Picturegoer (Jul-Dec 1936)

August 15. 1936 Phillips Holmes is as well in character as the artistically inclined Philip, and Edward Ellis gives a sound study as Uriah. ♦•DANCING FEET British Lion. American. "A" ceriificcUe. Musical comedy-drama. Runs 73 minutes. Ben Lyon Peyton Joan Marsh Judv James Bl'eke PhU PuK.NF'.L Pratt Silas ViNCE Harnett WiUoughby Nick Condos Speciality Dancer Herbert Rawlinson Groves Lillian Harmer Aggie Herbert Corthell Jenkins JiMHY Bi'RTis Stupe Eddie Nugent Jimmy Isabel Jewell Mabel Harry Bradley Assistant Manager Cy. Kendall Hotel Detective Lynton Brent Hotel Clerk Wilson Bence Silas' Butler Fern Ehhett Silas' Secretary jLadvs Gai^ Mrs. Blane Srace Hale Mrs. Worthington J. C. Edwards and Orchestra. Directed bv Joseph Santley, from a novel by Rob Eden. Good team work, bright presentation, and tuneful numbers help :o put over this rather inconsequenial comedy-drama. The picture Jso has the advantage of being well >alanced in story values. Joan Marsh acts with feeling and las intelligence as Judy, the grandiaughter of a peppery, old millionaire, .'ho cultivates the friendship of 'e5rton Wells, an irrespwosible youth. .\s Wells, Ben Lyon is good, and Cddie Nugent is engaging and ffective as Jimmy, a youli who •ants to get on the air as a dance istructor and who teams up with udy, and ultimately wins her love. Isabel Jewell and Pumell Pratt oth give good supporting studies. The whole thing is well staged and ;presents good light entertainment f a popular order. •PROFESSIONAL SOLDIER X. American. "A" certificate. Ruritanian romance. Runs 77 minutes. CTOR McLaglen Michael Donovan EDDIE Bartholomew Peter (the little King) ORIA Stuart Countess Sonia nstance Collier Augusta CHAEL Whalden GeoTge Foster Henry Gordon Gino dro De Cordoba Stefan Bemaldo MSDEN Hare Valdis 4LTER KiNCSFORD Ledgard STER Matthews Prince Edirc Kit Dunbar Entertainer LLO Lloyd Member of the Cabinet URiCE Cass M. Le Noir NERAL Savitsky Mischa ■ecteJ by Tay Garnett, from a story bv Damon Rwiyon. Previewed May 30, 1936. I^xcept for a very good performance ' by Freddie Bartholomew as a :ung king who is abducted by his omies, but restored to the throne 1 the help of an adventurer, there i very little in this picture. ;t is all highly incredible, but it is psible to get entertainment out of i very artlessness if you do not t:e it too seriously. k'ictor McLaglen only has to put 0 ;r some rough-stuff without much aempt at characterisation as the a venturer, and the production g erally adds little either to his or I"tholomew's reputation. Production qualities are good and t technical work is first rate. •NIGHT CARGO ^'lour. .imerican. "A" certificate. Triangle melodrama. Runs 64 minutes. V"" Hi ghes Bruce Donaldson J SUELiNE Wells „ Claire Martineau {alias Marty) C Miller Shark Moran J x>rTA Monti Tiana c '.l *?"">C'' Spider Blake ^^"""^ Gus Noble Captain (boat) Dwected by CharUs Hutchinson. here is more punch than plaus ibility in this melodrama, set " ^. tropics. It starts quite weU, D' It gradually becomes very naive in its effort to achieve a happy ending. Shark Moran, a planter, falls for Claire Martineau, a dancer in a caf^ financed with his money, but is rejected because of her love for another who is removed from the scene by his upstage parents. Later, Shark saves Bruce Donaldson, a despondent youth, from suicide, gives him a job on his plantation, and eventually makes him a partner. When he next calls at the cafe, intent upon forcing his crooked partners to repay the loan. Shark discovers that Bruce is his rival for Claire. He cannot control his rage, and is killed and robbed in circumstances that incriminate Claire. The truth, however, comes out when she visits the plantation, and following this she and Bruce are reconciled. Jacqueline Wells is attractive as Claire, cind both Lloyd Hughes as Bruce and Walter Miller as Shark make the most of their material. James Aubrey supplies the comedy relief. •RHYTHM OF THE RIVER First National. American. "U" certificate. Collegiate comedy. Runs 68 minutes. Frank McHugh Coach Hammond Patricia Ellis Joan Simpkins Warren Hull Bob Wilson Joe Cawthorne Wilson, sen. Phillips Holmes and Anne Shirley in "Chatterbox" George E. Stone E. Prendergast Biddle Mary Treen Squirmy Henry O'Neiu. Pres. Simpkins Alma Lloyd Sandra .