Motion Picture Herald (Sep-Oct 1946)

(Continued from t» eceding page) sents a fine performance calculated to afford plenty of laugns." — Herald Review, April 29, 1944. THREE'S A FAMILY (United Artists) Produced by Sol Lesser. Directed by Edward Ludwig from a stage play by John Golden. Cast: Marjorie Reynolds, Charles Ruggles, Fay Bainter. The film story is concerned with the confusions, complications and consternations occasioned by the housing shortage at the point where it collides with a sky-rocketing birth rate. ". . . The film will panic the paying customers and prosper accordingly." — Herald Review, November 25, 1944. TWO THOROUGHBREDS (RKO Radio) Produced by Cliff Reid. Directed by Jack Hively. Cast: Jimmy Lydon, Joan Brodel, Arthur Hohl. This is a story about a stolen thoroughbred race horse whose colt runs away and is found by an orphan boy and their resulting friendship. "Its lack of pretension is in itself a builder of audience accustomed to straightforward narrative and action." — Herald Review, December 2, 1939. THE UNDER-PUP (Universal) Produced by Joe Pasternak. Directed by Richard Wallace. Cast: Robert Cummings, Nan Grey, Gloria Jean, Beulah Bondi. Gloria Jean's film debut in which she portrays the young daughter of a middle class family who wins her way into the hearts of people of wealth. "Such a movie menu will leave the family trade guests with a well fed, satisfied feeling of having seen a picture cooked to their taste."— Herald Review, August 26, 1939. YOUNG BUFFALO BILL (Republic) Associate producer and director, Joseph Kane. Cast: Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Pauline Moore. A story of early New Mexico with the cowboy star in the title role singing and fighting his way through adventure. "The romantic elements are secondary to the fast riding and the fist and gun fights." — Herald Review, April 20, 1940. YOUNG TOM EDISON (Metro-GoldwynMayer) Produced by John W. Considine. Directed by Norman Haurog. Cast: Mickey Rooney, Fay Bainter, George Bancroft, Virginia Weidler. A film story of the boyhood of that great inventor, Edison. When the picture was reviewed from Hollywood the theatre audience expressed their liking for it "in terms of hearty laughter, tense excitement, hushed sympathy for the misunderstood boy and, finally, spontaneous and sustained applause. It must be good." — Herald Review, February 17, 1940. This Man Is AAine Columbia (British) Production — Domestic Comedy In spite of the appearance of three up-andcoming Britishstars and contributions from noted character artists Tom Walls and Jeanne De Casalis, this film doesn't quite rate the laughs that were planned. It develops into just another domestic entanglement with the inevitable lovers' quarrels and some pretty scheming for the favors of a visiting Canadian soldier. Private Bill MacKenzie's arrival at the Ferguson's— typical middle-class English family — on Xmas Eve coincides with Nova Pilbeam exhibiting a desire to be swept off her feet. Glynis Johns, a wartime billettee in the Ferguson house-hold, enters the scene and from there the battle to win the affections of Bill MacKenzie goes the distance. By helping to round up racketeers who highjack some Canadian troops' mail our hero gains the favor of Miss Pilbeam's true love — but not for long. Eventually it all rights itself and we are finally shown Bill Mackenzie back home in Saskatoon complete with Miss Johns. Hugh McDermott, following up his success in "Seventh Veil," portrays the confident, irresistible Canadian soldier. He gives a convincing performance. Jeanne De Casalis — Britain's Billie Burke — and Tom Walls are competent as Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson. Glynis Johns and Nova Pilbeam try hard with poor material. Technically the film is good but it needs to be tightened up to hold the interest of the average audience. Marcel Varnel produced and directed. Seen in the London Studio One Trade Shoiv. Reviewer's Rating: Average. — William Pay. Release date, not set. Running time, 103 min. British adult audience classification. Phillip Ferguson Tom Walls Mrs. Ferguson -. Jeanne de Casalis Phoebe Ferguson Nova Pilbeam Brenda Ferguson Rosalyn Boulter Millie Glynis Johns Bill MacKenzie Hugh McDermott Barry Morse, Ambrosine Phillpotts, Mary Merrall, Agnes Laughlan, Bernard Lee, King Whyte. Charles Victor, Leslie Dwyer South of Monterey Monogram — Cisco Again The usual dash and fire, plus a number of ^ngs in Mexican style, are contained in the latest adventures of the Cisco Kid. Gilbert Roland as the far-ranging friend of the peons, again has the Cisco role, aided by his regulars, Martin Garralaga, Frank Yaconelli and songstress Iris Flores. The original screenplay by Charles S. Belden has provided the Cisco Kid with a twin wrong to right. He has to break up a crooked alliance whereby a tax collector and police chief are fleecing the poor, and he must also rescue Marjorie Riordan, the fair senorita of the story, from being forced into marriage with one she doesn't love. Roland, in true Western fashion, sees that the ends of justice are served and that true