Variety (December 1954)

6 FILM REVIEWS Wednesday, December 8, 19S4 There's \o Husiness Like Show Basinomi (MUSICAL-COLOR-C’SCOPE) Irving Berlin’s ode to show biz done up in fancy C’Scope trimmings. A guaranteed b.o. smash. lin's viewpoint, they’re all a song- plugger’s delight. “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” gets done up In super-spectrums and in UN man- ner, with a variety of nationalistic reprises, from Tyrolean to Scotch to French to concert grand piano treatment. It’s successively staged, with all the trimmings, first by Miss Merman and Dailey; then the oompah-oompah treatment with glockenspiel and Swiss bellringers; O’Connor’s clever hoot-mon ver- sion; Miss Gaynor’s clicko Gallic treatment; and Johnnie Huy at the ivories. Even up to this point the pseudo-, vaude staging is so slick that the. first audience reaction may be wha’ hoppened?—why isn’t vaude still The Atomic Kid Weak Mickey Rooney comedy for the duals. 20th Fox release of Darryl F. Zanuck’s <Sol C. Sienel) Cinemascope production of Irving Merlin’s musical. Stars Ethel Mer- man. Donald O’Connor. Marilyn Monroe, Dan Dailey. Johnnie Ray. Mitzi Gaynor. Directed by Walter Lang. Screenplay. Phoebe and Henry Ephron. from original by Lamar Trotti; songs, Irving Berlin; camera (DeLuxe). Leon Shamroy; (lances, Robert Alton; music, Alfred and Lionel Newman; vocal arrangements, Ken Darby. Hal Schaefer; orchestrations, Bernard Mayers, Edward B. Powell. Herbert Spen- cer. Earle Hagen; special effects, Bay Kellogg: film editor, Robert Simpson; | around? < Mavbe this is Hollywood's asst, director, Ad Schaumer. Tradeshown vvav n f hrineine it hack') NY.. Dec. 3, ’54. Running time. 117 MINS. , A-u V.. 8 * • , ... , Molly Donahue Ethel Merman ' 1 he t,Ue SOng, in actuality gets Tim Donahue Donald O’Connor prominence only in the Hipp finale. Vicky Marilyn Monroe | and even there some more of' Steve nce Donahue ; J ? h a ,Le l R*y ! "Alexander” is reintroduced for a Katy Donahue .7.7.’.... Mitzi Gaynor real I’ipsnortin’ windup. Lew Harris Richard F^sthuin j i n between. Miss Monroe does j eSUTsSSS .V.V.V.’.V.V rS& • "A«w VOU Got What You Want! Father Dineen Rhys williams (You Don't Want It,” another Berlin ; MarKe •• L * e i oldie, for her “audition” number Helen—Hat Check Girl ... Eve Miller!,.. r,.. .. . . „ , Lillian Sawyer ... Robin Raymond , Eastham), and her SOlO Filter^ stage Manager Lyle Talbot flash is “Heat Wave.” With the] Kelly—Stage Doorman ..George Me’ford | < hnrouehl v nrofpssional and ver- Katy’s Boy Friend Alvy Moorj 1 n ?. , 1 OU “‘ , , iy P rol t*>SIunai ana Vti Harry Chick chan’’er satue Miss Gaynor and O Connor! Dance Director Henry Slate they stage “Lazy.” Miss Monroe’s Geoffrley ° P 7. c5S n r,Sln sa - treatment of her vocal Chores Katy iAge 4) Mimi Giii:m must be seen to be appreciated. Katy <Age 8> L >nda It's n °t going to chase ’em away sieve <Age «> .7.7." 7 7777 Jimmy Baird 'I’om the b.o. On the other hand, as \ Steve i Age io) ... William (Billy) Chao n a song salesgirl, per se, she’ll never j !** 1 ! 2! liave to worry Miss Merman. She’s, more competitive to Mae West in her delineating. Ethel Merman is boffo. She’s a ! Republic release of Mickey Rooney (Maurice Duke) production. Stars Rooney; features Robert Strauss. Elaine Davis. Directed by Leslie H. Martinson. Screenplay. Benedict Freedman and John Fenton Murray from story by Blake Ed- wards; camera. John L. Russell Jr.t mu- sic. Van Alexander. At Palace Theatre. N. Y., week of Dec. 3, ’54. Running time, 84 MINS. Blix Watei berry ., Stan Cooper ... Audrey Nclsqn .,. Dr. Rode!! Dr. Pangborn ... M.f*. in Hospital . Kay ;... Bill General Lawler .. Wildcat Hopper .. Mr. Reynolds « j . ' 7 - > 4 ...Mickey Rooney ... Robert