Variety (Oct 1940)

16 FILM REVIEWS Wednesday, October 9, 1910 knute Rockhe—All American Hollywood, Oct. 5 Warner BrOB. telonfie o? Robert Kellows | clined. fioauclloh. Features Put O Urlen, G«Io' uBe, Ronald ReaRan, Donald IHIhii,. A1- tert-BOflsorman. Directed by Lloyd Biicon. OrlKlniil screenplay by . Robert . OucUiu'r ba.sed' on. private papera~ pL' Jlrs, ing. 'They Knew What They Want- ied,' reaches the scre«n from the RKO studio under its own name as a class picture for the top first runs, guarr anteed to delight tn« emotionally in^ For the niiarquee . are the names of Carole Lombard and Charles Laughton, co-starred, with „,.,. strong feature support from William jiooUne : Gargari, Harry Carey and Frank Fay. iand Jthe .University ot Wotre Dame; ciiuv- j On two previous Occasions the late era, Tony Gaudio; speoiai: cfTec'ti;,- i|yi;oji ] Sidney Howard'^ drama~'of' passion HaakltjH and Rex Wimpy; edllor, Ualph j /nraiv-nc^i^ amnnff <?imtile neo- Dawson; uKst. director, Jp-sse. Hibb.s; tech- and, forgiveness among simple peo nicai advisors, NU'k i:,ui<atH and .1. A. rple m California s. Vineyards has Haley. Previewed at AVB Hollywood, Oci. been filmed, but each time under a 4; Mil, Running lUuc,, 1>T Ml>i.s. . r- different title, on the theory, pfer- RbokVie;;;;. rill^e . that if Audiences didn-t khow Georffe (iipp . . Uonnid Roiijrnn ' in advance that..they were going to Father John Callahtn, Donald ("rlsp ggg a storV ■ 6f lOVe's misstep their Father. JuUuH Nleuwland,Albert> Ha.»sernfan | ..^.x nrntprt(»rf Pola Neffri Commlitoe Chairman.. . .\ ..;... ,John I.ltcl ; ^^JL^^P^^i^"^^ Dociofi......,..... . .Henry O'Neill and Jean Hersholt played it as . The Gua DoraiB.,.,;..,.......Owen Davis, .1 r. 1 Secret Hour' (Paramount '28) and I.ara Knutson HoL-khe;.....;. . John^ Qiiaien i vilma Banky and Edward G. Robin Martha. Roekne. •■• .....Dorothy 'lroe,_ _ ;f -a' < Knute (at age 6t .7.1.:..,;.....Tohn. Sheffield Ji SS . The Moreau Choir of Notre. D.atne The: Four Horsemen I Nick liUkata. . .. . J Kane Hlchmond r. A Lady in Love' (Metro. '30). ' It*,s an honest piiece of play writing wnuam Mnrxh-.ii I a"'* when produced by the Theatre \\-niiam^ Uyrni ' Guild in 1924 it was a Pulitzer prize Howard "Johe-s, Gicnh 'Pop" Warner, Alonzo .winner. States, "vviiiiiuii •jiiii.'. spauiding... . ; . ii^ssoatially. 8 drama'of 'Character!-.' •-■ —— zation, the lead parts are capitally Highlights in the colorful life. of played by Miss LombaTd, as the little Kput Rockne, one of the most promi-. waitress, who was woo^^n >-v nent figiires in the world, of. football Charles Laughton in black mustache during the present generation, are as. Tony the grape-groAve: , ^ - woven into a biographical filrn Gan as the foreman, heavy. FianU drama that carries both, inspirational pay. gives a sincere and. kindly per- ahd djramatic appeal on a wide formance as the padre, and . Harry scale. Tied in with the current Carey makes the country doctor a Rockne celebrations being held in standout. Various parts of the country, and na- ,Filrh was directed by . Garson tjonal interest generated through the: Kanih under Erich Pommer's super- world premiere. of the picture at vision as producer) The location South Bend, 'Knute Rockne—AH shots were, admirably chosen: and American' will roll up hefty yardage Harry Stradling's camera caught the at the theatre, boxoffiees. . beauty and charm of the California Immortalizing 'Rock,' whose imr vineyards, pression of clean; sportsmanship, tJamwork, and determination to. win in any game—whether it be on the After a series of costume parts Laughton re-establishes himself as the. gentle Italian whose love was big fields of: football or life-^is'indelibly | enough to overlook transgression, stamped