Picturegoer (Jul-Dec 1936)

August I. 1936 Helped by his black servant. Uncle Billy, Cary breaks through the enemy lines and reaches his wife, who dies in his arms. Soon after this. Cary is captured by Colonel Morrison, of the Union forces, but he allows him and Virgie to escape when he hears their story. Both are again caught, however, and Cary is sentenced to death as a spy, and Morrison as a traitor. The one hope of reprieve is to appeal to President Lincoln, and Virgie succeeds in this mission successfully. Settings and costumes are much the same as in The Little Colonel, which was a post — not an actual war story. The same negro. Bill Robinson, partners Shirley Temple in her dances, and the direction is in the hands of David Butler, who was responsible for her other success. John Boles is good as Cary. and Jack Holt well cast as Morrison, and the remainder of the cast gives full support to the star, who remains in the Umelight most of the time. ♦♦MOONLIGHT MURDER -H.-G.-M American. " A " certificate. MysI tery drama. Runs CC minutes. :hester Morris Steve Farrell tUocE Evans Toni Adams ,Eo Carrillo Gino d'Acosta •RANK McHlgh Williams Jenita HiME Diana jKANT Mitchell Dr. Adams ■Catharine Alexander Louisa . Carrol Naish Bejac i. B. Warner Godfrey Chiltern JuKCAN Renaldo Pedro .EONARD Ceelev Ivan BasIoS (OBERT McWade Quilan 'edro de Cordoba Swami harles Trowbridge Stage Manager Jirecttd by Edwin L. Martin from a story by I Albert Cohn and Robert T . Shannon. ^uspects are as thick as blackJ berries in this mystery drama, nd it is due to this rather than to lever development, that the surrise solution is kept obscure to he end. I have been reproved by readers itely for having given away the ientity of the murderer in crime tones. I will try to mend my ays in this respect, but I do submit tiat it is difficult to criticise the cting of the said villain and the arength of his characterisation if do not label him with his particular )le. In this case a tenor, Gino d'Acosta, threatened with death if he sings 1 a certain night. He ignores the ireat and is killed in mysterious rcumstances. A young detective, Steve Farrell, arts investigations with the help ' his girl, Toni .\dams. a scientist. They have not got far when lother murder is committed, and :eve's prestige with his chief iffers a severe blow. However, he tries again and is 5le to track dow^ the murderer id discover his motive, which is ther an unusual one. Chester Morris is good £is Steve, id makes him a convincing figure, tiile Madge Evans scores as Toni. The supporting cast is a strong le, and it is due largely to their jll-drawn characterisations that e picture holds the interest it •es. Acting, in fact, is far more iportant than plot values in this se. where development is somelat diffuse and confusing. Technically the production is ceedingly good. Operatic selences are finely mounted, and e camera work and Ughting give e whole thing a polished and )rkmanlike finish. ♦YELLOW DUST Radio. American. " A " certificate. Western romance. Runs 67 minutes. Richard Dix Culpepjer Leila Hyams Nellie Moroni Olsen Missouriy Jessie Ralph Mrs. Brian Andy Clyde Solitaire Onslow Stevens Hanway Victor Potel Jugger Ethan Laidlaw Bogan Ted Oliver McLeamey Directed by Wallace Fox. A frankly cirtificial and weak story which flags in the middle is redeemed to a large extent by the pohshed acting of Richard Dix, who enacts his part of a gold prospector. Bob, with naturalness and sincerity. The picture op>ens with him meeting a veteran miner, SoUtaire — also well characterised by Andy Clyde. The pair strike gold, and intervene in a stage hold-up, during which Nellie Brian, a singer, is robbed of a locket by road agents. Arriving in Goldtown to stake his claim. Bob acquires the locket from the thief, and is thus ripe for arrest when Jack Hanway, saloon proprietor and admirer of Nellie's, frames the prospector. Breaking gaol. Bob carries Nellie by force from the society of Hanway, who follows them. To save Bob's Ufe, NeUie agrees to marry Hanway, but with the aid of Solitaire and a traitor in Hanway's camp. Bob escapes from the mountain stronghold, kiUs his rival, and marries the lady. "The main weakness is the obviousness of the story, which remains in spite of the interest occasioned by Bob's method of escape from the local prison. It is helped by timely humour and amusing incidents, and also by picturesque, rocky scenery. The period atmosphere also adds a certain amount of colour. Leila Hyams, who discloses that she has a pleasant singing voice, is sound as Nellie, and Moroni Olsen is well in character as the chief bandit. Leila Hyams in " Yellow Dust." ♦PANIC ON THE AIR Columbia. American. " A " certificate. Gangster melodrama. Runs 66 minutes. Ann Sothern Fay Stevens Lloyd Nolan Neil Bennett Douglas Dumbrille Beau Gardner John Arledge Eddie House Berton Churchill J. J. Held Nana Bryant Miss Abbott Robert Middlemass Dan McMahon George McKay Mitch Cook Gene Morgan Ted Lane Clyde Dilson Nick Barrow Directed by Albert S. Rogell, from a story by Henry Wales and Ferdinand Reyher. As long as there is room for a new "racket," there wiU be