Motion Picture Herald (Jan-Feb 1945)

SHOWMEN'S REVIEWS SHORT SUBJECTS THE RELEASE CHART Thii department deals with new product from the point of view of the exhibitor who is to purvey it to his own public. Salty O'Rourke Paramount — Alan Ladd Goes Gunning Again After putting aside his pistol to play the doctor in "And Now Tomorrow," Alan Ladd gets back into armed action in a horse-racing melodrama that promises to supersede "This Gun for Hire" as the film that comes to mind when the name of Ladd is mentioned. With the race-deprived public ripe for a realistic picture about horse racing, and with Ladd again portraying a character not averse to enforcing his will at gun point, "Salty O'Rourke" appears destined for a career of extended runs. The story and screenplay by Milton Holmes provide the star with a role that combines the best qualities of all those he has had in past pictures. At the start he is presented as a smoothie who lives without working but has become obligated, by an absconding partner, to pay a gangster $20,000. He is given 30 days in which to do so, and he pawns his possessions to get a stake with which to buy a fast horse which is for sale cheap because nobody can ride it. He makes a shady deal with a jockey who has been ruled off American tracks and brings the boy back from Mexico to master the horse and ride him, under an assumed name, in a $50,000 handicap. Within this framework the story follows unfamiliar channels, and the ending, which involves fatal recourse to the pistol, three times, does not conform to formula or • expectation. Ladd's performance is the best he has given, and it is closely pressed for excellence by that of Stanley Clements as the crooked jockey. William Demarest as a horse trainer and Bruce Cabot as a blandly vicious gangster are similarly impressive. Unlike most pictures purporting to depict the American race track, this one gets down to fundamentals and presents matters as they are, without allusion to rich traditions of sportsmanship, Kentucky Colonels, mortgaged plantations, magnolias, mint juleps or other stereotyped material. Not even in its handling of the big race does it follow precedent, and by departing from pattern it gives that even more impact than it could have had in straight treatment. This is, first and last, a story about some people of the kind who make horse racing their business — not their sport, hobby or avocation — and it is, therefore, first-rate melodrama that does not require familiarity with, or interest in horse-racing on the part of its audience. To producer E. D. Leshin, for fashioning a production that presents Ladd in the type of role his public demands of him, and to Raoul Walsh for obtaining by his direction a maximum of performance from his cast and entertainment from his material, trade and public owe praise. Tradeshown at the Ambassador Hotel theatre, Los Angeles. Reviewer's Rating : Excellent — Thalia Bell. Release date, Block 4. Running time, 98 min. PCA No. 10647. General audience classification. Salty O'Rourke Alan Ladd Barbara Brooks Gail Russell Johnny Gate Stanley Clements William Demarest, Bruce Cabot, Spring Bying-ton, Darryl Hickman. Rex Williams, Don Zelaya. Lester Matthews, Marjorie Woodworth, David Clyde. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, FEBRUARY 24, 1945 A Song for Miss Julie Republic — Musical with Ballet Pleasing songs and colorful dances are scattered effectively throughout this film. The musical numbers are presented in striking settings and offer sentimental songs and ballet and interpretive dancing. The story concerns two enterprising playwrights who go South in search of material on a Southern gentleman of the gay '50s. They encounter difficulties in finding the correct story but eventually succeed in obtaining his diary. Their musical comedy is a sensation on Broadway and one of the playwrights falls in love with a great-granddaughter of the Southern gentleman. Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin of the Ballet Theatre are presented for the first time on the screen, and their interpretation of the music enhances the appeal of the picture. "Bayou Calls," by Del Cleveland, with lyrics by Maria Shelton, is an outstanding number. Another pleasing ballad is "I Love to Remember," by Lou Herscher, with lyrics by Maria Shelton. The marquee value of the principal players is slight, but good performances are rendered by Shirley Ross, Jane Farrar and Cheryl Walker. Barton Hepburn and Roger Clark, as the playwrights, are good in their portrayals. William Rowland and Carley Harriman are the co-producers, the former also directing. Seen in the home office projection room. Reviewer's Rating: Good. — M. R. Y. Release date, February 19, 1945. Running time, 69 min. PCA No. 10527. General audience classification. Valerie Shirley Ross George Kirabro Barton Hepburn Julie Jane Farrar Rogert Clark, Cheryl Walker, Elizabeth Risdon, Lillian Randolph, Peter Garey, Rene Riano, Harry Crocker, The Roberto's, Vivian Fay, Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin. Docks of New York Monogram — East Side Kids One of the best of the "East Side Kids" series to come from Sam Katzman and Jack Dietz, producers, this film captures interest in the opening scenes and holds it to the end. Harvey Gates has written a screenplay of higher entertainment value than that generally provided for this t)rpe of picture, and his dialogue gets plenty of chuckles. The Kids stumble into a complicated international situation when they find a valuable diamond necklace in an alley. Later events disclose that the necklace belongs to a refugee princess living incognito in the rooming house run by the mother of one of the Kids. The princess' cousin has designs not only upon the necklace, but upon the princess' throne as well. He plots to steal the jewels and murder the princess, but is thwarted at every turn by the Kids. Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall furnish most of the comedy, of which there is much and to spare. Cy Kendall distinguishes himself in the role of an international killer. Wallace Fox directed. Seen at the Campus theatre, Hollywood, where the audience seemed well pleased. Reviewer's Rating : Good. — T. B. Release date, not set. Running time, 62 rain. PCA No. 10706. General audience classification. Muggs Leo Gorcey Glimpy Himtz Hall Skinny Billy Benedict Bud Gorman, Gloria Pope, Carlyle Blackwell, Jr., George Meeker, Betty Blythe, Pierre Watkin, Joy Reese, Cy Kendall, Maurice St. Clair. The Unseen Paramount — Chills by Night With a title recalling "The Uninvited," in which Gail Russell had her first important screen role, this latest Paramount mystery should benefit from the success of its predecessor. Miss Russell, heading a cast that includes Joel McCrea and Herbert Marshall, once again plays a young girl caught in a tangle of weird and terrifying circumstances. While the elements of fear and mystery have been compounded for consistent audience interest, final explanations are weak. Two youngsters, Nona Griffith and Richard Lyon, frequently steal the spotlight from the principals with piquant roles and unaffected performances. They are the lively charges of a young governess who takes over her duties in a strange house on a dark street shortly after the murder of an old woman nearby. The house next door has been boarded up for years, but lights are said to shine through the cracks at night. The children know more of the mystery than they will tell, the little girl fearing reprisal from her inscrutable brother, who takes an active part in events for pocket money. Their father will do nothing to allay the young woman's fear and suspicion until the former governess is found murdered. Then murders, explanations and a romantic solution follow in short order. Intelligent production by John Houseman and capable direction by Lewis Allen make for several exciting sequences. But the plot— a matter of first importance to the mystery fan — has not been so carefully planned and worked out. Ethel Lina White wrote the novel which was adapted for the screen by Hagar Wilde and Ken Englund. Wilde and Raymond Cliandler collaborated on the screenplay. Seen in a Nezv York projection room. Rciicwcr's Rating: Average. — E. A. Cunningham. Release date, Block 4. Running time, 81 min. PCA No. 10180. General audience classification. Elizabeth Howard Gail Russell r^Tvid Ficldinc .. ..Joel McCrea Herbert Marshall, Nora Griffith. Richard Lyon. Phylli'f Brooks, Isobel Elsom, Norman Lloyd, Mikhail Rasumny. F, i'.ilieth Risiloii. Tom Tully, X'iotoria Ilcirne, M.Try Field. 2329