Photoplay (Jan - Jun 1942)

l/y JOAN OF PARIS— RKO Radio: Dealing with the attempts of five British fliers to get out of France and back to England, this is a thrilling, suspenseful movie that provides fine entertainment. Paul Henreid takes refuge in the room of Michele Morgan, a young barmaid, and she, with the aid of Thomas Mitchell, helps the fliers escape. Both stars give superb performances. (March) y JOE SMITH, AMERICAN— M-G-M: Robert Young, an average American working in a defense plant, is kidnaped by enemy agents and tortured to reveal details of a bomb sight. How he lives up to his patriotic ideals makes a fine, convincing film. Marsha Hunt as his wife, and Darryl Hickman as their son, are very good. (April) yy JOHNNY EAGER— M-G-M: Bob Taylor scores a knockout performance as the conscienceless killer who, after framing society girl Lana Turner into believing she has killed a man, falls in love with her. Van Heflin as his only true friend almost steals the show. It's tremendous. (March) yy KINGS ROW— Warners: Here is a superb drama, telling the story of five children from their schooldays to adulthood. Ronald Reagan is the town sport who loves Nancy Coleman, daughter of sadistic doctor Charles Coburn. Ann Sheridan is the girl who loves Reagan and Robert Cummings is the psychiatrist who is Reagan's friend. All performances are terrific. (May) LADY FOR A NIGHT— Republic: Above all else, Joan Blondell, who runs a gambling boat, wants to become a lady of Southern gentility, so she forces Ray Middleton to marry her and steps right into unhappiness. John Wayne as the real hero, Middleton, Blanche Yurka and Edith Barrett are very good, but the picture isn't. (April) LADY HAS PLANS, THE— Paramount: Comedy, drama and romance, with Paulette Goddard as an American radio war correspondent who is mistaken for a spy who has secret plans tattooed on her back. Ray Milland is a news correspondent. Hilariously funny. (April) LADY IS WILLING THE— Columbia: A tired story of an actress, Marlene Dietrich, who finds a baby and subsequently marries a baby specialist, Fred MacMurray, for two reasons; in order to have the husband required by law for legal adoption, and because a doctor will be handy. (April) yy MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER, THE— Warners: An eight-course banquet of delight is this rowdy, rollicking satire of a world-renowned sophisticate who takes over a Midwest household. Bette Davis is splendid as Monty Woolley's secretary, Ann Sheridan does a grand job as the actress; the whole cast is outstanding. (March) MAN WHO RETURNED TO LIFE, THE— Columbia: John Howard is the high-minded hero who after escaping a murder charge by fleeing to California, learns that the man who sought his life is now himself accused of murdering Howard and treks all the way back to aid his enemy. It's all pretty boring. (May) MAYOR OF 44th STREET, THE— RKO-Radio: In order to aid former racketeer Richard Barthelmess, George Murphy takes him into his business as agent for dance bands. Anne Shirley looks lovely but she's not at home in her role as hoofer assistant to Mr. Murphy. (May) MELODY LANE — Universal: An orchestra lands a radio job, but their sponsor is whacky Leon Errol who wants to play with the band. The Merry Macs harmonize and Robert Paige warbles. Baby Sandy gathers in chuckles. (March) yy MISTER V— Edward Small-U.A.: Leslie Howard plays the modern Pimpernel, who liberates artists, scientists and great men held in Nazi power. The story has a tendency to lag in spots but it's an interesting and thrilling picture. Mr. Howard and Francis Sullivan, as head of the Gestapo, give brilliant performances. (May) MR. AND MRS. NORTH— M-G-M: Gracie Allen is cast as Mrs. North who has a flair for amateur detecting, and the film is packed with typical Allen zaniness. (March) y MR. BUG GOES TO TO WN— Paramount : For sheer delightful novelty, this story of insect life takes the prize. There's Hoppity, the hero hopper, liis girl friend. Honey, plus many other beautiful characters. (May) NIGHT BEFORE THE DIVORCE. THE— 20th Century Fox: Joseph Alien Jr. grows tired of his superior wife. Lynn Bari, so turns for comfort to blonde charmer Mary Beth Hughes. Then Nils .Vt1h i ti ps in to the fray only to get killed. What a waste of a fine actor like Astherl (May) y NIGHT OF JANUARY 16TH. THE— Paramount: Secretary Ellen Drew is accused of murdering her boss, Nils Asther, until Robert Preston conies to her rescue. Well acted, directed and written, it's a good movie. NORTH OF THE KLONDIKE— Universal: Here is the best screen fight you've seen in many 104 Brief Reviews (Continued