Motion Picture Reviews (1938)

MOTION PICTURE REVIEWS Seven other children of the screen, a delicate charm which lifts the film to a higher niche than it would ordinarily occupy. The people she encounters are hard and tough, frequenters of the race-track, who accept her because she brings them a phenomenal run of luck. Little by little her childish faith leads them to a better life. Despite this conclusion, gambling is glamorous, and the picture of a child in racing environment is not too pleasant to contemplate. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Bad example No © THE LADY IN THE MORGUE O O Preston Foster, Patricia Ellis, Frank Jenks, Thomas Jackson. From the story "The Lady In the Morgue," by Jonathan Latimer. Screen play by Eric Taylor and Robertson White. Direction by Otis Garrett. Universal. A mechanically plotted murder mystery which uses the device of successive murders in order to keep alive audience interest. It is complicated and confused and will entertain only those who thrill to violent and bewildering situations. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 No. No © THE LAST STAND O O Bob Baker, Fuzzy Knight, Constance Moore. Original story by Harry O. Hoyt. Screen play by Harry O. Hoyt and Norton S. Parker. Direction by Joseph H. Lewis. Universal. In this western, Bob Baker is a singing cowboy who joins a band of cattle rustlers in order to track down his father’s murderer. Lovely scenery of mountainous country, beautiful horses, and herds of cattle almost compensate for a below average story. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Passable Passable © ONE WILD NIGHT O O June Lang, Dick Baldwin, Lyle Talbot, J. Edw. Bromberg, Sidney Toler, Andrew Tombes. Screen play by Charles Belden and Jerry Cady. From an original idea by Edwin Torgerson. Direction by Eugene Forde. 20th Century-Fox. “One Wild Night” is not so exciting as its title. It is, in fact, a mediocre detective story. The son of a chief of police, returning from college with plenty of theory but no practice in the art of solving crime, succeeds where the father has failed in accounting for the disappearance of three prominent business men. He is aided by a girl reporter on the local paper and, of course, falls in love with her. The plot is confused and the production values poor. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Poor No THE RETURN OF THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL O O Barry Barnes, Sophie Stewart, Francis Lister, Anthony Bushnall. Screen story by Baroness Orezy. Direction by Hans Schwartz. London films. United Artists. Those who saw “The Scarlet Pimpernel” will recall the engaging character, his dilettante mannerisms camouflaging a cunning daring and courage which rescued many an English refugee from the outrages of the French Revolution. The picture was a stirring tale of adventure which captivated cinema audiences. If is natural to wish to follow his return. But Leslie Howaj^ has been replaced by Barry Barnes in the role, and Mr. Barnes’ mannerisms are more artificial. Also, we are introduced to him in character at once and the plot is thus outlined. The disguises, while rather clever, are easily discernible and the suspense is lessened. The action is at times confused and requires concentrated attention to follow. The story lacks the novelty and dash of the original and falls into the category of a program film, needing a double bill to cover its inadequacies. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Acceptable Confusing and little interest © SAILING ALONG O O Jessie Mathews, Roland Young, Jack Whiting. Direction by Sonnie Hale. GaumontBritish. Judged merely as a story, this picture is stereotyped and lacking in thrills. But the plot is a vehicle for pleasant acting, good photography, and at least one striking dance number. The heroine, raised on a Thames river barge by a friend of her deceased father, has stage ambitions and her impromptu dancing on the deck of the river boat attracts the attention of an English capitalist who is fishing nearby. He persuades her foster parent to let him introduce her to a movie director and tears her away^from a lowering seaman lover. She fails in her first audition, but finally succeeds after a series of amusing scenes in which she and the singing director provide various song-and-dance numbers. In both situations and dialogue, there is comedy of a distinctly British brand, different from our own, but none the less enjoyable. It is an unpretentious musical farce which is fairly entertaining. Adolescents, 12 to 16 Children, 8 to 12 Unobjectionable Little to interest © THE SAINT IN NEW YORK O O Louis Hayward, Kay Sutton, Sig Rumann, Paul Guilfoyle. From the novel by Leslie Charteris. Screen play by Charles Kaufman and Mortimer Offner. Direction by Ben Holmes. R. K. O. There is just enough originality in the conception of a modern Robin Hood who