Picturegoer (Jul-Dec 1936)

PICTUREGOER Weekly September 19. 1936 REVIEWS-Continued It is not the plot that matters so much as the clever detail work and character drawing. Margaret Sullavan makes the screen star a very human and wildly wayward creature, while Henry Fonda is equally hvely and subtle as her novelist lover. This pair make a fine team, and get the utmost out of every line and situation. Clever supporting studies are given by Charles Butterworth as Horace, a meek and mild gentleman whom the film star's equally temperamental grandmother wants her grand-daughter to marry, Beulah Bondi as the star's companion, and Henrietta Crosman as grandmother herself. •♦A MESSAGE TO GARCIA Fox. American. "A" certificaU. Adventure melodrama. Runs 80 minutes. Wallace Beery Sergeant Dory Barbara Stanwyck Senorita RaphaeliU Maderos John Boles Lieutenant Rowan Alan Hale Dr. Krug Herbert Mundin Henry Piper MoNA Barrie Spanish Spy Enrique Acosta General Garcia Juan Torena Luis Maderos Martin Garralaga Rodroguez Blanca Vischer Chiquita Jose Luis Tortosa Pasquale Castova Lucio ViLLEGAS Commandant Frederick Vooeoing German Stoker Pat Moriarity Irish Stoker OcTAVio GiRAUD Spanish Commandant Directed by George Marshall. Based on an essay by Elbert Hubbard. Previewed August 1, 1936. Full-blooded action and thrills are the order of the day in this very well acted and presented melodrama. At a crucial period in the SpanishAmerican War, Lieut. Rowan volunteers to carry a message to General Garcia, leader of the Cuban forces. On landing in Cuba he is trailed by Krug, a Spanish agent, and only escapes by the skin of his teeth with the help of Dory, a rascally renegade formerly with the American Army. Later they link up with Raphaehta, a Cuban girl, who had seen her father murdered and demands revenge, but the trio get separated, Raphaelita is wounded, and Dory unwittingly leads Rowan to the enemy's camp. Misfortune does not, however, destroy Dory's resource, and at the cost of his own Ufe he sees that Rowan delivers his message. Following this. Rowan is rejoined by Raphaelita. The treatment is rather scrappy but generally George Marshall manages to conceal the essential artificiahties of the plot by good detail work and character touches. The camera work and settings cire worthy of note and give a sense of realism to the hardships endured by the Lieutenant in his efforts to reach the Cuban leader. Wallace Beery's performance as Dory is the best he has given for some time. He makes the character live, and one can even believe in his final sacrifice when he saves Rowan from being shot. As Rowan, John Boles is sound without being remarkable, but Barbara Stanwyck contributes a striking study as Raphaelita, and brings sincerity to the slight love interest which is not allowed to intrude on the main theme of the story. Alan Hale as a Mexican spy who tries to prevent Rowan from achieving his mission i.s also extremely good, while Herbert Mundin supplies 30 Ught relief as a Cockney trader. His part, however, is too much in the vein of musical comedy to be really effective. ♦FALSE PRETENCES Twickenham F.D. American. "U" certificate. Comedy-drama. Runs 68 minutes. Irene Ware Mary Beekman Sidney Blackmer Kenneth AJden Russell Hopton Pat Brennan Betty Compson Clarissa Stanhope Edward Gargan Mike O'Reilly Ernest Wood Tiffany Cortland Herbert Clifton Bleven Lucy Beaumont Miss Milgrim ALiRSHALL Ruth Gardener John Picorri Soutar Dot Farley Mrs. Smythe William Humphries Newman Wilson Benge Stephens John Boles and Barbara Stanwyck in " A Message to Garcia." Jane Keckley Landlady Florence Dudley Waitress Al Thompson Restaurant Manager Jack Shutta Waiter Frank O'Connor Policeman Directed by Charles Lamont. Poor and unimaginative treatment fails to do justice to a plot which certainly has quite a good idea behind it. It is not helped either by the rather raucous voices of some of the players or by its excessive verbosity. The plot concerns Mary Beekman, an ambitious waitress who meets Kenneth Alden, a society man down on his luck, and sees in him an entry to society. In return for launching her, she promises Kenneth a percentage of all she may gain by a wealthy marriage, and a fashionable hotel is then made the centre of their operations. Clarissa Stanhope, a former flame of Kenneth's, sees through their scheme, however, and in attempting to wreck it Clarissa not only wins Kenneth for herself, but helps Mary to a rich husband in Pat Brennan, an ex-bootlegger. The best performance comes from Irene Ware as Mary. Her acting is good and she gets full character value for her part. Sidney Blackmer too, is good as Kenneth, but the rest of the cast is definitely weak and too inclined to nasality for the peace of mind of their hearers. •SILLY BILLIES Radio. American. "(J" certificate. Gold Ruth burlesque. Rum 62 minutes. Bert Wheeler Roy Banks Robert Woolsby "Doc" Pe'nnington Dorothy Lee Mary Blake Harry Woods Hank Bewley Ethan Laidlaw Trigger Chief Thundbrbird Chief Cyclone Dblhar Watson Morton Richard