Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

SHOWMEN'S REVIEWS SHORT SUBJECTS SHORT SUBJECTS CHART ADVANCE SYNOPSES THE RELEASE CHART This department dealt with new product from the point of view of the exhibitor who it to purvey it to hit own public. sal llinger ! mogram — Career of a Killer ?i;rhis is a gangster picture in all the original and :nt meanings of the term, produced by Maurice . Franklin King without restraint or reservai in any quarter, and packing a wallop possessed " no picture of its kind in years. In it Dillinger, j killer, the gangster so bad that even the gangs As of his era wanted him done away with, roams mid-country with guns blazing and victims his savagery falling like tenpins until, his ap. ranee changed by surgery and his money gone, marksmen of the FBI mow him down outside a " icago movie house. It's a flaming item of (E lericana — hot as a firecracker in today's flow controlled product — full of everything that "kes a gangster picture sizzle, 'trhe story of Dillinger's depredations, still familto all Americans on either side of the law he iraged, requires no synopsis here. Philip York's screenplay tells it swiftly and for just what is, offering no extenuation and softening no i .ails. The script gets into the thing by a device xh presents the gangster's father as telling the •ry to a theatre audience in order to get money ■ his son's burial expenses. From that point to ; conclusion, the film's a riot of action and con:t directed by Max Nosseck with impressive eft of authenticity. There is no love story in it, save the tawdry :> ;ociation of Dillinger with the girl-in-red who 1 ne picture indicates) turned him in to the FBI, E£d there are no long speeches to point the obvious r oral, which is pointed a good deal more potently it the violence of the criminal's career and passim. It is, in effect, a case history, fraught with tine old, important lesson that crime doesn't pay. d it is, in its category, terrific, r : Lawrence Tierney, a newcomer, turns in a pow:;'iful performance as Dillinger, and a seasoned cast ' 'ves him sturdy support from start to finish. ^Previewed at the Ambassador Hotel theatre, Los Angeles, to a press and public audience which lost 'elf completely in the film and applauded at its > ose. Reviewer's Rating : Good. — William R. 'eaver. ^Release date, March 22, 1945. Running time, 72 min. ZA No. 10511. General audience classification. •Jlinger Lawrence Tierney flpecs Edmund Lowe elen Anne Jeffreys 5uardo Ciannelli, Marc Lawrence, Elisha Cook, Jr., Ialph Lewis, Ludwig Stoddel, Else Jannsen, Lou Lubin, ?e "Lasses" White, Constance Worth. Utah lepublic — Roy Rogers' Show "Utah" is a musical Western which stars Roy ogers. The result is pleasing film fare. A estern atmosphere and a musical background of ;:elodious songs make the setting in which Rogers 'amonstrates his unusual skill and talents as the ero, a singing cowboy. There is marquee value 1 the names of the leading players. To the debtees of the Western musical film this should fill it bill. Jack Townley and John K. Butler wrote the ,:reenplay, based on a story by Gilbert Wright nd Betty Burdridge. Racketeers are striving to 40TION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH 17, 1945 swindle land from an inexperienced girl and the hero discovers the plot and saves the girl and solves her problems. Rogers is satisfactory in the lead and is ably supported by George "Gabby" Hayes and Dale Evans. Again "Trigger," "the smartest horse in the movies," performs remarkable stunts. The most appealing numbers in the musical portion, which are presented by Rogers, the Sons of the Pioneers and Dale Evans, are "Beneath a Utah Sky," by Glen Spencer, and "Cowboy Blues," by Tom Spencer. Morton Scott .directed the music, which is the most attractive feature of the film. Donald H. Brown was the associate producer, and John English directed. The photography by William Bradford is exceptional and displays majestic scenery. Seen at the home office projection room. Reviewer's Rating: Good. — M. R. Y. Release date, March 21, 1945. Running time, 78 min. PCA No. 10668. General audience classification. Roy Rogers Roy Rogers Gabby George "Gabby" Hayes Dorothy Bryant Dale Evans Peggy Stewart, Beverly Loyd, Grant Withers, Jill Browning, Vivian Oakland, Hal Taliaferro, Jack Rutherford, Emmett Vogan, Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers and Trigger. Brewster's Millions UA-Small — Fast-Moving Farce Edward Small's