Variety (Apr 1943)

Wednesdaj, April 21, 1943 CRASH DIVE ITECHNICOLOB) Umlj-Kux n'luii'i* i.f Al-Iliin SiierllnK im - tfut-iifiK' Siiiii* 'Difiif I'liwiT, Anni* lliixti-r, Ptinn .\iiiIi-«*uk: ■•iiiiii*H .iHiiifH (llviiifaiii, M:iy Wlillii. Ililivy MorKHli, I'l-ll 4'niii*i-. Dun I* il U\ A'vhii; Muyn. s«*r*'i'n- Jii S\M-i|ut|:. I'ltM'il 4111 orlKlhHl by Hiii'liiii: •■niiifiii. l.»-iin t^lifiiiiniy:- l>|i*"-litl •■*fr«tM. Kri-0 Si'lHfii: i-illl'"r. \V:iI!iT Tli«ii>l>H«>n '1*1 >lii<uii A|iiil IT. '4:t. Itliii- liiiilf lliiii-. IIIA MINK. l.ii-iit W.ipl Su-w.irl; Tyitiiti* T*itwi'i J-:in lli-wllll \nni- ILix^t l.lfilt. I'fillllltflr. CdfllifirM... . IMin.i Aii'll'ruii Mi-I>iinn(^ll Iiiiiip:! i:li*]ii'fih <:r.'iniliniilhvi- l»:iiiif .Mny Wlilllv ]ir«i\vnie . H>'lii-v- ^h•ru:tll 4li:vi'r I'li-lliWi'U .ItllfH..^ Ili-ll ( |.l:iv. J, V. K. llnmitiontl... <*'i|iiiiln lliyfiii). ]>i>rlii «'iirly '... Ililllrr BllxH ItiKiiili-y... I.lPuli^nHnt t'nptHln Cl<-rk SnINir .. .t*li:iili:« 'r.iiinr-n Kniiik I'lfniitV Kliil'n"-* ly<u\ Jiihii An'hiT i:.-ni'Ki' Hiilni'H ...... Miihir- \V:iti'i'li .K.ilMrrii II<iWiimI . .hiivlil Hii-n . .Slunlf' Aiiiln'WB I'iiul Iturni t;<-iii> K xKl 'Crash Dive' Is 20th-Fox's salute to the submarine crews of the U. S. Navy. It packs terriflc wallop and Is. geared to exceptional b.o. grosses In all situations. ' Endowed with a fine cast, headed by Tyrone Power tot marquee strength, it has been directed with consummate skill and artistry by Archie Mayo., unfolds a tense, dra- matic .series of. undersea warfare episodes and. visually, through its excellent Technicolor treatment, Is at all times hijihly distinciive. True, the script concocted bv jp Swerling from en original bv W. R. Burnett can hardly lay claim to oricinallty.' with the Aim having a tendency to slip during its maudlin boy-chases-gal .icquenees in the early chaDter.>:. but oner the prelim- inaries havr been disposed of and the U.S.S. Corsair starts liitlini! the high' seas. It's a tr>n<:e. arresting sagn of sub warfare that's as eduoatlonol as it is entertaining. When the pic- ture deals with the adventures nf the sub's crrw in maneuvering the ship through narrow channels to elude sub nets and a profusion of mines', with only n matter nf Inches the difference between life and death, it crrnto.' .in 'overwhelminT suspense. The fnct that many of the Aim's too moments r'o -derived from an exanrrination of the in- tricacies involved in the complex operation of Ihe .submersible is a tribute to director Mayo for his abil- ity to' dramdlizo the technical as- pects of the sub's mechanisms with such vividness and clarity, and en- 'd.ow It with a maximum of enter- tninment. Throughout the latter port the Aim is charged with sure- fire episodes, such as the sub's crash diving to the floor of the ocean as depth charges from an enemy Q- boat explode about her. with the re- si'ltant sinking of the eneihy ve.s.<sel vin a ruse whereby the sub flres dummies to the surface and ejects oil to convey to the Germans that she has been sunk. 