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Opinions on Current Productions; Expioitips for Selling to the Public<br />
FEATURE REVIEWS<br />
t<br />
Summer Holiday<br />
MGM (821) 92 Minutes<br />
p<br />
'<br />
Comedy<br />
With Music<br />
Rel. ApriL '48<br />
An outstanding assemblage of talent—both in the acting<br />
and production aepartments; a name cast headed by Mickey<br />
Rooney; Technicolor; some good singing and production<br />
numbers, and lively comedy oi the early '90s period ought<br />
to molce this one ol the money-makers of the season. It gets<br />
a confusing start, with Rooney, Walter Huston, Frank Morgan<br />
and others singing and talking in verse, but acquires<br />
reality as the boy-girl romance and family complications<br />
unfold. One scene virhere Rooney, a high school boy, is<br />
lured into a drunken stupor by a burlesque queen, is dragged<br />
out unnecessarily and may draw criticism from parents.<br />
Gloria De Haven, as the sweetheart of school age, outstandingly<br />
is<br />
attractive. Arthur Freed was the producer and<br />
Rouben Mamoulian directed from a script based on Eugene<br />
ONeil's "Ah, WildernessV<br />
Mickey Rooney, Gloria De Haven, Walter Huston, Frank<br />
Morgan, Butch Jenkins, Marilyn Maxwell, Agnes Moorehead<br />
Smart Woman<br />
Monogram-Allied Artists<br />
93 Minutes<br />
Rel.<br />
If any such remained, this should dispel all doubts that<br />
Monogram, under the banner of Allied Artists, its silk-clad<br />
running-mate company, is deserving of a big league status<br />
as concerns both production and bookings. There are plenty<br />
of showmen and reviewers who will appraise the film as the<br />
best to date to appear bearing the A-A seal; and, considering<br />
the financial returns recorded by some of its predecessors,<br />
such evaluation should assure profitable grosses<br />
wherever the feature is booked. A story of crooked politicians,<br />
urban corruption, smart lawyers and torrid love, the<br />
screenplay was skillfully contrived to accent the respective<br />
and collective talents of a name-heavy cast, which is highlighted<br />
by Constance Bennett's impressive comeback as an<br />
actress and her promising debut as a producer with Hal E.<br />
Chester. Skillfully directed by Edward A. Blatt.<br />
Brian Aheme, Constance Bennett, Barry Sullivan, Michael<br />
O'Shea, James Gleason, Otto Kruger, Isobel Elsom.<br />
The Return of the Whistler F<br />
Columbia (920) Minutes Rel. Mar. 18, '48<br />
An exciting mystery in which there is no corpse and bullets<br />
don't fly. Pretty Lenore Aubert plays the part of a young<br />
French widow of an American flyer whose nearest in-laws<br />
hate so much to see her inherit the family fortune that they<br />
conspire to cheat her out of it by making everyone believe<br />
she is insane. Michael Duane had fallen in love with her<br />
and was trying to marry her (not knowing her financial<br />
prospects) when this series of events started happening, and<br />
keeps up the interest until the last flicker. Private eye Richard<br />
Lane sleuths on both sides the fence, really exposing<br />
the racket when he discovers he has been working for crooks<br />
at first. Where there is a demand for these mystery-action<br />
pictures in double feature houses, this can be booked in<br />
any ot them to satisfaction. D. Ross Lederman directed.<br />
Michael Duane, Lenore Aubert, Richard Lane, James Cardwell,<br />
Ann Shoemaker, Sarah Padden, 'Wilton Gralf.<br />
Adventures in Silverado<br />
Columbia (902) — Minutes Rel. Mar. 25, '48<br />
Suggested by Robert Louis Stevenson's story, "Silverado<br />
Squatters," this is a western in entertainment value with<br />
more plot development and something better than the sterotyped<br />
sagebrush thriller. There are enough stagecoach<br />
races to please the most ardent action fans with acting a<br />
grade higher than typical horse operas. Also, the plot has<br />
an unusual twist at the end and there are social betterment<br />
ideas introduced which fit into present world reform movements.<br />
Of course good old Doc who looked after everbody<br />
on the "flats" turns out in the end to be "The Monk," dormg<br />
highwayman who has been robbing the mine owners of a<br />
lot of gold shipments by holding up stages. But, shucks.<br />
Doc was taking it from the rich to give to the poor, so that<br />
didn't make his crime so black, though he paid with his life.<br />
One of the better little pictures. Phil Karlson directed.<br />
William Bishop, Gloria Henry, Edgar Buchanan, Forrest<br />
Tucker, Edgar Barrier,<br />