Strauss Elaine Davis .. ... Bill Goodwin .... Whit Bissell ....Joey Forman .... Hal March ....Peter Leeds Fay Roope Stanley Adams Robert E. Keane (Aspect Ratio: 1.85-1) Tim (Age 6) Donald Gamble This is a one-two smash for Irv lng Berlin, both in the same 1954- ...... - „ 55 season; first. Paramount's i * ® f . “White Christmas” and now 20lh’s I d I “There’s No Business Like Show |J* Wm-fd w«5 I irfffm I Business.” Both are star-loaded P™ nfnolLpc pmcpfniiv, m tii ' and both are socko b.o. filmusicals | thc world Wai . u period. Dailey, I The late Lamar Trotti s original. as vis-a-vis, is an effective actor from which the Ephrons fashioned ] and interprets the vaudeville hoof- this screenplay, is palpably a script i cr and father with polish and con- primed to point up the “heart” of viction showfolk. It gets across with tfu- O'Connor, Miss Gaynor and Ray, thority and not a little skill despite as (| ie talented offspring of a the long arm of coincidence w hich ! raised-in-the-tradition vaudeville comes at the finale, and by that | impress all the way. It’s not time is warmly accepted in light all born-in-the-trunk stuff either.] of the wealth of eye-filling and ! The Donahues board their brood in compelling splash, dash and flashi-! a parochial school, but the under- ness of virtually every bit and standing headmaster recognizes the number. |call G f the resin-board in their The captious, of course, will ob-, campus behaviorism and thus the serve that if this was a sample of | segue back to the Donahues’ troup- vaudeville in its heyday then how ling, en masse, is plausible. Just as realistic is the fresh young son of a hard-working vaude come it became extinct? It’s as super-stupendous in its lavishness and prodigious expenditure of pro-!team being young beyond his years duction values as that “little nitery | in his ways with the femmes "in floorshow” in the Miami (Florida* j the profesh,” and O’Connor plays sequences. The very nature of the it just right. Hollywood brand of filmusicals. I “Remember?” is a good bridge however, has so conditioned the j musical theme, as the ouarter- public to expect the ultimate in ; of-a-century closeup of this show’ super values that this is an infra- biz family uprfolds. “Midnight show biz detail which only tile Choochoo Leaves For Alabam,” most carping might advance. i “Simple Melody,” “You'd Be Sur- The story line is solid albeit of ; Prised” ‘‘Pretty Girl Is Like A Mel- familiar pattern. But could well he °dy are interspheed for the basic born of real-life show biz families vaude two-act. . . .. . like the Sam & Kitty Morton fam- ! out a modern spiritual, iiy, Jere Cohan and his brood. ! If \ou Believe, ,n a Eddie Foy and his flock, the three 'sweet-sad farewell party in the generations of the Pat Rooneys, j Donahues Jersey home, before he et enters the monastery. The prop nr j m rv :i . church “billing” heralds the fact ^^ti W' V' (that “religion, too, has been booked aie capital as the vaudeville Dona- ^ 0 j and h as had a i ong rU n,” an d hues v\ ho bring out first one. t-ion Ray - S inner calling to priesthood tA° then three of their offspring. h isn’t a ^ ra gj c as the be- for that extra bow with a running I ;, ilde ^ d parenls t ho U ght at first . aS t, n l rt e ♦ Vai «K C ar l Puru 1,1 o! j The cas ting is authoritative all th!. d a • nH n finann tvfo ^ ,he way although the six costars Jhe 4 and finally the 5 Donahues. dom j na te everything. Hugh O’Brian v? iPP fi( r< fTi S ' impresses as a good “new” face in closing snectacle, for benefit -oftho , h j s 10 mantic bit opposite Miss Gay- Actors Fund of America <a stunt n Frank McHugh, Lee Patrick, which is being reprised for the 1 With a title such as “The Atomic Kid,” there