“Barricade"

Northern Advocate, 11 May 1940, Page 10

“Barricade"

James Stewart creates the impression of being frightfully embarrassed in this screamingly fanny episode from his latest appearance for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, “It’s a Wonderful World.” Claudette Colbert co-stars with James Stewart in a rib-tickling characterisation reminiscent of her never-to-be-forgotten role in “It Happened One Night.” Together they head a cast which includes Guy Kibbee, Nat Pendleton, Frances Drake, Edgar Kennedy, and Ernest Truex.

With Alice Faye and Warner Baxter together for the first time as a romantic team, “Barricade” stars these* two top-notch 20th Century-Fox personalities in a thrilling modern story of startling realism. The veteran character actor, Charles Winninger, is featured in the film, with Arthur Treacher, Keye Luke and Willie Fung. Winninger portrays the heroic American consul to whose compound came a little group of American and British refugees fleeing the bandit terror. Also to this little fortress come Alice Faye, in the role of a night-club entertainer fleeing from murder, and Warner Baxter as a news hawk after her story. Alice, who is playing an international hotel circuit, witnesses an assassination in a city in Northern China and takes flight to save her own life. She runs straight into new peril when she reaches Winninger's consulate which is being besieged by fierce Mongolian guerrillas. Hot on her trail, Baxter finally meets Alice aboard a train which at that moment is stopped by the bandits who have torn up the tracks. Somehow or other the pair get safely to the American compound through a rain of fire from the desperadoes and there a reign of terror ensues. In the face of peril, with death seemingly but an hour away as the bandits batter and storm the gates, they learn to love, and Baxter forgets his search for the story in his new zeal to clear Alice.