love wins out. He goes through his portrayal, based upon an O. Henry character, with usual aplomb, making love and sidestepping danger with unruffled calm. Scott R. Dunlap produced with William Nigh directing. Seen at the New York theatre on Broadway, where the Western fans registered satisfaction. Reviewer's Rating : Fair. — M. H. Release date, July 13, 1946. Running time, 63 min. PCA No. 11623. General audience classification. Cisco Kid Gilbert Roland Arturo Martin Garralaga Baby Frank Yaconelli Marjorie Riordan, Iris Flores, George J. Lewis, Harry Woods, Terry Frost, -Rose Turich, Wheaton Chambers Accomplice PRC Pictures — Murder Mystery For amateur sleuths of the cinema who find enjoyment in pitting their wits against those of the screen detectives, PRC presents "Accomplice," a film story of murder and intrigue, with a few dashes of romance and comedy. Based on Frank Gruber's mystery novel, "Simon Lash, Private Detective," Richard Arlen appears in the leading role, and his is the mission first to find a missing husband, then upon the husband's death to find his murderer. In supporting roles are Veda Ann Borg, as the wife of the missing man, and Tom Dugan as the assistant to the private detective, who also handles the comedy element of the picture. Produced by John K. Teaford and directed by Walter Colmes, the story for the most part is an engrossing mystery, but its conclusion and its presentation of the analysis and solution ot the crimes become a little confused. However, for exhibitors who have found such films to the liking of their patrons this should satisfy. Irving Elman and Mr. Gruger adapted the novel to the screen. Previewed in a New York projection room at a trade press screening. Review's Rating : Average. — George H. Spikes. Release date, September 29. 1946. Running time, 68 min. PCA No. 11556. General audience classification. .Simon Lash Richard Arlen Joyce Bonniwell Veda Ann Borg Eddie Siocum Tom Dugan Michael Brandon, Marjorie Manners, Earle Hodgins, Francis Ford, Edward Earle, Herbert Rawlinson, Sherry Hall Below the Deadline Monogram — Gambling Drama In "Below the Deadline" Monogram has made a tough little gangster drama with rough and tumble characters and plenty of action. Although lacking marquee names, the picture's players, headed by Warren Douglas and Ramsay Ames, perform competently. The screenplay by Harvey Gates and Forrest Judd has a war hero bitter against those who profiteered while he was away doing the fighting. Returning home, he decides to make some of the easy money himself by stepping into his brother's shoes, a gambling racketeer, who was killed by rival mobsters. This accomplished, he finds the money comes easy, but so do the worries. Besides the threat of being rubbed out by rival thugs, there is the fear of a reform candidate for mayor winning the election. It takes a bullet, plus the wholesome attentions of some good friends to finally set the twisted war hero back on the right path again. William Beaudine directed, making several of the fisticuff sequences grim and realistic. Production was by Lindsley Parsons from an original story by Ivan Tors. Seen at the New York theatre on Broadway, where an afternoon audience was impassive . Reviewer's Rating : Fair. — M. H. Release date, August 3, 1946. Running time, 65 min. PCA No. 11686. General audience classification. Joe Hilton Warren Douglas Lynn Turner Ramsay Ames Vivian Jan Wiley Paul Maxey. Philip Van Zandt, John Harmon, Bruce Edwards, George Meeker, Cay Forrester, Alan Bridges. George Eldredge. William Ruhl, Ciancy Cooper Men of Two Worlds Two Cities G. F. D. — Jungle Sorcery Superb in Technicolored texture, challenging in theme, this is another of those J. Arthur Rank "unusual" pictures. Director Thorold Dickinson conceived his story, of the African negro who embraces the white-man's civilization, but suffers always the inescapable summons back to his own people, as a sort of parable in savage pageantry. It emerges as a great picture play. Kisenga is the negro of the story. Born in the Tanganyika bush-country, he has some strange instinct for the white man's music. The white civilizers bring him to England and eventual triumph on London's concert platforms. But back there in savage Africa the tsetse fly is spreading its dread sleeping sickness toxin. Try as they will the colonial administrators cannot combat the jungle medicineman, who controls Kisenga's village and his people with the twin terrors of superstition and pestilence. Kisenga throws up his musical career, goes back to Africa to challenge the terror of mumbo-jumbo. From then on, the film becomes the battleground of those two contestants. Kisenga, with the age-old inhibitions of his tribe still lurking in the unknown depths of his soul, comes nigh to defeat under the spells of big bad medicine man. He is haunted by the incessant, mind-rocking, beating of the tom-toms ; his own blood-brethren shake under the dominance of baleful superstition. But he triumphs and exorcises the witch-doctor's sorcery. Thus the outward seeming of the story ; but 3224 PRODUCT DIGEST SECTION, SEPTEMBER 28, 1946