Daily News from Los Angeles, California • 19

4k. LOS JAN. 1,1941 NINETEEN 1 rsonamai John Brown 1940s (MIMED LEGACY By VIRGtNIAWRIGHT At three theaters last night, Loewa State, Graumani Chinese' the Carthay Circle, the old year went out bn the beat comedy product of -lM0. -Philadelphia Is more than a carbon PT of Philip Barry's successful play. It has been embellished here nd cut there until It emerges now as a smooth, sophisticated, wans -veI7- Tunny study of the rich and their detractors, principal success Is due, of course; to the return of JKaths-.

rine Hepburn to- tbo screens Barry wrote the play for her and no actress la the country-. could give Tracy lord the arro-. gance, the shining superiority or to marry Tracy except on own terms. A -little slow to emerge from stupor of the night before, Tracy keeps her wedding guests waiting while sne breaks off her engagement and refuses a polite -the even the eventual warmth that- proposal of marriage from the Ie porter, But she doesn't dlsap- Tracy-te-theddmt--daughter, point her guests. She marries of a wealthy Philadelphia ber former husband.

ily. a young woman whose first-' Philip Barry should be very' grateful for' the marriage ended a little violently direction of' Oc I iha ttcr WriiM km la fall.) By VIRGINIA WRIGHT. 'j Drama Editor' ANNUALLY, at thistime, it custom of drama do-. partments to select the outstanding motion pictures of the year. Although reviewers, 'throughout toq country have' settled on the arbitrary 'figure of JO, no standards of.

selection have been agreed upon. -There la some hazy talk of rrquality-and ordinarily box- office receipts are completeiy disregarded In the making of these lists. In aSf -own case, JTh willing to admit, the meas- wring stick Is' merely. One of pereonal-prej On that basis; then, are the following selections made: "THE GRAPES OF WRATH" Because, ss far as ltgoea thia. 1.

a screen version Is an eloquent and Indignant- the John beck novel from which It was adapted. Because its unrelenting pic- ture of Hie dust bowls aessed "makes no and no concessions to pressure :7" i Simple and direct the picture grasps the spirit of an entire and tie; theres grandeur George Cukor and tha adaptation of 'Donald Ogden 8tewart'- He la equally fortunate In toe casting of the film. While Kath- arine Hepburn dominates the Whole proceedings she' has a brilliant supporting cut. Caiy Grant plays G. Dexter' Haven, toe first husband, In a subdued manner that Is com-.

pletely charming; James Stewart, the reporter. Is especially good in his moments of -Inebriation, and little Virginia. Weidler does a great piece of comedy work toe meddlesome young sister. Ruth Husaey, the photographer sent down by Spy to get pic- tures of the wedding; John Hal- liday and MSry Nash, tJt Hr. and Mrs.

Lord, and Roland Young; as Uncle Willie, all help to mako this ena of the best acted eome- dies of any year. Philadelphia Story" Is a long and beautifully sustained. motion picture. The three ten are dignifying It by presenting It on a single bUl, ao-companled only by a Disney cartoon. and who Is about to embark, when the picture' her: In the course of the day and 'night before the wedding quite a few persons have quite a bit Ito -iay-abaut Trscy.Lord Her.

estranged father calls her 7 a prig; her young sister calls her hard; her mother admits shes a little difficult because she sets such high standards for herself; 1 standards that others have trouble living up to; her former hus-. hand insists tha 'reason for her Intolerance is that her own toot has never slipped, and the man she Is about to many sees her as an aloof goddess. Zt remains for a young re porter sent down by the maga-. sine Spy. to "the Philadelphia story," to have a hn- manlzlng effect on Tracy Lord.

