Canadian Film Weekly (Jun 18, 1947)

The Overlanders with Chips Rafferty, Pcter Pagan Eagle-Lion 90 Mins. INTERESTING SEMI-DOCUMENTARY: AUSTRALIAN MADE: HAS OUTDOOR SPECTACLE, ACTION. When the war came to Australia and the Japanese launched air raids in the north at Darwin, it was decided to destroy vast herds of cattle rather than let them fall into the hands of the enemy in the event of invasion. That was one school of thought. Another was to drive the animals overland, across some pretty rugged country, to Brisbane, and eventually utilize them for homebased forces and Allied troops that came to reinforce Australian resistance. This Michael Balcon production details the trials, dangers, hardships and eventual triumph of a group of drovers, male and female, who took the first herd, numbering 1,000, over 1,500 miles of prairie, badlands, mountains and rivers infested with crocodiles, to the pens at the Brisbane end, The story begins at a small town called Wyndham, where Chips Rafferty, also known as the Australian Gary Cooper, organizes his expedition. His wife and daughters go along, too. Once the herd is started moving such obStacles as drought and lack of feed become apparent. A few animals are Jost. Romance develops between Peter Pagan and Rafferty's daughter, Daphne Campbell. Pagan is hurt in a. Stampede. He’s flown to Brisbane. a length the herd overcomes € perils of the route, reaches Safety. The drovers set out again for another herd. a ana simply told story of ed ee ribulation backgrounda toad glimpses of the AusMes wt It is an untikes ering and at the same sige ee picture of little ae ae the war. . Ships fferty, | Jugent Howard, Daphne Campiell, Jean Silver Hel 7 j Hee eb Peter Pagan, Clyde Combo, a Murdock, Marshall Crosby. E 35 Diteatae oe Producer, Michael Balcon; att: Ca Arry Watt; Written by Harry , tmeraman, Osmond Borradalle. DIRECTION ¢ ‘ Gace Good. PHOTOGRAPHY, ‘Song Of My Heart’ Song of My Heart” has been Set a Artigt the release title of Allied kowsic film of the life of Tchai plete” Which was recently com Copacabana with Groucho Marx, Carmen Miranda CA 92 Mins. POTENTIALLY SOCK PACKAGE OF ENTERTAINMENT; GAGS, GIRLS, MUSIC, GAYETY. BUY IT. Gags and girls, the way they are .served up here are a can’t miss combination. And you may add to those two factors a flock of production numbers that still further show the female form divine off to striking advantage and a plot that is as screwy as they come, gets screwier as it unfolds. Constantly it is one laugh after another. First and basically a familiar show business story, it is also a grand advertisement for the New York nitery of the same name. Miss Miranda and Marx are a knockout comedy team. Where the latter gets off a sly innuendo, Miss Miranda knocks them for a loop with her dialectic treatment of the language. When they take brief moments out of the picture so the boy-meets-girl romance can be generated, they are eagerly awaited for their next appearance. The Marx-Miranda combo is on free time. They are broke, too. Marx becomes a 10 per center and sells Miss Miranda to the owner of the Copa. He sells her twice, as ‘Mademoiselle Fifi,” a French chanteuse and as “Carmen Novarro.” It is a difficult assignment. She has to double up and split seconds to keep up the bamboozlement. The story hits into the hectic with Miss Miranda knocking herself out. Steve Cochran further confuses the issue by falling for “Fifi.” Marx finds himself in and out of the quandary, harassed by the staff, bedevilled by agents; Hollywood beckons. Finally, it appears ‘Fifi’ has been done in. Marx is on the spot. He plays checkers with himself while the cops beat their brains out. It comes out that he could not have killed her. She is two people in one. It becomes page one stuff. Marx winds up in Hollywood, makes a movie of what has transpired and the romance of Miss Jean with Cochran concludes with the pair viewing the Marx effort. CAST: Groucho Marx, Carmen Miranda, Andy Russell, Steve Cochran, Gloria Jean, Louis Sobol, Abel Green, Earl Wilson and the Copa Girls. CREDITS: Producer, Sam Coslow; Director, Alfred FE. Green; Sercenplay, Laslo Vadnay, Alan Boretz, Howard Harris. DIRECTION, First Rate, PHOTOGRAPHY, Grade A. The Farmer’s Daughter with Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore RKO 97 Mins. ONE OF THE SIT UP AND TAKE NOTICH SCREEN EVENTS OF THE YEAR; HEADED FOR ACCLAIM AND TOP COIN. Loretta Young in this film gives one of the best performances of her career. She goes places, does things. She’s surrounded by Charles Bickford, Ethel Barrymore, Joseph Cotten. Miss Young’s first mistake after she leaves her parents’ farm is to accept a lift into Capital City from Rhys Williams, a sloppy, boozy barn-painter. He gets stewed, smashes his jeep. She pays for the damages on William’s promise to repay her next day when they reach the city. This does not happen. In Capital City she needs a job and takes a domestic post at the Barrymore-Cotten domicile which is presided over by Butler Bickford. In short order, by her wit, application, enthusiasm, personality and industry, she ingratiates herself with the household. Cotten is a Congressman. Miss Barrymore is his mother. Cotten cottons to Miss Young immediately. Miss Barrymore sees intelligence in the girl. Bickford admires her as first a worker, then a human. Cotten and Miss Young develop, romantically. The plot does not get serious until Cotten returns from a quick European trip. A local Congressman has died. A new candidate has to be nominated and elected. Miss Young does not agree with the selection and at a rally she stands up and creates a furor with her truths about the selectee. She creates a sensation. The opposition propositons her and she takes the nomination. Williams has a smear proposition. It is adopted. But there’s more dirty business and Art Baker, the Barrymore-Cotten candidate, with one too many under his belt spills his stunt; he has an organization, quite the native fascist setup. The table is whirled, not turned. Miss Young is elected. CAST: Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, Charles Bickford, Rhys Willams, Rose Hobart, Harry Davenport, CREDITS: Producer, Dore Schary; DIrector, H. C. Potter; Screenplay by Allen Rivkin, Laura Kerr. DIRECTION, Excellent, PHY, First rate. PHOTOGRA REVIEWS INFORMATION RATINGS $2.00 Per Annum Carnival in Costa Rica with Dick Haymes, Vera-Ellen 20th-Fox 95 Mins. BRIGHT TROPICAL FRUIT SALAD LOADED WITH TECHNICOLOR SYRUP, GAYETY, MUSIC. On the basic pattern of past performances but with a much fresher outdoor aspect and pointed attention to music, spectacle and a new locale in Central America, “Carnival in Costa Rica” should serve as an entertaining dish for the clientele that never goes anywhere and delights in travelling via the projection machine and soundtrack. Musical content is tropical and Latin. Vera-Ellen of the whirling toes and lightly tripping feet is always an optical pleasure. Dick Haymes fills in suitably as the American visiting south of the border, falling for Miss Ellen, daughter to J. Carrol Naish and Anne Revere. Miss Revere is a former Kansan who came to Costa Rica as a school teacher, remained as: Naish’s bride. The families of Pedro’ De Cordoba and Naish would like Miss Ellen to wed Cesar Romero, who has Celeste Holm along from the States as his intended. Haymes meets Miss Ellen. Romero tries to pass himself off as a poor match. It is fiesta time and much of the footage that frames the strained romantic relations between the families and the amorous principals is devoted to showing the local folk having themselves a singing and dancing time. Gregory Ratoff’s direction captured a great deal of abandoned dancing, colorful custom and the general whoopla attendant at the time of Christmas holidays. It’s Summer all the time in Costa Rica and the general tone of the doings have the light Summery touch. After a great deal of chasing hither and yon all about San Jose, Romero weds Miss Holm, Miss Ellen finds haven in Haymes’ arms, Naish and De Cordoba cool their Latin temperaments and the net result is a whopper of a kaleidoscope that settles into. sensible focus. CAST: Dick Haymes, Vera-Ellen, Cesar Romero, Celeste Holm. Anne Revere, J. Carrol Naish, Pedro De Co:doba, Barbara Whiting, CREDITS: Producer, Willlam A. Bacher; Director, Gregory Ratoff; Original Screenplay by John Larkin, Samuel Hoffenstela, Elizabeth Relnhardt; Cameraman, Harry Juckson. DIRECTION, Good, PHOTOGRAPHY, Fine, — ee d