in the characters of the; In the main,* hdwever, it is Miss thousands of boys who played on' Lombard's picture aiid. perhaps the his teams, and this iiicture stands as; best, dramatic bit, she has done. ..gno of the best biographical picturi-.i None of the story eissentials is de- zations ever turned out. I leted . by Robert Ardrey in the Story opens with Rockne's father screenscript, and his improvisations deciding to come to this country—, keep the plot moving smoothly. Diia- the land, of opportunity. . Knute log is simple and direct, grows up around Chicago, works as ,; Although 'They Knew What They a post office clerk until he saves: Wanted' is nearly 20 years old it re- enough to enroll at Notre Dame, His , tains a certain freishhess, and its scholastic career, including the; makers show acumen irt not attempt- famous Dorais-tO-Rockne forward : ing: to iise it for social preachment, pass play, which defeated the Army, ! It scores becatise .it is faithfully done. is briefly sketched^also his romance with Bonnie Skiles and his decision to remaiin as and assistant _ tion of the biography deals With his coaching experiences and the whole- some influence he exerted on the FUn. ^iS^3?^iS^ LONG VOYAGE HOME Hollywood, Oct. 8. : TTnlted 'Artlata releam of Argosy Corp. (Walter Wanger) production. Features boys, under his direction, iintil the '■ John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell,.lan Hunter, ill-fated plane trip to the Coast. i l>,°i"n *,1.v'"n,,^^^^ h«'l^ T,°nn; —,• i . i. jj J -i.-, x ■ ncreenplay, Dudley J^lchQie, based . upon Picture is studded with familiar, one-act plays by Eugene O'Neill; pamera, incidents in Rockne's life—the meet-: Gregg Toland; editor, Sherman Todd; mu- ing with George Gipp, latter's brief i ^'cai score. Richard Hageman; musical ^Ji^ ni^'^io,^ 'aJ^^u -fi-nw. r^no,. 'conductor, Ed-ward Paulr production asslKt- grid glories and death from pneu-, „ntg^ wingate. Smith, B. F. McEveety, monia; defeat by Army .after a long : I^oweU Farrell; speolai effeeta. .R. .T. I^y- winhihg streak and the early, morn-; ton, R. 6. Binger. (Previewed Oct. i, '40. ing reception of Rock on his return: »f,j^°"'- star, l. a. Running time. 103 to South Bend, his decision to accept ■ ble Oi'son coaching as a life work in prefer-, Driscbii..',.*.'. ence to .chemical research, and his, j^n^'^y-------' '' memorable 'go out and win this one The CaVtain'"'"" for the Gibpei'' in an Army game. I Freda Through it all runs the theme of' Ajfei,......-,...,. Rockne's whole purpose in life— >,''''!5- '\v • moulding boys under hiS' care to be- Savis.*'.. :t come good Americans who are con- i.imehouse'crimi; Ecious of their responsibilities and;Tropical woman. ppDortunities. jBumboat gin.... Pat O'Brien delivers a fine char-! „ . , ^, ^ l * acterization of the imm:ortal Rockne, I , Combining dramatic content of catching the spirit of the role with 1 Eugene O'Neill one-act plays, an understanding of the human'John Ford pilots adventures of a qualities of the man. Donald Crisp tramp steamer from the West Indies turns in his usual capable per- formance as Father John Callahan, - head ...of .N,Qtre_ _Dame, . while_Gale with blackout restrictions is more informative than dramatic. Stuka- aombing and machine-gunning of the ship , in sight of land is a dra- matic excuse for heroic death of Hlihter jiist before landing. Mitchell hits a high mark in the seaman's cha.racter — two.