GERONIMO

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 57, 26 July 1940, Page 20

GERONIMO

(Paramount) This film ends with as exciting a bit of rip-snorting blood and thunder as Hollywood has ground out for some weeks. "Geronimo" puts real pep into the game of Red Indians, however much its slow beginning might presage a slow progress. Although they take some time to get there all the characters finally arrive in or near a frontier fort, round which Geronimo, Apache Indian warlord, is massing his thousands of scalping warriors. It happens to be a fact that an unpleasant person of this name did cause the U.S. Army a good deal of trouble

while President Grar.t was doing his best to push the frontier west. Ralph Morgan climbs out of the clouds of the Wizard of Oz’s castle to become a block-of-granite general, sent out to dispose of Geronimo. However, Chief Thundercloud, perfectly cast in this picturesque part, is a block-of-granite Indian, and, what’s more, has the assistance of a traitor in the ranks, Gene Lockhart, who plays the part of a white man betraying his comrades for the sake of the gold the Indians can capture for him. Ellen Drew, Marjorie Gateson, and Kitty Kelly wear the skirts in the picture and, although they do not behave quite so hysterically as Miss Colbert had to behave along the Mohawk, they are little more than wearers of skirts, except that their presence at the frontier brings all the trouble to a head. Oh yes, in addition, Bill Henry, just out of West Point, has his spit and polish rubbed the wrong way by the General, stern father, who places discipline before parental privileges. This also causes trouble. When it does come to a head-and all this time the film is becoming more and more interesting-it comes with a whoop and a lot of bangs. Those weaker members of the audience who are not in tears of sadness and gladness towards the end will be standing on their seats and shouting for the heads of the horrible Indians. A hearty film, this, and nothing more to be said except that Andy Devine, so often playing Sancho to Richard Arlen’s Don, is this time in his element, and appears, as he does occasionally, just right in the right place. Preston Foster is also well placed as an officer who keeps a friendly eye on the General’s son,