Picturegoer (Jan-Jun 1938)

PICTUREGOER Weekly REVIEWS — Continued Dick Powell has little material as the hero, a bumptious marine who becomes a hit on the radio and has to be put in his place by his comrades, but he makes the most of it. A promising newcomer, Doris Weston, handles the ingenue role capably, and Hugh Herbert supplies most of the comedy c**LA\V FOR TOMBSTONE General F.D. American. "V" certificate. Western drama. Runs .">S minutes. Bt'CK Jones Alamo Bowie Muriel Evans Nellie Gray Harvev Clark Doc Holliday Clar Stockdale Judge Hart Earl Hodkins Jack Dunn Alexander Cross Bull Clanton Directed by Charles Jones. You can usually rely on Buck Jones to give you a good run for your money in a Western, and he acquits himself well here as a Texas ranger who is sent to Tombstone to end a reign of terror inaugurated bycrooks. The dramatic qualities are above the average in Westerns, and there is quite a good deal of conviction both in character and situation. Muriel Evans gives a worth-while performance as the heroine . ••THE BRIDE WORE RED M.-G.-M. American. " U " certificate. Society comedy. Runs 102 m«'nu<«. Joan Crawford Anni Franchot Tone Giulio Robert Young Kndi Pal Billie Bi'RKE Countess Di Meina Reginald Owen Admiral Monti Lynne Carver Maddelena Monti George Zucco Count Armaha Marv Phillips Maria Pai l Procasi Nobili Dickie Moore Pietro Frank Puglia Alberto Directed bv Dorothv Arzner. Screen play by less Slesinger and Hradbury Foote. Previewed November 27, 193X. Storv frcelx based on the film bv Marjorv Williams appeared in our issue of December 11, 1937 Starting extremely well, this picture becomes conventionally sentimental tow ards the end and lets one down rather badly. Joan Crawford, taking herself a little too seriously for the role she is playing, is cast as a cheap cabaret singer, Anni, whom a drunken wealthy man presents with enough money to stay at a very smart countrv hotel, where he knows a The PICTUREGOER'S quick reference index •••THE TOAST OF NEW YORK •••THEY WONT FORGET •*ALI BABA GOES TO TOWN c**THE SINGING MARINE c'*LAW FOR TOMBSTONE ••THE BRIDE WORE RED c*THE LEGION OF MISSING MEN •LEAVE IT TO ME •MEN OF STEEL •CHANGE FOR A SOVEREIGN •THIS WAY PLEASE ♦FIFTY-SECOND STREET ♦BRIEF ECSTASY What the asterisks mean — •••• An outstanding feature. Very good. •* Good. * Average entertainment. c Also suitable for children. playboy friend of his, Rudi Pal, is also stopping, for a fortnight. Anni sets herself out to win Pal, who is engaged, and succeeds in doing so; but in the end it is a quizzical postman, who had taken her at her face value, who wins the matrimonial stakes. Robert Young is good as Pal. but Franchot Tone is rather heavy and not too convincing as the romantic postman. Billie Burke scores as a socialite, and Reginald Owen contributes a clever study of a retired admiral. The Austrian settings are picturesque. c'THE LEGION OF MISSING MEN Pathe. American. " V" certificate. Foreign Legion melodrama. Runs 02 minutes. Ralph Forbes Bob Carter Ben Alexander Don Carter George Regas Garcia Hala Linda Nina James Aubrey Bilgev Pai l Hi rst Muggsy Frank Leigh Colonel I.aurente Rov D'Aucv Sheik Ul Ahmed Directed by Hamilton MacFadden. Straightforward melodrama, put over briskly, with plenty of thrills of a conventional order. The story deals with two brothers in the Foreign Legion, the elder of whom sacrifices himself for the younger when he gets into scrapes. Ralph Forbes is good in the former role and Ben Alexander is quite sound as the latter, although he hardly suggests the Englishman he is supposed to be. The romantic note is supplied exotically by Hala Linda. Good supporting studies are given by Paul Hurst, Roy D'Arcy, and James Aubrey. •LEAVE IT TO ME British Lion. British. " A" certificate, limad extravaganza. Runs 71 minutes. Sandy Powell Sandv Iris March Joan Franklyn Dyall Sing Tu Garry Marsh Sergeant Davy Burnaby Sir William