Variety (Feb 1945)

14 PICTURES Wednesday, February 14, 1945 The Eneliaulrd Cottage Hollywood, Feb. 13. I1KO release; of. Harriet Parsons proline-, lion l.lnck llrosjv exoriillve producer). Slurs Dorolliv Medulre, Houert Tounif. and l.ler- lierl Marslinll: Directed by.lolin I'romwell. J5crci>npkiy. liy DeAVilt Rodcon mid Herman J. Mnnklpwioz, uiiged' on piny Py rtlr .\i-- linn- Whif l J lnom: c.inicrn. Tod Trulair; editor. .Inrfeiill .Vurleuri: special olTecl-i liy Vernon I.. Walker: mush- liy Roy .Wotdi: nillMk'al director. .i\ IJukiilcirilkou*. Ti-nde- ulioiyn In I,. A. l-"cli. 1.1. "I-''. HuimlnK lullo. • 1 MINS. r>nuni. Ollcei IhllKriiM- Wc*. Miuiirlt...-.. Vinlol I'rlce Hem rice tVr.l.'i-r:k Danny.• Mis: Sianlon. .. .. ('siiiN '■■) Manager. sfciilnc S.ddloi . : '...Dummy M.finhv ..11..boil Ynuii;; ... lii'i'lii-rl Mai>hall ....Mlldlid Nalwlok ... .Spring II.- Inyli.n .. Hillary llronke ... r.ioliat .l '.tallies ..'...KllUlMII.il-.' .... Mary «mill . iJ-ijii'i'lti' 1 '' wiihi.-li ...It.ilierr I'l.iiko . . . . . .I-Men Nl.-llnlii" Modernized version of play by Sir Arthur Wing Pine'ro. a silent picture of 20 years ago with Richard Barthcl- nicss and May McAvoy, is an artistic- production which will catch both critical praise and plenty of. audi- ence attention. With Dorothy Mc- Guire, Robert Young and Herbert Marshall topliniiig-iii lop perform- ances, "Enchanted Cottage'! will play a merry tune at the boxoffice. Sensitive love story of a returned •war veteran with ugly facial' dis- figurements, and the homely slavey— both self-conscious of their handi- caps—is sincerely told both in the. script and outstanding direction of John Cromwell. It's a timely drama which should : impress on relatives and friends of the returning crippled or disfigured a necessity for-tolerancc of such scars.to make-rehabilitation of the boys easier through eliminat- ing personal self-consciousness.'' of their injuries. . Brief prolog! establishes Young as the flyer who leases a. cottage fox- his honeymoon, but is called to service on eve of his. wedding. Two years , later he returns to hide his war dis- figurements from his family' at the cottage, where Miss McGuire is hid- ing 'from people because of her ugli- ness. But the girl's tender attention to the flyer results in idyllic love, with each appearing beautiful to the other and pair- sincerely believing that the cottage is enchanted and re- sponsible lor the transformations. Married, couple has shocked awak- ening when Young's parents shatter their dreams and they realize that the physical defects are pointedly apparent to the outside world. But the philosophies of Marshall, as the counselling blind composer and Mend, prevail to have the lovers ■ gradually lose their self-conscious ness to mingle again with other pco pie. Miss McGuire turns In an outstand- ing performance,, with Young also sharing the limelight. Marshall is excellent, while Mildred Natwick scores as the housekeeper. Spring Byington, Hillary Brooke, Richard Gaines and Alec Englander, provide strong support. Cromwell's direction deftly moti- vates the drama in top style. Pic- ture is first for Harriet Parsons as a producer at RKO, and—under wing of executive producer Jack Gross- she has turned in a most able job. Production mounting is fine, accentu- ated by the excellent photography by Ted Tetzlaff. - Wnlt. It's in the Hag llrilled ArtiHlH release of Jack H.' Skir. ball |icndllclinu. Ilirei-lcd |,y |tl<-llar.l Wal- . Sl.ir* l-Yi-il Alli.n. ilno.T Mai'..: .lack Mertn: . Don Atneelic. Jlilily Vallce. William tlcndix. Vi-lo.* .Monro. Screen, it'oalinenl. r*ivh n. r'i>.«:or. l-'ro.l \ ll-ii: *.-ic"iinlay. .ley Drrilrr. Alma I:<>v.iilc; yl.n>." Morel* llyskind; .-.-itiicij. Kiis*->lt- .MellV; i-ililnr. William M. 'M..-Kan. fii vi.