Showmen's Trade Review (Apr-Jun 1944)

April 8. 1944 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 9 Ivan Triesault, Van Antwerp, Art Smith, Carl Harbaugh, Mary Servoss, Charles La Torre, Pedro de Cordoba, Bobby Walberg, Erskine Sanford, Felix Basch Joel Friedkin. Credits: Produced by Robert Buckn'er. Directed by Raoul Walsh. Screenplay by Laszlo Vadnay and Max Brand, From an ongmal story by Joe May and Laszlo Vadnay. Director of photography, Sid Hickox. Special effects by Roy Davidson. Art direction, Robert Haas. Music by Adolph Deutsch. Musical direction, Leo F. Forbstem. Technical advisor, Paul Coze. Plot: In Nazi-controlled Paris, Errol Flynn, a criminal, escapes the guillotine when a bomb from British raiders hits the prison. His flight from the police is shortlived, for a former accomplice betrays him to Inspector Paul Lukas who recaptures him near the Spanish border. When the inspector and his prisoner learn of a bridge blasted by a saboteur, for which 100 hostages must die unless the saboteur is turned over to the Germans, i Flynn ofifers to assume guilt for the crime, preferring (so he says) to die by a firing squad than the guillotine. His real reason; to play for time, perhaps escape. In the village near the wrecked bridge, Lukas and Flynn plan the latter's confession to the Germans. A group of villagers, reluctant to see loved ones die, mark Flynn as the saboteur, but their priest forbids them to carry out their plan. Promising Lukas to return, I Flynn escapes with Jean Sullivan, a village girl who has fallen in love with him. While hiding out, he has a change of heart, returns to Lukas, who takes him to Gestapo headquarters. Later, to Jean's query as to what Flynn was really like, _ Lukas replies: "He was a Frenchman." Comment: Once again Errol Flynn is involved in an adventure yarn, cast this time as a ne'er-do-well French criminal bent on escaping payment for his crimes, matching wits with a Surete detective, Paul Lukas. This type of story has become more or less ' formula for the Warner star, but surrounded ! as he is in this case, with first-rate thespian j support, a suspenseful and absorbing screenplay, commendable direction by Raoul Walsh and high production values by Producer RobI ert Buckner, Flynn has a genuinely enter] taining, if not especially outstanding, picture , to his credit. His performance is in his parj ticular idiom, the sort one expects of him, and is therefore taken for granted; yet he deserves credit for doing it well. Paul Lukas I deserves his billing as co-star with Flynn, ! for not since "Watch on the Rhine" has this ; Academy award-winning actor had a finer i role than that of the brilliant, persistent de'I tective, hispcclor Bonet. It offers little opportunity for emotional display, but in spite ' of this Lukas makes it the film's outstanding characterization. Newcomer Jean Sullivan is appealing as a simple young village girl, i while Lucile Watson makes her few brief scenes impressive. The picture's swift introductory pace slows down about midway, yet the element of suspense holds the spectator's interest to the end despite the slackened pace. General audiences should be pleased with i this newest Flynn offering, and box-office results should match closely, or perhaps even j exceed, those tallied on his past films. Weird Woman Universal Mystery 61 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Adult) Aimed at appeal to the mind as well as to the eyes. Should please enthusiasts for the weird mystery type of show. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Good support, with a draw of its own from the following of the radio show. Cast: Lon Chaney, Anne Gwynne, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Morgan, Elisabeth Risdon, Lois Collier, Elizabeth Russell, Harry Hayden, Phil Brown, Kay Harding. Credits: Directed by Reginald LeBorg. Screenplay by Brenda Weisberg. Director of photography, i, Virgil Miller, A.S.C. Produced by Oliver Drake. Plot: A young sociology professor returns from an expedition to a tropical island, bringing back a bride whom he married under strange circumstances. This incites the jeal ousy of the sister of the Dean of Men. Her hatred takes a psychopathic turn and causes many deaths and much unhappiness before the trouble is laid to her unbalanced condition. Comment: As a second in the Inner Sanctum series, this weirdee has many moments of high suspense and scarey scenes. However, it also has a long period in the middle when there is more talk than action and when that talk slows the film down to a walk and draws the teeth out of the moments of excitement. It starts well, slows down, and then gradually accelerates to a tense and pulsating climax. The chiller-diller fans will Idc pleased with the result despite the lapse in pace. Lon Chaney handles the lead very impressively. In main supporting roles Anne Gwynne and Evelyn Ankers make their parts of the women in conflict very real. Ralph Morgan, Elisabeth Risdon and Lois Collier supply the mood and personalities that are called for; while Elizabeth Russell gets a short but tense and excitingly effective role and makes this one of the outstanding parts of the film. Picture was produced by Oliver Drake, who, until now devoted himself to westerns. It is well handled, the native sets being realistic, as also are the college grounds and other locale. Direction by Reginald Le Borg develops many eerie moments and maintains the players in character throughout; no small job when there are so many different types with real parts to do. Arrange tieups with bookstores, all selling Inner Sanctum mysteries; also try to work out an arrangement with your local radio station for a tieup announcement that picture is being shown, at the times that the nationally broadcast Inner Sanctum mysteries are on. Meet the People MGM Musical 100 mins. (Nat'l Release — May-June) AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) A good musical in a home front setting which just misses rating superlatives. Satisfactory entertainment. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Should do very nicely. Has names, title and natural background for exploitation. Cast: Lucille Ball, Dick Powell, Virginia O'Brien. Bert Lahr, "Rags" Ragland, June Allyson, Steve Geray, Paul Regan, Howard Freeman. Betty Jaynes, John Craven, Morris Ankrum, Miriam LaVelle, Ziggie Talent, Mata and Hari, Vaughn Monroe and his orchestra and Spike Jones and his City Slickers. Credits: Produced by E. Y. Harburg. Directed by Charles Riesner. Screenplay by S. M. Herzig and Fred Saidy. Based on a story by Sol and Ben Barzman and Louis Lantz. Musical direction by Lennie Hayton. Photographic direction by Robert Suriees. Plot: A shipyard worker, v/ith a flair for playwriting, wins a date with a stage star on a bond tour and induces her to read his script. She gets her producer to stage the show on Broadway, whither the author goes for the dress rehearsal and insists the play fails to show the people of America as he intended. The play is called off and the star returns to the shipyard and becomes a welder hoping to change his mind. She changes hers and the show is produced in the shipyard by the workers to celebrate a launching with the star and the playwright having adjusted their differences to the tune of love. Comment: While this musical has plenty in the way of fine talent and entertainment potentialities, its authors missed the big mo-ment — which makes all the difference in the world in audience reaction. The heart tug or big romantic thrill just doesn't happen — which deficiency places a minus sign before the "A" in rating the picture. As far as talent goes, there is Lucille Ball looking as lovely as ever' and well cast in a role that fits very nicely; Dick Powell gives a light, casual performance; Bert Lahr is in his glorj' romping through a clowning role which, permits him to give out with one of his familiar operatic tremolo renditions: "Rags" Ragland will have the ladies laughing as the male prototype of a slaving housewife who gets the meals wliile wifcy is on the swing shift, and Paul Regan injects some sparkling imitations which are just about tops in mimicry. The shipyard background gives a constant impression of magnitude. There is a musical comedy number introducing a song titled Shickelgruber, which should prove dynamite to any audience with an impersonation of Mussolini as an organ-grinder and a chimpanzee made up to look remarkably like Hitler giving out with raucous speeches punctuated with arm-raising hcils. This is really a high spot of the specialty numbers. All in all there is a lot of show in this film for the customers' money but as we mentioned it lac'KS that umph which makes you leave the theatre all het-up over what you have seen. Hidden Valley Outlaws Republic Western 55 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) A lively show for the action fans. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Standard draw for situations where action films have a following. Cast: Bill Elliott, George Hayes, Anne Jeffreys, Roy Bancroft, Kenne Duncan. Credits: Directed by Howard Bretherton. .Screenplay by John Butler and Bob Williams. Director of photography, Reggie Lanning. Produced by Louis Gray. Plot: In the early days of the Southwest, the government issued to war veterans certain papers called head rights, which allowed these men to settle and claim ownership on any unoccupied land. These rights were negotiable and often fell into the hands of unscrupulous men. Such a man was the lawyer of the town, his friendly manner concealing his position as secret head of a gang. Bill Elliott is called in to solve the mystery and he manages to straighten out the mess. Comment: In the western market this will show as a highly satisfactory entry. The quality of this shoot-'em-up will boost the stock 'of Wild Bill Elliott, "Gabby" Hayes and Lou Gray, the producer. It has action — speed — camera — and totes the wallop that classes a western as good. Supporting Bill Elliott and George "Gabby" Hayes in the femme lead, Anne Jeffreys looks as pretty and innocent as western gals are supposed to look to city slickers. Chalk one up for Lou Gray for beautiful backgrounds and the choice of a villain who doesn't tax the credulity with an overdose of villainy performed by Roy Barcroft. The Whistler Columbia Mystery 61 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Adult) Has the edge-of-chair suspenseful quality that most adult audiences like. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Supported by a comedy or musical, it will make a good show; properly exploited, it should draw a wide audience. Cast: Richard Dix, J. Carrol Naish, Gloria Stuart, .Alan Dinehart, Don Costello, Joan Woodburj-, Cy Kendall, Trevor Bardette, Robert E. Keane, Clancy Cooper, George Lloyd, Byron Foulger, Charles Coleman, Robert Hornans. Credits: Directed by William Castle. Screenplay by Eric Taylor. Story by J. Donald Wilson. Director of photography, James S. Brown. A.S.C. Produced by Rudolph C. Flothow. Plot: A man in despair hires a gunman to kill him. The arrangement is through an intermediary, and the man and the killer are unknown to each other. \\'hen the man changes his mind, he finds that the intermediary has died and for some time lives in fear of being killed. It ends all right with the killer being killed when trying to commit the deed. Comment: Swelled by the group of people who have been listening to this show on the {Contuiucd on Page 19)