-fisted,' domineering, "and still kindly and loyal to his pals. Wayne's role is submerged among the sailor char- acters, best; of which are Hunter, John Qualen, Bond, Arthur Shields, Joseph Sawyer and Barry Fitzgerald, who catches attention as a messiroom steward. Walter Wahger pro^uded topnotch production layout for the picture, with Gregg Toland's photography in low key lighting a. masterpiece. — Wolt. .... .John' "Wayne .Thomas Mitchell ..... .Ian Hunter , Barry Fitzgerald ..Wilfrid Lawson Mildred Nalwlck .., . .John Qualeh Ward Bond ... Arthur^ .Shields .. .Joseph .Sawyer ..J., a.. Kerrigan . .Rafaela Ottlano ..Carmen Mlrales Page is an excellent choice "for Bonnie Skiles.. Others in • support include Ronald Regan as George Gipp; Albert Basserman, Owen Davis, 'Jr., as G.us Dorais, John Quailen and Dorothy Tree. Four outstanding grid coaches, friends and contemporaries of Rockne—Howard Jones, Glenn 'Pop* Warner, Alonzo Stagg and William Spaulding^are brought in for brief appearances in one sequence. ■' Picture necessarily unfolds in episodic fashion, to cover the span . ^. . . . - of years it depicts. Football se-' fui'ther handicap outside; metropoli ciuences are deftly intercut, with i!;' ^ ^^7^ wheria exploitation may much of the: : footage apparently ^®^P- . , : ^ newsreel clips from the games de- '^'•Pry has adventurous background picted, and most of It fi:om the tra- on .which Ford hangs development ditional Army-Notre Dame games, of characterizations, rather: than to an American . port, and' then across the Atlantio with cargo of high explosives, Picture is typically -Fordian, his—direction- -accentuating characterizations and a^entures of the voyage to highest pitch of realism., , • In being tabbed as a directorial achievement — with Ford, making much out of little—^picture still fails to flu requirements for general audi ence appeal. It's lusty and vigorous he-man stuff, but not sufficient to catch the fernme audiences. Critics will hand if artistic rating, but b.o returtis look to; be^on the lee side arid .limited lack of names is a There's an anti-climax which car, ries- on after the plane, crash which covers the Rockne, funeral services in the Notre Dame chapel^ with an eulogy by. Crisp. .It's a smacko : tragic finish that will find few dry eyes in the. audience, Lloyd Bacon directs, from script . compiled on fact by Robert Buckner. Picture is more than: a "historical document of football during the past movement. It plods along at slow tempo, making onlookers wonder when ship will finally make an English port safely. There's a rather confusing passage . in which Ian Hunter, as a diBckhand, is pictured as an enemy spy, and although he Is finally cleared, nqthing. explains his actions that lead: to brigirial sus picions, . Aside from explosive cargo abbard three decades—it's an inspirational i^^We Interest is generated' in fina: reminder of !what this country safety of crew, as: yarn points oiit ■ - they are all men of the sea,, who; will ship out again soon as pay evapo : stands for. And decidedly timely; . ■.: Walt. They Knew \yhat They Wanted . RKO release rtf I3rlch Pommer produc- tion.' Stars ■ Carole . Lombard, Charlp.s Laugtph; features William Gafgbn, Harry Carey,.. Frank Fay, Directed, by (lurson . Knnln. Screenplay by Robert Ardrey from play by Sidney Howard; camera, Harry Stradling;; musical pcore, Alfred Newman; apeclnl effects, Vernon L. Walker; editor, Johrt Sturge.si: asst. director, Ruby Hopcn- bewr. Previewed In Projection Room, N.V., Oct, 8. '40, Running: time; 00 .MIN.*; Beautifully acted, excellently di- rected and produced with fine fcel- rates; all but. John. Wayne, who 'wants a nestegg for a farm in Sweden, but he's lost in the shuffle of characters and never highlighted for audience interest.' Along the: voyage there's plenty of dialog and action in the crew's quarters, with Thomas Mitchell the accepted leader of the group. Storm at sea, in which ship's anchoir breaks loose, and it is finally cut away^ witli ward Bond fatally injured in ; bvave action—is particularly real- ; istic. Lingering suffering and death ' of Bond, with resultant sea burial, is both over-played and over-tragic. Pa.s.sage through the submarine zone Miniature Reviews . <Knutc Rockne—All Amer|can» (WB). A strong and inspira- tional drama that will score plenty of b. o. touchdowns, 'They Knew What They Wanted? (RKO). Excellent re- make, starring Carole Loitibard and Charles Laughton, and aimed f«r top first runs, 'Long Voyage Honit^ (UA). John Ford's artistic sock, doubtful big b.o. entry.. 