Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1939)

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Page 14 SHOWMEN'S TRAD.E REVIEW October 7, 1939 Mr. Smit-h Goes to Washington (Hollywood Preview) Col. COMEDY-DRAMA 130 mins. {Xafl Release, Oct. 13) Credits: Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Claude Rains, Etlward Arnold, Guy Kibbee, Thomas Mitchell, Eugene Pallette, Beulah Bondi, H. B. Warner, Harry Carey, Astrid Alhvyn, Ruth Donnelly, Grant Mitchell, Porter Hall, Baby Dumpling and H. V. Kaltenborn. Screenplay by Sidney Buchman. Story by Lewis R. Foster. Produced and directed by Frank Capra. Plot: Stewart is Jeff Smith, head of the Boy Rangers, sent to Washington as Senator. The plot is to keep him out of the way while a dam site is being voted upon. Jean Arthur is assigned as his secretary. When he discovers the plot, he is humiliated but the machine frames him. So he goes to the Senate and stages a filibuster wdiich is at last beaten. Then he turns to Rains, one of the party bosses and appeals to him. The latter is conscience stricken, confesses his crime and resigns from public life. Comment: Terrific and sure to be a smash hit is this latest Frank Capra production. It gives an interesting picture of the United States Senate in action and is so fascinating, it holds one spellbound. It voices the belief of all Americans in the principles and ideals of our Constitution and is particularly timeljf at this critical period in world affairs. The entire production is a credit to Frank Capra's genius and it should run up box office grosses greater than any of his previous successes. James Stewart is a natural as the honest, young Senator and gives the finest performance of his career. Jean Arthur is marvelous and Claude Rains, Edward Arnold and Thomas Mitchell are outstanding in the excellent supporting cast. Arrange advance showing for patriotic groups, getting the cooperation of local newspapers. Boys' organizations such as the Scouts, etc., should be willing to contribute their services for a tj^pical Hollywood premiere at your theatre. (FAMILY) Catchline: "Fighting for the ideals upon which this country was founded." AUDIENCE SLANT: WILL HOLD THEM SPELLBOUND. IT'S FASCINATING AND PARTICULARLY TIMELY. BOX OFFICE SLANT: SHOULD OUTGROSS CAPRA'S PREVIOUS SUCCESSES. Holl'/wood Cavalcade 20th-Fox (Tech) DRAMA 98 mins. (Prod. Xo. 7— Nat'l Release, Oct. 13) Credits: Alice Faye, Don Ameche, J. Edward Bromberg, Alan Curtis, Stuart Erwin, Jed Prouty, Buster Keaton, Donald Meek, George Givot and many others. Story by Hilary Lynn and Brown Holmes. Based upon an original idea by Lou Breslow. Screenplay by Ernest Pascal. Directed by Irving Cummings. Associate Producer, Harry Joe Brown. Plot: Ameche, back in 1913 induces Alice Faye to come to California to go into the movies. She becomes a custard pie star and then a bathing beauty. Ameche is so wrapped up in his work, however, that he LEGION OF DECENCY RATINGS: (For Week Ending Oct. 7) SUITABLE FOR GENERAL PATRONAGE Hollywood Cavalcade U-Boat 29 SUITABLE FOR ADULTS ONLY Intermezzo, a Love Story Ninotchka Mutiny in the Big House Three Sons fails to realize that Alice loves him. So she marries Curtis, her leading man. The couple sails for Europe and Bromberg, Ameche's attorney, tries to get him to go on. But he becomes a failure because he won't take Alice and Curtis back. Years later, Alice asks Bromberg, now her producer, to give Ameche another chance. His comeback starts successfully but Curtis is killed and Alice is badlj' hurt in an automobile accident. Ameche sees Al Jolson in "The Jazz Singer" while waiting for Alice to recover and determines to finish the picture with talking sequences which he does. Tlie picture is successful and lie and Alice are happy at last. Comment: Here at last is Hollywood's own history done in real style. It is an especialljr fitting tribute on motion pictures' 50th anniversary. It starts with the first studio in California and ends up with the advent of talking pictures but the mere fact that the picture is in Technicolor adds a penultimate note to the history. The Technicolor is cleverly emphasized by the