Monogram) Gangster Drama PRODUCER: Sam Katzman. Directed by William Nigh. PLAYERS: Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, Huntz Hall, Sunshine Morrison, Benny Rubin, David Gorcey, Guinn Williams, Ann Doran, Billy Gilbert. SYNOPSIS The East Side Kids are committed to the Wilton Reform School after they are unjustly convicted of stealing a truck. Bill, older brother of Danny, one of the East Side Kids, becomes involved in a killing and although innocent is convicted and sentenced to death. Danny and the Kids determine to help him. Through a series of events, the Kids learn that Knobby (Billy Gilbert), one of Manning's (Quinn Williams) gang, knows something about the murder. They trace him to Manning, the killer, and capture him and his henchmen. Product Digest Section 475