-Be gets tipsy with her on goes with her tor a -midnight swim, causes a mQd scandal by carrying her to her and makes her a much nicer person by helping her down from her The only on who doesnt appreciate the Improvement Is the 'young bridegroom, who refuses Sawyer and David Bruce are other principals. Elsa Maxwell in "Riding Into serves as a farce fn-' turet on the program and -allows an undignified closeup of the celebrated hostess of the so-called smart set. majesty about the action's fl In all, a film to prove the to-screen has reached its maturity. "OUR TOWN" supetla- iuSSi DONT LOOK NOW, but ilia men behind those white whiskers quality of Thornton Wiklerti is' Bob Hope, disguised and 'equipped 'as Father TimeT Obviously -words. Completely iiheonven- tional, this film has the courage Inexperienced YT fhe role, which be assumed only to 94 1 ho seems afraid that the hourglass will explode, EDITH FELLOWS SCORES to be quite simple.

For that, tor its warm humor, Its tenderness and for Its whole r-WBiatkLecpnceptlHi, this adaptation of thbTc9taer prise play belongs among the top pictures By FRANK MITTAUER; V- RemembcrEdltlrFellowsrtoe youngster who used to play those hoydenlsh roles on the screen? shes not a hoyden any more. Shes quite grown up and very decorative, and is whose betrayal of Brown helps. In the capture of the latter at Harpers Ferry Shows the actors talents most effectively. Heflin should go faOr in Hollywood upon returning from his. tour with' Katharine Hepburn' in "The Philadelphia Story." by Robert Buckner and marked with Michael Curtis capable direction, "Santa Fe TTaIT results la a thrilling, action laden narrative of events.

leading up to an Inevitable clash men-T7betweeir the people of the north 7 the welght of the story given over to the crushing of! inHansns By. HARRY MINES- Although-; Errol Flynn Olivia DellavlUand fining- in "Sants Fo Trtil" at Warners Downtown and Holly- wood theaters it's Raymond Massey and Van wfiiw of the 7 supporting cast who contribute the performances. -f Both- have the advantages of colorfully written roles while the leide are obliged to get along '-as, best they can -with a. Jrdnuuplotromance dragging. at their heels.

Flynn is handsome and heroic 7 as Stuart-of West Point who is sent with comrades L.George. Phil Sheridan, James. George Pick- ett, John Hood and Bob Holliday- to Fort Leavenworth In "bloody" Kansas The picture hlntsof the eventual daywhen theae friends will fight one an-" other, as Civil war grips the vV Miss DeHavllland as tomboy lsh Kit Carson Holliday occupies herself bossing her father's wagon freight lines 'over the Santa' Fe trail to the west' and reaching a decision as to suitors, Stuart and Custer. "Santa Fe Trail," however, owes its punch to Masseys feverish Interpretation of John Brown, the fanatical antislaver who fought for a cause in which he sincerely believed, although his murderous actions turned him into the scourge of the land. The somber, moody Massey per- -sonaUty-makes him an ldeal se-rr lection for the zealous leader.

1 Heflin's scoundrelly Rader John Brown and his murderous horde theres not much made out tna Va.Twwg-y-viiarv-n- Alone the Santa. Fe tralL The at Harpera Ferry has. been excitingly plcturized as the army brings to an end toe plane of a.aelf appointed crusader. The routine comedy material ven Guinn Williams and Alan as a couple of frontier handicaps these two positive performers. Ronald Reagan Is pleasanUy-present.

as Custer Gene Reynolds, Alan Bax-. ONeil, John Lltel, Monml Olsen, Suzanne Carna-. 'ban, Hobart Cavanaugh, Joe STAGE ATTRACTIONS itoilfe 'ffeasW'iiWii wm diw-1 of. the year. GREAT DICTATOR" Charlie Chaplin does the Impos- slble turns the dementias of two dictators into fit subjects for hilarious ridicule and proves that a contemporary study neednt detract at all from the old Chapllh performance and his especially 7- Inspired moment with a balloon globe makes this, notable, Hv "THE LONG VOYAGE HOME" A visually magnlfi-- cent porlrait uf thegeyand-tie' men who sail upon her.

the Hawaii In an appealing little number titled mance." "The" filmte" but ell the elements that make more on the unpretentious order Cinderella, stories perennial fa- of "Love Me Tonight" "4 other vorltea. There the wicked foreign -lmportatlonsT than the AinMiiwg Hollywood variety. In It Miss Fellows has full oppor- tunlty-- to excellent peraon of voice, which somehow never i wt as nopm Mger. seemed to mean much in toe. And theres even a baRr a col- lege-ehlndig-where-Mise-Frilowe bilAnnMMm 9 A mi wan dlnnA 4ada ter, -played with surprising ace by the' beautiful Jacqueline- Thwe's the prince charnir blossoms out her date.

