Northern Pursuit(Warner Bros.) (1943)

RAOUL WALSH FEATURE ® oo enn ee (An AAAS TR. Gk ae Helmut Dantine’s Nazi Roles on Screen Put Him Among Top War Bond Salesmen Helmut Dantine has been kept so busy at Warner Bros. that he has had no opportunity to stump the country in the war bond drives, but the actor ranks as one of the top bond salesmen in the cinema community if his fan mail is any criterion. On the set of "Northern Pursuit," now at the Strand Theatre, Dantine produced dozens of letters from one week's fan mail reporting purchases of war savings stamps and bonds ranging from 25 cents to $500 by patriotic Americans who had been inspired by the actor's performance in "Edge of Darkness." Dantine portrayed a brutal Nazi commander of the gar rison of a Norwegian town in "Edge of Darkness" correspondents reported that he and his had made them realize the character of the enemy so clearly that they felt the urge to support the war effort in the only way available to them. Virility, Fortitude, Action Raoul Walsh's Film Formula Masculine virility, abdominal fortitude and a flow and sweep of action! That is Raoul Walsh’s formula for what a good picture should be. Only he expresses it quicker. He doesn’t waste syllables when a four-letter word would do. He is not a profane man. Just vigorous. Walsh, whose latest picture for Warner Bros. is “Northern Pursuit,” opening Friday at the Strand Theatre, has been in the movie business since 1912, and even in his earliest pictures action has been the keynote. In a Walsh picture things keep happening — logical things in logical sequence. Walsh’s earliest screen training came with the Biograph Company in the days when Mary Pickford was the Biograph Girl, known to the public by no other name. His first important role was for D. W. Griffith, where he played the role of John Wilkes Booth in “The Birth of a Nation.” All-Around Man During his earliest days in Hollywood Walsh was an actordirector, serving as property boy, scenic artist and everything else on the side. He recalls: “In those days we had to do everything, even write the scripts. And we never had doubles for our fight scenes, and we had a fight scene in every picture. Either that or a chase. I’ve had both arms broken, one of them twice, my nose smashed three times, and a lot of other injuries.” An injury, tragic and acci dental, stopped Walsh from appearing on the screen and turned him to full-time directing. It was during the filming of “In Old Arizona,” first of the talking pictures to be made out of doors, and Walsh was both directing and playing a part. A rabbit jumped through the windshield of a car Walsh was driving across the desert one night. A splinter of glass destroyed the sight of his right eye. His black patch, held in place by a black band around his head, has become something of a trademark. No Handicap Walsh ignores his handicap entirely. In fact it is no handicap at all, except that he never, since that desert night, has so much as touched the wheel of a car. Walsh was born in New York City on March 11, 1892. He finished his schooling at Seton Hall and for two years after finishing college he toured Europe. Upon his return to the United States in 1910 he went on the stage through arrangements made by the late Paul Armstrong, his friend. Biograph films came two years later. “Northern Pursuit,” starring Errol Flynn, is his latest achievement for Warner Bros. He has been teamed with Flynn in other pictures, among them “They Died With Their Boots On,” “Desperate Journey” and “Gentleman Jim.” Walsh also handled such productions as “High Sierra” and “Strawberry Blonde.” Still TM 323; Mat 206—30c Errol Flynn and Helmut Dantine are hunter and hunted in Warner Bros.’ epic of adventure in the frozen snow-lands of Canada, picture is now at the Strand Theatre. "Northern Pursuit." The A rousing adventure story of the Royal Canadi next attraction, opening there on Friday. Errol Flynn is starred in the Warner Bros. production with Julie Bishop cast in the leading feminine role. PREPARED REVIEW (Prepared Review) Mat 301—45c an Mounted Police, “Northern Pursuit," will be the Strand Theatre's ‘Northern Pursuit, Errol Flynn Film, Vivid Epic of Adventure, Action “NORTHERN PURSUIT”; direct ed by Raoul Walsh; produced by Jack Chertok; screen play by Frank Gruber and Alvah Bessie from a story by Leslie T. White; music by Adolph Deutsch; a Warner Bros.