should be plenty of topical interest in this Mickey Rooney production in which Roo- ney also stars. But although ap- parently designed as a comedy, the film sets off no chain reaction of humor and its market for the most part will he confined to the lower ha>f of the duals. The Benedict Freedman-John Fenton Murray screenplay, as fashioned from a story by Blake Edwards, is on the comic book level for the yarn’s situations and gen- eral atmosphere are far fetched and forced. There’s an occasional laugh as Rooney, a survivor of an atom bomb blast, cavorts through the footage. However, the levity appears to be primed for the Sat- urday matinee trade and most adult patrons will be bored. > With fellow prospector Robert Strauss, Rooney is searching for uranium in a remote part of Ne- vada. Trapped in a test area where the Army is detonating an A-bomb, Strauss escapes and Rooney mir- aculously lives although in the very center of the blast. This sets up some scenes in a hospital where he falls for nurse Elaine Davis. For good measure the scripters toss in some foreign spies who are dealt with by Rooney, Strauss & Co. In this melange of slapstick Rooney romps happily. He’s at his best when nonchalantly munch- ing a peanut butter sandwich, sec- onds befpre the A-bomb goes off. Robert Strauss, a fugitive from “Stalag 17,” also makes with the mirth as Rooney’s man Friday but his material is thin and the fun- making fails to come off on the scale of his meaty comedy role in "Stalag.” Also involved in this 1 Republic release are Elaine Davis (Mrs. Roo- ney in private life), who’s pert and pulchitudinous as the nurse; Bill Goodwin, an Army doctor; Whit Bissell, another Army medico, and Joey Forman as an efficient M. P. While director Leslie H. Martin- son handled some of the sequences to advantage, the banal script was too much of a hazard for him to cope with. Production values reflect a mod- est budget. Camerawork of John L. Russell Jr. nicely caDtures the action and physical settings. Art direction of Frank Hotaling is good ' as is the score of Van Alexander. Maurice Duke functioned as asso- ciate producer. Gilb. Roxy, N. Y., premiere this week’, i once again reuniting the 5 Dona-1 hues. Only this time Johnnie Ray j is an Armv chaplain; the errant 1 Donald O’Connor in gob’s garb: i and Mitzi Gaynor, sentimentally suggesting young motherhood, arc Robin Raymond, Lyle Talbot, George Melford, Chick Chandler, Henry Slate are almost wasted in bits but make them stand up in what little they do. Zanuck gave "Show Business” the works in every respect. The orchestral-vocal treatments of the it - . i . j. I ui viivouni vv/vai u vmiiiiviho v* 5,1! A^ ere . * or j? a P py ending, jp cr iin standards are so richly en- 1 ha M S „ v y her f e fi ctl0nal lon Hdowed as to give them constantly aim gets strained. ! fresh values. Even* Walter Wtn- Marilyn Monroe, the sixth eo-shell's offscreen voice was enlisted starring marquee name, is the i for a Broadway montage show. The femme interest to the somewhat ; DeLuxe color and the Leon Sham- booze-fighting O’Connor. } roy Cinemascope lensing are just The conflict revolves around j that, not forgetting the lush or- Miss Monroe, starting first with the chestral and vocal contributions by “Heat Wave” number which, ad- the Newman freres, Ken Darby et mittedly, is perhaps even more im- ! d 1. “Show Business” has everything portant to her nitery routine than ! for wide customer appeal. It’ll mop to the successful Donahues. O’Con- , up. Abel, nor is influential in deferring to Print Shortage i Continued from page 5 ; Miss Monroe, the ambitious ex- coatroom checker who has been i nursing show biz ambitions, and j when the prototype of the Zieg- ' feld-White-Carroll