-w-l al ),\'w * Sheridan Son: l-o V. V.. rVh. 7, ' I. 1 ;. Kun- itiiiK 11mr. K7 MI\S. expertly but this vehicle does not provide the proper formula for the full and effective, use of the comic's ability. Jack Skirbnll has. perhaps wisely, p'oured. everything into talent. The result is something like a series of vaudeville skits, mostly Kood, but in- adequate as a screenplay. .. Robert Bcnchley rates a, nod as a swanky insect exterminator as doe's Dickie Tyler, who plays a bc-specr tacled young genius with all-the an- swers. • Yarn is about a Ilea circus operator (Allen) who suddenly finds he's in- herited $12,000,000 from a grandunclc and then discovers that the; money has disappeared. Allen learns that /bine of the coin has been hidden in. a chair, and most of action revolves about the hunt for the missing money.'.. Mori. Miniature Reviews "The Enchanted Cottage" (RKO).- Fine, sensitive drama with Dorothy McGuire, Robert Young and Herbert Marshall. Profitable biz. • It's In the Bag" (UA). Fred Allen starrer geared for satis- factory b.o. ' 'Circumstantial Evidence" i20th). ' Mild crime meller; B- . grade dualcr. "Frisco Sal'! (Songs) (U): Drama and romance, on Frisco's Barbary Coast in the old days. Nominally profitable biz. "TBe Chicago Kid"- (Rep). Fast-moving, modern' gangster meller with Donald. Barry; strong supporter for duals. 4 'irt'UiiiNl a n< i nl . Kviili'ii«c ■ '-inli-Kox release o( William Glrai-d ino- ihii'llon. Sunn Mlihaol D Slion. r.lojil .\'o- liin: ft-alnros Trinly Marshall. Hilly Vnni- niiilX-i. Ulllli I'ovil, Hood ll.u]!,.)■. P.oy Uoh- orl.s. Soolly Ucokclt.' l)irorl.od. liy .lolln l.arkln. Sorconiilny. Uoiiorc .Mot*/.lor: nilapl- I'd' by . Samuol . OrnlU froln .itory by Nat I'Yi'bor. Saiii Dunoan, Kililor, NnniKui Col- ln*rl: cainern. Ilftrry Jackson.. Tratloidiown \. V.. Fob. 0. •«. . nimnlnK llnio. «7 Ml VS. .loo Iloynoliis. ; Sam T^oi:d........... .Ai;no» llnnnon fat ,. .Mi'M. .Shnnm:—; IVoHOimlor.....' .Marry Hnnhon..... l'Vodily Uanlon..... Uolcjor...'.....,'..... Iloliroi's \\ ito. .Ind/<i: .White XHkc Waulon ............... rhairiniin Uoi'ornor IFtMilmi... .Mirhael' O'Slica . I.loyd Xolnn 'I'nuly.Marslinll litlly CuniinlnKH ... .liiith l-'ord Ilcoil ITadloy' " .....Iloy HobovtH Scully Hool.'Cll .. Ityrnll h'onlKOr '.. Diii ntliy Adauin. ........ John tildrcdjce Kddlo: Mnrr Solmcr .I»cI(.huii .William 11. Davlilmin Jolm 'll:}inlllon Miss Fosii'r fall in love, but girl gets evidence thai former was responsible for brolhci's disappearance. Pair get together. .*l the finish, : with Curtis, disclosed as the lost brother. Bey capably handles his role, with Miss Foster teaming nicely: She clicks with delivery of two low- register torchy songs, best of which is "Beloved," by George Waggiier and Edward Ward. Collette Lyons stands out as the comedienne of the show; while Curtis, Andy Devlne, Thomas Gomez, Samuel S. Hinds, and Fuzzy Knight are prominent in support. Producer-director George Waggiier provides plenty of pace to the un- folding, taking full advantage of the colorful background for lusty drama and two wild and comedic saloon brawls. Original script by Curt Siod- rhak and Gerald Geraghty is com- pact. Wall A tedious', trite melodrama about a man sentenced to the chair on cir- cumstantial evidence, this 20th-Fox film hasn't more than. good inten- tions to recommend it. . Strictly B- grade, it's a supporting ditaler. If 20th-Fox had. a commendable idea ili pointing out how dangerous circumstantial evidence testimony can be, the obvious way the script went about it destroys all the. effect There's no subtlety or imagination in the telling. - Story has a hotheaded parent ar- rested after, a fight with a store- keeper results in'latter's death. Three eye-witnesses saw parent lift axe to strike the other; th( man claims the other fell, cracking skull on a nearby stove. Why