The Philadelphia Exhibitor (1935)

38 THE PHILADELPHIA EXHIBITOR THE SHORTS PARADE One reelers . . . Two reelers . . . Three reelers . . . Classi¬ fied alphabetically. TWO-REEL Comedy A RETURNED ENGAGEMENT. RKO — Flash Comedies. 18m. Tom Kennedy, Ford Sterling, Marjorie Gateson. Moderate with the plot having Sterling as the father who wants to stop his son from marrying a mani¬ curist. Throw in a house detective who loves the manicurist, the triangle elements, etc., and the result is just fair. FAIR. HAPPY THO MARRIED. RKO — Edgar Kennedy. 18m. Edgar has trouble with his in-laws, picks up a double who is really an actor while Edgar plays poker with the gang. The double thrills the family, does so well that the wife gets very close to him. Finally, this is too much for Edgar and he eventually gets rid of the double while the folks are out camping with no one knowing the difference. FAIR. HE'S A PRINCE. Fox-Educational — Conant Comedy. 16m. Tom Howard and George Shelton, as owners and principals in detective agency that supplies phoney princes and the like for society women who want to make splurge — are funnier than usual. There are some good puns as well as usual Howard-Shelton slapstick. Tom goes to party as Prince of Livonia, nearly gets assassinated in political plot directed at real prince. GOOD. HIS MARRIAGE MIXUP. Columbia — Comedies. 18m. Not very funny, except when Harry Langdon looks extremely dumb. Langdon is about to marry. His uncle, thinking bride is actually notorious “ax-murderess” at large, attempts to save him. Not prevent¬ ing the marriage, he tells bride Harry is insane. Along comes real ax-murderess to further confuse things. She kidnaps Harry and the uncle, is finally captured in usual auto chase finale. FAIR. LADIES LOVE HATS. Fox-Educational — Star Person¬ ality. 18m. Ernest Truex is the star. The story is slightly effeminate and limited appeal tale about suburbanite who loses bonus check with which he meant to buy wife a hat. He picks up hat in rum¬ mage sale — good hat actually belonging to town's social lioness. When wifey wears hat to church she is accused of stealing it. After much timid and unfunny dialogue, Truex clears up misunderstanding and has social lioness apologizing to his sociallyminded wife. FAIR. LITTLE SINNERS. MGM — Our Gang. 18m. Usual Our Gang that will appeal to those who like these comedies. Spanky decides to go fishing instead of going to Sunday School. All of his playmates warn him that he will be sorry if he does. He goes any¬ way but when he gets into trouble with the game warden; he sees several negroes being baptized whom he thinks are ghosts; when there is an eclipse of the sun he decides that it is better after all to attend Sunday School. FAIR. THE LONESOME TRAILER. Vitaphone — Big V. 18m. El Brendel plays Chris Peterson, a family man and ordinary hard-warking American citizen who buys a camping trailer to attach to the family car so he and the family including Mrs. Peterson, little Miss Peterson and little Mr. Peterson with an old dog Peterson can go on a camping trip. The trailer is a patented one which has to be cranked to enlarge it for the family, but which has a habit of folding up at inopportune moments. Mrs. Peterson drives. Ad¬ ventures include the trailer getting left on a busy city street while Peterson is taking a bath inside. Winds up with Peterson sneaking out at night to join some friends at a party and playing sleep walker and falling into a well when Mrs. Peterson trails him to the party at a road house. Brendell fans should like it. FAIR. OH, MY NERVES. Columbia — Comedies. 17m. Pretty amusing stuff about the fellow with wife, two kids and wife's dumb saxophone playing brother. Almost nuts, he takes advice of brother to go to Florida on fishing trip. But he finds family going with him. After almost drowning in stormy weather on way there, they arrive and start fishing. But the family goes along in the fishing boat also. The hero ends up in the insane asylum. VERY GOOD. THE TIMID YOUNG MAN. Fox-Educational — Star Per¬ sonality. 19m. Buster Keaton. Just fair, clocking laughs. This has Buster as a timid young man with Lona Andre as the heroine. He is supposed to get married, runs away, goes fishing, gives a dog jumping beans, tries to fish, etc. Result is a short that isn't as good as other Keaton entrants. FAIR. November Awards TWO REEL Comedy K iss the Bride — Fox-Educational. Nurse to You Metro. Our Gang Follies of 1936 Metro. Dramatic The Alibi Racket Metro. The Perfect Tribute Metro. March of Time RKO-Radio. Musicals REG LAR KIDS. Vitaphone — Broadway Brevities. 17m. This technicolor subject has much to commend it. Two wealthy youngsters want to help kids in an orphan asylum, detour a troupe of regular performers scheduled to put on a show for a big benefit, with the Meglin kiddies substituting and scoring. The kids sing, dance, in ones, twos, threes with a grand en¬ semble. Family audiences will like this best, but it should have universal appeal. Windup finds the orphans getting plenty cake and ice cream. GOOD. STARLIT DAYS AT THE LIDO. Metro — Musical Revue. 