Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1941)

October 18, 1941 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW Page 15 portant evidence against Arnold is kidnapped by the latter's men. When Robinson tries to effect his release, he goes to Arnold and kills him. Then he takes a trans-Oceanic flight with a pilot sponsored by the paper and dies at sea in a crash. Comment: Those who like real newspaper stories will be thrilled by this one which has an authenticity which many such pictures lack. In addition to all of the action incident to a newspaper story, it also has tenseness and speed, reminiscent of the old Mervyn Leroy days at Warner Bros, when his name was a by-word for action films. Of the cast, Robinson is, of course, the standout with fine performances by Edward Arnold and Laraine Day to back him up. The latter, in her first role since she has stopped appearing in the Dr. Kildare series is herself the victim of bereavement this time. The role doesn't give her much opportunity to act but she makes the most of it. Sell it as a real story of newspapers and newspapermen, bristling with thrills and excitement. Stunts which indicate gambling will help put the picture over. Catchline: "A crusading newspaper man joins a partnership with the head of a gambling ring — and wins." You Belong To Me Columbia Comedy 97 mins. (Prod. No. Not Set, Nat'l Release, Oct. 30) AUDIENCE SLANT: (Adult) A swell comedy reuniting the successful team of "Lady Eve." BOX OFFICE SLANT: Should do excellent business. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Edgar Buchanan. Roger Clark. Ruth Donnelly, Melville Cooper. Ralph Peters. Maude Eburne. Renie Riano. Ellen Lowe, Mary Treen. Gordon Jones, Fritz Feld. Paul Harvev. Credits: Produced and directed by Weslev Ruggles. Screenplay by Claude Binyon. Directed" by Dalton Trumbo. Director of photography. Toseph Walker. Art director, Lionel Banks. Plot: Barbara Stanwyck, a successful physician, meets Fonda when he is injured in a skiing accident. He's a rich playboy and immediately falls in love with her. They are married, but she insists she must continue her practice. However, he is constantly intruding upon her because of his jealousy over her men patients. Finally he breaks up the marriage by walking out. But he gets a job in a department store selling neckties, which temporarily reconciles them. He loses the job because he doesn't need the money (other employes protest) but he wins Barbara back when he buys a hospital which has been losing money and says he will devote his life to running it. Comment: A saucy comedy, with plenty of inuendoes, this picture happily reunites the stars of the successful "Lady Eve." Though they dominate the action, Edgar Buchanan, in a small role as a gardener, practically walks off with the picture. Producer-director Wesley Ruggles has injected a note of seriousness into one scene in which the employes of a department store object to the employment of Fonda, on the ground that he doesn't need the money. But this is the sole philosophical note. The rest of the picture is played for comedy. Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck are tops in their respective roles and they should add to their already large following. Their popularity, plus the theme of the picture, word of mouth and good selling should result in top grosses. The picture has been beautifully mounted with some superb sets and photography to add to the enjoyment. Sell it through a contest on "Should a wealthy man take a job, not because he needs the money but because he needs the job?" Use this _ idea as the theme for Inquiring Reporter interviews with prominent employers, labor leaders, civic officials and people of all kinds. Catchline: "If your wife is a doctor don't let her treat men patients." Hot Spot 20th Century-Fox Mystery 82 mins. (Block No. 4, Nat'l Release, Oct. 31) AUDIENCE SLANT: (Adult) This topnotch mystery melodrama will be enthusiastically accepted by the movie-going public. BOX OFFICE SLANT: Its "star cast" appeal, plus the qualities that make it genuine audience entertainment, should helo this picture to go far along the box office route. Cast: Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Carole Landis. Laird Cregar, William Gargan, Alan Mowbray, Allyn Joslyn. Elisha Cook, Jr., Chick Chandler, Cyril Ring. Morris Ankrum, Charles Lane, Frank Orth, Gregory Gaye, Mae Beatty. Credits: Produced by Milton Sperling. Directed by H. Bruce Huraberstone. Screenplay by Dwight Taylor. From the novel, "I Wake Up Screaming." by Steve Fisher. Director of photography, Edward Cronjager. Art direction, Richard Day, Nathan Juran. Music, Cyril J. Mockridge and Emil Xewman. Plot: Mature, promoter and man-abouttown, is accused of the murder of Carole Landis, whom he elevated from a waitress to a glamor girl. Although innocent, he is hounded by a persevering, pathological detective, Cregar. The murdered girl's sister, Betty Grable, at first suspects Mature, then falls in love with him, becomes also a fugitive from justice. In a surprise climax, the real murderer is caught. Comment: Any exhibitor who allows this top-notch mystery entertainment to fall in the hands of his opposition will, indeed, be in the position suggested by the title. Here's another of those grand melodramas that keeps the spectator almost continuously "on edge" until the story has run its course. Unlike in plot, another recent entry, "The Maltese Falcon," it has many of the same qualities that won unanimous acclaim for that picture: With a corking script, neat and skillful direction, and talented players to enact the leading roles; with Betty Grable and Carole Landis to lure the men, and Assets to your business, to the trouble-free-operation of your equipment, are the electrical instruments carried by the Altec Service man. These instruments, 30 times more sensitive than the human ear, detect troubles in their early stages, before they cause major breakdowns. handsome Victor Mature the women, the picture would attract heavily on those points alone. But one loses sight of the physical appeal of these three stars as their sincere and realistic portrayals take precedence over their public-winning glamor. No better proof of fine trouping is needed. Unforgettable, however, is the masterful performance of Laird Cregar who, as the sinister, pathological detective, is little short of superb. Begin your campaigning well in advance, highlighting the stars, mystery, suspense and excitement, so that large opening-dav crowds will be on hand to see the picture and, consequently, urge their friends and neighbors to see it. Catchline: "Never so much excitement, so many pulse-pounding thrills, such corking entertainment packed into one grand mystery-melodrama." Moon Over Her Shoulder 20th Century-Fox Comedy 68 mins. (Block No. 4, Nat'l Release, Oct. 24) AUDIENCE SLANT: (Adult) Entertaining marital comedy; will attract favorable comments from patrons. BOX OFFICE SLANT: Well exploited, it should show very profitable results at the box office. Cast: Lynn Bari, John Sutton, Dan Dailey, Jr., Alan Mowbray, Leonard Carey, Irving Bacon, Joyce Compton, Lillian Yarbo, Eula Guy, Shirley Hill, Sylvia Arslan. Credits: Produced by Walter Morosco. Directed by Alfred Werker. Screenplay by Walter Bullock. Original story by Helen Vreeland Smith and Eve Golden. Director of photography, Lucien Andriot. Art direction, Richard Day, Lewis Creber. Musical direction, Emil Newman. Plot: Sutton, authority on marital problems, urges his wife, Lynn Bari, to find a hobby for her free time. In pursuing it, she (Continued on Page 18) Gothic "harness:" mechanized defense in the year 1480 While the country's defense forces are forming their first lines of defense with the vital metals needed for projection room equipment and its parts, what is the exhibitor's first line of defense against premature wear, premature wear-out of projection room machinery? The first line of defense is Altec Service : it prolongs the life of parts, makes them perform at high efficiency throughout their entire service life. 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