Showmen's Trade Review (Jul-Sep 1940)

Page 26 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW August 24, 1940 Rhythm On The River (Hollywood Preview) Paramount Comedy With Music 90 mins. (Prod. No. 4001, Nat'l Release, Sept. 6) Cast: Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, Basil Rathbone, Oscar Levant, Oscar Shaw, Charley Grapewin, Lillian Cornell, William Frawley, Jean Cagney, Helen Bertram, John Scott Trotter, Ken Carpenter, Charles Lane, Harry Barns, Wingy Manone and his band. Credits: Directed by Victor Schertzinger. Screenplay by Dwight Taylor. Based on a story by Billy Wilder and Jacques Thery. Director of photography, Ted tetzlaft Editor, Hugh Bennett. Musical direction, Victor Young. Art direction, Hans Dreier and Ernst i<egte. Produced by William Le Baron. Plot: Bing Crosby is the ghost writer of music for which Basil Rathbone takes the bows. Alary A'lartin writes the words. When these two meet at Crosby's uncle's place, where Rathbone had sent Mary for rest and quiet, they compare notes and find that between them they are the song writers that Rathbone pretends to be. They decide to try it on their own, and the hardest thingi. they have to buck in selling their songs, is that the publishers claim the songs sound too much like Rathbone's. Rathbone, who cannot get along without them, finally agrees to give them credit for all future numbers. Comment: This latest Bing Crosby opus is a tuneful comedy with all the ingredients necessary for popular entertainment and it looks like a sure winner at the boxoffice ; one of Crosby's best. The co-starring of Mary Martin in the type of role that best suits her talents and her particular style of song delivery makes a picture that is warmly human with a very agreeable twosome carrying off the top honors. Further enhancing the boxoffice value of the picture is the hand-picked supporting cast headed by Basil Rathbone, Oscar Levant and Charley Grapewin. Of great importance are the six excellent song numbers, all in the hit class, five written by Johnny Burke and James V. Monaco. Director Victor Schertzinger, who does such a splendid job of piloting, contributed the sixth. Credit should be given those responsible for the scripting, musical direction and the high quality production values. Arrange a special broadcast of recordings of the songs, tieing it up with your opening date. Windows and cooperative newspaper ads could be worked out with music stores. (FAMILY) Catchline: "When love walked in, the ghost writers walked out.". AUDIENCE SLANT: A TUNEFUL COMEDY WITH PLENTY OF POPULAR APPEAL. BOX OFFICE SLANT: ONE OF CROSBY'S BEST. HAS ALL THE INGREDIENTS NECESSARY FOR GOOD ENTERTAINMENT. 59 m"ns. Ladies Must Live (Hollywood Preview) Warner Bros. Comedy (Prod. No. 474, Nat'l Release, July 20) Cast: Wayne Morris, Rosemary Lane, Roscoe Karns, George Reeves, Ferris Taylor, Lottie Williams, DeWolf Hopper, Cliff Saum, Billy Dawson, Mildred Cover, Dana Dale, Mildred Coles, Leo White. Credits: Directed by Noel Smith. Associate producer, William Jacobs. Screenplay by Robert E Kent, from George M. Cohan's play. Director of photography, Ted McCord. Art director, Esdras Hartley. Film editor, Everett Dodd. Plot: Wayne Morris, wealthy youth who inherited a big brokerage house, prefers farming. He meets Rosemary Lane, night club singer, then sends for Roscoe Karns, his best friend, to be best man at their wedding. In the meanwhile he hires Rosemary's brother, George Reeves, as an expert, buys an invention of her father, Ferris Taylor, and spends Legion of Decency Ratings (For Week Ending August 24) SUITABLE FOR GENERAL PATRONAGE Earl of Puddlestone Orphans of the North Dreaming Out Loud Rangers of Fortune Wildcat Bus Law and Order Young People SUITABLE FOR ADULTS ONLY Foreign Correspondent Captain Caution Mummy's Hand OBJECTIONABLE IN PART Queen of Destiny Great McGinty He Stayed for Breakfast money lavishly entertaining them. Karns picks them for gold diggers, misunderstands Rosemary's friendship with De Wolf Hopper, a boyhood sweetheart, and breaks the engagement. Later he learns that Reeves is really "an expert, Taylor a wealthy mari. Hopper one of New York's richest young ' men and that Morris IS heart broken. By a ruse over a supposedly stolen necklace, Karns patches the romance up again. Comment: Made to fill the second half of double bills, this comedy will do no better than that anywhere. It rotates between moments of genuine laughs and action and equally dull^ periods when the writers were trying to think up some new misunderstandings to stretch a scant plot to feature length, and those dull spots predominate. Rosemary Lane sings two songs, neither of which are headed for the Hit Parade, and all of the principals try hard with the material at hand. Best comedy spot falls to Cliff Saum, who plays the hero's full blooded Indian butler with a ^ vocabulary consisting entirely