Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1944)

November 11. 1^M4 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 13 The Town Went Wi PRC Comedy-Drama 80 mins. (Naf 1 Release, Dec. 15) AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) A good comedy, with plenty of laughs, for the entire family. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: A program offering strong enough to top the bill in many situations. Cast: Freddie Bartholomew, James Lydon, Edward Everett Horton, Tom Trully, Jill Browning, Minna Gombell, Ruth Lee, Roberta Smith, Matide Eburne, Charles Halton, Ferris Taylor, Jimmy Conlm, Monte Collins, Olin Howlin, Charles Middleton, Emmett Lynn, Dorothy Vaughan. Credits: Directed by Ralph Murphy, Written and produced by Bernard R. Roth, Clarence Greene and Russell Rouse. Photography, Philip Tannura. Plot: Squabbling neighbors suddenly find themselves thrown together when a clerk in the city hall discovers that there was a mixup in their children when they were born. This discovery comes about when the daughter of one and the son of the other apply for rnarriage licenses. There are many complications before the matter is cleared up and everything ends serenely. Comment: This initial PRC release of the newly-formed, producing-writing combination augurs well for the trio's future product. It is a fun-filled picture the story of just plain folks, that presents their everyday lives with its clashes, its involvement with their children and other experiences that most of us have gone through. There are many real human touches and laughs galore. There is even a spot for a tear or two. The film is good for the average audiences everywhere, and strongenough to top the bill in many situations. The mixup in children supplies plenty of excitement and Freddie Bartholomew, Jimmy Lydon and Jill Browning are exceptionally good in these parts while Edward Everett Horton and Tom Tully keep the laughs rolling. Most of the supporting cast are good, among them such troupers as Minna Gombell and Maude Eburne. Ralph Murphy's direction gets the most of the well-written story of the drama and comedy of everyday family life. Lights of Old Santa Fe Republic Western Musical 78 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) Roy, Gabby, Dale and Trigger combine to make everybody happy in a show designed to appeal to all classes — and does. Completely successful on all counts. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: All right, boys, breathe easy — here's another guaranteed, 100 per cent pure piece of box-office insurance. And that goes for the bigger houses, too. Cast: Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, Dale Evans, Lloyd Corrigan, Richard Powers, Claire Du Brey, Arthur Loft, Roy Barcroft, Lucien Littlefield, Sam Flint, Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers, and Trigger. Credits: Associate Producer, Harry Grey. Director, Frank McDonald. Original screenplay by Gordon Kahn and Bob Williams. Photography, Reggie Lanning. Plot: Things are going badly for the Brooks International Rodeo when its owner. Dale Evans, returns from college, although she doesn't know it because the manager. Gabby Hayes, has kept this from her to spare her worry. The rodeo is too old-fashioned. The rival rodeo owner, Richard Powers, wants to buy out Dale and also marry her. Rogers and his crew are hired by Gabby, and after many vicissitudes, show up Powers as a Legion of Decency Ratings (For Week Ending Nov. 11) SUITABLE FOR GENERAL PATRONAGE Firebrands of Arizona Oath of Vengeance ' SUITABLE FOR ADULTS ONLY Ever Since Venus Hollywood Canteen Falcon In Hollywood Murder In the Blue Room Hi, Beautiful Something for the Boys Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo villain and put on a show that heads them for Madison Square Garden. Comment: The formula of the Rogers pictures, which combines elements such as classical ballets, give-and-take love spats, cowboy music, and typical western action, would seem impossible to achieve. But somehow the Rogers unit does it, and as the pictures roll from studio to screen the mixture becomes more and more unified, smoother and surer. "Lights of Old Sante Fe" has an ease and professional know-how more noticeable than in any yet. The players are pleasant people who obviously enjoy their work. They sing well, fling their lines around well, and when the outfit gets' into action Director Frank McDonald and Producer Harry Grey see to it that things are fast and furious, with fine technical finish to the stunts that make them look convincing. The eight-horse chariot race over rough country, for instance, is a stunner, as is the sequence when the villain burns out the Brooks caravan and Gabby is rescued by Roy. On the other hand, just as effective are the songs by the star and Miss Evans, who carries more importance than the usual western heroine, and has far more personality too. Altogether, this is a show that can be enjoyed by the sophisticate as well as the neighborhood kid, for its carefree manner and expert handling are disarming to the critical. Republic and Rogers are battinghigh with "Lights of Old Sante Fe," and that's all your box-office needs to know. Swing Hostess PLANNING STAGE. Columbia this week set December 22 as the release date for "Together Again," in which Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne co-star. Here's a shot of one of the important preliminaries leading up to ultimate events cn the screen — a conference on finer points of the picture between Boyer and Charles Vidor, director. PRC Comedy with Music 60 mms. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) This program offering is likely to find greatest favor with the teen-age element. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Martha Tilton's following, comprised mostly of adolescents, will form the bulk of the box-office lineup. Cast: Martha Tilton, Iris Adrian, Charles Collins, Cliff Nazarro, Harry Holman, Emmett Lynn, Betty Brodel, Claire Rochelle, Paul Porcasi, Terry Frost, Phil Van Zandt, Earle Bruce. Credits: Directed by Sam Newfield. Screenplay by Louise Rousseau and Gail Davenport. Photography, Jack Greenhalgh. Musical director, David Chudnow. Produced by Sigmund Neufeld. Plot: A mixup in recordings deprives Martha Tihon of her chance to prove her vocal ability, while a rival who can't sing gets credit. When the truth is discovered, the rival is thwarted, Martha wins recognition and the leader of the band. Comment: This introductory vehicle for Martha Tilton, whose swing-style singingclaims its adherents among her radio following, is beamed to the teen-agers, and their reaction gives the picture its only claim to drawing possibilities at the theatre. The story is slow to unfold and becomes too involved for its own good as entertainment, hut that element, most likely, will be overlooked by the particular audience to whom its appeal is directed. Not much for those who are not members of the swing cult, but Miss' Tilton's radio popularity may get attention for the picture. Together Again Columbia Comedy-Drama 98 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) Sophisticated escapist comedy that will delight everybody. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: The word of mouth publicity will make this a self-ballyhooing smash. Cast: Irene Dunne, Charles Boyer. Charles Coburn,. Mona Freeman, Jerome Courtland, Elizabeth Patterson, Charles Dingle, Walter Baldwin, Fern Emmett,. Frank Puglia. Credits: Directed by Charles Vidor,. Screenplay by Virginia an LTpp and F. Hugh Herbert. Story by Stanley Russell and Herbert Biberman, Photography, Joseph Walker. Produced by Virginia Van LTpp. Plot: A conventional small-town lady mayor goes to New York to see a sculptor about a statue of her dead husband. Her experiences while there become front-page news, so she goes back to her small town. But not for long, for the sculptor and she love each other and Cupid (or someone else) has a way of bringing two lovers together. Comment: Strongly reminiscent of two other L-ene Dunne films — "Theodora Goes Wild" and "The Awful Truth" — and possessing the same light but penetrating dialogue, the same completely innocent situations involved with implications, and the same audience-winning bubbling effervescence, this sophisticated comedy holds strong appeal for both metropolitan and rural moviegoers. As a small-town mayor with a subordinated desire for romance, Irene Dunne is at her light comedy best: not only the beautiful woman in an awkward situation but a warm and friendly person. In a switch of character, Charles 'Boyer does a scintillating job of the artist who has a great sense of humor and falls in love with the stifi^-necked woman. These two are aided in the comedy by the old master Charles Coburn. The grandpa {Continued on Page 23)