introduction of black' and white sequences showing the pictures taken in the old days of custard pies and Keystone cops. It is hard to single out any performances as particularly outstanding but one cannot help but be impressed by the sincerity of Don Ameche's performance. The custard pie and Keystone. Cops scenes are a riot. Maybe when they were originally made you thought they were funny and later you thought they were silly. Nevertheless, anyone seeing them now will think that they are a howl. This is one picture which might be called an exhibitor's picture. To hear the names of the various producers and bigwigs like Zuk'or and Schneck bandied about and to hear a producer refer to himself as a Schlemiehl will get plenty of laughs from the theatreman himself — and from the audience too. Sell it as a history of Hollywood. Plug the old custard pie and Keystone Cops sequences. Mention in all advertising that scenes from "The Jazz Singer" are re-enacted. Dig up files of newspapers from the old days when these things were new and reprint them. There are lots of good tieups on the picture, too. (FAMILY) Catchline: "The movies and how they grew." AUDIENCE SLANT: THEY SHOULD LAUGH AND CRY ALTERNATELY AS THE PICTURE PROGRESSES AND THOROUGHLY ENJOY THEMSELVES. BOX OFFICE SLANT: ONE OF THE TOP MONEY-MAKERS OF THE YEAR. Heaven With a Barbed Wire Fence (Hollywood Preview) 20th-Fox COMEDY-DRAMA 62 mins. (Prod. No. 19— Nat'l Release, Nov. 3) Credits: Jean Rogers, Raymond Walburn, Marjorie Rambeau, Glenn Ford, Nicholas Conte, Eddie Collins and others. Screenplay by Dalton Trumbo, Leonard Hoffman and Ben Grauman. Based on original story by Dalton Trumbo. Directed by Ricardo Cortez. Executive Producer, Sol M. Wurtzel. Plot: Glenn Ford kisses New York goodbye after saving up his money for seven years to buy a 20-acre ranch in Arizona. While hitch-hiking and stealing rides on freight trains against his will he picks up and travels with a couple of hoboes, Raymond Walburn and Nicholas Conte, and a pretty, young Spanish refugee girl, Jean Rogers. When they stop off in New Mexico, Conte is taken to the emergency hospital to have his leg amputated after he had been shot stealing food for the quartette. Walburn meets up with the owner of the town saloon, Marjorie Rambeau, an old sweetie of his 20 years back. The latter stakes the trio and when the sheriff tries to arrest Jean on immigration charges and Glenn for hiding and harboring the Spanish girl, Marjorie thwarts the sheriff by having the two young ones marry, all at her expense. The two kids go on to the dilapidated ranch promise to work hard to make it presentable and end in each others arms. Comment: Due to good acting and the fine direction of Ricardo Cortez, this film partly overcomes a weak screenplay and lack of marquee names and should make a fair second feature on a double bill. Glamour oozes from the pretty Jean Rogers in an unglamorous role through the deft handling of her part. The comedy of the film is well handled by Marjorie Rambeau and Raymond Walburn, also by Eddie Collins in a too brief bit. The two newcomers, Glenn Ford and Nicholas Conte, do well but will do better with more experience. The production is up to the standard set by Sol Wurtzel. Get stories about local refugees who have made good in your town. Get publicity about immigration service. (FAMILY) Catchline: "He wanted only a ranch, but he had a wife thrown in for good measure." AUDIENCE SLANT: GOOD ACTING AND DIRECTION PARTLY OVERCOMES WEAK STORY. BOX OFFICE SLANT: LACK OF MARQUEE NAMES LIMITS IT TO SECONDARY FEATURE FOR DUAL BILLS. Eternally Yours UA COMEDY 95 mins. (Nat'l Release, Oct. 13) Credits: Loretta Young, David Niven, Hugh Herbert, Billie Burke, C. Aubrey Smith, Virginia Field, Broderick Crawford, Raymond Walburn, Zasu Pitts and Eve Arden. Original screenplaj by Gene Towne and Graham Baker. Directed by Tay Garnett. Produced hy Walter Wanger. Plot: Loretta, engaged to Crawford, goes to a matinee performance of David Niven's magic act and marries him shortly afterward. He uses her on his tour all over For Additional Exploitation Ideas on These Pictures Consult the Encyclopedia of Exploitation