Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1944)

viction. Herman Schlom produced and Edward Killy directed. Seen at the studio. Reviewer's Rating : Average. — Th.\lia Bell. Release date, Block 2. Running time, 62 min. PCA No. lOlSS. General audience classification. Jim Lacy (Nevada) Bob Mitchum Julie Dexter Anne Jeffreys iXisty Guinn Williams Hattie Ide Nancy Gates Richard Martin. Craig Reynolds, Harry Woods, Edmund Glover, Alan Ward, Harry McKim, Larry Wheat, Jack Overman, Emmett Lynn, Wheaton Chambers, Philip Morris. Firebrands of Arizona Republic — Western There's fun for all and laughs aplenty in the latest Sunset Carson-Smiley Burnette vehicle. And the humor, praise be, is intrinsic in the material, rather than added as an afterthought. Lesley Selander's direction should be credited with the high comedy level sustained throughout. In Randall Faye's original screenplay it is Smiley, rather than Sunset, who gets the top spot. As a hypochondriac cowboy whose imaginary ills are the despair of his friends, he has a role tailormade for him. As "Beefsteak Biscoe," the desperado who fears no man, he displays ability in an entirely different characterization. Earl Hodgins, as the sheriff who wants to hold a hanging and doesn't much care who gets hanged, contributes more comedy to the general merriment. Lou Gray is the associate producer, and his results are a picture well above the run-of-the-mill western drama. Seen at the Hitching Post theatre, Hollywood, where the habitues chuckled all through the presentation. Reviewer's Rating : Good. — T. B. Release date, Dec. 1. 1944. Running time, 55 min. PCA No. 10307. General audience classification. Sunset Sunset Carson Frog Smiley Burnette "Beefsteak" Smiley Burnette Sheriff Earl Hodgins Poppy Peggy Stewart Moulin Rouge David Brill — Musical Comedy Charming romantic ballads are crooned and scores of lovely girls dance in filmy costumes in "Moulin Rouge," but the story takes precedence over the music. The locale of the story is gay Paris and the theme is the familiar singer's struggle for fame. The actors who lend a good measure of vitality to the film are Rene Dary, who portrays the aspiring singer, and his manager-friend Lucien Baroux, who supplies the humor. Rene Dary, playing Lequerec, becomes discouraged when he is not accepted as a singer at the Moulin Rouge, the chief music hall in Paris. Lequerec, counselled by his companion, Loisseau, portrayed by M. Baroux, works for an undertaker and as a guardian of the huge town house. The first job did not suit his temperament, and the second afforded an opportunity to entertain for the owner of the Moulin Rouge and his star, Eva, played by Genevieve Callix. During the course of the story Lequerec is mistaken for a murderer, but eventually all the difficulties are ironed out and he is permitted to = ing at the Moulin Rouge. Besides the songs and dances of the usual type there is a strange jungle dance presented by Josephine Baker to the strains of a conga. This motion picture is somewhat lacking in speed of movement and that desirable spirit of gaiety. This is one of the few foreign films that is available at this time and it has sufficient entertainment value to be well received by the patrons of "art houses." English titles by Herman G. Weinberg are adequate. "Moulin Rouge" was produced by Andre Hugon for the Cinema de France, and it was directed and written by Yves Mirande, who was the authordirector of "32 Rue Montmartre," which was recently released in this country. Seen at the SSth Street Playhouse, New York, where a matinee audience seemed satisfied. Reviewer's Rating : Fair. — M. R. Y. _ Release date, November 22, 1944. Running time, 55 min. Adult audience classification. Losieau Lucien Baroux Lequerec Rene Dary Genevieve Callix, Pierre Larquey, Annie France, Simone Berriau and Josephine Baker. Night Club Girl Universal — Comedy with Music There's really no night club girl in this comedy — just a couple of kids from Missouri trying to crash Hollywood with a song and dance act, and a home town product called "soupy hash." During the run of the film the youngsters muff several chances at a night club job and come through finally on the success of the corn chowder. The night club setting permits a succession of musical numbers which take some of the burden off the story. Headlining the acts are the Delta Rhythm Boys swinging two numbers, "Vingo Jingo" and "One O'Clock Jump." The Mulcays, a harmonica team, improvise on "Pagan Love Song" ; Paula Drake sings "Wo-Ho," and Judy Clark does a number in Betty Hutton style. The screenplay by Henry Blankfort and Dick Irving Hyland is light in weight and trite in dialogue, but there are no serious moments. Maxie Rosenbloom turns up as a night club proprietor, named Percival, while Leon Belasco draws some laughs as the excitable chef. The younger element— Vivian Austin and Billy Dunn as the brother-and-sister act, and Edward Norris as a softhearted columnist — keep the