Motion Picture Review Digest (Jan-Dec 1936)

MOTION PICTURE REVIEW DIGEST 109 "This will have no trouble pleasing the Joe E. Brown fans. . . Peter Milne and Hugh Cummings, who did the screenplay, concocted some good gags." + Film Daily pll S 24 '36 "[It] is an adequate representation of the staple, reliable stuff that the exhibitors have come to expect from the cavern-mouthed comic. It will neither betray nor enhance the Brown box office draw. The material itself in this case is not so good as in the last picture, but Brown himself is better." _j Hollywood Reporter p4 S 19 '36 + Motion Pict Daily plO S 21 '36 "Brown's last for Warners ought to prove as good at the box office as the others. Where he has a personal draw, this will be responsible for the same kind of business as his others." Phila Exhibitor p39 O 1 '36 "[It] provides Joe E. Brown with meager opportunities for results. 'Polo Joe' is one of the poorer of the comedian's vehicles and Brown's followers no matter how faithful, will be disappointed in him this time. It's the material which, while basically okay, has not been developed in a sure-fire manner by either the writers or the director. Too frequently the action follows lines of slapstick that are neither very original nor very funny." — Variety pl4 N 11 '36 "Joe E. Brown fans will not be disappointed in 'Polo Joe.' Picture is hilarious comedy that had preview audience yelling with laughter and in some instances bordering on the verge of hysteria. While never aiming to carry a show by itself, picture is topper for any double-bill." + Variety (Hollywood) p3 S 19 '36 PRESCOTT KID. Columbia 55min Cast: Tim McCoy. Sheila Mannors. Joseph Sauers Director: David Selman A western melodrama. Trade Paper Reviews "Action melodrama of old west gives Tim McCoy chance to score with fights and hard riding." + Film Daily p3 O 17 '36 "A neatly packed action opus, with Tim McCoy given free rein for his two-fisted talents. Rates better than average sagebrush offering." + Variety pl7 O 21 '36 PRESIDENT'S MYSTERY. Republic 80min O 1 '36 Cast: Henry Wilcoxon. Betty Furness. Sidney Blackmer. Evelyn Brent Director: Phil Rosen Based on the serial story and novel of the same title by Rupert Hughes and other writers from a story conceived by President Roosevelt. "The premise is that with government financial assistance, shuttered factories can be opened and successfully operated by the workers on a cooperative basis. The writers stick close to their subject while developing a mystery around a man's disappearance, the murder of his wife, his regeneration in a small homespun community, his new romance and his bringing happiness to everyone concerned while bringing it to himself." (Film Daily) Audience Suitability Ratings "A & Y: fair; C: little interest." Christian Century pl479 N 4 '36 "Mediocre. DAR "[It] provides fine entertainment in addition to a stirring message. Family." E Coast Preview Committee Fox W Coast Bui O 24 '36 "General patronage." Nat Legion of Decency O 15 '36 "A & Y: fair; C: little interest." Parents' M p32 D '36 "Family." Sel Motion Pict pl2 N 1 '36 "Pretty good entertainment and a slight effort, at least, to deal with a timely problem." H Wkly Guide O 3 '36 Newspaper and Magazine Reviews "It is a stimulating idea told through a melodramatic medium. Adults & young people." 4 Christian Science Monitor pl5 O 24 '36 "Lacking the primary essence of Liberty's change-of-identity serial suggested by the President, Nat Levine's new production has injected a new verve and punch which amply compensates. . . An odd touch was added by having Henry Wilcoxon read the 'President's Mystery' from which his own story is concocted. Wilcoxon, by the way, is given his first opportunity to prove himself more than a costume mannikin. He turns out to be a splendid actor and deserving of the best roles Hollywood can offer. . . [The film] is warmly recommended for its thorough workmanship." Paul Jacobs + Hollywood Spec p23 O 10 '36 "Liberty readers will have an unusual desire to see this screen transcription of a feature they read with interest. . . The acting, particularly of Henry Wilcoxon as the big-business attorney who goes altruistic, is excellent throughout. Indeed, even a Republican will like this." (3 stars) Beverly Hills Liberty p55 N 14 '36 " 'The President's Mystery' . . . induces the belief that a new species of American film is on its way, if indeed it has not already arrived. It is not strictly new, since Europe has long been familiar with it, but in this particular form it is new to us; and the interesting thing about the present examples, not to speak of last summer's 'Fury,' is the success with which they have adapted what has hitherto been a foreign idea to purely native materials. . . The purpose of the authors, Lester Cole and Nathaniel West, was to get something said; they chose a transparent rhetoric with which to say it; and they have said it with power. . . They saw the value of the vehicle and mixed their types so cleverly. And they have kept the American scene before our eyes." Mark Van Doren + Nation p558 N 7 '36 "Naturally the picture is uneven in its telling and confused in substance, since six authors worked on the original idea, and then two more made a screen script of it. Moreover, it appears to have been produced in great haste and without deft technical skill. Even so, the high spots in the performance, during the mob scenes, for example, have a touch of the excitement 'Fury' had, and the object lesson, though crudely presented, is emphatic." Marguerite -I NY Herald Tribune pl2 O 19 '36 "In spite of, or because of, all those minds that concentrated upon the writing of it, the picture is even more unreal than most films. It does, however, tell its tale in a straightforward, unpretentious manner, refraining from too much political discussion. . . The picture is fair melodrama, directed by Phil Rosen with lucidity if not with inspiration. The sound recording, rare in American films, is below standard. So, which is not so unusual, is the acting." Eileen Creelman -! NY Sun p26 O 20 '36 + + Exceptionally Good; +Good; -) Fair; -(-Mediocre; — Poor; Exceptionally Poor