The Exhibitor (1951)

EXHIBITOR March 14, 1951 off the ledge but he is caught by the net, and hauled in. Paget and Hunter have be¬ come friends, and the sight of Basehart on the ledge brings about a reconciliation of Kelly with her husband. Basehart is promised medical care. X-Ray: This is an exciting experience in suspense that won’t soon be forgotten. It’s a little hard to visualize that 92 minutes can be so filled with interest and thrills but it’s been done, and very well, too. The pace is well-suited to the subject, the cast is tops, especially Basehart and Douglas, the direction and production in the better class, and the yarn has been well developed. Since a great deal of footage was shot on actual location, there is an air of authenticity about the film that aids in bringing engrossing entertainment. The screenplay was written by John Paxton, based on a story by Joel Sayre. Tip On Bidding: Good program price. Ad Lines: “An Exciting Adventure In Suspense”; “An Experience Never To Be Forgotten”; “Thrill At The Potential Sui¬ cide Attempt.” The Sword Of Melodrama Monte Cristo (106) 80m (20th-Fox) (Supercinecolor) Estimate: Interesting programmer has the angles. Cast: George Montgomery, Paula Corday, Berry Kroeger, William Conrad, Steve Brodie, Rhys Williams, Robert Warwick, David Bond. Produced by Edward L. Alperson; directed by Maurice Geraghty. Story: In France in 1858, Emperor David Bond sends Captain George Montgomery and Dragoons with Minister Berry Kroeger to Normandy to set down a group attempt¬ ing rebellion. The rebels are led by Paula Corday, niece of the Marquis, who, in her guise of “The Masked Cavalier,” has done much to aid her cause. Corday says she has the fabulous fortune of Monte Cristo. The location of the treasure is inscribed on the handle of a sword, and only her uncle can decipher them. Kroeger takes the sword, and throws the uncle, Robert War¬ wick, into a dungeon. Corday, as “The Masked Cavalier,” gets back the sword, but Montgomery catches her. When he attempts to bring the sword to the em¬ peror, Kroeger has him and his men thrown into prison. Warwick refuses to decipher the message. Meanwhile, Corday reaches the emperor, and brings him back with her. Kroeger forces the emperor to order Warwick to decode the sword, and Kroeger and his men find the treasure. Before they can leave, Montgomery and his men, arrive and capture them. In a sword fight Kroeger is killed. Warwick then offers the treasure to the emperor. X-Ray: With the accent on the action, this historical melodrama has the angles for the selling, and moves at a brisk pace. While the cast is not too strong for marquee purposes, the Monte Cristo back¬ ground is generally attractive at most boxoffices, and adequate performances plus good production values will add to the merchandising angles. The film story was written by Maurice Geraghty. Tip On Bidding: Fair program price. Ad Lines: “The Most Beautiful Woman In France Held The Secret To The World’s Most Fabulous Treasure”; “A Desirable Woman By Day And A Daring Masked Swordsman By Night”; “A Thrilling Drama In Beautiful Supercinecolor.” Abbott and Costello Meet The Invisible Man (116) (U-International) Estimate: Laugh-packed Abbott and Costello should ride into the better money. Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Nancy Guild, Arthur Franz, Adele Jergens, Shel¬ don Leonard, William Frawley, Gavin Muir, Sam Balter, John Day. Produced by Howard Christie; directed by Charles Lamont. Story: Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, graduates of a detective school, are hired by prize fighter Arthur Franz to clear him of the accusation that he killed his manager, for which he was framed by gamblers. They accompany him to the home of his fiancee, Nancy Guild, and her doctor uncle Gavin Muir, and Franz sees how the doc¬ tor’s formula for invisibility works on animals. Franz decides to try it himself despite the chance of his being driven insane. He works with Abbott and Costello in his invisible state, and has Costello pose as a fighter. The press soon demands a fight between John Day and Costello. Gambler Sheldon Leonard, who framed Franz, backs Day, and arranges for Cos¬ tello to throw the fight with the help of Adele Jergens. *Franz helps Costello knock out Day, and in the dressing room Leonard and his henchman are caught trying to kill Costello. Franz is wounded, and gets a blood transfusion from Costello as well as the antidote to make him visible. Some of his blood gets into Costello, who turns in¬ visible briefly, but he gets back his earthly shape as the proceedings end. X-Ray: Obviously just a framework for further Abbott and Costello shenanigans, this has the makings for better A and C leturns. Previewed in a theatre, the laughs came fast and furious, and the audience got a lot of fun out of it. The pace is particularly good, and the direc¬ tion and production are adequate. Where the A and C