Showmen's Trade Review (1939)

Page 8 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW July 1, 1939 On Borrowed Time (Continued from page 6) fears Gramps is right and orders the old man to let "Mr. Brink" down for the sake of humanity, even if that means Gramp will be the first to go with "Mr. Brink." Later Pud climbs a fence, falls, and is so badly injured no hope that he'll ever walk again is held by doctors. In pain and suffering, Gramps carries Pud with him to the tree and allows Mr. Brink to come down — he and Pud going off together with "Mr. Brink." SUMMARY: An unusual story for the screen, dealing in a very delicate but most human manner with Death, but even more tellingly with life — the life of everyday people in an average town. There is tremendous emotional appeal in the tender love between the boy Pud and his aged Grandfather; and in the rich, lusty character of Gramps as written, directed, and particularly as brilliantly played by Lionel Barrymore. Bobs Watson as the boy is extraordinarily fine, and splendid performances are also given by Beulah Bondi, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Henry Travers, Eily Malyon and Una Merkel. You can recommend this picture highly to adult patronage. It is warm, heart-appealing drama with a rich vein of humor and comedy. Personal endorsement of it as an example of how fine and human a story can be turned out by Hollywood, with special emphasis on fact the stage play was a great Broadway success last season, is one way to call attention to the unusual character of the picture. Book store tieups on the novel, published in 1937 should result in good publicity. Go strong in exploiting Barrymore. OUTSTANDING: Sustained interest of story and characters. Catchline: "You'll love Gramps — who made such a wonderful discovery nobody'd believe him." (ADULT) Black Limelight Alii ance Films Mystery 63 mins. British Film With Pyscopathic Theme Should Be Acceptable to Mystery Lovers (National Release Date, Not Set) Cast: Raymond Massey, Joan Marion, Walter Hudd, Henry Oscar, Elliot Mason, Dan Tobin, Coral Browne, Leslie Brady, others. Screenplay by Dudley Leslie. Directed by Walter C. Mycroft. Plot: Massey, a prominent and respected man, leaves his home on a business trip, but does not return. A girl, Coral Browne, is murdered in her bungalow. Detectives establish the fact that Massey was at the scene of the crime, and conclude he is a psychopathic case. However, his wife, Joan Marion, has implicit faith in him, and seeks the_ aid of a family lawyer, Hudd. She notices he slips in through an unguarded exit and that he wears spectacles by day, doffs them at night. Certain Hudd must be the murderer, she has Massey arrested, then invites Hudd to visit her again so she can confront him with her belief of his guilt. Hudd eventually confesses and is attempting to kill her when the police break in and arrest him. SUMMARY: What with Raymond Massey creating legitimate theatre history by his role of the title character in "Abe Lincoln in Illinois," the release of this English-made picture starring the capable actor at this time is especially timely. It's a murder mystery gone psychopathic in its subject matter. Interest is maintained fairly well throughout the film, but there are dull stretches in the first few reels that slow up what might otherwise be an outstanding mystery. Not until the final reels does suspense begin to mount to keep the audience intrigued until the guilty person is brought to justice. Considered on the whole, however, "Black Limelight" should please lovers of mysteries, and it should serve appropriately on a double bill. Because of Massey's success in the Robert E. Sherwood play on Broadway, his name in the billing should account for extra patronage. The action centers around him, although he is in the story only about half of the time. Yet this is long enough for him to prove his dramatic ability. Joan Marion is outstanding as the faithful wife, and Walter Hudd, once one suspects him, seems to have been a sinister character from the very start. Capitalize on the film's strange and fascinating theme. Seek from newspaper readers any unusual stories or legends they may have heard about people who kill in the full of the moon, and offer prizes for the weirdest entries. OUTSTANDING: Joan Marion. Catchline: "A fiend who murdered under the spell of the full moon." (ADULT) Note: This production will be States Righted. Mickey The Kid (Hollywood Preview) Rep. Melodrama 66 mins. Good Cast and Direction Unable to Help Make This Better Than Lower Half Dualer (National Release Date July 3) Cast: Bruce Cabot, Ralph Byrd, Zasu Pitts, Tommy Ryan, Jessie Ralph, June Storey, J. Farrell MacDonald and others. Screenplay by Doris Malloy and Gordon Kahn. Original Story by Alice