Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1946)

,,ect has good music and choral singing by the world famous Sistine Choir. The great appeal of the film to Catholics and others interested in the Pope and the Vatican will transcend the technical limitations which include slow movement, inadequate editing, uneven sound recording and photography. "The Story of the Pope" outlines the life of Pius XII, especially showing the Pope receiving pilgrims at the Vatican and officiating at religious ceremonies. Other parts of the film show something of the beauty of St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican and a number of Raphael's artistic works. The American version was prepared by Bernard B. Brandt and written by John Meehan in collaboration with Rev. John O'Connor. Seen at a New York projection room. Reviewer's Rating: Good. — M. Q., Jr. Release date, December 19, 1946. Running time, 65 min. General audience classification. (Review reprinted from last week's Herald) SHORT SUBJECTS NOBODY'S CHILDREN (20th-Fox) The March of Time (V13-5) Following its recent "Life with Baby," March of Time has come up with another timely subject dealing with the adoption of babies. As the subject shows, more couples want babies than there are to go around. Many, impatiefTt of waiting, resort to the notorious "black market." The adoption of homeless older children, rather than infants, is advocated in the subject by Miss Katharine Lenroot of the Federal Security Agency's Children's Bureau. The subject is at once informative and engrossing. Release date, Decemoer " 1946 17 minutes THE CRACKPOT KING (20th-Fox) Terrytoon (7507) Here's Mighty Mouse again, coming to the aid of a stupid little king who is trying to find himself a wife. The king's court hypnotist, using foul means, brings the king Sweet Suzette who doesn't want to be married. Well, Mighty Mouse sees that the wedding bells don't ring. In Technicolor. Release date, November 15, 194ft 7 minutes HEADIN' FOR A WEDDIN' (Columbia) All Star Comedy (7428) Vera Vague is a clerk in a department store where she gets involved with a certain handsome Texan, Pan McGrew, who walks into the store to proclaim that the girl he marries must be hard, two-fisted, bronco-bustin' gal. Vera and her girl friend, Mazie, both after Mr. McGrew, disrupt the store by proving how tough they are. Release date, August 15, 1946 19 minutes FRANK DUCK BRINGS 'EM BACK ALIVE (RKO Radio) Walt Disney Cartoon (64,113) Donald goes into the jungle in search of a wild man for his circus and who should he see swinging through the trees but Goofy. Goofy signs a contract with Donald and proceeds to eat same. During the resultant chase, a lion and a couple of other beasts get mixed up in the act and only Goofy escapes. Release date, November 1, 1946 7 minutes CHAMPAGNE MUSIC (Universal) Name-Band Musical (2302) Lawrence Welk and his champagne music open with a popular melody including "Josephine," "Stumbling," "Honey," and "Running Wild," with vocalist Betty Jane Pettit on next for "No Can Do." Others featured are the male vocalist Kenny Stevens with "Alone," the dance team of Jon and Inga Bergy and the singing comedienne Judy Clark who offers "Playmates" and "I'm Nobody's Baby." Release date, November 20, 1946 15 minutes SON OF THE GUARDSMAN (Col.) Chapter Play (8120) Set in the days of medieval England when men fought gallantly for justice, the 15-episode serial is filled with action. It deals with the heroism of a band of free peoples, branded "outlaws" ' by the men they oppose, and their exciting, cloak-and-dagger adventures. Bob Shaw is the hero with Daun Kennedy as his attractive vis-a-vis. Release date, October 24, 1946 15 episodes THE ANSWER MAN (Universal) No. 1 (2391) Answers to a number of questions are given by the Answer Man. These include: "Of all the famous guys who threw out a ball to start the baseball season, who had the best arm? How much area does a modern bathing suit cover as compared to those of the past? Also a number of other questions. Release date, October 21, 1946 10 minutes THE UNINVITED PESTS (20th-Fox) Terrytoon (7508) The Talking Magpies swoop down on the Farmer and his slow-thinking dog as they enjoy a picnic in the country and turn the gentle countryside into a shambles as the Farmer pursues the Magpies with dynamite. In Technicolor. Release date, November 29, 1946 7 minutes LOOKING BACK (Columbia) Screen Snapshots No. 8 (7858) Here's a review of the talents of yesterday's 'comedy stars including Louise Fazenda, Charlie Chaplin, Ben Turpin, Marie Dressier, Harry Landon, Andy Clyde, Wheeler and Woolsey and many others. The reel comes up to date with Olsen and Johnson, the Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello and Bergen and McCarthy. 