'Crash' was made in cooperation with the U. S. naval rub base nt New London. Conn., where many of its sequences were fl'-ned. Tale opens on a weak note with Lt. Tyrone Power .transferred from a PT mosquito boat to submarine sorvlce. En route to Washington for Instructions he meets up with Anne Baxter, a New London teacher tak- ing a group of junior misses on an educational tour of the capital. The officer gets oft on' the wrong foot through a lower borth mixup and later they wind up at the same hotel vhere, through another sleeping ar- rangement maneuver, he puts on a 'wolf act to gain her afTecllons. It's trite, but solid stuff for the Power fans. Back in New London, where the gal has returned to her teach- ing post, he continues his play for her. Anally winning her over only to learn she's the flancee of his su- Jicrior officer. Dana Andrews. Thus s laid the background for the con- flict between the two officers which is only submerged by their allegiance to the Corsair and their respect for e:">h other's abilities. 't's when the triangle situation Is pr.ioerly relegated to a background tb;«t the Aim's interest hypoes, with the sea episodes building up to a Slick climactic sequence when the sub is ordered back into the North Atlantic waters to And and destroy 0 Nazi mincla.ving base in the vicln- ilv of its Arst encounter with the Q-:7(i;.l. 'Th».4»-«Ae*.^..iiV'l;ial'k>.t^i(ki si'b's crew blasts the .«hore installa- tinns and torpedoes .subsr and other enemy rrnft. while required to work with split-second accuracy, offers moments of terrlAc excitement and ptM-mits for ma.ximiim production §re.<ientalion, enhanced considerably .<• the Technicolor, Power is expertly cast both In the romantic role and as the sub officer, Andrews also turns In a top per- formance, as does Miss Baxter, In supporting roles. James Gleason, Dame May Whitty, Henry Morgan tind Ben Carter, Idtter as the sub's colored mess attendant, likewise rate kudos. Rose. MiniatBre Reviews 'Crash IHve' (Technicolor) i20:h). Exciting submarine saga starring Tyrone Power geared fur tn;) gro.sses. 'They Came to Blow Up Amerira' i20th). George San- ders, Anna Stcn in saboteur meller: strong dual supporter. 'Good Morn:ng, Judge' (Songs) (Ui. Program comedy-drama with good pace to carry through as standard dual supporter. ■Taxi, Milter' (UA), Hal Roach streamliner will satisfy in usual slot ns supporting programmer. '1 Esraped From the Gestapo' (Mono). Spy meller ukay for supporting datings in the second- ary duaU. 'Keep 'Em Slugfing' lU). Dead End Kids and Little Tough Guys in a program meller. 'Slianlytown' (songs) iRep), Non-war tale of a tomboy. Okay for diials. - ■ They Came to Blow Up America SOth-Piix r«l«iii<f- I-, 1,. • ..liin-UH imHlui-- tliin. Hliiri Uc<irK<: SdiidiTii. Annii .<!|<.ii: ii'nturci Wnril HkiuI. I.uilwlit .xiKf.'il. )il- rri'lril li]r Rilwiinl l.uilirlic. S,'n>rn|iliiy liy Auliniy Wlxlxnc fnim 'iirlirlnul l.y .Mlrhi-I Jiu'iiliy: cdlliir, Nlik I>i- .M,ii:i:iii: niiiirni. i.urlpn Anilrliil: i>|i«<'liil rfrri'lv,. Krni Sir- »rn. TniiloKtinwn In N. Y. April IM. 'AS. Uiiiinlni: lir.n-. 7» .MINH. (*iirl Sii*i>linnn Cfun.'**' .*^i:ii<1,ti* Kruu KolkiT .\nii:i .-'irn '■riilK \Viii-.l |-<.|iil ('olnnrl Tumrr llpnnlH Uu-v Dr. ll**rniiin llaiiiiii'i .... .ItillUH Sli*^liii:iii Ciiiiliiln Krnni l(<*lM>i l.orent lii-inrlPh lliirkhnnli Mth. Himrledti Sicfliniiii Klt-hnrr 'XrllrrlHii'h ronimniiilPr llnUHer Si^Hinxell FrllJ S'.ill.-li-llx Ki-.iliz' Al.l,' .\t>n^n Tlii'i-i*}';! iii'rizi»r .-... r,.:if)i i:ii,'iril>iiitiin S:llr>lHi1y ik-kli'Kcl SIl IC>::iiHn ... I.ll.lul;: .<l>*>.Hfl . ...Illili^rl Riirnil I'illily hur l(Hli>h nynl Klya .litiiHKcn . . Ill'S WIMIUIIIH .l*)::Tk'» .MiCnivv .Svi'i'i lIuRi, l:.in; Kin-l K ili-li MIM Hl-li'llniv ....