'Too Many Girls' (RKO). Film Version of George Abbott .stage musical; good biz: prospects with exploitation hypoing grosses. >iDOwh Argentine Way"! (20th). Filmusical ■ brilliant; Techni- color with eye and . ear appeal for tno.derate to good. biz. •Yesterday's .Heroes'r (2.0lh). Seasonal vehicle for the- pigskin trade. " Should get faii: b.o. 'Aiigels^ Over Broadway' (Col). Ben Hecht's venture as . pro- ducer - direct.br-writer misses. ' ^Diamon4 Frontier' (U). Stere- otype action yiarn abbiit the South . African diamond rush; for lower duals. ■ . 'Triple Justice' (RKO). GeOrge O'Brien in a good- western; •Frontier Vengeance' (Rep), Mediocre western starring Donr aid 'Red' Barry, .for thejsecond- ary duals only,, . • 'Mosart' (British). 'Austrian composer's inusic a saving grace; fair for arty theatres only. 'fill Ell' (Cinema). Competent- ly made . "Yiddish film,: starring Esther Field. . TOO MANY GIRLS (MUSICAL) Hollywood, Oct. 4/ RKO relea.se of George 'Abbott produc- tion, directed by Abbott. Features Lucille Ball, Richard Carlson, Ann Miller, Eddie Bracken, Frances Langford, Deal Arhaz and Hnl LeRoy. Screenplay by John Twist, from.musical by George Marlon,. Jr., Rich- ard Rodgers and Lgrenz Hart; tjamera, Frank Redman; :edltor, Wllliami Hamilton;' a.ist. director, Dewey Starkey;- special et- fects, Vernon L,.. Walker; dances, OLeRoy Prlpis. Previewed at Pantages.' Octi 3^ '40, Running time, 84 MINS,. 'Lucilie Ball spective assignmientj here; Eddie Bracken, Desi Arnaz, Hal LeRoy and Libby Bennett. Bracken continues his deadpan comedy role, with its rich dialog lines^. and clicks in a big way to command attention for further picture dbals. Desi. Arnaz, who is getting an extensive publicity buildup as the heartthrob from Cuba, has ah intriguing film per-; soriality that mijjltt carry him far. His dri(m7bc,ating cphga dance in the finale provides a smash specialty that will be remembered. Ann Miller, drafted from the' George White 'Scandals,' do6s sev- eral fast solo, dances, but in. addi- tion displays a fresh and youthful personality with plenty of showhian- .ship behind it. This is Miss Miller's second try in Hollywood, after an unbptioned term at RKO about three years a.tjo, and her performance and ability should tie her up as a perma- nerit film fixture -for filmjusicalS: in the upper brackets. Lucitfe Ball is a beaut for the lead, with Richard Carlson opposite for the majbr romantic interest. Hal LeRoy is mainly decorative, al- though he has. one dance number promirientlv . spotted. Libby Ben- nett and others in support are lost in the scrimmagev : Frances; Lang-: ford's song assignments afi'e okay. Lightweight story concernj; a rich girl Avhose father hires four foot- ball stars as her . bbdyguafds when she takes off. for a college in the southwest cactus country, place is overruri. with .cirls, which gives, plenty of production opportunity for display of girly ensembles.