Evening star., 1939-07-15


services of Milt Britten's band, than
which there is no more madcap Or
ganization in the music business. It
turns out to be a very considerable
compensation for paying close heed
to what Uncle Sam does for his way
ward sons and daughters.
They All Come Out" featuring
several of Metro Goldwyn-Mayer's
more aspiring unknowns, Is none of
your usual films. On the contrary,
it is documentary affair, so thor
oughly official that it boasts of a
prologue in which former Attorney
General Homer S. Cummings makes
a speech and an epilogue in which
the same former official does the
same thing The in-between section
is devoted to an exposition of what
Mr.. Cummings has to say about how
the penal system is dedicated to the
reform of those anti-social citizens
who can be taught the error of their
ways.
To bring "They All Come Out"
within the scope of the average bit
of film writing, the producing studio
has ornamented it with comedy, TO-
nance and the several other ele-
ments that make for screen drama.
All of it is simple, direct and pointed.
A girl named Kitty Rita john
SOM and boy named Joe Cameron
tom NeaD become the innocent
tools of bank bandit. The whole
mob is apprehended in bank stick
up and railroaded, so far as the
development of the story is con-
cerned, into various types of Fed
eral penal institutions. The leader
of the gang, chronically criminal,
goes first to Atlanta, then to Alca-
traz because he is beyond redemp-
ton. The boy and girl are sent to
places dedicated to the rehabilita-
ton of those who are more sinned
against than SHINING. Their reform
is accomplished through procedure
that is more Illuminating than en-
tertaining; more on the order of a
March of Time episode than the
usual feature film.
Within the limits of script that
aims to educate the film audience.
the players in the cast of They All
Come Out" do an acceptable job.
Miss johnson seems wee bit too
refined a girl to be convincing as
the gunman's mol. but that is only
at moments. Otherwise, she creates
the impression that no matter how
silly it is to think crime pays, actual
experience will convey the reverse
notion AS the misguided lad who
is in love with her, Mr.. Neal is con-
sistently better, but neither of the
lovers does such an adequate job |
as Edward Gargan as the stupid
crook or John Gallaudet as the one
who is fetched in the haid."
Perhaps it is significant of the
whole spirit of They All Come Out"
that the sequences in which the in
sanity of Gallaudet are most evident
are the most comical ones of the
picture.
The madness of Mr.. Britten's band
really is funny. and no apologies for
the laughter. 1t reflects itself pri-
marily in the sequence in which
every member of the organization
takes part in conducting the group,
each disguised as a major figure in
music; one Verdi, another Sousa,
etc. At the end of the program,
Britten himself participates to the
extent of shooting the lot of them,
an idea that all too few of today's
bandmasters follow.
Helping to make Gene Ford's por-
ton of the bill attractive are several
other bits. One of them is provided
by Sue Ryan, who makes something
important over here of the mimicry
which made her a success in Europe.
The Reillys help impressivelv with
their acrobatic dancing. So, but not
acrobatically. does Paul Nolan. The
result is that the stage show adds
up as something superior to the
screen feature unless one happens to
be enamored of documentary films.