\liiliYk I'hrirliil ^. A nio Kr**y SniH Wi-^n ..Kill .M"Diinld ...r-'iMf .Mk'liiiH Dli-k llrkHiili l.fHn (iiilm . WuiruiiiiK Xllzer Lacking big marquee names and handicapped oy its elongated title. They Came to Blow Up America' nevertheless is a deftly concocted melodrama of Nazi sabotage efforts In U, S. Yarn concerns the German sabo- teurs who were landed off Long Is- land, N, Y., opening with the sen- tencing of the eight Nazi espionage agents. Flashback method is useil to detail what supposedly back- grounded their capture. However, main thread of fable follows the efforts of an F.B.I, operative to fer- ret out Nazi sabotage ahead of ac- tual event . Despite the fact that the story fol- lows the accepted pattern in show- ing how the Gestapo and espionage boys are trained in Germany. Ed- ward Ludwlg's well-paced direction makes an exciting tale out of obvi- ously melodramatic, and sometimes Implausible, material. Loyal F.B.I, ^gent sub.stitutes for a dead Bund operative in U. S. and ingratiates himself with the Nazi Naval Intel ligence in Germany. George Sander being the agent who goes on the exciting trip inside enemy headquar. ters. He's Just landed on Long Is- land from a German sub when word Is flashed that he should be executed forthwith because a spy. Somebody In Sanders' own family had talked to one of his best friends (the family doctor), and word was flashed back to Germany nearly in time to cause his death. However. Sanders lands successfully and goes through with the trial with his true Identity. not revealed by the F.B.I until later. Sanders turns In a solid perform- ance as a convincing American-Ger- man type in the F.Bii. employ. Anna Sten, as the Austrian beauty tied up with the underground movement in Germany, is excellent thou.ch in secondary role. Her affair with Sun- ders Is all too brief. In contrast, Poldy Dur, as the wife of the dead Bundlst who nearly traps Sander.<;, Is given a meaty part, Ludwig Stos- sel Is remarkably flne as Sanders' the Bundlst movement. Ward Bond as the. F.B.I, chief, makes something of his role. Support is headed by Ralph Bvrd. Dennis Hoeyi .Sig RU' man, Robert Barrat and Elsa JanS' sen. Besides the exciting direction, trim camera work by Lucleri' An driot and outstanding special photo effects by Fred Sersen help the all- round strong production afforded by Lee Marcus. Wear. Good Morning, Judge (SONOS) Hollywood, April 16. rii:ti->,il r^lMi^H Iff l*iiiil MHlvfrn |iro- •hi,-li-ii. .<i:iiri DennlH li'Koofc, l.,iUlso Ariiiiiiun: f.-ii(ui-i'h Uary lli-ili lluKhi-f>, J. I'lirioil .Nultib. DIrn'ivtl by Jcmi YHr- l>niUKh. S(-n>eii|il:iy hy M)iurlc« (lorHicliiy .-iit,l Wnrrfii WilMin; orliclnvl, (IrraHtlly ;.li>l U',ii!tl„n .MIIUt: riillU'ra, Juhn W. i:,i>1i-: ,-,l!i,)r. l-Mwiii-,1 ('urilpji; xitiiifH liy .\l.li'-ii l:,.>,-ii. Kvfr^lt CiiMiT. l»r,-vii'W«J Xl'iil I.V -|:i. KiiiiniiiK llliii-. M .MINK. I'.iikI liHiii,n I>rnnls O'Kfffr Kiiii:ili>-ili rhrlifilnc Siiilih.l.<iuli«- AlllirlUun .MIt.t lir>iiii... .Anilrp i:i* .1. 1'. iMinlim.. IVi, |-,.