Jack Hobbs Special Guest Claude Horton Butler Dora Hibbert and"! Speciality Dancers Nicholas Birs J ^ George Pencheff and } Wrestlers Jack Pve J Directed by Herbert Smith. Sandy Powell appears in this broad farce as a simpleton who wants to become a policeman, and, although his material is neither original nor subtle, he manages to put over the personality that has secured his popularity on the stage and over the air. He appears as a policeman, a harem queen, an all-in wrestler, a professional ballroom dancer, a Chinese mandarin, and a private detective — in short, a one-man show. •MEN OF STEEL British Lion. American. "U" certificate. Romantic comedvdrama. Runs minutes. Grant Withers "Tons" Walker Beatrice Roberts Susan Ranny Weeks Bill Reardon Judith Allen Elaine Witworth William Newell Porkv Pierre Watkin William Reardon Roger Williams Steve Georgia Caine Mrs. Witworth Greta Meyer Hilda Edgar Norton Jarvis Harry Depp Smalley Ei'Gene King Zimick Directed by William Nigh. Quite a good little comedy drama of an unpretentious nature, played against the background of a steel mill. Grant Withers is virile and likeable as the son of a mill owner who, under the terms of his father's will, has to serve an apprenticehsip under the tough mill boss. This latter role is also well played by Ranny Weeks. It is the conflict between these two and their efforts to get the better of each other which supplies the story motive. The feminine interest is quite well supplied by Beatrice Roberts and Judith Allen. •CHANGE FOR A SOVEREIGN First National. British "A" certificate. Romantic comedy. Runs 72 minutes. Seymour Hicks King Hugo Violet Farebrother Queen Agatha Chili Boi'chier Countess Rita Ai'BREY Mallalieu Baron Breit Bruce Lister Crown Prince William Hyde White Charles Ralph Tri'Man Archduke Paul Denier Warren Mr. Heller Florence Vie Mrs. Heller Daphne Raglan Katrina Heller George Lane Kuink Percy Le Fre Stigge Billy Watts Peter Directed bv Maurice Elvey. Based on an original storv bv Seymour Hicks. Seymour Hicks carries this rather thin Ruritanian farce on his own shoulders. He plays a dual role, that of a king who likes to go away for a holiday as one of the people and his double, a flirtatious alcoholic who is temporarily enthroned. The double causes a crisis by his behaviour, and the real king returns just in time to avert catastrophe. Chili Bouchier is good as the intriguing wife of an Archduke who has his eye on the throne. The development is hardly subtle, but it scores sometimes in a broad, boisterous manner. •THIS WAY PLEASE Paramount. American. "U" certificateRomantic enmedv with music. Runs 72 minutes. Charles "Bi'ddy" Rogers Brad Morgan Betty Grable Jane Morrow Nko Sparks Inkv Wells Mary Livingstone Maxine Barrv Porter Hall S. T. Crawford Lee Bowman Stu Randall Jim and Marian Jordam Fibber McGee and Molly Cecil Cunningham Miss Eberhardt Wai.lv Vernon Bumps Romo Vincent Trumps Ierry Bergen Mumps Ri fe Davis Sound Effects Man Directed bv Robert Florey. Based on a story bv Maxwell Shane and Bill Thomas. There is a certain amount of novelty about the locale of this comedy — it takes place behind the scenes of a super cinema and pokes good fun at cinema routine. The story, however, is very thin, and the picture relies more on its dance and musical items. Betty Grable is sound as an usherette who falls for the band leader, played by Charles Rogers, who is also agreeable and versatile. Ned Sparks and Mary Livingstone make an amusing comedy team. •FIFTY-SECOND STREET United Artists. American. "A" certificate. Romantic comedv-drama. Runs 82 minutes. Ian Hvnter Rufus Rondell Leo Carrillo Fiorello Pat Paterson.. * Margaret Rondell Ella Logan Bettv Malina Sid Silvers Sid Zasi' Pitts Letita Rondell Marla Shelton Evelyn Dorothy Peterson Adela Rondell Coi.lette Lyons Minnie A I. Shean Klauber Kenny Baker Benny Entertainers. Jack White Cook and Brown Kocco and Sai lters Jerry