medical testimony wasn't introduced to decide which was right isn't explained. Instead man is sen- tenced to chair, goes to the pen. breaks out, is persuaded to -return by his son and a friend, and intric- ately worms his way back into the jailhouse again while the friend un- covers evidence to set him free. The trouble and suspense in break- ing back into the deathhouse are in- credible. The session between judge, governor-and.the.three original'wit- nesses, while the man's son and his boy pals seemingly take, over the cross-examination to show the wit- nesses they may have erred, is fan- tastic: . Michael O'Shea plays the parent with ah engaging bluff quality. Lloyd Nolan docs his best as a postman- friend. Billy Cummings is accept- ably precocious as the son. But cast, on the whole, bogs down like the script. Bron. o>otl I-'IihikIo. IfiniKoir illmwlf Kve r'loirjlo f'.irk«r. I* :y.-li*ai ri-l I'lko Marl..ii Porry Mr.i. XiisM.ali.ii. Honvr.......... Dotooi ice Ki»l!.\ ., llOtol ,M]1I1:-X'.I .. Arnold Monlo.. Mr. r-i.|.l.«i l-'idl A lion lack It.-IHTV .William K-ndlx ... I:imir-- Itii.-nt-j,' . liobert iloiv liloy ....lorry r,,loni>" :.Jol)n i'i:i:railini> (Hor n. t".il.... .. .William Terry .. .Miiion a I'inu.-t ... . .1 lii-kio Tvlor Sidney Tnloi- i :.'.h;:o i*i -cokMid -.... ..I.ilui Mil.li:ii ..Hon. Woldon ... Kitiory 1'ni ik-11 "Its.in the Bii."" should prove mod- erately profitable...Film packs plenty of individual sock comedy .sentiences, offsetting .uneven, loosely .-woven con- tinuity and doubtful story values. Additionally, it's jammed with as many topnolch games «s any theatre marquee can conveniently use. Ex- ploitation potential, of firstline im- portance in a production of this type; is enormous. Aside from Victor Moore. Don Amcche and Rudy Vallce, who ate in for a brief Ivit hilarious siriffin?- waiter bit. other name players hold considerable footage. Among tlic out- standing sequences is'one with Jack Benny and Fred Allen, in which the former's. stinginess is expertly lam- pooned. William Bendix is also in for a lenpthy bit as a namby-pamby, boss . racketeer who! inherited the "gang" from his mother and can't stand the sound of pistol shots, Jerry Colonna scores readily in a, run- ning pug sequence as a wacky psy- chiatrist.. - Allen handles his film assignment Frlfttto Sal (SONGS) Hollywood. Feb. 9. J'nlVOl'BHl I'ol.'USO of i;o„|- K n WilXtlMT pro. auction. Slary . Sll.-'iinna . Fouler. Tnrlnii Dcy, Akin Cinlls: r"Mui"H Andy Dc-vhio. 'I'liom.'iH i;omc/.. Collcllo Lyons. Sainuol s. Illnds. Puzzy lCnielil. l>iroi-l,-il l.y WaKvnor. Ki'i-"cnplny. (Turl Slu'lui.-ik ati.l <iorald 'icr- iikliiy: lamern. riiiul.'.s v,in lOnKir: oillior. I-Miviird t'lirlls.s; illH.^li-o 1 dirci'lnr. Kihvard Ward: .linnos fHngod liy r.ox|or Ifoilnn. I'rovlouod Fob. 8. 4r,. Uiin'ninir ||in ( '. I)S MINS, . . Tli«> C'hieago Kid Hopnbli.: r.-loaso or Eddy Whlto produc- lon. Siai-M- Donald. Unrry; fealurcs Olio KiUKrr.. I.ynno . llolHirln, Chick Chandler. DlrevHid by Friink .McDonald. Screoiiplny, Jack Townloy. from atory by Kurt Brown; amora, William Bradford; editor. Ralph Oi.son: .iddlilonnl dialog, Albert Dclctl. At ncpuUllo. N. v.. stHrtliiR Feb. 10, Run- nln« llnio, i\» MINS, . . .loi> l'-orrlll... .Donald Bavry John Milclicll ,. otto KruRer Mlko Th'nrhor ...Tom Powers. Chris Mltclioll .Lynne Roberts Bill Mluhcll.... .Henry Daniels Squeak. ...Chick Chandler Chief novcm .Joseph Crohan Flnky Jay Novclln ('iirlor .Paul-Hnrvov The WhiiIoii. Addison Richards At .Kenne- Duncan This well-made, modern-day gang- ster meller furthers the development of Donald Barry ("Red" Barry of westerns) as a screen mobster. Transition of Barry from outdoor epics to solid gangster roles has been under way for more than a year, and the intense little actor appears to have "arrived" with "The