-First National Pic ture presented at_ the Strand Theatre with the following cast: Steve Waegner.....Errol Flynn Laura McBain...... Julie Bishop Hugo von Keller Helmut Dantine Jim Austen........John Ridgely Ernst Inspector Barnett....Tom Tully BD BOP sce ote Seile, osi0) ots Bernard Nedell Sergeant ......-.Warren Douglas PEAT “steers comes s Monte Blue Angus McBain....... Alee Craig PLO DD aiioie, oisie hee cto says Tom Fadden GCC oe aioe bel cade cokaslece Rose Higgins Heinzmann ...... Richard . Alden German Aviator..... John Royce Indian Guide....... Joe Herrera A fiery-brilliant performance by Errol Flynn, against the icy-brilliant background of the snowy expanses of Canada’s Hudson Bay country, dominates the vivid epic of adventure, “Northern Pursuit,” the new Warner Bros. picture which opened at the Strand Theatre yesterday. In an exciting narrative which cleverly alternates guile with explosive outbursts of physical action, his portrayal is a sensitively accurate blending of his impetuosity in “They Died With Their Boots On” and his restraint in “Edge of Darkness.” Julie Bishop, Helmut Dantine, John Ridgely and Gene Lockhart head a supporting cast which is in every instance equal to the story’s dramatic vigor and intensity. Captured by Mounties To the party of uniformed Nazis, landed on the coast of Hudson Bay on a _ sabotage mission, the setting is a hostile force which almost annihilates them at the very outset. Only the leader, Colonel von Keller (Helmut Dantine) survives an avalanche of snow and falls into the hands of Royal Canadian Mountie Steve Wagner (Errol Flynn) and Jim Austen (John Ridgely). Speaking German to the Nazi and revealing his own German descent, Steve hopes to learn more of the captive’s mission and his Canadian contacts. But the less subtle Inspector Barnett claps Keller into a concentration camp, which doesn’t hold him very long. An elaborate plan to regain contact with Keller meets a cunning counterstroke by the Nazi, who needs Steve in order to effect the release of four war prisoners to further his plans. The play and counterplay between Steve and Keller continues with the terrain again an ally of Steve, until the trail comes to its end: an abandoned mine in which lies a disassembled bomber with which the Nazi hope to bomb the Welland Canal. In a climactic struggle the plan is finally frustrated. Julie Bishop Forceful As Flynn’s sweetheart Laura, Julie Bishop is as forceful and resourceful as she is pretty, taking a key part in the strenuous action. Helmut Dantine as von Keller continues to avenge his real-life imprisonment in a concentration camp by a fulllength portrayal of a Nazi that audiences will love to hate. The sincerity and integrity which made John Ridgely such a likeable character in “Air Force” again marks him as a comer and the seasoned Gene Lockhart, giving spirit and substance to an important character role, is certainly a “stayer.” In which connection it might be interesting to note that Monte Blue’s handling of his part keeps him definitely on the “comeback” trail. Raoul Walsh is a director with a decided knack for action. Here in the frozen North he keeps things warm and humming, with no danger that either actors or audience will suffer from frost-bite. He has often been assigned to Flynn’s pictures and again their collaboration has produced a gratifying result. “Northern Pursuit,’ produced by Jack Chertok, was written by Frank Gruber and Alvah Bessie from Leslie T. White’s story. Prominent among the supporting players are Tom Tully, Bernard Nedell, Alec Craig, Tom Fadden and Warren Douglas, a rapidly rising newcomer. Still TM 4; Mat 202—30c Helmut Dantine, John Ridgely and Errol Flynn are shown in a scene from "Northern Pursuit," Warner Bros.’ adventure story which starts its engage ment Friday at the Strand Theatre. 11