10 minutes FRONTIER FROLIC (Universal) Name-Band Musical (2301) Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, in a Las Vegas dude ranch setting, prove most of the music for this one, opening with "Texas Playboy Rag." Featured are "The Modernaires," a quintette; the McKinney sisters; Pat Starling, the dancer, and vocalist Tommy Duncan who sings "San Antonio Rose." The featurette conclude with "Goodbye, Liza Jane." Release date, October 9, 1946 15 minutes MORON THAN OFF (Columbia) All Star Comedy (8434) Sterling Holloway, on his way to pay an installment on his furniture, meets an old crony and is talked into buying an Irish Sweepstakes ticket with the result that his furniture is taken away from him and he has to paint pictures of furniture on his walls to relieve the bareness of his room. He wins the sweepstakes, however, and, after a search to find that part of the ticket which has long since been lost, everything turns out for the best. Release date, November 28, 1946 18 minutes PEPITO'S SERENADE (United Artists) Daffy Ditty This puppet cartoon centers about a young Latin troubador attempting to win the love of his senorita by crooning under the balcony. He doesn't win the lady, however, so goes to a music teacher to find what is wrong with his technique. He emerges as a cross between Sinatra and Crosby and wins the lady. Release date. August 16, 1946 8 minutes SOCIETY MUGS (Columbia) All Star Comedy (8431) Mrs. Allen's husband has left her in the lurch so she decides to call a date bureau and obtain an escort. She dials a wrong number and talks to Shemp Howard, a rat exterminator, who, mistaking the lady's intentions, accompanies the lady to a party and proceeds to wreck a happy home. Release date, September 19, 1946 16 minutes I'LL BUILD IT MYSELF (RKO Radio) Edgar Kennedy Comedy (73,401) Edgar's the kind of a guy who can't stay away from trouble. When his family decides to build a new room on their house, Edgar wades right into the situation and gets involved with falling brick, showering plaster and falling ladders. Release date, October 18, 1946 15 minutes MIGHTY MOUSE AND THE HEP CAT (20th-Fox) Terrytoon (7509) The cats are after the mice again in this one When the cats aren't doing well at luring the mice, they decide that one of their band shall be turned loose on a hot clarinet. This music really sends the mice, who all troop into the clutches of the cats. But Mighty Mouse comes to the rescue again and all is serene until the next adventure. In Technicolor. Release date, December 6, 1946 7 minutes CHICK CARTER, DETECTIVE (Col.) Chapter Play (7180) Chick Carter, the master sleuth, finds himself out to unravel the mystery of the famous Blue Diamond robbery. A good deal of action and excitement is involved in the 15 episodes of the serial. In the cast are Lyle Tablot, Douglas Fowley, Julie Gibson, and others. Release date, July 11, 1946 15 episodes ADVANCE SYNOPSES SOUTH OF THE CHISHOLM TRAIL (Columbia) PRODUCER: Colbert Clark. DIRECTOR: Derwin Abrahams. PLAYERS: Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, Nancy Sanders. WESTERN. There is much cattle-rustling in the neighborhood of Bearcat, Kansas, and in order to protect their interests the ranchers band together to drive all their cattle to market together. The rustlers make several attempts to break up the drive, but these ar« foiled by the "Durango Kid," who finally traps and exposes the leader of the rustlers. DEAD RECKONING (Columbia) PRODUCER: Sidney Biddell. DIRECTOR: John Cromwell. PLAYERS: Humphrey Bogart, Lizabeth Scott, William Prince, Morris Carnovsky. MELODRAMA. A paratroop captain goes AWOL in search of his missing buddy. After finding his buddy's dead body, he learns that the latter had been accused of murder, and had enlisted under an assumed name. The captain proves that the murder had actually been committed by the dead man's sweetheart, and when she refuses to give up the gun that would have fastened the guilt upon her, she is killed in an automobile accident. IT'S A JOKE, SON (Eagle Lion) PRODUCER: Aubrey Schenck. DIRECTOR: Ben Stoloff. PLAYERS: Kenny Delmar, Una Merkel, June Lockhart, Kenneth Farrell, Paul Burns. COMEDYDRAM A. A down-at-heel southerner, whose sole source of income is a mint-bed, sells the mint-bed to a_ bourbon distillery for use in making bottled juleps and, at the instigation of his prospective son-in-law, uses the money to finance a political campaign to defeat the incumbent Senator, a stooge for the section's political machine. Members of the machine kidnap him to keep him from running for office. He is rescued by his daughter, his future son-in-law, and a hill-billy band whose rendition of "Dixie" gives the candidate sufficient courage to overcome his captors. (.Synopses continued on following page) MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 28, 1946 3387