action lively. Eddie Cline directed and Frank Gross was associate producer. Seen in the home office projection room. Reviewer's Rating : Average. — E. A. C. Release date, January 5, 1945. Running time, 61 min. PCA No. 10402. General audience classification, Eleanor Vivian Austin Clark Phillips Edward Norris Charlie Billy Dunn Judy Clark, Maxie Rosenbloom, Minna Gombell, Leon Belasco, Andrew Tombes, Fred Sanborn, Clem Bevans, Virginia Brissac, Emmet Vogan, Gorge Davis, The Mulcays, Paula Drake, The Delta Rhythm Boys. SAFETY SLEUTH (MGM) Pete Smith (S-558) In 1943 an enormous toll of deaths and injuries was exacted by accidents on the home front, representing a severe blow to the war effort. To combat this, American industry invented the Safety Sleuth, an expert who specializes in tracking down and removing the causes of industrial accidents. The reel, filmed with the cooperation of the War Department, hilariously depicts him at work. Pete Smith narrates and Will Jason directs. Release date, November 25, 1944 10 minutes NO DOUGH BOYS (Col.) Three Stooges (6402) . Unlikely as it may seem, the Three Stooges in their latest adventures are mistaken for Japs. Modeling for a photographer in Japanese military uniforms, they go out to lunch without changing their get-ups. More through accident than design they arrive in German headquarters and prove their right to be there by a fancy exhibition of jiu-jitsu. They capture a couple of Japs as well. Release date, November 24, 1944 16^ minutes AS THE FLY FLIES (Col.) Phantasy Cartoon (6702) The national public menace of flies has been the subject of much research by an inventive professor. He has devised a machine for attracting them from the air, trapping and killing them. A prospective victim comes whirring in and things start to go wrong. Before the winner is decided — the fly, of course — the machine is no more. Release date, November 17, 1944 6 minutes Destiny Universal — Melodrama plus Fantasy In "Destiny" the essence of melodrama and fantasy are combined and the result is an unusual film hardly to be classed in either category. As the picture opens one is convmced that it is a melodrama because there is a bank robbery, the shooting of a warehouse guard and state troopers chasing two suspicious characters. Cliff, played by Alan Curtis, was involved in the shooting. He had spent three years in San Quentin and upon his release had taken a factory job. He had been leading the life of a respectable citizen but fate seemed against him and he was innocently implicated in the bank robbery. In his flight from the police he encounters Gloria Jean, who portrays a blind girl who communes with nature. Here the fantasy is introduced. She understands lightning and storms and the flowers nod to her. In this dramatic role Miss Jean is a sensitive person who is able to recognize good and bad people. The blind girl, Jane, befriends Cliff and eventually they fall in love and he is exonerated by the police. Roy Chansler and Ernest Pascal, the screenplay writers, give a happy ending to "Destiny." Reginald Le Borg directed and Roy William Neill was the associate producer of this film. A nice job is done in blending the elements of melodrama and fantasy and persons seeking the unusual will enjoy "Destiny." Seen in the home office projection room. Reznezver's Rating: Average. — M. R. Y. Release date, December 22, 1944. Running time, 65 min. PCA No. 105-18. General audience classification. Jane Gloria Jean CUff .Alan Curtis Frank Craven, Grace McDonald, Vivian Austin, Frank Fenton, Minna Gombell. AQUA MAIDS (Col.) Sport Reel (6803) Back again to Cypress Gardens, Fla., now that the cold weather has returned, this shows the beauties of sun bathing and water sports and the joys of just looking. Swimming to tempo, aquaplaning and water-skiing are among the skills displayed. Release date, November 24, 1944 9 minutes SCREEN SNAPSHOTS NO. 4 (Col.) (6854) A quick trip around Hollywood and a few scenes on location make up the latest Screen Snapshot reel. Alan Mowbray introduces the various sequences, mixing Leo Carrillo's rodeo, Bela Lugosi's trip to a Red Cross blood bank, Jerry Colanna's fashion show. Smiley Burnette's barbecue and Victor Mature's Tars and Spars show, as he mixes a cake. Release date, November 22, 1944 9 minutes DONALD'S OFF DAY (RKO) Disney Cartoon (54,105) Donald has been looking forward to a good game of golf and the day dawns perfectly, bright and clear. Before he gets his clubs out, rain threatens and he changes his mind to a day with a good book. Choosing a medical volume and eating licorice he soon finds symptoms of dire diseases and is not at all helped by the mischievous suggestions of his nephews. Before he can punish them, the sun appears and Donald sets off with his bag, only to be caught in a cloudburst. Release date, December 8, 1944 7 minutes SHORT SUBJECTS reviews and synopses (Running times are those quoted by the distributors.) MOTION PICTURE HERALD. DECEMBER 9. 1944 2215