^ The ;e;iiu auartct is persuaded to. join the football squad, .which immediately skyrockets the team to national prominence. Carlson falls in love \vith the girl, and gets her in the. endi . ..'' Picture is rich in production valiaes and lavishhess of the dance ehserhr bles. Football sequences are. fairly authentic ■ and avoid the : general comedy antics, on the gridiron in the brief- displays of the games. LeRoy Prinz incorporates some new twists to the dance's,, while photography by Frank Redman is ;of consistently high standard. Walt. Down Argeiitine Way (Musical) (TECHNICOLOR) Hollywood, Oct. 2: 20th 'Century-Fox' releatie ot Uarryl F. Zanuck tHarry Joe Briiwn) production. Stars Don Ameche, Betty Grable'i Carmen Miranda; ;features - .Charlotte .. Greenwood. Directed bir Irving Cummlngs; : Screenplay by DaiTfeU Ware and'Karl Tunberg; Btory, Rlan Jarhes aiid Ralph Spence; soiigs. Mack Gordon and Harry Warren; camera, Iieon Shamroy and Ray Henniihan; editor. Bar- bara' HcI.ean; dances. .Niohola.4 Castle and Geneva Sawyer. Previewed at .Westvvood '■10. Running time. 9Z 1. Connie: Casey.... Clint Kelly,.... Pepe...,......... Jojo Jordan..... lOlleen Kllers,.., Manuelito Al Terwilllger... Tallulah ;l.ou. ... Mr.' '•("'asey Beverly. Waverly Ijlsler.; Midge Martin.., Mrs. -TewJtab.ury, Sheriff Andalun. ..: Richard Carlson :. Ann. Miller ....^..Uddle Bracken I.Frances Langford ..........Desi Arnuz ... .'.Hal LeRoy .....TJbby Bennett Harry Shannon- — t)ouglas Walton Clipster Clute ..-...'. ..Tlhy Pereon • • • .-J..- •... fivi:. Scpit .,... .Byron Shores VlllfiE©, Oct MINS. Rlcardo Quintnna Glenda Crawford. Carmen. Miranda. Blnnle Crawford,. Caslano'. ., Don Diego Qu in tana, . . .Helen Carson......... Tito Acuna. Esteban... .• Jimmy Blake.; . Sebastian............. Panchilo.. Ambassador. Danoe Specialties .. Six Hits and a Mlsit, Carmen Mlr.tnda Bund Wmis Criiwford........ Anasla'sio....... Hotel kiariagers........ George Abbott takes over the pro-, ducer-director chores for the film version of his Broadway musical hit. of last year. Despite its many ob- vious faults in filmusical form, 'Too Many Girls' is sufficiently gay ■ and giddy—with plenty of music and dancing—to get across for nominally profitable biz in the regular runs as a bill topner. Exploitation of its light and frothy entertainment con- tent, especially aimed at the school and college . groups, will' add nia- terially to the b.o. take. Oiitstanding factor in the filmusi- cal version of 'Too Many Girls' to keep it from dipping into boredom, is its constant display of youthful effervescence and spontaneity. Di- rect transposition of a stage musical to films,: without making ch^mges to: accommodate; the wider advantages Of presentation as a picture, is de- cidedly oldfashioned. Abbott'takes that route: He also fails to fociis au- dience attention on the song' num- bers, which seem to get lost in the shuffle. The story is spasirnbdic, with much of: the rich cphiedy of the stage show missing due to over- lap of dialog and failure to. point up the gag toppers, ; In the majority of pictures, these faults would be impossible hurdles to overcome, but; Abbott successfully bridges the hahdicaps.. 'Too: Many Girls' is lively, fast-movingi gay and nonsensical, with these attributes paraded against a colorful collegiatie background. It is studded with sev- eral good tunes, and liberally, sprinkled with beaiuteous dancing girls who com- from nowhere to merge in large ensemble numbers; Despite lack of marquee values in the cast setup, th6re are some crackerjack performers in the line- up. Four members of the stage .<;h6w are tran.sformed to thieir re- Mohtero'.''... .Don Ameche .. ..B«>tiy Grable ........ t,,.. . .Herself .