Altschuler. Directed by Arthur Lubin. Associate Producer Herman Schlom. Plot: Bank robber Bruce Cabot only allows his motherless twelve year old son Tommy Ryan to go back to his grandmother, Jessie Ralph, after he finds the Police are getting too hot on his trail. Grandma's companion and housekeeper Zasu Pitts takes care of the boy and sees that he is made comfortable and sent to school. When police come to question Tommy about his father he waits until night and calls his father at a number given him in case of trouble. The phone is tapped by the FBI men and they close in on Cabot who risks all to see his boy. After stealing the school bus with a load of small children they are finally lost in a blinding snowstorm. Cabot goes back for help and is shot, but tells the law where the bus is lost. Tommy had kept the children alive by playing games and singing. For his bravery he is awarded a medal by his schoolmates much to the delight of Grandma and Zasu. SUMMARY: On a par with the usual run of low budgeted pictures, this will fill the lower half of a double satisfactorily through the efforts of a good cast, nicely directed. The story built around the actual happening of kids lost in a bus in a snowstorm is weak up to the climax, but the actors all do their share to give it some interest. Bruce Cabot and Tommy Ryan are good as the bad father and his son, while the light love interest is capably handled by Ralph Byrd and June Storey as the pretty school teacher. The balance of the cast is adequate. For lobby display use blow ups of the headlines of the snowbound bus story. Catchline: "A boy who loved his Father, but, Fair Play more." (FAMILY) She Married a Cop (Hollywood Preview) Rep. Musical-Romance 65 mins. Entertaining Music-Laugh Combination Marks Return of Phil Regan To Screen (National Release Date, Not Set) Cast: Phil Regan, Jean Parker, Jerome Cowan, Benny Baker, Barnett Parker, Horace MacMahon, Oscar O'Shea and others. Original screenplay by Olive Cooper. Songs by Ralph Freed and Burton Lane. Director, Sidney Salkow. Producer, Sol C. Siegel. Plot: Parker, cartoon producer, seeking a voice to sing lead role in "pig" comedy she is making, finds it in Regan, young cop. He thinks he is to be a star. During work site falls in love with him and they marry just before preview. Learning how he has been tricked, he leaves but she moves in with his tenement family. Series of romantic events following annual policemen's picnic leads to a reconciliation. SUMMARY: Regan fans who figure he has been away from the screen too long will be waiting for this one, and there is a sufficient combo of comedy and music to make it satisfactory for the rest of audiences in any houses where sophistication is the rule. Top comedy honors go to Leon Schlesinger's intriguing little pig cartoons, actor candidates are Oscar O'Shea as hero's explosive father and Parker highbrow butler with his feet on the earth. Regan has three songs, of which "I'll Remember" stands out easily over the others. Regan is the natural exploitation figure with this one, with "in person" appearance of any "singing cop" on your local force, or a policeman's quartet. If you have a down town art school, utilize a vacant window for students to work on sample animation of a comedy. OUTSTANDING: Regan and production values supplied by Sol Siegel. Catchline: "A singing cop and a comedy director collaborate on a romantic free for-a (FAMILY) Typhoon Treasure Ace Pictures Drama 68 mins. Tropical Adventure Drama May Get By On Dual Bill If Sensationally Exploited (National Release Date, July 1) Cast: Campbell Copelin, Gwen Munro, Joe Valli, Douglas Herald, Kenneth Brampton, Norman French, Utan. Screenplay by John P. McCleod. Written and directed by Noel Monkman. Plot: Copelin, a young pearler, who has lost his ship in a typhoon is befriended by natives and brought to a Madang Trading Station. There he is nursed back to health by Gwen Munro, whose uncle, Brampton, seeing a pearl owned by Copelin, conspires with Herald, owner of a trading ship, to find the spot where the ship sank and recover the pearls for themselves. They leave on their journey, Copelin and Scotty, an employe of the station, go through the jungles to head them off, and arrive at the scene just as Brampton and Herald are diving for the pearls. Copelin overpowers the men, and goes after the pearls himself. Brampton frees himself and cuts the cable leading from the ship to the diver. Gwen, along with government officials who had been seeking the two men as dope smugglers, arrive and take them into custody. All ends happily for Gwenn and Copelin. SUMMARY: Apparently produced in Australia, this adventure film will un For Additional Exploitation Ideas on These Pictures Consult Encyclopedia of Exploitation — See Back Cover