no end to gangster pictures. They have got a new one in this otherwise couventional story of crooks. Neil Bennett, a radio engineer, discovers a means of cutting into radio messages and brocidcasts, but has it stolen from him by Beau Gardner, a racketeer, when he becomes sufficiently interested in Fay Stevens, a singer employed by Gardner, to lose his job in trying to get her on the air. While he is held prisoner by Gardner, Gardner interferes with progi-ammes. attempts blackmail, anu puts the onus on Neil. After malting easy money. Gardner plans to Dump ofi Neil and secure a big reward offered for his capture, but at the last minute Neil makes contact with his friends and they efluct his release. Gardner and his henchmen then get their deserts, while Neil turns his thoughts to romance. The idea of extorting money from radio companies under threat of jamming programmes is ingenious, but the main plank on which the entertainment rests is the "rough stuff" and it is put over forcibly enough for those who hke it. Other interests are introduced in musical numbers, humour and, of course, romance. Generally the proceedings are well staged ; the broadcasting station interiors being particularly good. Ann Sothern is unremarkable as Fay, and while Lloyd Nolan is sound as Neil, his speaking voice is none to pleasant. Actually the supporting players give the best performances. Douglas Dumbrille, Berton ChurchiU and John Arledge all scoring in their respective roles. CROWN V. STEVENS Warner. British. " A " certificate. Crime thriller. Runs 66 minutes. Beatrix Thompson Doris Stevens Patric Knowles Chris Jansen Glennis Lorimer Molly Reginald PuRDELL..Alf (foreman to Stevens) Allen Jeayes Dect. Carter Frederick Piper Arthur Stevens Googie Withers Ella Mabel Poulton Mamie Billy Watts Joe Andrews Davina Craig Maggie Morris Harvey Julius Bayleck Directed by Michael Powell. Avery discursive affair deahng with a young woman who commits murder. It is definitely conventional in presentation and theme. Its appeal is directed mainly to the unsophisticated who prefer thrills served up plainly rather than artistically. Beatrix Thompson is incUned to over-act, although her characterisation is sincere enough as Doris Stevens, wife of Arthur Stevens. Chris Jansen who is in the employ of Stevens, visits a pawnbroker and finds him dead and sees Doris leaving the house. She enforces silence on him, but his suspicion is strengthened when he is told of the sudden illness of her husband. Later he goes to his employer's house; hearing a car engine running in a locked garage, he discovers Mr. Stevens nearly dead from an overdose of sleeping tablets. He challenges Mrs. Stevens with causing the death of the moneylender and later the murderer surrenders to the police. As the employee Patric Knowles is likeable enough : he provides the contrast of the warm-hearted young man as opposed to the cold-blooded calculating woman. Mabel Poulton who scored such a brilliant success in the silent days in The Constant Nymph gives a clever little cameo study here as a fickle young woman. PICTUREGOER Weekly Some comedy relief is supplied by Reginald Purdell as a works' foreman and he scores his laughs quite successfully. It is the general construction, rather than individual scenes, that is at fault and since Chris is never really dangerously threatened by Mrs. Stevens' actions the tension is not particularly strong. The action too is apt to switch from one central character to another without quite making up its mind which of them is the main focal point. PAL O' MINE Radio. British. " U " certificate. Back-stage drama. Runs 41 minutes. Charles Paton MacReady Phelps Herbert Lancley Bombasso Peter Cotes Archie Doris Long Millie Arthur Gomez The Guv'nor Stan Paskin Beano Tony Karmeli..... Elbert Hall GiRDA Valle with HER Band Tap Dancer Also " Peter," the dog, Marie Lloyd, Jun., Harold Heath. John Milton. Freddy Summers, and The Eight Dancing Girls. Directed and written by Widgey R. Newman. Avery thin plot conventionally treated, which is slow in action and lacking in dramatic force. Glermis Lorimer in "Croumv. Stevens" It deals ■ with Daddy Mac, an ex-actor and stage-door keeper, who worships his son Archie, a tap dancer at the music haU where he works. The boy gets into bad company, and one night the safe is robbed. Daddy Mac, who finds a handkerchief belonging to his son, believes that he has done it, but takes the blame to shield him. However, later on Archie arrives with the stolen money, and a lot more, which he had collected from toughs whom he had heard planning the robbery. As the old stage-door keeper, Charles Paton is well in character and gives a good performance, despite the paucity of his material. "Turns" are introduced through his agency. As he wanders through the music hall at night, he conjures up visions of Marie Lloyd and Chirgwin, who sing old favourites. As an actor of the old school, Herbert Langley is excellent. Arthur Gomez as a theatre manager, and the rest of the cast, is adequate. "Turns" are given by Marie Lloyd, jun., Harold Heath. John Milton. Freddy Summers, and the "Eight Dancing Sisters." 27