('hiirlotle Greenwood J. Carrol Nalsh .... ;-Honry Stephenson . ..Katharine Aldrldge ..... .T.conld Klhskey ,... ,Chrl3-Pin Marllri ...... .Robert ;Conw«y ..,'...;. Ci roRory Gayo Bobby Stone ,.... i. ChnrlPR Jndels f N'lcholas Brothers .. i Thomas and I Catherine Dowllng .........Themselves ;. Themselves ....Kdward Fielding .....Edward Conrad ( Forltinio Bonanova iand Arma'tid Kallz .;..... .Frank Puglla In . producing 'Down Argentine Way,' Darryl Zanuck takes a double- barrelled shot. Firstly to explore possibilities of substantially increas- ing grosses from the Latin and South American ■ marlcetsr in; addition--to- aiming at the fancieis of domestic audiences with an extravagant fil- musical package.' Picture's receptibn In the South American seictor will provide studios with an angle on potentialities of .upping income on big pictures which carry backgrounds of those countries (instead of European settings), be- side a direct appeal in story and content to Latin-American audiences. 'Down Argentine Way' should click in a big way in the. southern hemi- sphere, and will probably inspire a new. cycle of pictures laid in the Amazon, pampas and Andes regions. Although, carrying a slender stOry threiad, that is reliatively unimportant. It will hit good biz as bill topper in the regulair keys and subseqtlents; and may catch holdover dat^is m sev- eral of the . .metropolitari centers ■where there is a stronger following for the film revue type of entertain- ment. A; number of top entertainers are presented during the 92 minutes of running time. The eight numbers are divided equally between North and South America, accent, being on the congarhumba (rrietier; Carmen Miranda is most prominent in swingr ing and swaying, through 'South American Way.' 'Bambu,' 'Mamae Eu Quero' and 'Touriadas Em Ma<^rid.' Her showmanship, piresentation ahd' delivery are tdphotch. Some studio should nab her for a dramatic pro- duction where her personality can be i utilizied for more than .mere speclali- j ties, as in this Ihstarice. I Showstoppers are uncovered in the dance team of the Nicholas Bros, who provide a routine of ■ acrobatic taps that shines as one of the .best specialties, in the picture. Don Ameche, Betty Grable,: Six Hits and a Miss, and Charlotte Greenwood take care of the "singing chores on four tunes composed by Mack Gordon and Harry. Warren. Hiss Grable's rhumba stepping is much more effective than ner vdcalizlnc while Miss . Greenwood typically sings and diances in Comedy temnn •Sing to Your Senorita.' Story is both threadbare and static in itself. It's another one about breeding and racing horses. Amc>che's father breeds thoroughbreds in the Argentine, arjd Miss Grable is the rich New York girl whose hobby is col- lecting blue-ribbon jumpers. Ameche bririgs;a consignmeilt to:'the States for sale, but there's ah old family feud the young folks are unaware of so none of the horses can be sold to the. ^irl. The romatice starts there, and continues in the Argentine when Miss Grable follows him back home, •then the two. lovers must convince" the old nian oh two points—the feud was .unnecessary, and :his prize jumper is^^ a champion flat racer. Ciarrying . advantage of goi'geous Technicolor nriouhting, with Tlazzling color throughout in both settings and costumes that- keejps constantly re-^ minding the bhlooker that it's all a, showy revue, the picture neverthe- less receives plenty of enhancement due io the tinting process. The tint^ are the ' latest improvement iri the stedjdy. progress by: the Technicolor corripany, and provide sharper •con'^ trast and better definition than here- tofore. Ameche capably, handles his role of the dashing Argentinian, and puts over his song assignments with ease. Miss Grable is light on vocal abiliUe.