||i,r,l.... Iliiro' Pofliinl.. .MfiwlKirMte Nl.ky Oliirk.,. Iilyult Kill'*... .M.iry ni'lh IIUKliNi ...J. ClIITOl NlllKll .... IjQUIii« BnvMrn ..Sumufl P. lllnilH Frank Knvlrn Halfih 1'1-iiTH Karnr ir.xhi>« Mnria Mink* l>uD Ban-lay SAinXEY'S SLEEPEK Hollywood, April 20. Joe Santley. once a topper In mu- alcal shows before there were any pictures, draws the director Job on "Sleepy Lagoon' at Republic. Filming starts arouQd May 15 with Judy Canova starring when she re- turns from her stage tour through tte east Tracy*Dunne Pic On Again As Van Johnson Recovers Hollywood. April 20,. Convalescence of Van Johnson. Injured In a motor crash, started re- newed activity on the 'A Guy Named Joe' set at 20th-Fox. where Aiming had been under abatement. • Spencer Tracy and Irene Dunne resumed their work as cn-slars, with Victor Fleming, as director, shooting around John.son, who will be ready for work in another week. ' This is a compact little package of comedy-drama, with accent on familiar but brightened comedic situations, that will carry It through the program houses as a go<>d sup' porter for more serious fare. ' Dennis CKeefe Is a music pub' lli'her with both a song hit and a warbling blonde. Mary Beth Hughes, on his hands. He's sued for plagi- arism, with, portia Ijouise AUbrltton handling plaintiff's case and inslst- ant on trial rather than settlement, Publisher and femme attorneys meet without knowing ea'ch othier's Iden- tity and dine together. But when O'Keefe realizes girl Is to appear In court against him the next day, he tosses her a mickey Ann. Yam un- ravel.s in merry and not too serlotis fashion, with O'Keefe In and out of court between, running igag of fur- ther mickeys liberally dispensed. There's a brief but aggressive bat- tle between Miss Hughes and portia for another court rendevous, and Anally clinch between O'Keefe and the girl attorney. Yarn is. lightly set up and not In too serious a vein, with both good script and paceful direction by jein Yarbrough combining ' to keep up interest in the proceedings, O'Keefe comnetently handles his assignment of the music publisher, with Miss Allbritton catching attention in her Arsl liitht role as the femme attor- ney. Miss Hughes and J. Carroll Naish provide solid support, with others in cast turning in good per- formances including Frank Fa.vlen, Ralph Peters. Samuel S. Hinds. Louise Beaver.s, Oscar O'Shea, Marie Blake and Don Barclay, Mi.>is Hughes, displa.vcd as musical revue star chasing O'Keefe, sings two numbers by Milton Rosen and Everett I Carter—'Sncllbound' and 'Sort of a Kinda.' Former gets two deliveries along the line, and Is a good tune, but not strong enough for more than pas.«lnc attention, Wolt. TAXi, MISTER t'nllPd .\rtlHlH ivIfiiM iif ll:il n»acli iKivil Culiill iiiii'lui'iKin. Kvulurtw Wlllliim llrmilx.' iim<'« llniillvy. Ulm-inl liy Kurl .Wiiiiiiiiiii. Srn*«'it|ilHy. Karle Sncll, Clar- •■iii'u .MiiikH: ■iiniiTii. Iliilwrt PIKurk: till- ii.r. Illi'liiiril rurrliT. Al I'lilai-e. .N.».V.. ,lu:il. Aiirli 1.',. -1:1. UuniiliiK ilinv. 4B MINK, 'rini .M'liiieriii NVIMIiiiii llpnillx .<ii.|l» .M,'i:iiiTln GiKrv MrafllFv Kilili,' I'lirinii .Iiiv ^lawyer filiirl Shcliliiii J^mnrA Str**|i'h Jup Dfvlln Van .S'liHli'Uiii. iH-'k Nurlan Silk rrank Kiiy|i-n Mike Miixorkl Hi-nry SIk Arnn HnKiiii (°l.v(ie Klllniiin- Olijfcior Jimmy CNmloii l.»