Chicago Kid." Picture should, provide strong support on duals. ■ Barry plays a warehouse worker trying; to save enough.for his father to have a country home when he's released from the big house. When latter dies before being freed, Barry sours on society in general and Otto Kruger, .the auditor whose testimony sent his dad up the river, in partic- ular. How Barry Ingratiates himself with Kruger, his daughter (Lynne Roberts) and his son (Henry-Daniels) lays the framework for his plans to work with mobsters. Frank McDonald has done a good directorial job. Jack Townley's script helps maintain suspense, William Bradford's camera-work is uniform- ly good, and Ralph Dixon's editing is deft. Kruger. Miss Roberts, Daniels, Tom Powers and Chick Chandler also go over. Weacr- Sally. nuiic. Hie rtimiiy: Dan , Mickey. . Doe...... tlliMcluliib Hilly.: .., .MolCiiuvey.... IlI'lRc Kd.lio.... .. ..Susanna li-onlor ....:■ .Tutban Hov ....' Alan I'urti.s .'...Andy. Mcvlnn :..- Tliniuns Homo-/, ......-'.. .I'ollollo T.yons ..... .Snniuel s. .Hindu Filzxy IvlilKht :.. Hilly Croon .Krnlo. AdiiiHi i ienrce, Idovd fieri risk* The San Francisco Barbary Coast at the turn of the century provides a colorful background for this drama which; despite'rather-, formularized | unfolding, emerges- as good escapist b.p. entertainment for. regular runs. ■ Susanna Foster. • Turhan Bey and j Alan Curtis arc starred. | Miss, Foster arrives iii the district ; from the east to search for her older j brother, who had . mysteriously dis- appeared in San Francisco, with only ■ clue an old letter describing a spe- cial dish at a Barbary Coast cafe; Latter, happens to be dancchall-sa- looh operated by Bey on fairly legit- imate basis to catch the sightseers^ Girl gets a job and clicks with a sing- ing number, being headlined quickly. Curtis operates a mission as a blind for thugs and pickpockets of the area, and clashes with Bey for con- trol of the coast operations. Bey and Toros. Amor • Y Gloria ■ ("Bulls, Love and Glory") (SONGS) (Me\ican-Made) '■lasa r. |. a>ie of Kaul de Alula production. Direi-u-d l.y do Andii. Stars Lorenzo Qarzii: ie-iiu-cM Sura Uaroia and Maria Pons: Ai "el hi. .v.. v.. week ot Feb. 9. Run- uliiK lllno. I ID MINS. . Jose Ani.ini... Lorenzo fiorzn "Nairn" 1 roue .Sara Gnicla Mnrla Villaioal. .Jhuln Pnim Anrtros. .... j . . ,. .Carlos Moctpzumx iliiiHi i.i v ili.noaT....Jorge Royc<t i/u Spanish; No English Titles) This is an ovcrlong, unfunny rags- to-riches comedy grooved for Span- ish-speaking audiences. Deals with a worker on a bull- breeding.ranch who becomes a mata- dor'to win the hand of a wealthy gal. In the unwinding the supposedly funny antics of' the matador fail to register. ' Performances by the entire cast are stilted, and direction lacks oace. Seen. Ray Moon Suggested As Jersey Booking Head Raymond E. Moon, who in 1929 organized ■ Cooperative Theatres of Michigan, pioneer' booking combine, with around 100 theatres, is reported the choice as buying head for Inde- pendent Theatres Service, Inc., New Jersey indie org recently , formed with Lee Newburry as president.. ^ Whether or not Moon will accept the post is questionable. ' He's cur- rently N. Y. branch manager of 20lh- Fox. - - Fuel Snag Continued from pate 1 ; weather in some of the previously critical states, it's expected that thea- tres, niteries and other places of amusement will see restrictions upon use of coal lifted,, possible exception being curb on outdoor lighting. Upper New York State, u'ntiI laic \ last week the number one critical area, has improved to the point where Buffalo officials have dropped the. 11 p.m. curfew permitting niteries to reopen. All . resumed shows Monday <12) while the smaller bojtcs in that region were able to reopen Saturday with local talent. .