entries have been potent, this should land with their better grosses. The selling angles, based on the invisible man angle, are many. The story by Hugh Wed¬ lock, Jr., and Howard Snyder, is suggested by H. G. Wells’ “The Invisible Man”. One song, “Good Old DDT”, is heard. Tip On Bidding: Good program price. Ad Lines: “When Abbott And Costello Tangle With The Invisible Man There Are Fun-Provoking Fireworks”; “Guaranteed To Chase Your Blues Away”; “There’s A Panic And A Laff Riot When ‘Abbott And Costello Meet The Invisible Man’.” The Magnet Comedy Drama 78m. ( U-Inter national ) (English-made) Estimate: Import has good selling angles. Cast: Stephen Murray, Kay Walsh, Wil¬ liam Fox, Meredith Edwards, Gladys Hen¬ son, Thora Hird, Michael Brooke, Jr., Wylie Watson, Kieth Robinson, Julien Mitchell, Anthony Oliver. Produced by Michael Balcon; directed by Charles Frend. Story: Home from school because of a scarlet fever outbreak, imaginative tenyear-old William Fox tricks Michael Brooke, Jr., into giving him a powerful magnet for an “invisible watch.” Fox then runs off with Brooke’s nurse calling him thief. Conscience-stricken, Fox finally gives the magnet to Meredith Edwards, raising money to buy an iron lung for the hospital. Edwards accepts it as a symbol of a young boy giving up his most precious property to aid the fund. The magnet helps to put over the drive. The mayor awards a gold medal to Fox, and orders a search for him since his identity is not known. Fox, convinced that he has caused the death of Brooke, is afraid to leave the house. His psychiatrist father, Stephen Murray, interprets his desire to stay at home as part of a mother complex, and gets his wife, Kay Walsh, to trick Fox out of the house. Fox becomes terrified, and runs away. He meets a group of boys who look to him as a hero when he con¬ vinces them that he is a murderer. One of the boys, Kieth Robinson, falls off a pier, and Fox saves him. The police arrive, take Robinson to the hospital, and put him in an iron lung. When Fox is seen there, the whole problem is cleared up, Fox getting the medal. The next day, Fox swaps the medal with Brooke for the “invisible watch.” X-Ray: One of the better English im¬ ports, this should appeal to the art houses. There are laughs, a bit of satire, and the story holds interest throughout. Fox is excellent as the small boy, and the rest of the cast is okeh. The screen play is by T. E. B. Clarke. Tip On Bidding: Low bracket. Ad Lines: “An Amusing Journey Into The Jungle Of A Boy’s Mind”; “A Tender Story Every Parent Will Understand”; “Exciting New Young Star William Fox In A Story That Will Cuddle Up To Your Heart.” ' No Orchids For Melodrama Miss Blandish 92wt (Renown) (English -made) Estimate: British meller has plenty of sex exploitation angles. Cast: Jack LaRue, Hugh McDermott, Linden Travers, Walter Crisham, Leslie Bradley, Zoe Gail, Charles Goldner, Mac¬ Donald Parke, Percy Marmont, Lilly Molnar, Richard Neilson, Frances Marsden, Michael Balfour. Produced and directed by St. John L. Clowes. Story: Three thugs learn that Linden Travers and fiance are going to a road¬ house, and that she will be wearing the family jewels. The bandits stop Travers’ car, and, after a fight, her fiance and two thieves are dead. The remaining thug, Leslie Bradley, takes Travers, as well as the jewels. Bradley is about to attack Travel’s when a gang headed by Jack LaRue arrives, kills Bradley, and takes the girl for ransom. Travers and LaRue fall in love. When LaRue decides to send back the jewels, his gang takes things in hand. Reporter Hugh McDermott discov¬ ers where Travers is, and informs the police. Just as the gang is about to kill LaRue, the police arrive, and Travers and the wounded LaRue escape. LaRue then walks out into the bullets of the police. When Travers returns home, she decides she cannot live without LaRue, and kills herself. X-Ray: All the stops were pulled out on this British attempt to portray an American gangster film, and often the action, dialogue, and accents bring laugh¬ ter where they aren’t supposed to. How¬ ever, some of the scenes and dialogue have sex exploitation angles that can be played up in a few spots. Acting and direc¬ tion are both on the same pretty low level with LaRue being the only one who seems to know what was going on. The screen play is by St. John L. Clowes. Legion of Decency: “C.” Ad Lines: “A Startling, Daring Film”; “A Beautiful Woman Trapped In The Arms Of A Killer”; “A Thrill-A-Minute Melo¬ drama.” Another Shore Comedy Drama 77m. (Pentagon) (English-made) Estimate: Quiet British comedy with limited appeal. Cast: Robert Beatty, Moira Lister, Stan¬ ley Holloway, Michael Medwin, Sheila Manahan, Fred O’Donovan, Desmond Keane, Maureen Delany, Dermot Kelly, Michael Golden, Michael O’Mahoney, W. A. Kelly, Wilfred Brambell, Michael Dolan. Produced by Michael Balcon; directed by Charles Crichton. ( Continued on next page ) 3042 Servisection 6