\v Krily :-t\r K»1ly Witlii-fw* Iria A*li'liin ('hMviin ifirl .jiina Anilrc •sphfibe' xeview 'Spitflre.' the British-made feature which Samuel Goldwyn obtained for American release via RKO. was called 'First of the Few' when originally re- leased in England. It was re- viewed in 'Variety' under that title last Sept. 2, review stat- ing 'production, performance and story—they can't miss.., seems slated for superlative boxofflce returns,' Principal change from the original Is that the running time has' been cut down 28 minutes, now being 90 minutes. houses. De.spite the low budget re- strictions that are apparent on the production side, picture carries good cast toppers in trio of Dean Jag< fer, John Carradine and . Mar) irian to lift It above par for a Mono- This is the third in the series about the Brooklyn McGuerins and, like the streamliners preceding. Alls the bill nicely as a supporting pro- grammer for family trade picture houses. It's a light but pleasant comedy, not geared for belly-laughs, but sat- isfying in conjunction with heavier dramatic material. Yarn, handled via the' flashback technique; tells how Tim McGuerin (Bendix) and his partner (Joe Saw- yer) build up a taxi company from scratch to 1,000 cabs. McGuerin owes it all to a curve he developed as a pitcher on a backyard baseball team. He gels a $10,000 award for capturing a notorious racketeer whom he downs by throwing a fancy curve with a monkey wrench. Bendix and Sawyer, as the part- ners, register as an amiable team of funsters while Gra(;e Bradley does well as the burlesque queen with a tape. uiiT displays"isfiapeiy gaiils the burlesque sequences. Mori. 1 Escaped From the Gestapo H.'>lly*-juod,. April 11. M„ii,>Kr:iin ii'|,iiM- i,f KlHK I'.rtillir-r-t pr-rtlu'lii.n. siiir-< Di'nn JiiaKi-r. Ji-lin I'nr- I'li'hni- iiii.l Maiy llrl:in. Dlrfi'lfil liy Har- nlil ViiiiiiK. ^t-rei.-npliiy. Ifenry Fllankrurt HDil W'lilliif-p Sullivan; iirlKlnnI, llliinkrurt; cniniTH. Ini II. .XhirEan: r<lli»r. f<. K. Wln- Hiiin: itnni. •ilii-i-t,ii')i. Anhur (lanlner iin'l Herman Kinif. Prevli-w-.l at 'Ami-aa- Nitliir. April 111, '43. nunnlng llmo, t.Qnf* 1>pnn Jn'tK^r .Miinln John rarrn'llnp Hi->n... Uary Dilan '5"r.lan MM H<-nry llxrKfn .-iMnry niiirkm'i>r' liPranl Ian Kriili liokir. Miihnny Varil l.iini Mlliy Mamhnll H'"li ,' .Viirman Wlllla I lafi I 'hlirli-a Wai;K< nhi-lni • '•■mn-k K.I K-ani- )lil*la ilrPia i;ninilaia<li U'lly .X|>anky .McParlanil 'I Escaped From the Gestapo' is a satisfactory spy melodrama grooved for dual support In the secondary gram release, . Despite tlUe implications, it's not a European background but domestic locgle that displays operations of the Gestapo ring, Jagger Is an expert counterfeiter who> aided in fall- break by the Natls so they can kidnap atid use him for engraving forged plates of various securities of both the United States and neutral countries. Although he wises up to the Gestapo aims, Jagger pre- sumably agrees until he can get word outside for the eventual roundup. Story weaves through the usual melodramatlcs until it reaches that conclusion. Jagger is pitted against Carra- aine. head of the Gestapo group, in development of the tale, with Miss Brian briefly seen as the girl for very minor romantic interest. Good support Is provided by Bill Henry, null*? Backmer and Ian KeJth. Direction is adequate tn concentrat- ing on the su.<ipense provided by the script. ^valt. KEEP 'EM SLUGGING l-nlvj-real n-laaae of U<-n Plv.ir ■■r<..lu.<- I!"!-, l''"',""" Huiifi Hull. Il.,l.l.y I,.r.|:in UabrlPl Ui-ll. .Vorinan Ablarti. Kvelyn AnkPrn. Don rurUT. Kly*. Kn.x. K™nk a„.7.m"- ."^i™"" ''y Ohrlaly jlalainnp n.il Blory |.y K.lHar.| llamllPr an.l Italnrl (.i.nli.M: iiiliiira. Wllllalll Sl.kli.-r: P.llli.r May .■iuy.l. r. .M .\,.,v v.Mk Ih.alil-. N. \.\ MINK.""' """"'"K "•»'•. «» Illinlx llall ....lli.liiiy .liinlan li.alirlpl l3vn ...'