\nita Kerry Princess Oggi Johnny .Arthur Fields Walter Johnson Tony Foster Joseph Sawyfr Coach Kendall Florence Fair Mrs. Norton Spec O'Donnell Eddie Directed by William McGann. Irresponsible plot in which college athletics are eulogised, and a boat race, in which very unorthodox methods are used by the rival crews to ensure victory is a highlight. Actually the main support of the picture is Frank McHugh, who is cast as a rowing coach. He gets innumerable laughs for his fooling. Patricia Ellis is quite good as the daughter of a college president — she captures the affections of two oarsmen from another college and gets them to row in her father's boat, and caps it by acquiring a cox who is musically inclined. Tony and Bob, the oarsmen, quarrel over her, but Bob relents and takes his place in the boat. The rival coach, knowing the other crew had been trained to row to musical rhythm, engages an opf)osition orchestra, but in spite of this the college wins the race. •THE OLD HOMESTEAD A.B.F.D. .American. "V" certificate. Musical comedy drama. Runs 70 minutesr Mary Carlisle Nancy Lawrence Gray Bob Dorothy Lee Elsie Wilson William Robertson Uncle Jed Eddie Nugent Rudy Nash Lillian Miles Peggy Fuzzy Knight ...Lem Eddie Kane Mr. Wertheimer Harry CoNLEY Press Agent Directed by William Nigh. Leisurely plot, which introduces some "rustic" vocalists who sing over the radio. They are cast as farm hands who come to New York and score a success. Most of the humour is derived from their behaviour in, and reaction to, the city. Love interest is provided by the farmer's neice and a crooner, while the farmer himself falls for a gold-digger. William Robertson is likeable in his role as the farmer, and Mary Carlisle is also good as his neice. Lawrence Gray, as the crooner, acts better than he sings. The whole thing is of an ingenuous character, but tiie songs are put over with originality and plenty of variety. •PICTORIAL REVIEW Pttthi. British. "A" certificate. Variety show. Runs 40 minutes. RoBB Wilton, Ronald Frankau, Fric Woodburn, Charles Coborn, O'Gorman Bros., Geraldo and his Orchestra, Collinson and Dean, Rupert Hazell and Elsie Day, Sereno and June, The DiAMONDOS, JaCONELLI. Compired by Rnnald Frankau. Directed by Fred Waits. There is little originality in the presentation of "turns" which have appeared from time to time in the Pathe Pictorials, but Frankau makes a good master of ceremonies and the items are well compiled. Camera work is not too good at times. The artistes in order of merit are : Robb Wilton, who appears in a bright comedy sketch; Geraldo and his orchestra ; Eric Woodburn, dramatic vocalist; O'Gorman Brothers, cross-talk, knockabout comedians; Sereno and June, acrobatic dancers; Collinson and Dean; and Charles Cobom, the G.O.M. of the music-halls. RIO RATTLER General F.D. American. "U" certificate. Western drama. Runs 53 minutes. Tom Tyler Tom Deuton Marion Shilling Helen Adams Tom London Bob Adams Chas. Whitaker Rattler Frank Ellis Tonto Eddie Gribbon Soapy William Gould Frank Mason Lafe McKee Pop Ace Cain Sam Directed by Franklyn Shamray. Tom Tyler's horsemanship is the main asset in this very conventional and rather colourless Western. It will pass muster with juveniles. The