Motion Picture Reviews (1943)

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS Seven a young German officer has committed suicide, they seize twenty-six hostages upon whom to wreak vengeance for an imaginary crime. In the meantime a strong underground movement has developed with Janoshik, one of the key men, feigning arrant stupidity to obscure his carefully drawn plans of destruction. Because of a very complicated plot “Hostages” is not so vital a picture as some of the others made of countries subjected to German tyranny, but it is a well produced film with a number of powerful scenes. Characterizations are remarkably good with outstanding performances by William Bendix and Katina Paxinou. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Mature Too tense ♦> I DOOD IT O O Red Skelton, Eleanor Powell, Richard Ainley, Sam Levine, Patricia Dane, Lena Horne, Hazel Scott, Thurston Hall, Jimmy Dorsey and orchestra. Screen play by Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy. Direction by Vincente Minnelli. M-G-M. This zany comedy is quite the best vehicle Red Skelton has had because it gives him opportunity for his special brand of pantomime and clowning in a story which carries one along through absurdly funny situations. The choice of Eleanor Powell as his vis-avis is good. Her dignity and charm are a perfect foil for his seemingly spontaneous naivete. It tells the story of a pants presser who is in love with an actress. In a moment of romantic disillusionment the actress marries her persistent admirer who, in clothes borrowed from his customers, has all the appearance of a rich man-about-town. Then the fun begins. Thrown in for good measure are some lovely dance routines by Eleanor Powell, specialty acts by Lena Horne and Hazel Scott and the popular rhythms of Jimmy Dorsey. It is very gay, light entertainment. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Good Yes JOHNNY COME LATELY O O James Cagney, Grace George, Marjorie main, Marjorie Lord, Hattie McDaniel, Edward McNamara, Bill Henry, Margaret Hamilton, Lucien Littlefield. Screen play by John Van Druten, based on novel, "Me Leod's Folly," by Louis Bromfield. Direction by William K. Howard. United Artists. Farce, comedy, melodrama, sentiment and a bit of sentimentality are welded together into a delightful fable, as charming a period piece as one could wish for, highlighted by the exquisite perfection of Miss George’s performance and the subtle and delightful role played by James Cagney. Miss George plays Winnie McLeod, a wistful, gallant idealist who, as a newspaper publisher, is fighting a losing battle against civic wrongs. Cagney is Tim Richards, a tramp, a vagabond reporter, who reads Dickens and writes poetry. He arrives in town, as he travels the “open road,” and falling for the lady’s charm and courage, tarries a while to champion her cause. The background of the small town of the ’80s is set with meticulous care for detail. The cast is excellent and the film has distinction and merit. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 If interested No interest ❖ A LADY TAKES A CHANCE O O Jean Arthur, John Wayne, Charles Winninger, Phil Silvers. Screen play by Robert Ardley from original by Jo Swerling. Direction by William A. Seiter. R.K.O. Only Jean Arthur could make this earthy comedy acceptable. She has a flair for keeping her role naively innocent in spite of startlingly unconventional situations. In this, as Mollie Trucsdale , a girl bored by too many persistent suitors, she leaves New York on a bus tour of the West, meets an indifferent rodeo performer, misses her bus and has some romantic and hilarious experiences as she waits for it on its return trip. The story is well knit, and not too improbable. It offers an entertaining interlude of romance and laughter. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children. 8 to 12 Sophisticated Questionable LARCENY WITH MUSIC O O Allan Jones, Kitty Carlisle, Leo Carillo, William Frowley, Gus Schilling, Lee Patrick, Samuel S. Hinds, King Sisters, Alvino Rey and his orchestra. Original screen story by Rodert Harari. Direction by Edward Li I ley. Universal. A theatrical agent invents a story that a singer is heir to a large fortune in South America in order to get a contract for him at a night club; then an assistant who has participated in the plot tries to blackmail them. Cross and double cross but not very important, as it is just an excuse to show off musical specialties, band numbers and songs. Allan Jones and Kitty Carlisle are the most attractive artists, the orchestra is good, the King Sisters are fair enough, but the balance of the cast furnish the sort of entertainment you can find at any club during the dinner hour. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Fair Not interesting * LASSIE, COME HOME O O Roddy McDowell, Donald Crisp, Elsa Lanchester. Dame May Whitty, Edmund Gwenn Nigel Bruce, Ben Webster. Elizabeth Taylor. Screen play by Hugo Butler, based on novel by Eric Knight. Direction by Fred M. Wilcox. M-G-M. This lovely picture tells the simple story of a boy’s love for a dog and the dog’s per