first film since "Up in Mabel's Room" should do as well as, if not better than, the latter when it comes to the cash-register. Like "Mabel," it's a fast-moving, hilarious farce, and has the advantage of a more interesting, better integrated story. Dennis O'Keefe gives a standout performance as the bewildered Brewster boy who must spend $1,000,000 within two months, or forfeit another $7,000,000. "Rochester" walks away with the comedy honors in the role of Brewster's factotum. Helen Walker, June Havoc and Gail Patrick are the ladies in the life of the young millionaire, and they all perform with distinction in contrasting roles. Mischa Auer deserves mention in a small part. The story, based upon the successful stage play by Winchell Smith and Byron Ongley, which in turn is based upon George Barr McCutcheon's equally successful novel, has been brought up to date by Siegfried Herzig, Charles Rogers and Wilkie Mahoney. A relatively quiet opening presents O'Keefe as a soldier home from the wars with an honorable discharge in his pocket and two buddies at his side to act as ushers at his prospective wedding. The outlook is peaceful enough : he'll marry his sweetheart, and go back to his pre-war job. On the day of the projected wedding, a lawyer reveals to young Brewster that he is the sole heir ■to his uncle's $7,000,000 fortune, on condition that he spend $1,000,000 before his 30th birthday. The uncle's intention, according to the lawyer, was to teach his nephew the value of money. Other conditions of the will are that Brewster must not reveal its terms to anyone, nor marry before his birthday. The young man embarks upon a program of planned prodigality which alienates his friends and almost breaks his fiancee's heart. And for a time it looks as though his extravagant efforts will defeat their own purpose. He buys wildcat stocks, which immediately soar to new high levels. He buys a broken-down race horse which wins at Belmont. It takes a musical comedy, a yachting trip and a floating mine to dissipate the million at the appointed hour. Allan Dwan's direction is keyed to the subject matter, and he drives the performers at a fast and furious pace. Small's production is suitably lavish. The musical score by Louis E. Forbes is light-hearted and unobtrusive. Previewed at the Alexander theatre, Glendale, where the continual laughter of the audience drowned out some of the dialogue. Reviewer's Rating : Good. — Thalia Bell. Release date, not set. Running time, 74 min. PCA No. 10416. General audience classification. Monty Brewster Dennis O'Keefe Peggy Gray Helen Walker Jackson Eddie "Rochester" Anderson June Havoc, Gail Patrick, Mischa Auer, Joe Sawyer, Nana Bryant, John Litel, Herbert Rudley, Thurston Hall, Neil Hamilton, Byron Foulger, Barbara Pepper, Joseph Crehan. A Guy, a Gal and a Pal Columbia — Comedy of Complication Contrived with skill and played with a light touch, this comedy of complication takes snug place in Columbia's flow of satisfying secondaries. It's for laughs exclusively. The basic situation devised by scenarist Monte Brice has a girl in transportation distress en route to Washington and matrimony, with a Marine hero volunteering to lend assistance. When this requires that they pretend to be married, and when people begin recognizing the hero and heaping honors upon him, the affairs of the pair become complicated indeed, leading finally to the obvious and desirable conclusion. Ross Hunter and Lynn Merrick are pleasantly proficient in the principal roles, and their support is similarly effective. Producer Wallace MacDonald and director Oscar Boettiger, Jr., have a worthwhile credit in this offering. Previewed at the Pontages theatre, Hollywood, where it played nicely. Reviewer's Rating ; Good. — W. R. W. Release date, March 8, 1945. Running time, 63 min. PCA No. 10672. General audience classification. Jimmy Jones Ross Hunter Helen Carter Lynn Merrick Ted Donaldson, George Meeker, Jack Norton, Will Stanton, Sam McDaniel, Alan Bridge, Mary McLeod, Mary Forbes, Russell Hicks, Nella Walker. The Agitator British National Anglo-American— Industrial Fare In Britain's teeming industrial centres, Everyman— some way or other — will see himself reflected herein; which is the picture's major commendation and the reason it should rate rich dividends in those same industrial areas. It's a modest, reasonably well-told tale of a young mechanic, suffering inveterately, as do millions of his kind, from a chip on the shoulder. The 2361