Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1944)

November 25, 1944 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW 15 I. Three Is a Family United Artists Comedy 81 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Adult) Delightfully entertaining wartime domestic comedy designed to keep most spectators in moods ranging from chuckles to outright belly laughs. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Wisely directed to the great middle class, it should garner favorable box-office returns in the average community. Cast: Marjorie Reynolds, Charlie Ruggles, Fay Bainter, Helen Broderick, Arthur Lake, Hattie McDaniel, Jeff Donnell, John Philliber, Walter Catlett, Clarence Kolb, Elsie Janssen, Renie Riano, Warren Hymer, Clyde Fillmore, Christian Rub, Donna and Elissa Lambertson, William Terry, Cheryl Walker, Fred Brady, Margaret Early. Credits: Produced by Sol Lesser. Directed by Edward Ludwig. Screenplay by Harry Chandlee and Marjorie L. Pfaelzer from the New York stage play, "Three's a Family," by Phoebe and Henry Ephron, produced by John Golden. Photography, Charles Lawton, Jr. Art direction, A! Vbarra. Musical score, Werner R. Heymann. Musical direction, Charles Previn. Plot: Revolves around the episodes which occur in the Whitaker apartment when their daughter, and her twin babies, arrive and take over the room of Mrs. Whitaker's spinster sister. Involved in the proceedings is a son of the Whitakers, and his expectant wife, who live in the same apartment house. Wartime difficulties cause many complications, but all ends satisfactorily. Comment: So long as one can forget his own family troubles to laugh at those of another and thus reahze there's a comic side to his own everyday tragedies, life becomes that much more enjoyable. Producer Sol Lesser has taken the incidents occurring in one family as the result of wartime conditions and, without resorting to pure slapstick or attempting over-refinement, has molded the ingredients into a delightfully entertaining domestic comedy designed to keep most spectators in moods ranging from chuckles to outright belly laughs. The picture is wisely directed to that great middle class which should assure it . enthusiastic response and favorable box-office returns in average community theatres. Of the fairly large cast, all of whom fit snugly into their roles, most laughs will be garnered by the late John Philliber as an old fashioned, half blind, absent-minded obstetrician, and Hattie McDaniel as the nameless colored maid; but Charlie Ruggles, Arthur Lake, Helen Broderick, Marjorie Reynolds, Clarence Kolb and Walter Catlett also help to make the 81 minutes' running time seem much less. And not a little bit of that credit goes to Director Edward Ludwig for his fine sense of timing and refusal to "milk" the amusing situations. Wherever it plays, "Three Is a Family" should leave audiences laughing and boxoffice money bags slightly bulging. The Thin Man Goes Home MGM Mystery 100 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Adult) A good entertainment combination of mystery and humor that benefits from abundant production resources to lift it above the average. Patrons should warmly welcome the return of the principal "Thin Man" characters. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Grosses should pop right back into their previous profitable groove. Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Lucile Watson, Gloria DeHaven, Ann Revere, Helen Vinson, Harry Legion of Decency Ratings (For Week Ending Nov. 25) SUITABLE FOR ADULTS ONLY Army Wives Missing Juror OBJECTIONABLE IN PART Faces In tine Fog Together Again Davenport, Leon Ames, Donald Meek, Edward Brophy, Lloyd Corrigan, Anita Bolster, Ralph Brooke, Donald MacBride and Asta. Credits: Produced by Everett Riskin. Directed by Richard Thorpe. Screenplay by Robert Riskin and D wight Taylor from an original story by Robert Riskin and Harry Kurnitz. Based on the characters created by Dashiell Hammett. Director of photography, Karl Freund. Art direction, Cedric Gibbons, Edward Carfagno. Musical score, David Snell. Plot: Detective Nick Charles (William Powell) and his wife Nora (Myrna Loy) visit Nick's home town. Pleasure turns into business when a murder occurs and systematic sales of certain oil paintings are discovered. Other complications arise to thwart Nick's efforts, but he succeeds in apprehending the murderer and clearing up the mystery of the paintings. Comment: Back again after a long absence, William Powell and Myrna Loy, plus their canine Asta, should be warmly welcomed by that large section of the moviegoing public which followed their previous adventures. It should not mitigate too much against the new release to report that it is not quite up to the quality of its predecessors — a situation occasioned not only by the absence of the series but also the utilization of the same high-class mystery story idea in other films. For all that, "The