from page 21) a day. It takes place between Brod Crawford, hero mining engineer who invades a community in Alaska, and Lon Chaney Jr., the villain of the place. Comedy honors are stolen by Willie Fung and Keye Luke. (April) PACIFIC BLACKOUT— Paramount: Robert Preston, inventor of an aircraft rangefinder, is framed by secret Nazi official Philip Merivale and Eva Gabor and convicted on a murder charge. But he escapes and Martha O'Driscoll helps him locate saboteurs. Lots of get-up-and-go about it. (April) PARDON MY STRIPES— Republic: Newspaper reporter Sheila Ryan so befuddles football player Bill Henry who is now working for gangster Harold Huber that he accidentally loses a bag of money out of a train window and it falls into a prison yard. When prosecuted, he goes to prison and tries to find the money. yy REAP THE WILD WIND— Paramount : Another Cecil B. DeMille thrill-packed, rip-snorting adventure story of ships and men and women of the 1840's. In Key West, Paulette Goddard meets John Wayne, captain of a wrecked vessel, and falls in love with him. In Charleston she meets Ray Milland, attorney for Wayne's shipping company. The rivalry between the two men results in a thrilling climax. (May) y REMARKABLE ANDREW. THE — Paramount: William Holden is the small-town boy who fights the town's politicians. When his predicament becomes too involved, the ghost of his hero, Andrew Jackson, comes to his rescue and summons George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other heroes to assist him. Ellen Drew is the girl who stands by Holden. (April) y REMEMBER THE DA Y— 20th Century-Fox: Claudette Colbert is at her best in this delightful, nostalgic story of the schoolteacher who looks back over her life to the time when she was a young teacher and youngster Douglas Croft played a part in her true love. John Payne is superb. (March) y RIDE 'EM CO WBOY— Universal: Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, peanut venders from a New York rodeo, land on a dude ranch out West at the same time as would-be Western hero Dick Foran and meet Anne Gwynne. There are several hilarious moments. (May) RIGHT TO THE HEART— 20th Century-Fox: The mixture of life at a fighters' training camp with romance provides good entertainment in this little picture, with Joseph Allen Jr. as a wealthy playboy. Brenda Joyce is the owner's daughter, and Cobina Wright Jr. the socialite. It's human and amusing. RIOT SQUAD— Monogram: Richard Cromwell, ambulance doctor, works secretly with a band of gangsters in order to trap them but this action leads to an open break with his sweetheart. Rita Quigley. There's a lot of commotion. (March) ROAD AGENT — Universal: The three Musketeers on horses again — Dick Foran, Andy Devine and Leo Carrillo — out looking for dirty work in order to clean it up. This time they take over a frontier town. (March) ROAD TO HAPPINESS— Monogram: John Boles is back again, handsomer than ever, in this heart-warming story that has John returning from Europe to find his wife, Mona Barrie, has divorced him. He takes son Billy Lee out of school and brings him home to a furnished room. Mr. Boles sings delightfully and Billy does a fine job. (April) \S ROXIE HART— 20th Century-Fox: Ginger Rogers plays the brazen, tawdry Roxie who agrees to take a murder rap for the resultant publicity. Adolphe Menjou, the theatrical defense attorney; George Montgomery, reporter; William Frawley and Lynne Overman add up to a strong cast. (April) SALUTE TO COURAGE— M-G-M: Conrad Veidt expertly handles a dual role in this melodrama, that of twin brothers, on* a loyal American and the other a Nazi. Ann Avars is very good as the spy caught in the intrigue, but it's Veidt's picture. (April) SHANGHAI GESTURE— Arnold PressburgerU.A.: A strange procession of characters moves against lavish backgrounds, but the scenes are too loosely threaded together. Gene Tierney is the beautiful daughter of Walter Huston, ex-husband of Ona Minis. m, owner of the gambling house; Victor Mature is the evil Oriental wjth whom Gene falls violently in love. (March) SHUT MY BIG MOUTH— Columbia: Joe E. Brown gives you plenty of laughs as the wealthy horticulturist who goes out West with his valet, Fritz Feld, to beautify the desert. (May) SNUFFY SMITH. YARD BIRD— Monogram: Snuffy Smith, played by Bud Duncan, a moonliin.i who escapes revenuers, finds himself in an Army camp, Snuffy has to pull some tricks before tin Army will let him stay. (April) y SON OF FURY— 20th Century-Fox: A ripsnorter movie, with George Sanders as the cruel baronet who abuses his nephew, Tyrone Power, until Tyrone assaults him and must flee