character (Ricli-j ard Eastham) decides to star Miss 0 f producing a second negative on S ^ C pp bl e i5 se ~ 0 ik‘ Re .s by ,,.,(.1, cinemaScoper. He indicated an<1 that this would be extremely ex- giving O Connor and Mitzi Gaynor ; ,„, nc i vo important possibilities in the Broadway musical, sans their par- ents. Incidentally, Eastham im- Donlry (SONGS—COLOR) Good remake of twice-filmed western, this time with Audie Murphy; should click in out> door market. Hollywood. Dec. 2. Universal release of Stanley Rubin pro- duction. Stars Audie Murphy. Mari Blanch- ard; co-stars Lyle BettRer, Thomas Mitchell; features Edgar Duchanan, Lori Nelson. Wallace Ford. Directed by George Marshall. Screenplay. Edmund II. North, D. D. Beauchamp: from a story by Felix Jackson; . suggested by Max Brand’s ’’Destry Bides Again”; earners (Techni- color). George Robinson; editor. Ted J. Kent: music supervluon. Joseph Gersh- enson; songs. Frederick Herbert, Arnold Hughes. Previewed Dec. I. '54. Running t<me. 95 MINS. Tom Destry Audie Murphy Brandy Mari Blanchard Decker Lyle Bettger Rags Barnaby Thomas Mitchell Mayor Sellers Edgar Buchanan Martha Phillips Lori Nelson Doc Curtis Wallace Ford Bessie Mae Curtis ......... Mary Wickes Jack Larson Alan Hale Jr. Curly George Wallace Mac Richard Reeves Henry Skinner Walter Baldwin Ell Skinner Lee Aaker Professor Mitchell Lawrence Dummy Frank Richards Sheriff Bailey Trevor Bardette Bartender Ralph Peters Cowhand John Doucette {Aspect ratio: 2-1) presses as a good picture bet, and it will probably surprise In future that he’s possessed of a Pinza-type voice. pensive. Addition of the striping ma- ! chinery at DeLuxe in N. Y., which is doing the better part of 20th’s color work, is seen easing the print situation considerably. While De- Luxu.is turning out Eastman color Robert Alton rates a big bend prints only, Zanuck acknowledged along with producer Sol. C. Siegel ,,iat 20th was also fitting imbibi- and director Walter Lang on those tion-tvpe color prints for its pix lavish musical routines. From Ber- i from Technicolor. Max Brand’s familiar western hero rides again under the Univer- sal banner, and the third time around should give the company another profitable entry. The soft- spoken, gunless lawman was played by Tom Mix in 1932, and by James Stewart in 1939. This time. Audie Murphy, tackles the role, and prob- ably better fits the original Brand conception than his predecessors. Remakes invite comparisons, but this Stanley Rubin production and those that star in it will not be compared unfavorably. While the 1939 version was geared to both the outdoor and regular feature attraction markets, this 1954 entry is mostly slanted to the western feature field and has been so well fashioned that it should have strong appeal to the action fan. George Marshall, repealing the di- rectorial chore he handled on the 1939 version, runs the deftly plotted script off without a lag. There’s humor, hard drama, sus- pense, romance and sex, the latter more for the grownup than the juvenile oater fan, to be found in the script by Edmund H. North and D. D. Beauchamp, taken from Felix Jackson’s adaptation of the Brand novel. Starring with Murphy as the saloon singer-bad girl is Mari Blanchard, tlie same character done to a turn in 1939 by Marlene Diet- rich. Miss Blanchard doesn't have to take a back seat in the s.a. de- partment and gives the role a zingy characterization that is most ef- fective. Also, she reveals a lively way with a song that stirs the imagination, particularly in those scanty dancehall costumes she wears while selling "Empty Arms,” a real bluesy toreher cleffed by Frederick Herbert and Arnold Hughes, and their “If You Can Can-Can” and “Bang! Bang!” Murphy