Boxoffice - Feb. 17, 2014

I
'
Metro's
ANNOUNCEMENT of the nominations
for the annual Academy
Awards is again the signal for
starting Hollywood's legion of Monday
morning quarterbacks on a long end run
of criticisms, questions, heckling and prognostications.
From now until the night of
the Oscar banquet the railbirds who insist
on carrying the ball at all times—even
though it usually develops into an eightball—will
have a field day.
Loudest of the '"tain't fair" bleats which
are echoing and re-echoing through the
cinema city hills concentrates on "Gone
With the Wind" and the prominent place
that picture and those who are connected
with its making—both staff and cast
have won on the nominations lists.
A quick gander reveals that "GWTW"
and its people appear as nominees in 11
out of 13 possible classifications, the closest
contender being "Mr. Smith Goes to
Washington," which places with 10 out of
14 possible nominations.
A ballot so dominated by "GWTW," the
hecklers contend, is as one-sided as a Joe
Louis fight. So many established precedents
and records have been and are
being shattered by the David O. Selznick
picture, they argue, that placing it in competition
with even the best of a normal
innual crop of Hollywood product is defilitely
on the unfair side. To bolster their
obvious, albeit fallacious, observations, they
joint to the undeniable facts that the
jicturization of Margaret Mitchell's bestieller
cost more money than any film ever
oroduced, that it was accorded more su-
.jerlative and widespread critical acclaim,
iind that, if present patronage is criterion,
it will do more business.
SPEARHEADS
Uy Iv'an ^^pea^
But there is one more fact, equally undeniable,
and of which the critics of Academy
procedure seem to have lost all sight.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences was organized on and is dedicated
to encouraging and recognizing just
exactly those cinematic achievements of
which "GWTW" is such a magnificent
demonstration—the making of better and
more popular motion pictures.
If one producer, through exercising extraordinary
daring, vision and ability, contrives
to make a picture which so overshadows
contemporary effort that placing
it in competition is indicted as "unfair."
he is certainly richly deserving of
all of the kudos that established Academy
operations in the selection of awards
can bestow upon him—even though his
landslide victory partially excludes those
whose accomplLshments and product would
be Oscar material under more normal competitive
conditions.
What with "Stanley and Livingstone"
and "Northwest Passage," Spencer Tracy
will probably go down in history as the
walkingest actor of all times.
They're calling them the Warden Brothers
now.
Paramount had no sooner announced it
would premiere "The Biscuit Eater" in
Albany, Ga., than a tornado came along
and virtually wiped out the town. It might
work if the studio, in the interest of world
peace, announced a premiere for Berlin.
Dorothy Lamour has been named a member
of the National Federation of Music
Clubs of America "because of her deep
interest in the work of the Federation in
furthering the cause of good music in
films."
Dottie could very easily demonstrate her
sincere interest in this worthy cause—
through the simple expedient of not singing.
Boris Morros announces his next picture
will be "Lysistrata," the Greek comedy,
which is hardly a change of pace inasmuch
as his first production effort, "The
Flying Deuces," was Greek to most of the
critics—and, judging by the grosses, the
customers. At least the comedy, if any, will
be an innovation.
Paramount will make "Reap the Wild
Wind," with Claudette Colbert penciled in
for the femme lead. David Selznick and
Metro seem to be doing a lot of reaping
on a wind that is definitely wild as concerns
revenue.
Redskins, Rooney and Risible
Leo. who contributed three of the eight
eatures for the week's preview parade,
/ould have batted 1,000 per cent if he
ladn't ignobly fanned out his last time
t bat. As is, the Culver City film factory
lUst be credited with two home runs,
lither one of which could qualify as the
>eek's
best.
"Northwest Passage" can, with
hesitation, be accorded a position as
ne of the most gripping and spectacular
dveniure films ever made and without
'uestion the best of its type to come from
'lat studio since "Mutiny on the Bounty."
i'he stirring—although perhaps a bit
'loody—saga of Rogers' Rangers, that
re-Revolutionary band of pioneers, was
•ansferred to the screen with terrific enjrtainment
impact in a cunningly con-
•ived screenplay by Laurence Stallings
nd Talbot Jennings, who based their work
!a the first half of Kenneth Roberts' bestfiling
novel. Few pictures have been ac-
)rded more lavish and impressive proaction
treatment than that given this by
unt Stromberg, who saw to it that in
/ery technical detail it approaches per-
I'Ction. Too. the Technicolor in which it
as filmed greatly enhances its attraction,
ing Vidor directed with a sure hand and
le cast, from Spencer Tracy down, is
agnificent.
The same studio should have another
solid boxoffice hit in "Young Tom Edison,"
a deft blend of humor and hearttugs
which allows Mickey Rooney a free
hand to deliver the type of performance in
which he is so adept. Bradbury Foote,
Dore Schary and Hugo Butler did a masterful
job of correlating the material concerning
Edison's adolescence into a literate
and entertaining screenplay, a script that
purportedly is biographically factual. The
production mounting by John W. Considine
jr., with Orville O. Dull as associate,
is likewise excellent, and Norman Taurog
contributed faultless direction.
Two of filmdom's favorite comediennes
returned to the screen after too-long absences
and in both instances the results
were top-side entertainment.
Universal has a surefire success in "My
Little Chickadee," in which, for the first
time, the comedy talents of Mae West and
W. C. Fields are combined. Miss West and
Fields, receiving credit for the script,
packed it with laugh-getting situations,
with curvaceous Mae delivering a standout
performance in her best hip-swaying
fashion. Edward Cline's direction successfully
keeps proceedings as well under
control as possible, under the circumstances,
and Lester Cowan merits accolades
as the producer.
A more subdued and appealing Martha
Raye, plus a highly original and gag-laden
story idea, make a topnotch bundle of entertainment
out of Paramount's "The
Farmer's Daughter." The wide-mouthed
comedienne dominates the proceedings,
hitting high spots of hilarity with clownish
gags,
delivering two songs in first-rate
style and in general demonstrating that,
with proper handling, she still has plenty
of what it takes to draw them in at the
boxoffice. Lewis R. Poster based his highstepping
script on a story by Delmar
Daves, Producer William C. Thomas accorded
it adequate production moimting
and James Hogan imparted spirited direction.
On the action front appeared a pair of
very worth-while programmers in RKO
Radio's "The Marines Fly High" and Columbia's
"Outside the Three Mile Limit."
The first-named is another saga of the
marines-have-landed variety, its locale a
Central American republic and its motivation
a bandit uprising. Directorial credits
were shared by the late George NichoUs jr.
and Ben Stoloff. the picture coming from
the Robert Sisk production unit.
Gambling on the high seas, murder and
I Continued on page 23)
B XOFFICE ; : February 17, 1940 21