Photoplay (Jul-Dec 1947)

f ( Continued from page 4) v' Down to Earth (Columbia) SOME people “up there” may get a little annoyed one of these days if Hollywood keeps bringing celestial denizens down to earth. This time, it’s Rita Hayworth — pardon us, the Muse Terpsichore, who gets Mr. Jordan to let her come wafting down with Messenger Edward Everett Horton. Larry Parks is the reason — he’s putting on a musical in which the muses sing such songs as were never heard in Greek mythology and Rita’s pretty mad about it. Once on earth she gets things her own way, which means the show’s a flop and gangster George Macready will shoot Larry. But here comes Mr. Jordan again — he’s distinguished Roland Culver in this one — to set Rita straight on the path of love. The Broadway background is, of course, the cue for lots of songs, dances, Technicolor costumes and big sparkly sets. Rita is certainly just the ticket to portray a heavenly creature and James Gleason as her manager has had just enough practice to be able to deal deftly with a Muse. Larry Parks looks sincere and able as ever; unfortunately he gets crowded right out of the picture by the big song-and-dance acts. Shots of white airplanes full of spirits heading upward into the unknown still make us a little nervous, especially when all this earthly merry-making and torchsinging are going on at the same time. Your Reviewer Says: Glitter, glitter, little ghost. BECAUSE it’s "that time of month” do you stay out of the water pretending you don’t care? You do care and others are likely to know it. So why not use Tampax and take your swim? Women everywhere now are doing just that . . . Tampax is modern sanitary protection worn internally. There are no belts, outside pads or anything else that can show. In bathing suit wet or dry, you are safe from the most watchful eyes. Made of compressed absorbent cotton, Tampax was invented by a doctor for this monthly use. Individual applicators make insertion easy and when the Tampax is in place it cannot be seen or felt. It is quick to change and easy to dispose of. Also, no odor can form. Do you wonder that millions of women are now using Tampax? Buy Tampax and swim to your heart’s content. At drug stores and notion counters in Regular, Super and Junior absorbencies. Month’s supply fits into purse. Or get the economy box with 4 months’ supply (average). Tampax Incorporated, Palmer, Mass. NO BELTS NO PINS NO PADS NO ODOR Accepted for Advertising by the Journal of the American Medical Association Honeymoon (RKO) THIS is on the fantastic side, but the trouble is it’s not supposed to be fantasy. Rather, it’s obviously designed to be a winner starring Shirley Temple and Guy Madison, with Franchot Tone playing their sophisticated sponsor. Shirley looks trim and trig and Madison handsome; Tone looks mostly harried, which might be expected from any actor trying to keep up with the haphazard happenings of a film that’s merely a futile attempt at fun. Shirley’s a Minnesota girl who’s supposed to meet and marry Madison in Mexico City; she misses him but finds viceconsul Tone. Lina Romay has previously discovered Franchot, so naturally she resents this, as does the audience when things keep going on and on and Shirley and Guy are no nearer getting married than they were two reels before. There are lots of shots of Mexican background with flowers and serapes and upper-class garden parties, but this doesn’t make a picture. Both Shirley and Guy act a little as though they were repeating lines the way somebody told them to; you have an idea if they’d only let loose and be themselves everything might pick up. But then, they have such silly things to do — as does that poor Tone — they probably never would have a chance to make this anything but a lame effort. Your Reviewer Says: Nothing good doing here. V' The Trouble with Women (Paramount) WHO’S “dabbling” now? Teresa Wright, newspaper reporter, says it’s Ray Milland, a psychology professor who’s getting into a lot of ladies’ hair by claiming they should be shoved around more. But it really looks as though Paramount has done the dabbling what with using the Wright Milland talent, plus a touch of Brian Donlevy, in a Aim that’s just a time-passer. Take the story— a light little touch about a girl reporter who’s after a story from a publicized professor. She enrolls in his class; he thinks she’s a cute little student and pretty soon in comes love. The big bad wolf is shouting city editor Donlevy who wants his story — and Teresa. It all sounds fairly amusing, and it is — fairly. But all the contrived little funny business seems to be an echo of bigger and better comedies and though the dialogue gives off an occasional spark there’s still the feeling that Ray and Teresa are too grown up to be playing around this way. Iris Adrian acts just as though she really were a burlesque dancer, which is a great pick-up, seeing as how everyone else is just sort of kidding around. Your Reviewer Says: Women have been in better trouble than this. The Homestretch (20th Century-Fox) THE homestretch is the best part of this racy story. Don’t get us wrong — it’s “racy” only insofar as it makes a Technicolortour of all the famous tracks. Maureen O’Hara, looking lush in lush outfits, and Cornel Wilde lag along for half the picture, not acting well enough to make the audience do more than start to squirm. Then the film gets a shot in the arm that carries it along fairly well; by the time the homestretch is reached in the last race, it’s ready to take its place as a fair picture. A genteel Bostonian like Maureen should not have listened to the wiles of racetrack follower Wilde. She knew she shouldn’t all the time, so when she sees the life she has to lead, decorated constantly by conniving Helen Walker, she just packs her bags and leaves for home. This is where everything picks up, since the life has just been a series of would-be romantic incidents that never quite came off. When the film gets down to concentrating on the horses and Wilde’s reform you can begin to sit up and take a little notice. Cornel Wilde is wasted; he just doesn’t belong here, acting like a hare-brained wastrel. James Gleason looks in now and then trying to make it all worth while. There are love scenes and beautiful clothes, but it’s still a jittery off-the-track film. Your Reviewer Says: Loses by more than a nose. v'v' The Adventuress (Eagle-Lion) THIS is the Deborah Kerr who’s going to take over Clark Gable in “The Hucksters.” If you want an idea of how she’s going to go about it, just watch her take over this slightly incredible story and make high entertainment of it. She’s the little Irish Bridie who wants to be a big black rebel. She can’t manage that directly, so lets herself be taken in by a German spy and there she is caught in a lot of trouble about a little black book that presumably is the key to the fate of the Allies. But never mind the plot; just watch the picture and Deborah. She acts with a finished tautness that makes every incident a shiver of suspense. Trevor Howard, whom you may remember from “Night Train,” goes right along with her. The British flavor, her nicely finished Irish accent and the sly little humor that comes grinning in now and then make this a starrer that’s worth robbing your piggy bank to see. Your Reviewer Says: Out for a good time. 6