^'■•n I AIiIhiIi I'lir. Tiiiiiiny .-■iriiiK Aim* SliPiln Siixaiiiit*....... Krank , .l»rr>- Illnky (*llrriillicr34 Mra. ICiinnhiK. Duke 11 I'^'plvn Aiikarj* , Klyap Kn.ix . .I 'liink Albi'iimiji D<in I'l.rlpr Shi'ii ll.iwanl Sannii-l S. Ilhala .Man- (Itiriliin .Mlllairn SltiHi' ; - .iiiiiiiirn 7-itini- Juan Alalvh Hampered by poor story material this lafest of the Dead End Klds- Little Tough Guys series has little to offer except to the clientele of the cast. Yarn is weak from Ihe time It gels under way. Onlv one se- quence stands out—the capture of truck robbers by the gang with the aid of a Are hose. Kids turn in their usual typed per- formances as toughies who get Jobs in a department store, where Frank Albertson, as head of the delivery department, is implicated with thieves. Albertson has an interest In Evelyn Ankers, employed In the jewelry department When Albert- son frames Bobby Jordan with some stolen Jewelry, the Kids are jailed. On getting released Jordan tails Al- bertson and, with the gang, captures the thieves. Huntz Hall. Gabriel Dell and Nor- man Abbott get what they can from their parts, which isn't much. Miss Ankers and Don Porter as the love mtercst turn in good performances. Direction is ordinary. SHANTYTOWN (SONQS) Rppiili:!,- r-|»;,,p of Many Or..v inolni-. ili.M. liiri't'K'il l.y j,.H..|,h Sanllpy. K-.i- luiva .>liiry I.pp. j..|„, Anh.-r. Maijial.- iJ^^T."'';.*"' •■"""•<■>■: a.|:.|.|a. lijin. lleniy Uorilx: i>ampni. KrnoHi MiiiPr- P;ll(i-r. I'hntiKia niriuirila. fn-rlPWPil lii MI.XM """"'"K •» Mary T.i-«- Ji.hn Ari-hpr ...Maijiirip Ijtml ■ Harry Uavi-nihii ( Mllly (IIIIH-r( played by MarJorie Lord. About tha time the wife arrives at the board- ing hou.se, the racketeers stop at the garage where Archer is employed and force him ta drive a getaway car for a bank holdup. Archer tries to signal a cop^by flashing on the lights. But the holdup Is committed, one of the robbers killed and Archer escapes. His wife expects a child and Mary Lee endeavoring to urge him to return goes on an amateur- hour program and gets her message over. Anne Revere, Harry Davenport, Billy Gilbert, Frank Jenks, Cliff Nazarro and Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer turn In good performances, while Marlorle Lord's screen personality is photographed to advantage. Union Pressnre B CoBtiBMd from page i backer will crystallize into a mass meeting here in which the World War I ace will be handled without gloves. Preliminary plans were made this week for the imlon's protest meeting in early May, with the sponsors ap. plying for thie Departmental Audi- torium. War Department was also asked to give clearance to wounded soldiers and sailors from Guadal- canal and the North Africtn thea- tres of war, to voice their objections to the Rickenbacker an:i-lebor mes- sages. Capt. Wayne King has been approached to lead an orchestra at this meeting. American Federation of Labor of- Acials at the preliminary meetings declared that Rickenbacker has been bitten with' the political bee and is a deAnite candidate for vice-president on an isolationist Republican ticket, as possible running mate for Gov. Bricker of Ohio. Labor leaders plan to make it plain that Rickenbacker Is anathema to all union card mem- bers and as wrong as ho was when advocating America First At the meeting last night (19) a resolution was introduced