F<br />
Irving Bacon, Joseph Crehan.<br />
^ ^<br />
/ Remember Mama<br />
RKO Radio (860) 138 Minutes Rel. April '48<br />
"Iss Gootl" Thai's the coverall phrases employed by<br />
"Mama" and her family and friends to describe a situation<br />
to their liking. But it is inadequate as an appraisal for the<br />
screen version of John Van Drutens popular stage play. In<br />
fact, "Iss excellent " is none too superlative. It's one ol those<br />
heart-warming, fundamentally-simple, all-too-rare films about<br />
the lives, loves, problems and tribulations ol a wholesome<br />
and lovable immigrant family— in this case Norwegian—millions<br />
of which comprise the backbone of our nation. As such<br />
it inescapably must strongly appeal to every picture patron,<br />
regardless of age, creed, color or film taste. Given the additional<br />
benefit of a thoioughly fine and masterfully-typed<br />
cast, whose performances throughout are line-grained and<br />
winning, the offering is predestined for record grosses. A<br />
sterling credit lor Producer-Director George Stevens.<br />
Irene Dunne, Barbara Bel Geddes. Oscar Homolka, Philip<br />
Dom, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Edgar Bergen, Rudy Vallee.<br />
Fort Apache<br />
RKO Radio 127 Minutes Rel.<br />
Those early-day ingredients of the time-honored western<br />
—cavalry and Indians—herein are given the benefit ol unstinting<br />
production and the mastery ol Producer-Director<br />
John Ford (Stagecoach) in blending touches of irony and<br />
philosophy with good, old-fashioned action. Resultagtly,<br />
the feature, second from Argosy Productions, in which<br />
Merian C. Cooper is Ford's co-producer and partner, easily<br />
earns rating as a super-western and in many facets transcends<br />
even that exalted classification because there is much<br />
in the story to appeal to the patrons who are not rabid<br />
sagebrush fans. For such there is a tender romance and a<br />
plethora of artistic touches, displayed mostly in backgrounds<br />
and photography. For the action lovers, there's<br />
of more: Spectacle, authenticity atmosphere and locale, suspense<br />
and thrills. The film looks like a sure winner.<br />
John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, John Agar, Pedro<br />
Armendariz, Ward Bond, Irene Rich, George O'Brien<br />
Madonna of the Desert<br />
Republic (704) 60 Minutes Rel. Feb. 23, '48<br />
Adroitly plotted, capably enacted, and mounted productionwise<br />
so skillfully that its short budget doesn't burst out<br />
at the seams, here is a cops-and-robbers yarn tailored deftly<br />
to fit into the nether end of a dual booking, both as to running<br />
time and entertainment content. There is no pretense<br />
that it is anything other than program fare, but in that category<br />
the subject certainly should pay off. The story line<br />
moves along briskly, and there are a couple of chases and<br />
fist fights to keep the action addicts happy. At the same<br />
time the scenarists injected a spiritual note into the story<br />
of a fabulously valuable statuette of a madonna, owned by a<br />
simple rancher. Crooks attempt to muscle in and steal the<br />
antique, but the bauble's magical powers—and a few uriavoidable<br />
coincidences—work together to foil the plot. Directed<br />
by George Blair.<br />
Lynne Roberts, Donald Barry, Don Castle, Sheldon Leonard,<br />
Paul Hurst, Roy Barcroft, Frank Yaconelli, Paul E. Bums.<br />
The Hawk of Powder River F<br />
Eagle Lion (856) 54 Minutes Rel. Apr. 10. '48<br />
During the first five minutes of this Eddie Dean western,<br />
trigger-happy horsemen ride all over the range shooting<br />
everyone in sight and robbing mines, stage coaches and<br />
should please action fans and juveniles who<br />
banks. This<br />
will not mind or miss the absence of dialog in the opening<br />
sequence. Then along come Eddie Dean and his pal Roscoe<br />
Ates to cramp the style of this bandit gang, headed by<br />
the Hawk, who is a very unconventional western "badman"<br />
—lovely Jennifer Holt. She tries to kill her cousin, June<br />
Carlson, in order to get control ol the family ranch. Miss<br />
Carlson's father, who suspected the identity bf the Hawk,<br />
had been murdered. Dean sets a trap for the killers and<br />
he practically annihilates them single handed. Andy Parker<br />
and the Plainsmen provide background music lor Dean vocals.<br />
Ray Taylor directed.<br />
Eddie Dean, Roscoe Ates, Jennifer Holt, June Carlson, Andy<br />
Parker and the Plainsmen.<br />
F
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