Canadian Film Weekly (Oct 8, 1947)

THE PICK OF THE PICTURES | REVIEWS INFORMATION RATINGS Vol. 12, No. 39 REVIEWS FROM FILM DAILY, NEW YORK $2.00 Per Annum Dear Ruth with Joan Caulfield, William Holden Paramount 85 Mins. ROLLICKING COMEDY STAMPED FOR SURE SUCCESS; SHOULD BE TAGGED, ‘‘With Love, Para.’’ A consensus of audible vocal *comment. following the preview screening of “Dear Ruth” summed it up as superior to the stage production which ‘was something of a smash hit. In the middle of the war the household of Edward Arnold is invaded by William Holden who, having completed 25 missions in Italy, flies home to seek ‘‘Ruth” his correspondent of VMail verse and passionate prose. Joan Caulfield is the object of his pursuit. But it was Mona Freeman, her younger sister, who penned the missives. Billy De Wolfe is Miss Caulfield’s fiance. At first flabbergasted at the turn of events and the deviation of Miss Caulfield’s affection for him, he becomes increasingly and humorously obsessed with the idea — which is beyond control — that Holden is beating his time with her. Holden pursues the girl without restraint and she has a time keeping him at arm’s length. She agrees to run around with him, after discussing the awkward situation with her parents, it being the least she can do for a fighting man. Holden floods the house with flowers and corn crispies. Also he is relentless in amorous dalliance. Something must be done. It is: Holden proposes. Miss Caulfield hedges and he learns she does not care that much for him. Originally headed for the Pacific theatre, Holden receives orders to go to Florida with his sergeant to become instructors. Shortly thereafter Miss Freeman lets slip that she wrote the in‘ criminating, letters and Holden patches things with both Miss. Caulfield and De Wolfe. His luck holds. Inadvertently giving Arnold the wrong railroad tickets, he dashes back to the household and seeing that certain look on Miss Caulfield’s face plays his last card. They are married and dash off. With the return of De Wolfe explanations are begun but the curtain rings down with the arrival of a sailor — another of Miss Freeman's victims. COAST: Joan Caulfield, William Holden, Mona Freeman, Edward Arnold, Billy De Wolfe, Mary Philips, Virginia Welles. CREELIATS: Producer, Paul Jones, Director, William D. Russell; Screenplay, Arthur Sheekman; Based on the play by Norman Krasna. ION, DIRECT Top-Notch. RAPHY, Good, PHOTOG The Welldigger’s Daughter with Raimu, Fernandel 122 Mins. FINE FRENCH COMEDY-DRAMA WILL BE A LONG TIME LITTLE THEATRE TENANT. With two of France’s finest in the cast of “The Welldigger’s Daughter,” it has everything audiences are accustomed to expect from French films. Basically the early stages of the story are strictly very old hat but when the Gallic flair for dissertion, comic analysis and logic is applied to the unfoldment, then it becomes a very superior film played to artistic perfection. In high fidelity to the real life people and their surroundings the scenario deals with the parental troubles of Raimu, the welldigger, when his daughter is seduced and becomes an unwed mother. The man in the case is a pilot. . He is called to the wars. Raimu confronts the man’s parents and they are apathetic. Rather than face the townspeople he sends the girl to her aunt to bear the child. Later the pilot is reported killed and there is some effort to reconcile the two families. Fernandel turns up, he is a soldier, and brings word the pilot is alive. The pilot marries the girl at the conclusion. Josette Day is effective as the girl in the case. Other Gallic worthies in the cast include Charpin and Milly Mathis. The sets are simple, real and a good deal of the story is shot outdoors. An “original” by Pagnol, the production is realistically mounted and convincing all the way. CAST: Raimu, Fernandel, Josette Day, Artkino ' Oharpin, George Grey, Milly Mathis, Line Noro, Tramel. OREDITS, Producer, Director, Author, Marcel Pagnol; Film Editor, Oharles Cle ment, DIREOTION, PHOTOGRA PHY, Fair. Refunding Issue By Hamilton Company A new refunding issue of $320,000 Theatre Proprieties (Hamilton) 2%% first mortgage serial bonds, maturing 1949 to 1956, has been sold by W. C. Pitfield and Co., Ltd. Purpose of the issue is to provide part of the company’s presently outstanding 5% mortgage bonds due 1959, which have been called for redemption on January 2nd, 1948 at 100 and accrued interest. -The balance of the funds required for