does e®eptionally well as the quiet hero, son of a famous father, who is called in to aid Thomas Mitchell, town drunk ap- pointed sheriff in a sardonic joke, restore law and order to the west- ern town ruled with ruthless hand by Lyle Bettger and Edgar Buchanan. Murphy’s peaceful ways draw the scorn of the toughies but he carries on without a gun until Bettger kills Mitchell. The hero then straps on his shooting iron and makes the bad men good dead ones. The ease with which Murphy goes about his part is a big asset to the show. So is the menace projected by Bettger; the hapless- ness of Mitchell in his lawman spot; the slyness of Buchanan as the mayor, and the comedy by Wal- lace Ford and Mary Wickes. As in the 1939 “Destry,” this one fea- tures a saloon brawl between fem- mes, this time carried out with murderous intent by the Misses Blanchard and Wickes. In for sweet young love is Lori Nelson, the girl who gets Murphy after Miss Blanchard is killed. Other good assists come from Alan Hale Jr.. Walter Baldwin, Lee Aaker and Trevor Bardette. The action, settings and cos- tumes are brightly displayed in Technicolor by George Robinson's lensing. Brog. Four Whvn Out (ITALIAN) Italo film dubbed in English is okay entry for midweek playing or for double feature slotting. Has Gina Lollobrigi- da in the cast. Carroll Pictures release of Edoardo Capolino production. Stars Gina Lollo- brigida and Renato Baldini. Features Cosetta Greco, Paul Muller. Enzio Maggie. Fausto To/.zi. Tamara Lees and Emma Baron. Directed by Pietro Germi. Pre- viewed in N.Y., Nov. 1. ’54. Running time. 77 MINS. Danicla Paolo Lina Guido Alberto Luigi Tamara Alberto’s Mother Gina Lollobrigida .. Renato Baldini .. Corsetta Greco .... Paul Muller ... Enzio Maggio .... Fausto Tozzi ,... Tamara Lees .... Emma Baron ( Italian ; Dubbed in English ) This Italo film dubbed in Eng- lish is an okay entry for midweek playing time or for double feature slotting, particularly for situations experiencing difficulty in filling out their programs. It’s a good lit- tle action picture that should meet the requirements of general situa- tions. The dubbing job is capably done, although the synchronization is not always perfect. But only the picayune will complain. In light of the recent publicity garnered by Italo actress Gina Lol- lobrigida, her presence in “Four Ways Out,” although in a small role, should serve as marquee lure. In addition to Miss Lollobrigida, the picture has exploitation value via the spotting of stills of Cosetta Greco and Tamara Lees, another pair of good lookers. The “Four Ways Out” concerns the experiences of four men fol- lowing their armed robbery of the receipts of a soccer statium. The men are not gangsters, but are in- dividuals who are driven to the act by poverty. There’s a former pro- fessional soccer player who’s come on bad days because of a perma- nent injury, an impoverished art- ist, a young student, and a guy out of work who participates to sup- port his wife and child. The men separate after the rob- bery as the police dragnet closes in. Eventually, all are caught in different ways—suicide, murder, and surrender. The picture, filmed in Rome, has a documentary flavor as the camera chases the different individuals through the streets of the city. To the credit of the dubbing job is the fact that the American voices appear to fit the characters portrayed. Both the Italian thesps and the American voices perform capably. Pietro Germi’s direction is firstrate as is the camera work. Holl. riv.wN (ITALIAN; COLOR) Rome. Nov. 30. Lux Film release of Lux-Ponti-DeLau- rentiis Production. Stars Kirk Douglas, Silvana Mangano; features Anthony Guinn. Kossana Podesla, Jacques Dumcs- nil, Daniel