-However, the. 6hio region con- tinued to be In - comparatively bad shape. Downtown Cleveland houses were closed for the third successive Monday, while closings ' were re- ported in' Canton. Alliance arid Galion. Galion.officials put a llirce- day-a-wcek closing order on theatres and shuttered dance spots entirely until the fuel situation eases. New York nilei.y and theatre op- erators believe they will weather the crisis. Although Mayor La- Guardia has not lifted the ban on coal deliveries to amusement spots without eprmission from-his office, all are managing to slay open by borrowing coal from houses that .can spare some and by use of cordwood. As for legit theatres, the siltialion was exaggerated. . Check-up proved that out of 39. houses 25 are heated by. the public.service steam corpora- tion, 12 have their own heating plants, while two are supplied by adjoining buildings, one a hotel. It was necessary however for the dozen spots requiring coal to make application to the solid fuels admin- istrator before delivery could be made. Understood the applications were okayed without delay. ■ When -the managers visited- Mayor La Guardra last week, he said the showmen were unduly alarmed and should not cross' the bridge until reaching it. • Brock Pcnibcrton, spokesman for the showmen, re- ported that La. Guai'dia distinctly favored the Broadwayites and did not bear down, as he well could have done, according' to the direc- tive he received from Washington when the coal shortage, was acute. General plan would have been to shut down on luxury establishments (amusements being so classed) if.it was Jiecessa.ry lo scrape the coal bins. ...:'■ Pemberton pointed out lo La- Guardia that- there were many spe- cialty and jewelry business on Fifth and Madison avenues and contended such. places should not be favored over theatres. . The'mayor instructed his secretary to add such buildings wholly devoted to luxuries to the list which will not get fuel priorities in case' the situation becomes light again, adding, "Just to please Pem- berton." "Heavy blockage' of freight from cold and snow, together with em- bargo on non-war transportation in eastern areas, have raised hob with recent concert bookings. Bad weath- er caused loss of a date in Ulica for the Minneapolis Symphony last week. Cleveland Symphony also re- ported losing a dale for same reason. Ballet Russc del Monte Carlo, how- ever, reports most trouble in its current tour because of weather and rail trouble. Ballet has had-two can- cellations of bookings already this month, with a .third prevented oiljy by special circilmslanccs. » mains closed because of the fuel shortage, as do the Sports Arena and Convention Hall. The Police Ball scheduled for tonight (13) with Ufa Louis Prima Band, had to be post- poned to April becnu.se of mobiliza- tion of the State Guard whin, use a* the State Armory for living quar- ters. Another band will'have to be engaged for the new dale as 1'i irna has previous commitment. Practically all theatre stalls wore paid full wages .during • the' ho!icliiy$' and were used as mueh as possible in making repairs lo buildings and equipment, cleaning, psiniing. and other odd jobs not handled in rou- tine operation owing to lack of help. Northwest Exhibs Fortunate Minneapolis,''Feb. 13.- . Northwest exhibitors are in luclr because the Mississippi river flows to the Tiyin Cities and is navigable that dlstahce. Sufficient coal and fuel oil were brought here on barges last summer and fall to avert a cur- rent fuel, shortage'. -Consequently, no theatre in the state will have to close down or curtail operations be-, cause of an insufficient supply of coal or oil for heating purposes, ac- cording to a survey just made.. Rochester*!. ^nshutUrlnr Rochesler, N. Y.. Feb. 13. Theatres and.other business places reopened Friday, after, the four-day chilloul, first such compjete busi- ness, cessation in history. Stores did a rushing business, but there was no similar rush to the theatres, some thought because three of flyc main stem houses were playing holdover product. VWilh 12 days supply of coal on hand, and railroad and coal yards shoveled out by Stale Guaid.smen, i volunteers and.German pi-i.