calling upon a dras- tic boycott of any Rickenbacker pic- ture, if and when made by Holly- wood. Action will be taken on this resolution at the mass meeting. Slo- gan of the Rickenbacker foes will be: 'Win the War Withiul Ricken-^ backer — the. Perfect Symbol of American Disunity.' They will call it a Victory rally but the real purpose will be to de- flate Rickenbacker. President William Green of the AFL and other interna- tional offlcers will make addresses. Offlce Workers Union will provide a glee club. Navy Yard machinists will send down their quartet, and Mu.sicians Union No. 161 will have an augmented orchestra. War Pix Continued from page Mx Cni-ty , mil Aihi) Virtrlniii Alli-n. Dim* H(*iiii|itii.; IMIHI Kpiii'IH. , iiri V* Wlilify , .^Iuiri«-ake IHmlv I'l, l>Ul.':ili .V.M l.lll.l.'in .\|:ii.ly Miiliiii-h iiinl •'nink l^lTlMnn Krank Jpnka I'Mff ■ .Vjixarrn I 'Afalfa' SwIIXPr . .KkIuti lliinianH .N'lH-l Ma-ilKiin Ilia u^'Up^lrH One of the few of the recent low- budger pIClures ■ Tk'ifhout a war thenje, 'Shantytown' will prove okay In the lesser dual situations. Film has good direction, four songs,' as many orchestra numbers and a con- glomeration of entertainment values to .suit almost every taste, ' Mary Lee. as the girl from the other side of the railroad tracks who-ie parents operate a ramshackle boarding house, is given an oppor- tunity to display all her talent--, from a hoydenish sand-lot baseball plavcr to a singer, with dramatic acting 'in- terspersed throughout Story concerns the kid tbmboV falling for Jbhn Archer, an Innocent mechanic, who had been intrigued by a band of auto thieves. Archer gets a Job In the girl's homo town and .xhe brings him to her home to live. The lad is married, wife being every commercial U. S. war picture made Is considered from the morale and uplift values to the public. Among war pictures going into re- lease during the next few months or already showing are 'Moon Is Down,* 'Edge of Darkness' and 'Hangmen Also Die,' all underground themes. Others are 'Flight J'or Freedom,' 'Bombardier,' 'Air Force,' 'Hitler's Children,' 'De.sert Victory,' 'China' and 'Chetniks'—most all of them po- tentially big grossers, Pitt's Ballyhoo Switch Pittsburgh, April 20. Increasing avalanche of war pix at b.o. locally has theatres even going so far as to eliminate from all ad- vertising and publicity matter any suggestion of that angle regardless of picture's story content. Speciflc case is the way Stanley's currently . treating advance stuff on 'Hangmen Also Die,' which opens at WB de- luxer on Friday (23). House's idea epic. With that In view, all .stills show- ing the trace of a Nazi uniform were removed from .sets distributed to newspaper offices for reproduction, and there's no sign of any of them in theatre's lobby either. In addi- tion, regular trailer for 'Hangmen' was scissored ruthles.sly in order to eliminate scenes showing the Tiazie In action. Only left are a few rg- mantic shots and a couple that might possibly indicate a gangland back- ground. Steady run of Alms with war background here of late has been blamed in many quarters for recent drop in downtown grosses. Phone operators at practically every house in Golden Triangle report an un- precendented number of calls from would-be patron.4 who Invariably ask: 'Is it a war picture?' An answer In the affirmative, the hello girls re- port, usually brings a disappointed Oh.'