Colonna Georgie Tapps Al Norman And the 52nd Street Girls Directed bv Harold Young. Screen play by Gwen Jones. Indifferent musical romance, which fails to register, in spite of the efforts of Leo Carrillo and Ian Hunter, who both give good performances. Its story, which provides a thread on which to hang a number of "turns." deals with Rondell, the scion of an old American family, who scandalises his prim sisters living in 52nd Street by marrying an actress. This is in 1912. Three years later his wife dies and he sends his little daughter to school in England. Gradually the character of 52nd March 5, 1938 Street changes, and speak-easies spring up there. After the 1929 crash, Rondell opens up a night club, which proves highly successful. He keeps this from his daughter, but eventually she, too, becomes an actress, and his prim sisters also open up a cabaret; and so the character of 52nd Street completes its transformation . Ian Hunter is personable as Rondell and Leo Carrillo a good contrast as a street musician who becomes a night-club proprietor. The romance is supplied by Pat Paterson, as Rondell's daughter, and Kenny Baker. •BRIEF ECSTASY A.B.F.D. British. "A" certificate. Triangle drama. Runs 71 minutes. Pai'L Li'kas Professor Paul Bernard? Linden Travers Helen Bemardy Hugh Williams Jim Bemardy Marie Ney Martha Russell Renee Gadd Girl Friend Fred Withers Gardener Howard Douglas Mr. Coleman Fewlass Llewellyn Director of Steel Company Peter Gawthorne Chairman of Steel Company Norman Pierce Landlord Directed by Edmond Greville. Scenario by Basil Mason. A conventional and novelettish triangle drama, which relies far too much on the long arm of coincidence to be very convincing. Its main assets are the polished acting of Paul Lucas, who makes the character of a middle-aged professor, married to a young wife, natural and attractive and the good technical qualities of the production generally. Linden Travers is adequate as the young wife, who had previously been in love with an aviator who "comes back into her life and nearly ruins her happiness. As the aviator, Hugh Williams is quite good. An excellent study of a sex-starved woman is given by Marie Ney as the professor's housekeeper, who is secretly in love with him and fans the flame of jealousy whenever possible. RELEASES FOR THE | PAST TWO MONTHS • Number of stars awarded in brackets : — Action For Slander (2) Another Dawn (2) Big Business (2) Big Fella (2) Blonde Trouble (2) Jan. 22 Jan. 15 Jan. 1 Jan. 1 Feb. 5 ; Broadway Melodv of 1 1138 (2) . . . Jan. 8 i Caff Metropole (2) Jan. 1 | Double Wedding (2) Feb. 12 : Dr. Syn (2) Feb. 12 i Easy Living {&) ... ... Jan. 15 : Edge of the World, The (3) ... Jan. 8 ! Firefly, The (2) Feb. 19 i Footlight Heiress (2) Feb. 12 ! Forlorn River (2)c Feb. 5 i Go-Getter, The (2)f Jan. 8 • Good Earth, The (3) Jan. 1 ! High Wide and Handsome (2) Jan. 22 ! Hit Parade, The (2) Jan. 15 i It's Love I'm After (3) Feb. 26 ! It's All Yours (2) Feb. 5 : Keep Fit (2)c Feb. 19 ! Kid Galahad (3) Jan. 22 : Knight Without Armour (2) ... Jan. 8 ! Let's Make a Night of It (2) Jan. 29 i Life of Emile Zola, The (3) ... Feb. 26 • Lovely to Look At 12) Feb. 5 i Madame X (2) Feb. 26 • Man Betrayed, A (2) Feb. 19 i Midnight Madonna (2) ... Jan. 8 : New Faces of 1937 (2) ... Feb. 5 i North of the Rio Grande (2) ... Jan. 8 ; Oh, Mr. Porter (3)c Jan. 1 ! One Mile from Heaven (2) ... Jan. 8 I Rustler's Valley (2)c Feb. 19 • She's No Lady (2) Feb. 26 ! Sky's the Limit, The (2) ... Feb. 26 I .Sine and Be Happv (2) ... Feb. 19 i Souls at Sea {3) Feb. 12 ! Squeaker, The (2) Feb. 12 i Star is Born, A (3) Jan. 15 i Stella Dallas (2) Feb. 5 : Sunset in Vienna (3) Jan. 15 i Super Sleuth (2)r Feb. 12 i Thirteenth Man, The (2) ... Feb. 19 : Walter Wanger's Vogues of ! 1938 (2) Feb. 19 • Wav Out West (2) Jan. 15 : Wild and Woolly (2)c Feb. 12 ! Wild Money (2) Jan. 1 i You Can t Have Everything (2) Jan. 22 24