Thin Man goes Home" is still a good entertainment combination of mystery and humor that benefits from abundant production resources to lift it above the average. Richard Thorpe does not quite duplicate the directorial skill of the late W. S. Van Dyke, who launched the series, but he does succeed in effecting the right tempo and in blending the serious with the comical to make the over-all result palatable. Both Myrna Loy and William Powell slip right back into their old character grooves (even Asta appears to have been in a state of suspended animation until revived to resume his canine capers) and are supported by a capable cast including Lucile Watson, Harry Davenport, Gloria DeHaven, Ann Revere, Helen Vinson, Lloyd Corrigan and others. Everett Riskin's production values are top grade. Like all previous "Thin Man" mysteries, complete enjoyment of this one depends on patrons keeping the murderer's identity secret, so ask those who see it not to reveal the climax and urge others to get in at the start. Your exploitation should be in the form of a welcome-back campaign to the end that large crowds will be on hand to renew an old acquaintance and thus pop grosses right back into their previous profitable groove. Says Gen. George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff: "The battle team is a team of many parts, the decisive element of which remains the littleadvertised, hard-bitten foot soldier." Exhibitors are the infantry of the 6th War Loan Drive. Blonde Fever MGM Drama 69 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Adult) A rather gushy, over-acted story which combines hokum touches with sophisticated dialogue, not too successfully. May appeal to the bobbysocks trade. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Good title and some names to feature as an added attraction to a strong top feature. Cast: Philip Dorn, Mary Astor, Felix Bressart, Gloria Grahame, Marshall Thompson, Curt Bois, Elizabeth Risdon, Arthur Walsh. Credits: Produced by William H. Wright. Directed by Richard Whorf. Screenplay by Patricia Coleman from a play by Ferenc Molnar. Photography, Lester White. Plot: Assisted by his wife (Mary Astor), Philip Dorn operates a swank club catering to Reno divorce seekers. Attracted by cigaret girl Gloria Grahame who is unable to choose between garage attendant Marshall Thompson and himself, he tries to lead her into an affair, counters her refusal with an agreement to divorce his wife and marry her. With the collaboration of Felix Bressart, a faithful waiter, the wife shows the girl her mistake, affects a reconciliation between her and her boy friend, and herself regains her husband's love. Comment: Adapted from a play by Ferenc Molnar, this story is basically true to life but a little too delicate for the treatment accorded it here. The dialogue and acting — one involving Shakespearean quotations, the other Shakespearean histrionics — detracts immeasurably from the story's plausibility. The combination of hokum gags with sophisticated dialogue is none too successful, although this factor may make the film most acceptable to the teen-age groups. Newcomers Gloria Grahame and Marshall Thompson show promise but will require more sympathetic casting and direction to make the grade. The attractive title and some of the names can be featured to provide added drawing power to a strong top feature. Winged Victory 20th Century-Fox Drama 130 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: Sentiment, tears, exhuberance, laughs and stark reality are so well mixed as to provide excellent entertainment for every member of the family. A war picture, with the women's angle an integral part of the story, rather than an interpolated afterthought. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Moss Hart's widely publicized success as playwright, the success of "Winged Victory" as a play; all profits to Army Charities; guaranteed exploitation cooperation from the armed services, terrific word-of-mouth advertising guarantee strong box-office. Cast: Sgt. Edmund O'Brien, Sgt. Mark Daniels, Cpl. Alan Baxter, Pvt. Lon McAllister, Jeanne Grain, Jane Ball, Jo-Carroll Dennison, Judy Holiday, Cpl. Don Taylor, Cpl. Lee J. Cobb, T/Sgt. Peter Lind Hayes, Geraldine Wall, Cpl. Barry Nelson, Sgt. Rune Hultman, Cpl. Garry Merrill, Sgt. George Reeves, Pfc. George Petrie, Pfc. Alfred Ryder, Cpl. Karl Maiden, Pfc. Martin Ritt, Cpl. Harry Lewis, Cpl. Henry Rowland, S/'Sgt. Sascha Brastoff, Cpl. Archie Robbins, Cpl. Jack Slate, Cpl. Red Buttons, Pfc. Henry Slate. Credits: Producer, Darryl F. Zanuck. Director, George Cukor. Stage and screenplay. Moss Hart. Continuity, Sgt. Harry Horner. Photography, Glen Mac Williams. Music by Sgt. David Rose. Chorals, Lt. Leonard de Paur. Special effects, Fred Sersen. (All actors appearing in uniform are soldiers in the Army Air Forces.) Plot: Three small-town Ohio boys join the Army Air Forces. They have consuming (Continued on Page 29)