*!; which, however, lire b.vercome by her dances and beauty under the cameras. Charlotte- Greenwood does much to liven story: passages with some sound; comedy with. Leonid Kinskey. Latter catches many laughs as a Latin gigolo, while J. Carroll Naish provides ; a brief but sterling characterization of. the - hacienda stable overseer. Others in stiDjport Include Henry Stephenson, Chris- Pin Martin and Charles J.udels. : Walt. YESTERDAY'S HEROES i20tft .Cen'tury'^Fox release of Sol M. Wnrl-. Ecl production. Features Jean "noKors, Robeirt Sterling, Ted North. Krtihcrlne Aldridge, Russell' Oleaaon. .Directed bv' Herbert r. Leeds. Stofy, AVilllum Hreiit; screetlplay, Irvinp-Gummlhgs, Jr.,' Wlliium Conselmnn, Jr.; camera, Charles, t'larke;' editor, Al De Gaetano. Reviewed at Ner': hraska, Llncold, Sept. 80, MO: Running time, 85. MIN8. Lee. i:... i,. ,Tenn Rogers Wyman;.................. ..Robert .Slterllng Hammond, i ...............' .i.Ted North ■ Janice...... ... .i.. . .Kuthorlnfi Aldridge Garrett...........,.' .UuhbcII (^Ipiison .■slater......... .... .Hlohiird Lnne Jones .:...;.. .^t, lEdmund .\Ii'u-I")o>i:ild Stovall,., . .■ .Georee Iv viivg W4nnie. .ICmnui Dunn Kellogg....»....... ^ .Hiirry Hiiydon Mrs. Kellogg,.............Isabel Han'dnliih Mason ,,,...... .Pierre Waikln Walsh •.;,... Frniik Sully Aiinouncera..Mlke Frankovlteh, Don Forbei Timely, wetl-xnade, hut very evi- dently a cheapie thrown at the foot- ball season which has a way of hav- ing too many pigskin yarns which lose money, Yesterday's Heroes' stands a chance of making a little money, and standing up well in the duals. Every , sports page is its ex- gloitation, and.it serves as a vehicle y which two new 20th-Fox person- alities are offered-^Robert Sterling and. Ted North. . Lack of casting strength is made up for by the. substance, for, after all, football is football, and for those who go because they like the thrills of the game it has all the essential' thrill needs. Jean Rogers, who leads off the cast, is the best known face, and Katherine Aldridge,. Miss Cb-Ed- of the piece, a la the Brenda Frazier. school, rides up •with the newcomers. Sterling looks very good, has a pleasing face, a nice delivery, and with all the-:mark-ings qf. a-typicaL schoolboy. With a little grooming, he might grow into a good bet. North, a recruit from his father's midwest tent rep show, has plenty, "of stage presence, but comes up short of meat here as; the college Brisbane. The camera deals as kindly with hirti as it does with Sterling, but the. lat- ter carries the ball and makes the mbst of the pic's two girls \yho are srriitten variously with him. . Dick Lane's—high-pressure college coach is good,,and so is his dummy assistant, Frank Sully. .Russell Glea-' son, with a lot of crushes and few co-eds, is of the blonde-studying,' rather than the. book-learning type. Pierre Watkin cuts.a fair character, swath as a wealthy alum. Art. ANGELS OVER B^WAY : Hollywbod, Oct. 3. Columbia release .of Ben ■ Herbt produo tlort, written and directed by Hecht; naso- clate producer,' Douglas' Falrbiinkp,' .Ir.- Stars Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.-; feiiturcs Rita Hayworth, Thomaa Mitchell. Co-dlVector. Leo. Qarmes':. caniera, I.,ee Cannes; editor, Gene Havllck;. asst. . director, Clifton Brdughton. -Previewed at Panlages, Oct. 2, '40; Running time, 78 MINS.. : Bin. O.'Brien,.;,..;, .DoUglas. Fairbanks, .,Tr, 'Nina Barbna.. .Rita Heyworih Gene Gibbons..'.......... tTlioniaB Mitchell Charles Engle.: John \Qunlen HopiJer.; Dutch Enrlght..,.. . Lpule .Artlno. , Eddie Burns.; Sylvia Mar.be....... ,.. .George ;Watt.5 ..Ralph Thobdore .....Kddle. Foster . ., . . .Jac'k' Ropi'r .Constance 'Worth . Ben Hecht losses his hat iri the ring for another try at picture- making, this time in the triple rple of writer, director and producer, His efforts, in a cinematic way, still keep him in theTmaiden-ranks ihsofar as production guidance and • direction are concerned. Hecht is a much better writer. ♦ . ' .'Angels Over Broadway' is a «yn- (Contirtued on page 18)