Alexander John Little Directed by Fred Guiot. Wheeler and Woolsey act up to formula in this broad burlesque of the early Cahfomian gold rush days^ and while they are incUned to over-prolong their gags, they will, no doubt, please their numerous admirers. The story deals with Doc. Pennington, a traveUing dentist, and Roy Banks, his assistant, who p£irk at Littletown, a hamlet in the wild and woolly West, bent upon starting a practice. A sUck estate agent gets them drunk, and then lets them a shop, but when they recover they •find the town deserted, the inhabitants having joined a gold rush. Roy's interest in Mary Blake, a charming pioneer, compels them to foUow, and after being mistaken for crooks in league with hostile Indians, they save the wagon train from being wiped out. At this juncture gold is discovered in Littletown, and the hasty return of the former inhabitants brings with it prosperity for Doc. and romance for Roy. It is not rectUy until the action goes "West" that the fun becomes fully established, but once there it makes the most of the situation and mingles thrills and laughter. Dorothy Lee is attractive in the smaU role of Mary and sound support is afforded by Harry Woods, Chief Thunderbird and Delma Watson. The production is staged on a spacious scale and a good atmosphere is achieved. ♦ROYAL EAGLE Columbia. British. "A " certificate. Crime drama. Runs 69 minutes. John Garrick John Hornby Nancy Burne Sally Marshall Edmund Willard Bumock Lawrence Anderson Vale Hugh E. Wright Albert Marshall Betty Shale Mrs. Marshall Muriel Aked Mrs. Minn Fred Groves Sam Widdock Felix Aylmer Windridge Dorothy Lee, who appears with Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey in " Silly Billies." Ian Fleming Andrews Clare Greet Mrs. Bindle Directed by Arnold Ridley and George Cooper, from a story by Arnold Ridley. The Royal Eagle, the well-known Thames pleasure steamer forms the novel background for this crime drama which in spite of its ingenuousness, succeeds in being fairly entertaining. It deals with John Hornby, a dispatch clerk to a riverside warehouse who finds himself suspected of being in league with Barnock and Vale, two crooks wanted for robbery and murder. His fiancee Sally, a dance-hall hostess, and her mother and father take him on a pleasure trip to Margate and who should be on the boat but Barnock and Vale ! Sally recognises the crooks and, following a series of hectic events, John overcomes Barnock in single combat, saves Sally's life and proves his innocence. It is all very artless but not devoid of human and humorous touches. John Garrick is sound as John and Nancy Bume quite effective as Sally. Edmund Willard, and Lawrence Anderson admirably fiU the roles of the crooks, while two clever httle supporting studies are given by Hugh E. Wright and Muriel Aked. ♦FRANKIE AND JOHNNIE British Lion. American. "A" certificate. Costume melodrama. Runs 67 minutes. Helen Morgan Frankie Chester Morris Johnnie Florence Reed Lon Walter Kincsford Timothy William Harrican Curley John Larkin Andy Cora Witherspoon "Lumpy Directed by Chester Erskin. A somewhat vague story with some hectic situations helped out by tuneful songs, a full measure of sentimentality and some good acting. Chester Morris is true to type in the lead as Johnnie Drew, a gambler whose simple looks are belied by his shrewd brain. He cleans out a gang of card sharpers on a show boat bound for St. Louis and on his arrival there is saved from their attention by Frankie, a singer. Frankie falls for Johnnie although she is engaged to a sincere if surly suitor by the name of Curly, and they marry. Johnnie soon gets tired of married life and decides to run away with NeUie, a gold-digger. Frankie determines to take action but is frustrated by a friend who puts an end to Johnnie's career with a buUet. The general effect of the picture is artificial and theatrical and technically it is no more than satisfactory. There is, however, a certain picturesqueness about the period atmosphere and a rough artlessness which will appeal to the unsophisticated. •MADCAP Pathi. American. "A " certificate. Gangster comedy-drama. Runs 57 minutes. Rod La RocguE Dick Maxine Doyle June Bryant Washburn Graham Barbara Pepper Hazel Donald Kerr Jimmy Zella Russell Mrs. Bolton Reed Howes Chuck Vincent Dennis Red Directed by Bob HiU. Some old timers such as Rod La Rocque and Bryant Washburn put in sound performances in this naive and very famUiair gangster story. The former is cast as Dick, a young lawyer who is engaged to curb the recklessness of June, a wild society girl. He manages it with a fair amount of dignity and conviction. The latter plays the role of Graham, a racketeer who "bumps off" one of June's friends and is finally brought to justice by her and the dead man's girl. Hazel. The experience makes her mend her ways and take Dick on as a permanent guardian. -Maxine Doyle gives a spirited performance as June and Barbara Pepper is fair as Hazel. Light relief is provided by Donald Kerr as an enthusiastic reporter.