Motion Picture Reviews (1934)

Six Motion Picture Reviews HOLD THAT GIRL » » James Dunn, Claire Trevor. Story by Dudley Nichols and Lamar Trotti. Direction by Hamilton McFadden. Fox. Entertaining romance of a girl reporter and a detective. It is fast moving and has plenty of excitement and good fun. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Harmless No interest •v I BELIEVED IN YOU » » Rosemary Ames, Victor Jory, John Boles. Direction by Irving Cummings. Fox. It is all rather fun if taken as a modern fairy tale, this story in which a young man of fabulous wealth hands over the financial keys of success to a group of self-styled artists of Greenwich Village, none of whom has time or inclination to discover the door. The fair-haired girl who has interceded for them and believed in them, alone wins laurels, a part played by lovely ethereal Rosemary Ames. John Boles favors the audience with only one song, but he plays the hero with joyousness mingled with sincerity quite in keeping with the spirit of the play. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Doubtful No interest I COT YOUR NUMBER » » Joan Blondell, Pat O'Brien, Glenda Farrell, Eugene Palette. Direction by Ray Enright. Warner Brothers. A racy and rather rough comedy melodrama of the adventures of a telephone lineman in his daily round of visits to repair phones. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Questionable No I LIKE IT THAT WAY » » Gloria Stuart, Marian Marsh, Roger Pryor. Direction by Harry Lachman. Universal. A wholly disreputable night club offers opportunity for cheaply unpleasant scenes in this story of a “sure-fire” insurance salesman and his love affairs. His younger sister surreptitiously dances in the club’s chorus; the girl he loves is the star entertainer, and the evil manager provides the incentive for misunderstandings and incriminations. It is banal in plot and stereotyped in treatment, and yet there is sufficient charm in the appearance and acting of the principals to make it particularly objectionable for youthful audiences. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 No No I WAS A SPY » » Madeline Carroll, Herbert Marshall, Conrad Veidt, Gerald Du Maurier. British Gaumont Production. Fox. An unusually entertaining story of espionage during the World War, done with as fair an attitude to both German and Allied sides as possible. Technically it is only fair; the reproduction of the voices is not very good, and the photography will not stand comparison with American pictures, but story, direction and acting combine to hold keen interest throughout. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Interesting Too mature IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT » » Clark Cable, Claudette Colbert, Walter Connolly. Direction by Frank Capra. Columbia. There is never one dull moment from start to finish. A head-strong young heiress dives off her father’s yacht at Miami and escapes to a New York-bound bus where she immediately comes under the solicitous and exasperating care of a stray newspaper reporter who recognizes her as a “scoop.” The bus comes into its own as a diverting means of transportation, but during the stop-overs situations arise which are saved from offensive intimacy only by the combined efforts of a charmingly insouciant Claudette Colbert, a breezy Clark Gable and a director with a real and felicitous sense of humor. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Misleading No ▼ KEEP ’EM ROLLIN’ » » Walter Huston, Frances Dee, Minna Gombel. From the story “Rodney.” Direction by George Archainbaud. R-K-O. The devotion of a rough, irresponsible sergeant to his spirited horse “Rodney” and the love of the horse for his master form the theme of this picture of army life. They are heroes together in the World War when, both wounded and despairing, they carry forward a big gun to save the American line; together they grow old in the service, meet neglect and hardships until once again their worth is recognized. Towards the last the picture becomes so poignant it is almost unbearable. Huston’s characterization is excellent. It is a good story for all who love horses and military life; the officers are portrayed as real people rather than rigid disciplinarians, and the artillery races are particularly interesting to watch. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Excellent Not for the emotional