Motion Picture Review Digest (Jan-Dec 1938)

MOTION PICTURE REVIEW DIGEST 45 "Lovely scenery of mountainous country, beautiful horses, "and herds of cattle almost compensate for a below average story. Adolescents. 12-16 & children, 8-12: passable." h Motion Pict R pT Je *3S "Family. Ordinary." H Wkly Guide Ap 2 '38 Trade Paper Reviews "Standard Western that should prove satisfactory for its particular market. It has the usual amount of fast riding, shooting and even utilizes the inevitable ending when the hero lassoes the villain off his horse in the final climax. Family." -f Boxoffice p39 Je 4 '38 "Exciting "Western with plenty of action will please the six-gun fans." + Film Daily p6 Je 3 '38 "Several so-so songs are interpolated, but the predominantly juvenile audience enthusiastically accepted the action portions, the gun battles. Estimate: routine Baker Western." H Phila Exhibitor pl35 My 15 '38 "Not difficult to understand Bob Baker's rise to popularity as a new singing cowboy star after glimpsing 'The Last Stand.' Spotted as just another western hero in a yarn which has been done countless times before on the screen, this new mesa figure makes this a distinctive western thriller. . . The picture is virtually a 'must' on exhibitor itineraries that include house operas." + + Variety pl2 Je 1 '38 LAW OF THE UNDERWORLD. RKO 60min My 13 '38 Cast: Chester Morris. Anne Shirley. Eduardo Ciannelli. Walter Abel. Richard Bond Director: Lew Landers Screen writers: Bert Granet. Edmund L. Hartmann Based on the novel and play The Lost Game by John B. Hymer and Samuel Shipman. This is the story of an advertising writer who leads a double life; going out into society as a wellthought-of individual and on the side leading a gang of thieves. Two youngsters are involved in a life of crime by his gang. In a last desperate effort to help them, he gives up his life to gain their freedom. SEE ALSO issue of April 4 Audience Suitability Ratings "A: poor; Y & C: unwholesome." — Christian Century p714 Je 15 '38 "Better than average entertainment for the type due to convincing characterizations and a smoothly running story. The leading [gangster is] too glamorous for the adolescent. Adult." Am Legion Auxiliary "Gangster melodrama, unpleasant in nature, with a superannuated plot, false heroics and a buildup of sympathy for the arch criminal. Adults." Calif Cong of Par & Teachers "Smoothly directed and well-acted gangster picture, but plot may be too implausible to sustain interest. Social values questionable as sympathy is directed toward 'gentleman' gangster leader. Adult." Calif Fed of Business & Professional Women's Clubs "Mediocre. An able cast wasted on an incredible, unconvincing gangster melodrama. Adults." DAR "Tense, fast-moving melodrama, based on a heavy, unpleasant story. . . The social values are too unsatisfactory for the picture to merit commendation. Adults." Gen Fed of Women's Clubs (W Coast) "The typical gangster film in which the story is trite, the direction erratic, and the characterizations are overplayed and overdrawn. An excellent cast worthy of something better. Adults." Xat Council of Jewish Women "An average program film with a preponderance of crime and murder. Adults." Xat Soc of Xew England Women "No ethical or social values. Definitely adult." S Calif Council of Fed Church Women "The picture has an able cast and good technical values and is undoubtedly entertaining; in fact, the proclivities of men of the underworld are so fascinating that the final adage 'Crime does not pay' falls on deaf ears. Adolescents: misleading; children: no. Adults." "Women's Univ Club, Los Angeles Fox W Coast Bui Ap 2 '38 "Adults." Nat Legion of Decency Ap 7 '38 "A: heavy, unpleasant melodrama; Y & C: no." — Parents' M p80 Je '38 "Mature." Wkly Guide Ap 2 '38 Newspaper and Magazine Reviews "Adults." Christian Science Monitor pl5 Ap 23 '38 " 'Law of the Underworld' is like something out of the dank past, with its false heroics, its spineless killings, its gun terror and its crusading attornev." Robert Joseph f Hollywood Spec pl3 Mr 26 '38 "The cast is so competent in making the rather worn situation appear thrilling that you may like this little quickie better than whatever 'main feature' it is billed with." (2 stars) Ruth AYaterbury Liberty p51 Je 4 '38 "[It] is a tame copy of the Broadway show, but it is an interesting melodrama, well-directed. . . Acting stands out in 'Law of the Underworld,' so that while the film certainly hasn't the punch of earlier gangster pictures, it is another triumph for Morris and Ciannelli and the growing Anne Shirley." R. W. Dana + — N Y Herald Tribune pl5 Ap 28 '38 "This [is a] low-grade gangster film." — NY Times p27 Ap 28 '38 Reviewed by Russell Maloney New Yorker p87 My 7 '38 Trade Paper Reviews "An ace gangster film in which the strong melodramatic elements are neatly blended by smooth production, direction and scripting, this has as its outstanding feature an accomplished performance by Chester Morris in the best role the actor has had in many pictures. Family/' + Boxoffice pl3 Mr 26 '38 "Fine cast in an exciting but unconvincing melodrama — will satisfy action fans." H Film Curb pll My 7 '38 "Good characterizations by the cast lift this new RKO release out of the doldrums as the story lacks punch, but it has enough action to serve nicely in the program spots." H Film Daily p4 Ap 30 '38 "Interesting story has plenty of suspense, but the audience reaction was fair. Estimate: okay melodrama for duals, neighborhoods." H Phila Exhibitor pl07 Ap 1 '38 "While there's lots of gunplay in this gangster opus, it hardly ever builds up to any real excitement. Everything runs to extreme simplicity and easy recognition, the narrative, the direction and the acting. Scene follows scene in the hackneyed manner and the fans can't go wrong in guessing what's going to happen next. But, despite all these elements, the film packs enough interest to make it a worthy candidate for a twin setup." f Variety pl5 My 4 '38 LENIN IN OCTOBER. Amkino 92min Ap 1 '38 Cast: Boris Y. Shchukin. E. M. Shatrova Y. V. Yanin. X. Sokolov Director: Mikhail Romm Music: A. Alexandrov Screen writer: A. Kapler Russian dialogue film with English subtitles A recreation of Lenin's conflict with Kerensky's provisional government beginning with the Bolshevik's arrival in St. Petersburg in 1917 and ending with the storming of the Winter Palace.