Picturegoer (Jan-Apr 1935)

On the Screens Now by Lionel Collier The PICTUREGOER'S quick reference index to films just released ***IT'S A GIIT **THINGS ARE LOOKING UP ♦♦♦SEQUOIA *NAME THE WOMAN ♦**DEATH AT BROADCAST *ELINOR NORTON ING HOUSE ♦HAWAIIAN NIGHTS ♦♦RADIO PARADE OF 1935 THE SCOOP What the asterisks mean — «••• An outstanding feature. •♦• Very good. Good. * Average entertainment. c Also suitable for children. PICTUREGOER Weekly Judy Kelly returns to school for her role in the Cicely Courtneidge comedy, " Things are Looking Up." ***IT'S A GIFT Paramount. American. "U" certificaU. Domestic farce. Runs 67 minutes. W. C. Fields Harold Bissonette Kathleen Howard Ameba Bissonette Jean Roi veral Mildred Bissonette Julian Madison John Durston Tom Bupp Norman Bissonette Baby Le Roy Elwood Dunk Tammany Young Everett Ricks Morgan Wallace James Fitchmueller Charles Sellon Mr. Muckle Josephine Whittell Mrs. Dunk T. Roy Barnes Insurance Salesman Diana Lewis Nettie Dunk GvY Usher Harry Payne Bosterly Del Henderson Clarence Abemathy Directed by I\'orman McCleod from the story by Charles Boyle and J. P. McEvoy. Previeired, January 12, 1935. One of the best pieces of farcical fooling we have had for a long time, with W. C. Fields disporting himself uproariously through a series of human and humourous domestic upsets. It is the detail work rather than the plot as a whole which is so excellent. While Fields' characterisation is exaggerated, it is also true to life in its broad essentials and that is what makes the humour so rich and acceptable. He is cast as Harold Bissonette, a henpecked husband with a pretty daughter, a talkative wife, and an incorrigible young son. He runs — very indifferently — a grocery store, but has dreams of growing oranges in California. In spite of all his wife's efforts to prevent him, he buys a farm and the whole family proceeds there by car, only to find that the farm is a piece of derelict waste ground. Just as Harold is giving way to black despair, he learns privately that the ground is wanted for a race course and he manages to drive a hard bargain with the prospective buyer. From beginning to end, the picture is packed with well-handled mirthprovoking situations. The by-play in the grocery shop — Baby Le Roy is introduced as make-weight — is slapstick at its best and so is the journey by car to the farm. But while it is slapstick in form there is real wit and idea behind it all. The humour arises from the exaggeration of perfectly normal incidents. This is extremely well exemplified in a sequence where Herbert, driven to distraction by his wife's tongue, seeks rest and quiet on the veranda where the neighbours, the milkman, and passers-by innocently conspire to disturb his attempts at repose. While W. C. Fields holds the screen most of the time, he is extremely well supported by Kathleen Howard as his wife, Tom Bupp as his irrepressible and mischievous son, and Jean Rouveral as his attractive daughter. •♦♦SEQUOIA M.-G.-M. American. " I'" certificate. Wild animal drama. Runs 68 minutes. Jean Parker Toni Martin Russell Hardie Bob Alden Samuel S. Hinds Matthew Martin Paul Hurst Bergman Ben Hall Joe WiLUE Fung Sang Soo Harry Lowe, jcn Feng Soo Directed by Chester M. Franklin from the story " Malibu " by Vance Joseph Hoyt. Previewed, March 16, 1935. Special supplement, April 13. This film merits attention not so much for its story values, which are not strong, but from the brilliant camera work and painstaking care that has gone to make a unique nature study. Personally, I found the human element far from satisfactory when compared with the main theme, which sets out to show in a most convincing and reaUstic manner the enduring friendship which sprang up between a puma and a deer rescued from the perils of the wild by a girl when their respective mothers had been killed. One could really have done with more of the intimate shots of wild Ufe which are wholly fascinating. In addition to a slender love interest between the girl and a ranger, there is the inevitable villain whom one feels quite con vinced wiU be slaughtered by one of the animals at the end. As a matter of fact, they both take a hand in it. This involves a somewhat stereotyped chase, but one can forgive it because it is so excellently shot. Incidentally, there is a trace of propaganda for the protection of wild animals from the guns of weekend sportsmen. Jean Parker looks very attractive and plays her role of animal protector with easy g^race, while Russell Hardie is adequate as the ranger. A very good performance of the "deepMlyed villain" order comes from Paul Hurst as a trapper and guide. There is one important pxjint about this picture — it is true in that it presents something which could not have been possible in any other medium. Producers are apt these days to neglect the scop)e of the screen and camera and this affords a timely reminder of what it is capable. ♦••DEATH AT BROADCASTING HOUSE A.B.F.D. British. A" certificate. Murder mystery. Rutu 71 minutes. Ian Hunter Detective Inspector Gregory Austin Trevor Leopold Dryden Mary Newland Joan Dryden Henry Kendall Rodney Fleming Val Gielcud Julian Caird Peter H addon Guy Bannister Betty Davies Poppy Leviue Jack Hawkins Herbert Evans April 20. 1935 Claire Trevor plcys the name role in " Elinor Norton " — an eternal triangle story. Donald Wolfit Sidney Parsons Robert Rendel Sir Herbert Farquharson Gordon McLeoo Chief Commissioner of Police Ivor Barnard Joseph Higgins Bruce Lister Peter Ridgewell Howard Douglas Weisskopf Vincent Holman A Detective Sergeant Arthur Hamblinc Desk Clerk George de Warfa2 Foreigner Percy Rhodes The Wife's Lover (in Broadcast Play) And Hannen Swapper, Vernon Bartlett, Eric Dunstan, Gillie Potter, Elizabeth Welch, Eve Becke, Gershom Parkington Quintette, Percival Mackey and His Band, Ord Hamilton. Directed by Reginald Denham from the novel by Val Gielgud and Holt Marvell. Pre-viewed, March 30, 1935. Very good mtirder mystery drama, famihar in theme, but novel in its apphcation and in its settings and atmosphere. Broadcasting House has been brought most convincingly to the screen, and the atmosphere throughout is soundly reahstic. The story shows how Sidney Parsons, an actor, is murdered whilst taking part in a broadcast play. Detective Inspector Gregory of Scotland Yard is called in to investigate and is quick to discover that the victim had many enemies, amongst his fellow players. A prominent artiste is suspected of the murder, but the detective does not believe he is guilty and arranges a reconstruction of the crime in the hope of discovering the killer. How his scheme works out suppUes both a surprise element and thrills. Technical work and detail is so good — the life at Broadcasting House goes on in its accustomed manner throughout aU the commotion— that one forgets that basically it is just a "guess who" story. The director deserves most of the congratulations for a very good kinematic production, but he has been ably backed up by his artistes. .\ustin Trevor is very good as the temperamental actor who is suspected of the murder, and Mary Newland is also effective as his wife, an actre^ who was being blackmailed by the murdered man. The victim is well enacted by Donald Wolfit, while Ian Hunter is natural and well in character as the detective. Henry Kendall gives a good performance as a playvmght, whose drama is being performed when the murder is committed, while sound light relief comes from Peter Haddon as a guest who has been invited to a B.B.C. variety show and loses his way. Polly Moron " tells one " to Dot Farley, tohile Charles Coleman " listens in — a scene from " Hawaiian Nights." 24