I'Eiraska ifStslfcri ON THB-SCRBtM Alt WABNEP THEATRES pnL" Perhaps she does much better 'John Ford hu given tola film in this new film because Shes thr vigor of one Thomu cast opposite Wilbur Evans; well Bentons' lithographs: it Is hu- known radio and concert harl-morous and pathetic and full of toneTThe voices Of the pair blend admirably, particularly In duet "Love Ir 7- toe ill But it takes more toon felid-touf casting to explain toe very pleasant Jmpressian- Miss'. Fellows, makes toe picture. -The plain fact la that thoee -years- of childhood experience before the cameraa stood her in good stead, even though they touched sometimes 00 slapstick. For. plot-toe filmdependsou-frw rrflatiU Ctnilerella ttm, ilii on flrsL Edward Dmytryk, hitherto as- aociated with action pictures, proves his skill at directing gentler story material In "Her First Romance." He secures sin--cere- member, of the cast and really outstanding ones, than Marlon Kerby, Judith Linden of "Meet toe People) and Alan' Ladd.

(' Photography hy. JohaJfeican ls-up to Hollywoods usual high standard. The musical score, which Includes suafc favorites as "Dark Ey es tod Jeanle WltlA. ranged by Gregory Storm E. by.Monogram.

Secondpicture on toe newbillT the Hawall ls a screen version of the stage play, Georgs Sanders and Mary Magulre have top billlng to Hie 3b STAGE ATTRACTIONS JW-M Mtwialamat hB Mai MJlairaa aarlaf Miaa. st atwi a Om. aim Haad, qa Mi a ban FOILI rs ns Ji- -ss--v TODAY. 'T STAGE ATTRACTIONS toe loneliness of these men of the A strong and beautifully composed production. DR.

EHRLICHS MAGIC BULLET" This biography of a bacteriologist Is distinguished. -expert performances; an en-; grossing, clinical story and a thoroughly unconventional use of dramatic values. Not even the -f. "soapbox" finish can. alter 'toe.

-Importance at tola drama of test, THE FIGHT TOR LIFE" iLperiapaUiU made tar toe U. ttH under the tiroctlonOf Pare LorenU doesnt rightfully be long-to-toe-comnany-or Holly- remarkable Both lta narrative and its piuaie JicorelbyLwiU Gruenbcrg-ara so far 'from toe beaten movie track toey probably should be glveiTTOme special 'iccolsde of such time this 'study of health and housing to Ihe United States must be listed adapted to pictures by 1 Adels whoU ba remembered for io Gjf1" riP Hufbln, gives the new film some- of the aame.disanntog simplicity that marked tor earlier eff orL- A Thousand Milos of Danger.a Thousand Thrills n. -r OLIVIA Dijumuma in Warner Bros. First Great -Action Sensation with RAYMOND MASSiV RONALD REAGAN ALAN HALT mm usee meee we menus 8TAGE ATTRACTIONS EimAPITAN inntRBBr A THETPHIL AD I A STORY" This Just-gets under the wlrer shoulud go down at the smartest comedy of toe yeaxvBetter even -3-than-the Philip Barry play from which It was adapted Is fast; funny and altogether delightful, ir-it werentair these -S(C9onttoued fin LAFF PANiCf am 7 NM ClAMA Modem 1 fwiim Lecture Fhilharmonls Aud -January Lectures miAMOtCK "Demoeracyo Leaf Stand" Exploova sen. TU.

1144 ill Matwl Monday evening, January Wed. Evening, Jan. S-Tha IMutit IS to ft it 4tx rMIbar. SMS, MU. SSL- OOXAXON" PADUA 4.

v. ftp-- r. ti.