redeeming these bonds will be supplied from general funds of the company, Excellent. Singapore with Fred MacMurray, Ava Gardner Empire-Universal 79 Mins. MINOR SCALE DRAMATIC ENTERTAINMENT DEPENDS LARGELY ON NAME-LURE VALUE OF MacMURRAY AND GARDNER. Design in story and production sense fits the bill for ultimate function of this number in relation to audience reception. Titlewise a certain mental picture is created. As the supplementing tale gets going, a handful of situations, polished to a new sheen, render what might be effective albeit minor scale dramatic entertainment. Name-lure of the two chief players for the marquee do not need further mention here. Vprking up his retrospection in a Singapore bar, MacMurray, returned from the wars, conjures up his romance with Miss Gardner. That was when he was a “copra” trader. Read copra as hot pearls which he handles as a compact sideline. Prior to the influx of Jap troops he cached his loot in a hotel room. But nostalgia claims him for most of the beginning of the plot. It is only when he encounters Miss Gardner who at this late date has married a planter, that he springs from his lethargy and sets about his game of cat and mouse with the local police. A couple of tourists — Spring Byington and Porter Hall — are in and out of the proceedings. MacMurray gets a line on Miss Gardner, learns she has been an amnesia case. There is also skullduggery afoot which MacMurray sidesteps and brings to conclusion via gunplay. In the brawl, Miss Gardner snaps out of it. MacMurray relinquishes his loot and all is soon right in the MacMurray-Gardner sphere. John Brahms’ direction holds the story together and builds up interest. CAST: Fred MacMurray, Ava Gardner, Roland Oulver, Richard Haydn, Spring Byington, Thomas Gomez, Porter Hall. CREDITS: Producer, Jerry Bressler; -Director, John Brahms; Screenplay, Seton I. Miller, Robert Thoeren; Original Story, Seton JI. Miller; Photography, Maury Gertsman DIRECTION, Okay. PHOTOGRAPHY, Good Now In Fifth Week “I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now,” 20th Century-Fox’ Technicolor musical starring June Haver and Mark Stevens, is now in its fifth week at Famous Players’ Tivoli and Eglinton Theatres in Toronto, where it is running day-and-date. Gunfighters with Randolph Scott, Barbara Britton olumbia 87 Mins. SUPERIOR WESTERN WITH GOOD PLOT, NAMES AND CINECOLOR SHOULD CLICK EASILY. A few superior cuts above the general level, this western number from Producers-Actors Prod. has a Zane Grey plot, Cinecolor, ° Randolph Scott, Miss Britton, Dorothy Hart and a number of angles that should turn the trick where the audiences have been jaded by’ the routine. Camera work is lucid, flowing. Scott almost cashes in his chips when Grant Withers tries to do him in by riding him down. This is a new action gimmick and is plenty exciting. Tale is heavily punctuated with gunplay and the lethal stalking of Scott by an assortment of types. When the story gets under way it becomes apparent that Scott, of the lightning-draw, decides after he has shot his best friend, to hang up his guns and join another pal in peaceful pursuits. When he arrives he finds the man dead. Reporting the killing he is arrested and about to be hanged. Charley Grapewin saves his neck. The local sheriff clears Scott. He takes up with Grapewin and begins tracking down the killers. This takes him to Miss Britton and her sister, Dorothy Hart, daughters of Griff Barnett. Latter is behind the skullduggery since small ranchers are moving in on his rangeland. His is a cattle empire. Bruce Cabot is Barnett’s head man and lover to Miss Britton. Also, he is the killer Scott seeks. The situations add up and are climaxed with the death of Grapewin after which Scott dons his artillery and gets the drop on Cabot and Forrest Tucker. Charles Kemper, local sheriff, runs him out of the locality and he heads for California. Miss Hart rides off with him. Script has all required materials plus a full share of romantic, emotional entanglement. George Waggner’s direction holds the many-facteted script together. QGAST: Randolph Scott, Barbara Britton, Dorthy Hart, Bruce Cabot, Charles Grapewin, Steven Geray, Forrest Tucker. CREDITS: Producer, Harry Joe Brown; Director, George Waggner; Photography, Fred H. Jackman, ity CERN » Good, PHOTOGRAPHY, "The Gay Deceivers' “The Gay Deceivers,” based on the I. A. R. Wylie novel, “The Gay Banditti,” will be produced ey Walter Mirisch for Allied Artists, + wee