Internet. Franco lnterlenghi, Elena Zaicschi. Directed by Mario Cam- erini; screenplay. Camerlni. Franco Bru- sati, Ben Hecht, Irwin Shaw. Hueh Gray. Ennt* De Consini, Ivo Ferilli: from Homer’s ’’Odyssey.” Camera (Technicolor), Harold Kosson; editor, Leo fatozzo; music, Alessandro Cicognini. At Moderno. Rome. Running time, 130 MINS. Ulysses Kirk Douglas Circe. Penelope Silvano Mangano Antinous Anthony Quinn Nausicaa Rossana Podesta Alcinous Jacques Dumcsnil Eurylocus Daniel Invernel Tclemachus Franco lnterlenghi Cassanda Elena Zareschi A lot, perhaps too much, money hss gone into the making of “Ulysses,’* but expense shows, and pic is headed for very strong returns at home and should reg- ister with almost equal strength abroad. Besides the epic Homeric peg, pic has an Internationally balanced cast, with Yank. French and Italian elements predominant, good for locally spotted marquee lure. Also its grand-scaled content, which is given the spectacle treat- ment. Lack of CinemaScopc or another big screen system is a drawback, though pic having “been shot with widescreen composition in mind somewhat obviates. State- side, in general release, “Ulysses” looks to become the strongest Italian grosser so far, with success- ful dubbing job and proper launch- ing important factors. Only a few of the w.k. Homeric episodes have been included in the already lengthy pic, and are told in flashback form as remembered by the hero. Featured are his love for Nausicaa; the cave of Poly- phemus. the one-eyed monster; the Siren Rocks; the visit to Circe’s island cave and the return to Penelope. The Trojan War, with the famed horse episode, is tele- scoped into a few rapid dissolves, But material covered makes for plenty of action, dominated by a virile performance by Kirk Douglas, and elegantly decked out in Technicolor by Harold Rosson's camera. Douglas gives the part an impressive reading, aided by dialog cut some notches above par for the genre. Others include costar Silvana Mangano, a looker, as both Circe and Penelope, but unfortunately limited by both parts to expressing monotonous unhappiness until the finale. Anthony Quinn handles his bits well; Franco Interlenghi is good as Telemachus; and Sylvie as Euryclea, Daniel Ivernel as Eury- locus, Jacques Dumesnil as Alci- nous, and others back ably. Rossana Podesta lends freshness and young good looks as Nausicaa. For a spectacle, the pic runs too many clo9eups, with longish stretches of dialog between the two principals, or soliloquized. Rosson has handled his color camera expertly, and same goes for Shufftan’s process work,- especially in Polyphemus sequence. Sets are lavish and solid, and include a full- scale ship for Ulysses. Direction by Mario Camerini is expert, though sometimes unable com- pletely to overcome the script’s episodic structure. Art and cos- tume design by Flavio Mogherini is tasteful. Alessandro Clcognini’s musical score highlights the action appropriately. Hawk. ‘Shield for Murder’ Out In Binford’s Memphis Memphis, Dec. 7, In the wake of his recent scuffle with the Internal Revenue Dept, over his income tax on a sale of a property, Lloyd T. Binford, Mem- phis’ censor chief, has “jumped back” to the side of the law by putting the Binford heave-ho to United Artists’ “Shield for Murder” because “it appears to be a bur- lesque on the City Police Depart- ment.” In a letter to Tony Tedesco and Kay Randle of the local UA office here, Binford said “this picture is a shady picture on the police de- partment with apparently one half of the actors dumbbells and the other half crooks; with most of the women questionable characters.” Feature was immediately gobbled up by the Sunset Drive-In at West Memphis, Ark., and opened there Friday (3).