story deals with Tom Denton, a roaming Westerner, who assumes the identity of a murdered ranger in order to round up a gang of cutthroats and avenge the man's death. Complications arise when Helen, the deceased man's sister, appiears on the scene, but she soon becomes Denton's ally, and between them they finally put paid to the crooks. FROM NINE TO NINE Universal. Canadian. "A" certificate. Crime melodrama. Runs 73 minutes. Ruth Roland Cornelia Du Play Roland Drew Inspector Vernon Kenneth Duncan John Somerset Miriam Battista Toinette Doris Covert Yvonne Balsac Eugene Si6aloff Schubin Arthitr Stenning Williams Julian Gray Balsac George A. Temple Ivanov Frederic Dodds Slade Directed by Edgar George Ulmer. PICTUREGOER Weekly Ruth Roland, the ertswhile star of silent serials, appears at pathetic disadvantage in this crude and totally unappealing picture. It is weak In all departments and cannot be recommended. •• •DIRIGIBLE (ReIssue) Columbia. American. "A" certificate. Runs 99 mit.uies: Jack Holt Bradon R.\lph Graves Frisky Pierce Fay Wray Helen Hobart Bosworth RondeUe RoscoE Karns Sock McC^^re Harold Goodwin Hansen Clarence Muse Clarence Emmet Corrigan Admiral Martin .^L RoscOE Cmdr. of U.S.S. Lexington Selmer Jackson Lieut. Rowland Directed by Frank Capra. Reviewed January 16, 1932. Once you have got over the American flag-waving which postulates — shades of Scott, and Shackleton — the discovery of the South Pole by an American airship and aeroplane, you cannot help but be thoroughly thrilled by the brilliance and adventurous spirit of this excellently produced picture. Everyone has been asking for action. Well, here it is in abundance. There are exceptionally fine sequences of the airship s battle against the elements and an equally thrilling aeroplane crash at the Pole, followed by th? survivor's desperate attempts to reach their base. But it is not only the action that makes the picture so enthralling; the characterisation is also perfect. Jack Holt and Ralph Graves, always, a very effective team, excel themselves as the commanders of an airship and an aeroplane respectively. "The plot depicts the way in which their close friendship is broken by their rivalry both in aeronautics and in love. The most artificial part of the picture is this love interest, introduced by Fay Wray, who, while acting extremely well, is unable to make the way she behaves to her husband at all convincing. One instance of this is when she writes a letter which is only to be opened when her husband (Ralph Graves) reaches the South Pole in his aeroplane. In it she announces her intention of divorcing him and marrying his rival (Jack Holt). The long arm of screen coincidence comes to the rescue at this point and afflicts him with snow-blindness, so that at the last reel he can be reconciled to his wife without knowing of her intentions. But, apart from these artificialities it is a picture which will hold your interest from first to last. •NOW AND FOREVER (ReIssue) Paramount. American. "A" certificate. Reformation drama. Runs 81 minutes. Gary Cooper Jerry Day Carole Lombard Toni Day Shirley Temple Penelope Day Sir Guy Standing Felix Evans Charlotte Grancille Mrs. Crane Gilbert Emery James Higginson Henry Kolker Mr. Clark Tetsu Komai Mr. Ling Directed by Henry Hathaway, from a story by Jack Kirkland and Melville Baker. Reviewed March 1935. Previewed October 20, 1934. Novu at:d Forever is mainly for the Shirley Temple fans. If you are still ander the spell of the little star you will enjoy it immensely. Otherwise, there is very little in it, apart from a delightful performance by Sir Guy Standing as a jewel thief with ingratiating manners. Gary Cooper, as Jerry, and Carole Lombard, as Toni, are for the most part "stooges" for Shirley. 27