Motion Picture Herald (May-Jun 1947)

SHOWMEN'S REVIEWS ADVANCE SYNOPSES SERVICE DATA COMPANY CHART SHORT SUBJECTS THE RELEASE CHART This department deals with new product from the point of view of the exhibitor who is to purvey it to his own public. The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer RKO Radio — A Very Funny Picture Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Shirley Temple and Rudy Vallee, a nice collection of names for any man's marquee, individually and collectively outdo themselves in this extremely entertaining comedy produced by Dore Schary, whose name, by the way, is another to bill, what with his "The Farmer's Daughter" impressing it firmly and favorably upon pleased customers' memories. In this picture Producer Schary concerns himself with nothing weightier than the job of amusing the very wide and varied audience which the stellar names and unique title may be expected to attract, and he attends to this job with extraordinary success. The attraction is a natural in the full meaning of the term. Sidney Sheldon's excellent original story and screenplay, directed with skill and a fine sense of timing by Irving Reis, presents Mr. Grant as a quite practical artist, Miss Loy as a judge, Mr. Vallee as an assistant district attorney in love with her, and Miss Temple as her impressionable little sister. Grant comes first to Miss Loy's attention as an arrestee, following a cafe episode, and although she disapproves of and scolds him, she acquits him for lack of evidence. Next day Grant comes to Miss Temple's attention when he lectures on art to her high school class, and she sees him (literally, via trick photography) as a knight in shining armor. Later on she crashes his apartment, while he's out, and is discovered there with him, following his return by her sister and Vallee, who have missed her from home and tracked her down.^ By the implications of the quite innocent situation, Grant is guilty of enough things to get him twenty years, including the punching of Vallee's nose, but the judge, advised by her uncle, a psychiatrist, arranges for Grant to go unprosecuted on promise that he will pretend to be Miss Temple's boy friend long enough for the latter to recover from her infatuation. Amusing enough up to that point, the picture becomes hilariously funny as Grant escorts Miss Temple to a basketball game, a picnic, and so forth, aping the jive talk and adolescent mannerisms of her generation, and trying to restore to her affections the nice young man her own age who has been her boy friend up to now. There's no describing this section of the picture, which is far funnier than it can be made to sound on paper. Ultimately, of course, but by no means in the accepted formula of such eventuations, Miss Temple is made to see Grant in proper perspective, and he and Miss Loy find out they are love with each other. Previewed at the Pontages theatre, Hollywood, where it jolloived the same producer's "The Farmer's Daughter," in the fourth week of a record run, and scored an unmistakable hit. Rei'iewer's Rating : Excellent. — William R. Weaver. Released in Block 7. Running: time. 95 min. PCA No. 12235. General audience classification. Bachelor Cary Grant Lady Judge Myrna Loy Her Sister Shirley Temple Attorney Rudy Vallee Ray Collins, Harry Davenport, Johnny Sands, Don Beddoe, Lillain Randolph, Veda Ann Borg, Dan Tobin, Ransom Sherman, William Bakewell, Irving Bacon, Ian Bernhard, Carol Hughes, William Hall, Gregory Gay Web of Danger Republic — Melodrama Adele Mara and Bill Kennedy are the leading players in this melodrama. This action story is about a group of bridge builders who are caught in a race against time and flood waters. Kennedy, a foreman, and Damian O'Flynn, the superintendent, are friendly enemies and constantly quarreling. Some of their quarrels center about Miss Mara, whom they both like. One of the workers is killed in a fall from the bridge and under those circumstances work is discontinued. However, with the approaching floods, the bridge crew works on 24-hour shifts. The bridge is completed in time to save the people in the valley. Philip Ford directed, and the original screenplay was written by David Long and Milton M. Raisen. Donald H. Brown was the associate producer. Seen at the New York theatre. Reviewer's Rating ; Average. — M. R. Y. Release date, June 10, 1947. Running time, 58 min. PCA No. 12091. General audience classification. Peg Mallory Adele Mara Ernie Reardon Bill Kennedv Bill O'Hara Damian O'Flynn Richard Loo, Victor Sen Yung, Roy Barcroft, William Hall, J. Farrell MacDonald, Ed Gargan Hollywood Barn Dance Screen Guild — Western with Music Devotees of hillbilly music and hijinks, and they are counted in no small number from coast to coast, as radio programs, disc sales and the constant tide of Western musical films attest, will get their money's worth with this one. Eighteen cow country ballads, plaintive and lively, are sung and played in the best cowboy band tradition by Ernest Tubb and his Texas Troubadours, long a popular feature on radio programs over southern networks. The negligible story and acting abilities of the cast, most of whom have been drawn from radio, will hardly be noticed when the "geetars" get to twanging, the fiddles to scraping and such nostalgic ditties as "Swell San Angelo," "Riding the Dusty Trail," "There's a Little Bit of Everything in Texas" and "Old Indians Nev er Die" are warbled. Then there is the "Hollywood Barn Dance" title to cash in on, although no member of the cast is from that radio program. The wisp of a plot, which gives reason for this songfest, tells of the quest of a Texas hillbilly band for $2,000 with which to rebuild thenvillage church, accidentally burned while they were rehearsing in it. t Bandleader Tubb draws most of the limelight throughout, with his song renditions. Jack Guthrie and Jimmie and Leon Short, singing and playing, give him nice support, with Earle Hodgins and Frank McGlynn in character roles. This generous package of musical entertainment was produced by Jack Schwarz, with B. B. Ray directing from his own original story, adapted for the screen by Dorothea Knox Martin. Previewed at the studio, Hollywood. Reviewer's Rating : Good. — W. J. McG. Release date, June 21, 1947. Running time, 72 min. PCA No. 12178. General audience classification. Ernie Ernest Tubb Helen Lori Talbott Ezzy Helen Boyce Earle Hodgins, Frank McGlynn, Phil Arnold, Larry Reid, Red Herron. Anne Kundi The Law Comes to Gunsighr Monogram — Western Youthful audiences and Western fans should be satisfied by this recent film in the Johnny Mack Brown series. 'There is a generous supply of action scenes as Johnny Mack Brown portrays a two-fisted cowboy who brings law to Gunsight. In the original screenplay by J. Berten Cheyney, Brown comes to the town and is mistaken for a notorious gunman. The unscruplous mayor asks him to clean up the town and do away with all the racketeers and gamblers. Raymond Hatton becomes Brown's deputy and together they round up the culprits. They display heroism and bravery as they fight against almost overwhelming odds. Brown finally captures the badmen and leads them off to jail. Barney A. Sarecky produced, and Lambert Hillyer directed. Seen at the New York theatre. Reviewer's Rating : Average. — M. R. Y . Release date, May 24, 1947. Running time, 56 min. PCA No. 12354. General audience classification. Johnny Mackay Johnny Mack Brown Reno Raymond Hatton Reno Blair, Lanny Rees, William H. Ruhl, Zon Murray, Frank La Rue, Ernie Adams, Kermit Maynard, Ted Adams Killer at Large PRC— Melodrama One suicide and five murders are committed in this excitement-packed melodrama featuring Robert Lowery and Anabel Shaw. Lowery plays a star newspaper reporter assigned to get a story on a gang of ruthless racketeers who were attempting to control the local veteran housing project. Almost from the beginning, the audience MOTION PICTURE HERALD, JUNE 7, 1947 3665