Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1942)

28 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW October 3, 1942 9 The Yanks Are Coming {Continued from Page 13) the 3'oungsters and those audiences who like their entertainment on the light side. The picture features five songs, the most promising being the title song, "The Yanks Are Coming." That song, plus "I Must Have Priorities on Your Love" have a good chance of becoming hits. There is little story, most of the picture having been shot in night club rehearsal or US halls. Little Jackie Heller as a song arranger puts over some of the songs for a standout. The femme lead, Mary Healy, has a charm that wins the audience and shows great future promise. Henry King, the band leader, seems a little strange before the cameras, and Maxie Rosenbloom as a soldier, is his usual self. Tieup with music stores for the Henry King recordings and the Lew Pollack songs, in addition to the song hits which are part of the picture. Plug the local radio in connection with the songs in the picture, and post stills around your local USO halls. Catchline: To the tune of Henry King's Music . . . The Yanks Are Coming. Destination Unlcnown Universal Drama 61 mins. (National Release, Oct. 9) AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) The adventures of an American working against spies and counter-spies in China should prove acceptable entertainment for average audiences. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Should do fair in "B's" and subsequent runs. Cast: William Gargan, Irene Hervey, Sam Levene, Turhan Bey, Keye Luke, Felix Basch, Donald Stuart, Olaf Hytten, Edward Colebrook, Willie Fung. Charles Lung, Herbert Heyes. Credits: Associate Producer, Marshall Grant. Directed by Ray Taylor. Screenplay by Lynn Riggs and John Meehan. Jr.. from an original story by Lawrence Hazard and John Kafka. Photography by John W. Boyle. Plot: An American flyer, in the services of Chiang Kai-Shek before Pearl Harbor, is interested in the safe delivery of a shipment of jewels to the Dutch as payment for munitions needed by the Chinese Army. The jewels fall into the hands of a Nazi spy during the bombing of Pekin and the American gets on the trail to find a pretty girl ingratiating herself with the Nazi in an attempt to determine the whereabout of the loot. A series of exciting adventures keep throwing the pair together to evade the ever-menacing Japs. After arranging for the American's arrest the girl determines his true identity, maneuvers his escape from prison, and winds up his companion in a plane bound for Chungking and the safe delivery of the jewels. Comment: A nicely handled action romance spiced with plenty of intrigue and suspense. Some interesting sidelights into the methods of torture pursued by the men of Nippon to extract information and considerable byplay of the smitten-man and aloof-woman order, serve to offer relief from the spy-chasing action. There are some thrill shots of the bombing of Pekin and a pathetic sequence dealing with the murdering of a Chinese family by the vicious Japs. Gargan seems a trifle too confident in the face of danger with the result that much of the dramatic portend loses force and a few of the minor roles suffer from inadequate portrayal. The audience is asked to overlook a lot of implausibilities in the story relation but this is to be exoected in productions of this kind. Miss Hervey is beautiful though not overly capable as the heroine and her two assistants are of the semi-comic order hardly appropriate to lending conviction to the seriousness of the situations in which they take part. Play up the adventure angle and the locale but don't promise them too much in the way of thrills or excitement. Catchline: An American flyer matches wits with Jap and Nazi spies to help free China. Gounter-Espionage Columbia Mystery 71 mins. (National Release, Sept. 3) AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) "Lone Wolf" followers will especially like it, and the good brand of entertainment of the spy type will satisfy the average patron. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: A substantial number; will put added pull into dual bill attraction especially. Cast: Warren William, Eric Blore, Hillary Brooke, Thurston Hall, Fred Kelsey, Forrest Tucker, Matthew Boulton, and others. Credits: Directed by Edward Dmytryk. Screenplay by Aubrey Wisberg, based on original by Louis Joseph Vance. Photography by Philip Tannura. Plot: The Lone Wolf goes to work with the British Intelligence in frustrating the efforts of Nazi agents to obtain information about a defense weapon which is making the bombing of London militarily unprofitable for the Germans. Comment: This is one of the best of the "Lone Wolf" series, with a thoroughly up-todate assignment for the sleuth played ably by Warren William, whose dramatic job is to outwit Nazi espionage agents in safeguarding secret military plans. The scene of the story is London, and the story content is such as to keep action and suspense at a high level of entertainment value. Director Dmytryk has made the most of his material with deft handling of the action and the cast — a very good one from top to bottom — while sustaining good atmosphere with the aid of high grade production values. Eric Blore scores many a good comedy stroke and adds lots to the entertainment value of the story. Hillarj' Brooke is appealing as the leading item of feminine appeal. Play it up strongly if previous entries in the "Lone Wolf" series have played and developed popularity in the location. It should be recommended generally as mystery-spy entertainment for average amusement seekers. Tlie Faicon's Brotlier RKO-Radio Mystery 62 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Adult) Mixture of comedy and mystery that should please mystery fans. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Previous numbers have established the series as frontrunning attractions, and this will continue their popularity. Cast: George Sanders, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph. Don Barclay, Cliff Clark, Edward Gargan, Eddie Dunn. Charlotte Wynters, James Newill, Keye Luke, Armanda Varela, George Lewis, Gwili Andre, Andre Chariot, Mary Halsey, Charles Arnt. Credits; Directed by Stanley Logan. Original Screenplay by Stuart Palmer and Craig Rice. Based upon the character created by Michael Arlen. Director of Photography, Russell Metty. Produced by Maurice Geraghty. Plot: In trying to clear his brother and himself of a murder charge, George Sanders is knocked unconscious by a speeding automobile. His brother takes over and uncovers a Nazi plot to assassinate a Latin ambassador in America. Sanders recovers consciousness in time to save the life of the Latin American Ambassador and gives his own life in the effort, and his brother promises to carry on. Comment: Packed with action and a number of comedy lines, this connecting link between the old Falcon series and the Falcon's brother series will make a hit with the fans and sends Tom Conway off to a running start. The voices of Sanders and his brother are quite alike, allowing for substitution in spots, and also for getting over the punch lines that Sanders handles in his own way. A character like the "Falcon" was too valuable an asset to drop and the studio was faced with the problem of switching the character to someone who could devote more time to its development. The switch is made to the satisfaction of all concerned. The story and transfer of laurels are deftly manipulated and this job should earn considerable praise for the writers, the producer Maurice Geraghty and the director Stanley Logan. The star, Sanders, can be sold as well as the fact that he is introducing his brother to the public in order to make him the heir of the "Falcon" title. The publicity that will be obtainable on the exploitation of this fact, the family story, its appeal to the public generally, will drag in the cash customers and word-of-mouth will help considerabh'. Catchline: "The 'Falcon' gives his life to save America." Get Hep To Love Universal Drama-With-Music 75 mins. (National Release, Oct. 2nd) AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) A tuneful picture that will entertain the entire family. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Will make good bid for youthful groups. Can go it alone where Gloria Jean has a following. Cast; Gloria Jean. Donald O'Connor, Jane Frazee, Robert Paige, Peggy Ryan, Edith Barrett, Cora Sue Collins. Nana Bryant, Irving Bacon, John Abbott, Millard Mitchell, Tim Ryan, Douglas Scott and The Jivin' Jacks and Jills. Credit: Directed by Charles Lamont. Original story by M. M. Musselman. Screenplay by Jay Dratler. Director of photography, L. W. O'Connell. Musical director, Charles Previn. Associate Producer, Bernard W. Burton. Plot: A sensational young soprano runs away from her money-grabbing aunt because she yearns for a normal youthful life. She gets mixed up with a young couple who are near a split. They adopt her and under her influence things smooth out. When her aunt finally finds her and tries to get her back, the young couple get the court to turn her over to their custody. Comment: A tuneful, youth picture that will not only please the young folks, but will tickle the rest of the family. Intended for the jitterbugs, it has plot, romance and enough singing to satisfy every taste. Where Gloria has a following, it can go it alone. The plot and its presentation make a fine setting for the starlet and her singing, with a good opportunity, well-realized for Jane Frazee and Robert Paige to support. Donald O'Connor as the boy, and Peggy Ryan as the jitterbug, contribute commendable efforts. The story runs with amusing gags and lines and claims credit for the producer, Bernard W. Burton, and the director, Charles Lamont. Contact singing schools, for cooperative exploitation, all music stores for window displays and recordings, and newspaper ads to interest the jitterbug following. Catchline: Hear Gloria Jean keep her singing dates. in Tlie Rear Gf Tiie Enemy Artkino Drama 55 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) English dialogue and suspenseful action broadens audience appeal of this Russian film. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Good for houses playing USSR pictures and fair for second and third choice American runs. Cast; .Vikolai Kriuchkov, Pavel Springfeld, Alexander Grecliani, Alexi Baranov, Peter Sobolevsky. Credits: Produced by Sergei Yutkevich at Soyuzdetfilm Studios, Moscow. USSR. Directed by Eugene Schneider. Screenplay by Rudolph Bershadsky. Photographed by Alexander Shelenkov, Nikolai Prororovsky. Plot: Three members of a company of ski {Continued on Page 30)