England. With John Carradine, he goes to a tropical island where he finds a fortune in pearls and lovely Gene Tierney. and then returns to England. Roddy McDowall is the young Tyrone. (April) \S SONG OF THE ISLANDS— 20th. CenturyFox: We can hand this story very little, but the picture has sex, music, comedy, Betty Grable in a grass skirt, Victor Mature in a sarong, Technicolor scenery, the clowning of Jack Oakie and Hilo Hattie and grand performances by Thomas Mitchell and George Barbier. What else would you want? (May) THIS TIME FOR KEEPS— M-G-M: Ann Rutherford and Robert Sterling find their first year of marriage pretty shaky going. It doesn't help any when Sterling goes to work for his father-in -law, Guy Kibbee. It's a nice little film. (May) yy TO BE OR NOT TO BE— Korda-U.A. : Carole Lombard's last picture remains a fitting tribute to her beauty and personality. She plays the wife of Jack Benny, both stars, who along with their troupe are caught in Poland by the Nazi invasion but manage to upset the Gestapo. (May) TORPEDO BOAT— Paramount: Richard Arlen and Phil Terry conceive a device for projecting both planes into the air and torpedo boats into the water from the same carrier in this timely and exciting picture. Jean Parker and Cecelia Parker are very good. (May) TRAGEDY AT MIDNIGHT, .4— Republic: A too-anaemic Thin Man is this mystery story about a radio detective, John Howard, who, with his wife Margaret Lindsay, moves into an apartment vacated by Miles Mander and Mona Barrie and run smack into a little murder mystery. (May) TREAT 'EM ROUGH— Universal: Smartly paced yarn about a prize fighter, Eddie Albert, who, with Peggy Moran, helps clear his father, whose books show a shortage. (April) y VALLEY OF THE S UN— RKO-Radio: Picturesque and romantic is this light-hearted Western, with James Craig preventing the marriage of Lucille Ball to Dean Jagger, a crooked Indian agent. Craig's fight for Jagger's life with the Indian, Gerommo, played by Tom Tyler, is terrifically suspenseful. An escapist piece. (April) y VANISHING VIRGINIAN, THE— M-G-M: A tender, warm, appealing, little movie, this, dealing with the daily life of a charming Virginia family. Frank Morgan, successful attorney, and Spring Byington are the parents of five children, Kathryn Grayson, Natalie Thompson, Juanita Quigley, Dickie Jones and Scotty Beckett. (March) WEEKEND FOR THREE — RKO: Dennis O'Keefe is the young husband who neglects his wife, Jane Wyatt, until Philip Reed comes to visit them for the week end. Edward Everett Horton, Zasu Pitts and Franklin Pangborn competently support. y WE WERE DANCING— M-G-M; Melvyn Douglas, a Viennese baron, and Norma Shearer, a Polish countess, elope on the eve of Norma's wedding to wealthy Lee Bowman, and the penniless pair make a profession of being house guests of the rich, which works splendidly until Melvyn meets Gail Patrick. It's all too, too gay. (April) WHAT'S COOKIN'T— Universal : Music fron to last, with the Jivin' Jacks and Jills trying I on the radio. Charlie Butterworth and Billie Burke are the sponsors, and Jane Frazee ami Robert Paige provide the love interest. With Gloria lean, the Andrews Sisters and Woody Herman's band. WILD BILL HICKOK RIDES— Warners: This is the same Western you've seen before, only this time Constance Bennett is the shady-lady heroine and Bruce Cabot is the noble hero, and Warren William is the villainous bad man. (May) WOLF MAN, THE— Universal: The setup is Lon Chaney returns to his ancestral home in England, where ancient superstitions abound through the community, especially about werewolves. Lon gets changed into a werewolf himself. (March) yy WOMAN OF THE YEAR— M-G-M: Katharine Hepburn plays a famous columnist wh in love with and marries sports writer Spencer Tracy but is so wrapped up in her career that her marriage takes second place, which doesn't suit Tracy at all. It's gay, smart, funny. (April) YANK ON THE BURMA ROAD. A— M-G-M: Barry Nelson is a taxicab hero who is offered the job of piloting trucks ever the Burma Road. There he meets laraine Day. Timely. (April) YOl ' UCA— 20th Century-Fox: If you're a Jane Withers loyalist, thei ist picture of hers for 20th Century. F this, no wonder she wants to leave. It's all how Jane, a snooty cit; gets herself straight ened out by the ideal i i th. I 11 Clubs. (M y YOU'RE IN THE ARMY NO W— Warners: racked with gags is this comedy of two vacuum cleaner salesmen, Jimmy Durante and Phil Silvers. whi End themselves in the Army. Donald MacBride is the colonel, and Jane Wyman his daughter, who shares the romantic interest with Regis Toomey. photoplay combined u-ith movie mirror