-oiterj of 1 war, business leaders were hoping I there "would not be need for' further ' chillouts. Coal savings were termed, comparatively negligible. The Gas & Electric Corp. which supplies heal to the five RtfO-Paramqunl-ebhrer.ford houses as well as many other down- town ■ buildings, reported saving 85 Ions of coal a day, about 6'i of usual consumption. Individual heat- ing planis were not far different as a'minimum of heat had to be main- tained. The Auditorium,-legit stand, re- Plan for Ex-GI's Continued from pace I from preliminary experience with returned actor vets indicates shat- tered initiative and lillre desire for picture making, will likely proceed along two lines. First, there will be carefully studied' psychological han- dling by studio execs, lo combat , the general indifference to civilian pur- suits; Secondly, and along strictly practical lines, a new American Legion Post is planned by industry vets aimed primarily to correct any possible abuses, adjust .-grievance's, head off foreseeable injustices; in- volving men returning to their for- mer posts.. Hollywood, according to mslline studio execs, is suffering from a "pro- duction slowdown," due to the short- ages of topflight talent and technical personnel, as distinct from the "dis- tribution slowdown" due to the un- usually'long runs in key situations, thus bottling up product. Figuring importantly in all produc- tion planning is not only liow soon the studios will gel manpower back but how soon the men can.snap back into their work. . Difficulties Reported Difficulties have already been re- ported, with most of the men re- turned, from the war a.s a result of the feeling that film production isn't very Important after what, they've seen on the battle fronts. It's.appar- ently a special problem with per- sonnel which is Dredominantly high- strung even in normal times. One star, for months after he re-' turned from service would not dis- cuss picture plans. Indicative of his attitude was his handling of a film lie made for the Army. In editing the footage he kept on culling more and •more of himself out of the picture. •Every, -tane- hp y i w t-j>wr.;.UH». he recalled one or another of the boys with whom he had served. He wouldn't think of anything but Ihe war. Understood, howcveiv I hat he is now about ready to start production. While the problem of handling stars looms importantly, lesser per- sonnel will likely prove inure diffi- cult. The new organization ' being planned will likely be most active In this phase of readjustment, partic- ularly in matters of studio status. Re- turning first cameramen might find themselves second cameramen on their return,, as an instance, and. careless handling of slich cases might destroy initiative. Similar situations, are anticipated in connection with writers, directors and featured play- ers, some of whom- may feel enlilled to even higher rating than "prewar!. Hasty, ill-considered .decisions in handling returning personnel may well reduce the industry potential at a time when increased produi-ljbn and stronger values will be required, in the opinion of studio toppers.: WB'S FEB. RECORD Hollywood. Feb: )3. Total 'of- seven features and..one short in production at the same iime' sets a new February record 1 on the Warner lot. . Features are "Stolen Life,''- "DbiI' ger Signal," "This .Love of Ours. "Three Strangers." "Mildred Pierce." "Too Young to Know" and "Shadow of a Woman." Short is "Star in the Night" .