20m. What would be merely good musical short with some celebrities, in black-white — here becomes production worthy almost of feature billing, through lavish use of color. Appearing are Henry Busse’s tuneful orchestra, Reginald Denny as master of cere¬ monies, the Three Radio Rogues, Francis Lederer, Constance Bennett, John Boles, Clark Gable, and others — along with beautiful girls dressed in elabo¬ rately colored one-piece bathing suits. VERY GOOD. Metropolitan Nocturne RKO-Radio. Moonlight and Melody — Fox-Educational. Night Life RKO-Radio. Trouble in Toyland Vitaphone. The Doorman’s Opera Vitaphone. Novelty Major Bowes Amateur Theatre of the Air —RKO. Specials Camera Thrills Universal. Going on Two RKO-Radio. ONE REEL Color Cartoon Balloon Land Celebrity. The Little Dutch Plate Vitaphone. Mickey’s Fire Brigade — UA-Disney. Music Land UA-Disney. Pluto’s Judgment Day UA-Disney. Who Killed Cock Robin? UA-Disney. Color Novelty Popular Science No. 1 Paramount. Novelty Hermits of Crab Land — RKO. How to Sleep — Metro. March of the Presidents Paramount. Neptune Mysteries RKO. Voice of Experience— Columbia. Color Travel Beautiful Banff and Lake Louise. Color Musical Mediterranean Songs WE-First Division. Sport Basketball Technique Metro. Bugles from Blue Grass Country RKO Radio. Football Teamwork Metro. Musical CHECK YOUR SOMBRERO. Vitaphone — Broadway Brevities. 18m. Armida, Tito Coral, Sunny O'Dea, Claire, Harris and Shannon. Interesting musical with a Spanish background. Tito Coral sings. Armida dances, a trio dance team presents a good number, another trio sings. Background has Tito Coral want¬ ing to cash a check, which won't be honored. Fin¬ ally, it develops everyone in the place has a check from the same gent, all n. g. While there is nothing particularly striking, except some backgrounds, it will serve as a musical interlude. — FAIR. TICKETS, PLEASE. Vitaphone — Broadway Brevities. 21m. Georgie Price, 3 Sizzlers. Georgie is the great detective hired to get two tickets to the big game. He disguises himself as a college boy, as an alumnus, imitates Eddie Cantor, Chevalier, Al Jolson, Jimmy Durante, fails, then marries 280 lb. Bessie who had two tickets. Action is typical until the imitations, which are very good. FAIR. ONE-REEL Color Cartoon MUSICAL MEMORIES. Paramount-Fleischer — Color Classics. 7m. An old couple look at slides through a stereopticon machine, see their offspring going through life, with songs and dances. Color is excel¬ lent with the third dimensional effect especially attractive. Songs, music are good, and the whole thing is worthy of booking in any spot. EXCELLENT. ON ICE. United Artists-Disney — Mickey Mouse. 8m. Mickey and Minnie are skating. Pluto is dozing. Along comes Donald Duck to play prank by tying skates to Pluto’s feet. Near tragedy ensues when Donald Duck, however, is almost carried over falls by wind sail. Mickey saves him. Amusement is sup¬ plied by Mickey showing off before Minnie; by Pluto’s efforts to skate, and Donald's tormenting him; and by an ice fisherman who feeds tobacco to the fishes so they can come to surface to spit and he can hit them with club. EXCELLENT. THREE ORPHAN KITTENS. United Artists-Disney— Silly Symphony. 9m. The three kittens come in out of snow storm, upset household, exploring in kitchen and parlor, spilling pies, smashing furni¬ ture. Excellent color and appealing characterization of kittens mark this. EXCELLENT. WHERE THERE'S A WILL. RKO — Flash Comedies. 18m. Though Spencer Charters struggles on, net result is just another two reel comedy. Charters gets back from a party, has a hangover, drinks ink by mistake. Relatives arrive when they think he is dying, start dividing the property, Charters gets well, with a chase ending. SO-SO. Color Musical OKEY, JOSE. Warner-Vitaphone — Broadway Brevities. 18m. El Brendel, Swedish dialect comedian, in Mexico, a soldier of fortune. Suspected as accom¬ plice of region’s most feared bandit, he is given choice of death or bringing in bandit. Knowing desperado’s weakness for blondes, and unable to obtain a blonde in Mexico^ Brendel poses as one, has hard time resist¬ ing embraces until Federals come, finally conks des¬ perate one with bottle. Color is gorgeous in Mexican outdoor cafe; there is dancing and singing in merry Mexican style. REAL ENTERTAINMENT. Cartoon A HAPPY FAMILY. Columbia-Mintz — Krazy Kat. 7m. Krazy Kat is getting along swell in country home with wife. But Uncle Egbert "visits” — and brings family with him. They proceed — especially the youngsters — to burn, smash and chop the house down. FAIR. Adaptable to All Makes of Projectors and Lamps