of the word "Ugh." In some spots the name of George M. Cohan may warrant featuring of the play, on which the film is based, in advertising and publicity. An effective street ballyhoo can be created by sending out a tractor driven by a young man in evening clothes. Plant a drama or news page contest with your newspaper in which small prizes are awarded^ for the best letters telling of instances in which the writers made mistakes similar to that of the character played by Roscoe Karns. (FAMILY) Catchline: "Main Street intolerance nearly wrecks a romance." AUDIENCE SLANT: THEY'LL SIT THROUGH IT AS THE SECOND HALF OF A DOUBLE BILL BOX OFFICE SLANT: VERY LITTLE HELP. Golden Fleecing (Hollywood Preview) ^'fGM Comedy Drama 70 mins. (Prod. No. 49, Niat'l Release, Aug. 16) Cast: Lew Ayres, Rita Johnson, Lloyd Nolan, Virginia Grey, Nat Pendleton, Leon Errol, George Lessey, Richard Carle, Larry Kelly, Marc Lawrence, Thurston Hall, James Burke, Spencer Charters, Wil■i^"! Demarest, Jerry Marenghi, Claire McDowell, John Hamilton, Maude Eburne. Credits: Directed by Leslie Fenton. Produced by Edgar Selwyn. Screenplay by S. J. and Laura Perelman and Marion Parsonnet, based on a story by Lynn Root, Frank Fenton and John Fante. Director of photography, Leonard Smith. Art directors, Cedric Gibbons and Daniel B. Cathcart. Film editor, Conrad A. Nervig. Plot: Lew Ayres, shy insurance company employe, surprises by selling Lloyd Nolan a $50,000 policy, proposes to Rita Johnson, his boss secretary, and gets a promise of a raise Next day they learn Nolan is a gangster sought by police and killers alike. Ayres must keep him alive to hold his job Needin<^ money for his attorney, Nolan and his girl friend Virgima Grey, arrange for Ayres to turn Nolan in for the $25,000 reward and give the money back. With Rita planning to spend the reward money, and to avoid telling the truth about where it went Virginia gives Ayres some stock considered worthless Next day, it booms through a Federal loan Nolans gangsters kidnap Ayres, demand the money. Before he can do this, Rita, who has been told the truth, sues Ayres for breach of promise, tying up the funds. Nolan has Kita kidnapped. Ayres rescues her. The two take Nolan the money, keeping only what they had spent, which is burned up on the tabic by a match thrown by Nolan's bodyguard Comment: Here is good light comedy skirting close to the line of complete farce' which will prove a perfect antidote for a heavy dramatic feature with a strong enough .cast to carry itself as a top attraction. While Ayres carries the show and honors, uniformly strong support is given with Rita Johnson carrying the romance and Nolan, Pendleton and Leon Errol heading the comedy support players Leslie Fenton's direction is good throughout and he injects enough speed to keep an audience from realizing how impossible some of the created situations really are. Insurance agencies offer a fertile field for exploitation on this one, and you can arouse advance interest by securing blank insurance policy forms for your regular mailing list and over-printing these in red with copy for your picture and show dates. In the picture the heroine's uncle, played by Leon Errol, has composed a patriotic song titled "March March, The Boys Are Tramping." Plant a contest with one of your radio stations for new songs by local composers of a similar nature (FAMILY) Catchlme: "Mary's little lamb turns into a raging lion." AUDIENCE SLANT: GOOD FOR ANY AUDIENCE — SHOULD BENEFIT FROM WORD-OFMOUTH PRAISE. BOX OFFICE SLANT: PERFECT FOR PAIRING WITH A HEAVY DRAMATIC FEATURE. 70 mins. River's End (Hollywood Preview) Warner Bros. Drama (Prod. No. 414, Nat'l Release, Aug. 10) Cast: Dennis Morgan, Elizabeth Earl, George lobias, Victor Jory, James Stephenson, Steffi Duna, Edward Pawley, John Ridgely, Frank Wilcox, David iiruce, Gilbert Emery, Stuart Robinson, Stuart Holmes Tom Wilson, Pat O'Malley. Credits: Directed by Ray Enright. Associate producer, William Jacobs. Screenplay by Barry Trivers and Bertram Millhauser from James Oliver Curwood's novel Director of photography, Arthur L. Todd. Art director, Esdras Hartley. Film editor, Clarence Kolster. Plot: John Keith (Dennis Morgan) is convicted on the testimony of Victor Jory of the killing of Jory's partner. He escapes. Sergeant Conniston (also Dennis Morgan), mountie, is assigned to bring him in. Months later the sergeant is taken in by Keith with a broken leg. During their weeks together, the officer becomes convinced Keith is no killer. Because the two men are doubles, Keith returns with the rescue party as the officer, the sergeant before his death passing himself off as the convicted man. He fools the men at the post, including his pal, George Tobias, to whom he admits his identity. Elizabeth Earl, the sergeant's sister, arrives. Although himself in love with her, the supposed oflScer must watch a romance develop with