Motion Picture Reviews (1944)

Four MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS CALLING DR. DEATH O O Lon Chaney, Ramsay Ames, Patricia Morison, J Carrol Naish, George Dolenz, Fay Helm. Screen play by Edward Dean. Direction by Reginald Le Borg. Universal. Reported to be the beginning of the new "Inner Sanctum’’ mystery series scheduled by Universal, this is a somewhat morbid film dealing with pseudo-scientific theories and hypnosis. Dr. Mark Steele, a brain specialist, is the central character and is played by Lon Chaney. The doctor's wife is murdered and a man is adjudged guilty, but in the nick of time and by scientific methods another person is discovered to have been the perpetrator of the crime. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Not recommended No CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK O O Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, Ann Blyth, Helen Broderick, Helen Vinson, Minna Gombel, Arthur Treacher, Patric Knowles. Original story by Robert Arthur. Direction by Charles Lamont. Musical direction by Chas. Previn. Universal. Efforts of the relatives of a charming young girl to disrupt her romance with a youth who is too much like his dashing father form the nucleus of this light, tuneful, amusing picture. Universal has allotted Donald O’Connor excellent support and a comedy which is set in no ordinary mould. Ann Blyth is a charming and talented new actress, and the older members of the cast are as pleasing as the juniors. The specialty acts, songs and dances are smoothly interpolated, while no brash jitterbugs cheapen the production. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Good Yes, if interested THE DESERT SONG O O Dennis Morgan, Irene Manning, Bruce Cabot, Lynne Overman, Gene Lockhart, Faye Emerson, Victor Francen, Curt Bois, Jack La Rue, Marcel Dalio. With new embellishments of the plot and less emphasis on the music, this modern version of an old favorite is still good entertainment. The setting is French Morocco in 1939. Nazi agents are urging a French company to build a railroad which will give them access to Dakar, and enslaved Riffs are to be used as laborers. An American soldier of fortune, aided by a French songstress, champions the cause of the Riffs and exposes the Nazi plot. Technicolor plays up desert scenery and the color of a crowded Moroccan city. Dennis Morgan and Irene Manning sing pleasingly and the cast is good. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Good Little interest DESTINATION TOKYO O O Cary Grant, John Garfield, Alan Hale, John Ridgley, Dane Clark, Warner Anderson, William Prince, Robert Hutton, Peter Whitney, Tom Tully, Faye Emerson, Warren Douglas, John Forsythe, John Alvin, Bill Kennedy. Screen play by Delmer Daves and Albert Maltz from story by Steve Fisher. Photography by Bert Glennon, A.S.C. Music by Franz Maxman. Direction by Delmer Daves. Warner Bros. "Destination Tokio” is a stunning adventure film, packed with episodes any one of which would have been sufficient for an exciting film. It is the account of a submarine mission sent to establish a temporary weather station on Japanese soil in order to broadcast conditions to the carrier “Hornet’’ prior to Doolittle’s raid on Tokyo. The film gives a picture of submarine service reaching the peak of dangerous living and sublime heroism. It describes the conditions of the voyage, the informal but unrelaxed discipline, the harmony between members of the crew, the constant expectancy of danger. With excellent photography, remarkable sound effects, and a good cast, this is worth w'hile entertainment. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Good Emotionally disturbing GUNG HO! O O Randolph Scott, Alan Curtis, Noah Beery, Jr., J. Carroll Naish, Sam Levene, David Bruce. Screen play by Lucien Hubbard based on the factual story by Lt. W. S. Le Francois, U.S.M.C. Direction by Ray Enright. Produced by Walter Wanger. Universal. Although necessarily “Gung Ho!” could not be made on the scene of action, it has much of the feeling of a documentary film. “Gung,” meaning work, and “Ho,” meaning harmony, in Chinese form a slogan adopted by Lt. Col. Evans F. Carlson to express the spirit he developed in the 210 picked Marines he led on the Makin raid of August 17, 1942, which was so successful that only two of the 350 defending Japanese were left alive. This is the step by step, phase by phase history of the Makin raid: the training of the men to make them powerful, relentless killers, the seven-day approach by submarine and the forty-hour inferno of battle across the sand stretches and marshes of the palm-studded island. It is savage, primitive warfare on both sides with the advantage going to the Americans because of their superb strength and training and their ability to think as individuals. The authenticity of the film is due largely to the fact that the author of the account on which the screen play is based, Lt. W. S. Le Francois, and seven of the Marines in the cast were actually on the Makin raid. The