Motion Picture Review Digest (Jan-Dec 1937)

18 MOTION PICTURE REVIEW DIGEST CAN THIS BE DIXIE?— Continued Audience Suitability Ratings "Primarily a vehicle lor the little star, there are some bright moments of song and dance, but on the whole this farcical picture is tiresome due to poor production values. Family." — Jt Estimates N 15 '36 "Jane Withers does some good acting although handicapped by a poorly produced picture. Fair. Family — mature." -| Motion Pict Guide Ja '37 "Jane Withers, who is a good little actress in her own right, receives a severe handicap when she is cast in a play which is patently an imitation of a Shirley Temple vehicle. . . It is a poor imitation at that. The plot is hackneyed from three different angles: the imminent mortgage foreclosure, the racehorse which is to restore the family fortunes and the group of performers who succeed in a radio amateur hour. Adolescents, 12-16: fair; children, S-12: little interest and one scene which might cause alarm." h Motion Pict R p3 D '36 "This musical farce has a bit of everything in it which for all time has been used in every old-fashioned drama. The story is loosely knit, the direction is uneven, the dialogue is trite and the entire production is a hodge-podge of improbabilities. A well chosen cast make every effort, but overact their roles. Only for juvenile audiences." r Nat Council of Jewish Women N 1 '36 "A, Y & C: poor." Parents' M p40 F '37 CAREER WOMAN. 20th century-Fox 70min Ja 22 '37 Cast: Claire Trevor. Michael Whalen. Isabel Jewell. Gene Lockhart Director: Lewis Seiler See issue of December 28, 1936 for other reviews of this film Audience Suitability Ratings "The picture, as entertainment, is not important but it does have a serious implication. The facts given fit a contemporary case with enough accuracy to link truth and fiction in the public mind. In the film, however, no attempt has been made to present an objective study. . . This too topical material should be honestly handled." T. J. Fitzmorris America p312 Ja 2 '37 "Claire Trevor and Isabel Jewell are outstanding in their characterizations, but the story lets down at the end. Adults." Am Legion Auxiliary "Offering a wider range for character portrayal than the usual program picture, 'Career Woman' has many fine individual performances. Adults." Calif Cong of Par & Teachers ''Melodrama. Far from being a serious study of a woman's progress in the legal profession, 'Career Woman' is a loosely constructed melodrama obviously inspired by the widely publicized killing of a father by his daughter in a backwoods mountain community. . . Unfortunately, the story lacks unity of idea or purpose and its weakness of structure and inclusion of irrelevant material deprives the picture of the significance one expects from the title and theme. Much of the characterization is overdrawn; the colors are laid on too thickly and instead of average town people we have caricatures of malice, intolerance and smug ignorance. It is regrettable that in the opening sequence so much footage is given to what is virtually a travesty of court procedure and that the heroine seems to stultify her own ideals by accepting the devotion of one who has nothing but contempt for them. Disappointing. Adult." Calif Fed of Business & Professional Women's Clubs "Adults." Nat Soc of New England Women "A compelling story thoughtfully directed. Adults & young people." S Calif Council of Fed Church Women Fox W Coast Bui D 5 '36 "Adults." Jt Estimates N 15 '36 "The thesis that cases are won in court by histrionics, not logic, is awkwardly advanced in this story of a young woman lawyer and a hard-boiled attorney who is in love with her. . . The city lawyer bursts into the court room and announces that he is her colleague. The melodrama would not be tolerated in any court. If the story were done with more subtlety it might pass as satire, but it falls far short of this classification. It can only cheapen courts in the minds of the audience, and with its absurdities rob the law of its proper dignity. Adolescents, 12-16 & children, 8-12: no." — Motion Pict R p3 D '36 "This poorly constructed story never quite decides whether to be comedy or melodrama, and is very uneven in treatment and direction. . . An adequate cast makes the most of a poor script that attempts to tell too much. Mature." — Nat Council of Jewish Women N 1 '36 "Adults." Nat Legion of Decency D 24 '36 "A: good melodrama; Y: mature; C: little interest." Parents' M p40 F '37 Newspaper and Magazine Reviews "Far and away the best program melodrama we have witnessed this season. Adults & young people." + Christian Science Monitor pl3 D 26 '36 "Crude comedy-melodrama. . . The comedy is weak and the drama so dated that an excellent cast, headed by Claire Trevor, can do little to relieve its sordid artificiality." h Film Wkly p32 F 20 '37 Trade Paper Reviews "Comedy drama which teeters between farce and stark realism. Claire Trevor and Michael Whalen, teamed, head a smartly chosen cast which, throughout, bolsters the uneven story. A passable program picture, but not exactly for family trade." H Variety p21 D 16 '36 CARNIVAL IN FLANDERS. See La kermesse heroique in December 28, 1936 issue CASE OF THE BLACK CAT. WarnerFirst national 62min O 31 '36 Cast: Ricardo Cortez. June Travis. Jane Bryan. Craig Reynolds Director: William McGann See issue of December 28, 1936 for other reviews of this film Audience Suitability Ratings "Suitability: adults & adolescents." Mo Film Bui pl96 N '36 + -f Exceptionally Good; -f Good; + — Fair; \ Mediocre; —Poor; Exceptionally Poor