Showmen's Trade Review (Jan-Mar 1946)

66 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, March 2, 1946 SHORT SUBJECT REVIEWS Short Inspires Front^Pmge Story Warner's two-reel featurette, "Hitler Lives?" dealing with the ever-present Na^i menace, was used as the basis for a front-page feature story in the Boston Herald, which tied in the subject with the recent U. S. Army poll in which GIs expressed themselves on the Hitler regime. Written by Bill Cunningham, nationally known columnist and commentator, the story also was syndicated to 65 other papers. Cunningham also did a column piece on "Hitler Lives?" in which he said in part: "The moral is powerful, the treatment unforgettable. The picture should be seen by every civilized human being and then seen again at regular intervals for the next 25 years, or maybe 125." Report on Greece (Very Good) (Continued from Page 38) interests clash regarding Greece and indicates that the British have more than an altruistic interest in the country than stated by that government as an excuse for maintaining troops there. The film develops so many themes, in addition to presenting to American audiences the desperate plight of Greece's people, that they cannot be listed here. It is, however, a highly educational exposition of what is going on and undoubtedly will clarify cause and effect, regarding Greece, in the minds of everyone who sees it. The short has unlimited exploitation possibilities. Headline Bands (Very Good) (2605) Melody Masters 10 mins. A compilation of music by the bands of Woody Herman, Larry Clinton, Jimmy Dorsey and Vincent Lopez, this Melody Master features Rubinoff and his Violin and is highlighted by an especially good rendition of Old Man Mose by the inimitable Betty Button when she was the featured vocalist with Lopez. The short has exceptionally good musical entertainment and certainly deserves prominent billing as a boxoffice attraction in any theatre where it is shown. Catnipped (Amusing) Col. (7601) Flippy Cartoon 7^ mins. Flippy, the young bird, proves his point that his wiles are more than a match for the cat's cunning and the dog's brawn. The Technicolor short is action from start to finish, with Flippy's antics driving the dog and the cat into constant battles. Satisfactory booking on any program. Spook to Me (Funny) Col. (7435) Andy Clyde 17 mins. Andy Clyde is leader of a kid's organization, Blood Hound's Pack No. 1, and demonstrates pseudo bravery for the kids. They camp next to a haunted house in the woods and Andy and the kids enjoy a high old time when the counterfeiters inhabiting the house attempt to scare them off with all sort of invented supernatural antics. A Hit with a Miss (Good) Col. (7434) Shemp Howard 16 mins. Howard, a waiter with pugilistic ambitions who can fight only when he hears a band play Pop Goes the Weasel, hears it often enough as played by his manager's screwball violinist, and thus fights for the championship. The story is simply an opportunity for Howard to display his own type of comedy, and his mugging in this one is funny. Cavalcade of Archery (Good) Warner Bros. (1513) Sports Parade 10 mins. The short opens with Technicolor shots clipped from a much more ambitious Wamer Bros, feature, showing Merrie Old England during the days when Robin Hood carried off all honors at archery. The scene shifts to the present and shows Howard Hill, famous archer, demonstrating his prowess with a bow and arrow. He probably would have taken all bets from Robin Hood or any other of the top "Voice of Theatre Speakers" JOE HORNSTEIN has it! archers of long ago. The short winds up with Hill shooting an apple and a prune off the head of an assistant, going the William Tell hero one better. Svengali's Cat (Amusing) 20th Century-Fox (6510) Mighty Mouse Terrytoon 7 mins. Mighty Mouse investigates the mysterious disappearances of mice by the score to discover that a high-powered hypnotist, leader of a gang of cats, has mesmerized a terrified damsel, who sings and lures other mice to their doom. The cat gets away in a flock of peculiar airplanes which Mighty Mouse battles in a Technicolored sky, defeats them all and swoops down to save the lovely damsel from a horrible fate in a menacing sawmill. Sing and Be Happy (Very Good) Universal (1381) Series No. 1 10 mins. This is a new type musical embodying a story with a community sing. Jane Pickens is shown in her boudoir expecting her dream man back from overseas. As she sings, the accompanying words are superimposed on the screen with Miss Pickens turning directly to the audience and inviting them to accompany her. The songs form an integral part of the narrative and include, I Never Knew, I'll Be Walking With My Honey and I'll See You in My Dreams. Swing High, Swing Sweet (Entertaining) Universal (1307) Name Band Musical 15 mins. Jan Savitt and his Orchestra provide the basis of musical entertainment in this assisted by Ella May Morse, who sings Cow Cow Boogie ; the Delta Rhythm Boys who do What a Difference a Day Made and Joan Fulton singing Sing, Everybody Sing. Miss Morse also delivers All I Do Is Dream of You and the maestro himself highlights the short with violin presentations of Fiorello's Caprice in D Major and Paginini's Caprice. The whole short is well produced and pleasingly presented in several different settings. Pins and Cushions (Interesting) 20th Century-Fox (6301) Paul Douglas Sports 8 mins. The fine points involved in bowling are shown by Joe Falcaro with trick set-ups and by straight demonstrations of slow-motion form by which the champ shows the flick of the wrist and other points involved in delivering the strike ball. Andrew Ponzie, former pocket billiard champ shows some of the trick shots he has used around the country in exhibitions with Charles Peterson, who also demonstrates a few of his own. Peeks At Hollywood (Interesting) Warner Bros. (2405) Vitaphone Varieties 10 mins. This is a variation on the "behind the scenes" business and shows two young starlets at Griffith Observatory looking at Hollywood from the vantage point available there. They see the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre ; Ken Murray as a screwball artist; Arthur Lake (Dagwood Bumstead), Hal Peary (Gildersleeve), Earl Carroll and some of his girls ; Virginia Weidler, Jane Withers and Errol Flynn in more or less intimate poses. Bad Bill Bunion (Funny) 20th Century-Fox (6506 Mighty Mouse Terrytoon 7 mins. Mighty Mouse's invincibility defeats the machinations of Technicolored Bad Bill Bunion in a dance hall, a train hold-up, a stage coach episode with the favorite actress of the West saved from a gory fate. The actress scene in which a "ding dong bell" sequence is included is one of the funniest cartoon scenes to be shown in a long time. Who's Who in the Jungle (Good) 20th Century-Fox (6506) Terrytoon 7 mins. Gandy Goose and his companion, the cat, are deep in the heart of a Technicolored African jungle when their plane is met by skunks, lions, leopards tigers and other denizens of the veldt. Gandy and the cat find themselves hunted instead of tlie hunters and make their get-away in their plane just in time to escape the more ferocious beasts, only to find that the skunks have taken over their airplane. Baseball Bugs (Very Funny) Warner Bros. (1726) Bugs Bunny 7 mins. The inimitable Bugs Bunny fancies himself a top-notch ball player and when he sees a tough gang trying to beat his home team through trickery he takes a hand, or rather nine pairs of hands, in the Technicolored game, playing all positions simultaneously (or so it seems so help us). Bugs has his hands full but he does it — that's what the man says ! Maestros of the Comics (Interesting) Universal (1366) Person-Oddity 9 mins. Four outstanding comic artists are shown at work and the short then goes into a visual explanation of the mechanics of their reproduction in newspapers. The artists are Walter Berndt, creator of Smitty and Herby; Milton Caniff, author of Terry and the Pirates ; Harold Gray, creator of Orphan Annie and finalh Bill Holman who draws Smokey Stover.