The Exhibitor (1951)

EXHIBITOR April 11, 1951 nice chap, but she really loves Andrews. Dinah Shore, friend of Dowling and a fellow-nurse, is in love with Kaye. After their basic training period, they find them¬ selves at a port of embarkation. Shore, who joined the Army Nursing Corps, is to go along. Dowling becomes a stowaway. Kaye finds out Dowling’s true feelings toward him, and has to be content with Shore. After a mix-up Kaye ends up in the brig. On shore, he escapes, runs into an advance patrol of Japs, but he turns the tables on them. He is greeted as a hero, but is also submitted to a psychiatric ex¬ amination, from which the psychiatrist emerges a wreck. X-Ray: When first reviewed in The Servisection in February, 1944, it was said: “Kaye’s individual specialties will have audiences clamoring for more . . . Audiences will be captivated by this dynamic bundle of fun . . . The support is okeh, with Shore a standout on the musical delivery. The Technicolor is cap¬ tivating and Elliot Nugent’s direction is good. Music heard includes: ‘Now I Know’, ‘Tess’ Torch Song’, ‘All Out For Freedom’, ‘Melody In 4F’, and ‘Mania De¬ pressive Pictures Presents’.” This is based on “The Nervous Wreck,” by Owen Davis. Tip On Bidding: Usual reissue price. Ad Lines: “Color, Comedy, Romance, Pretty Girls, Galore In This Big Danny Kaye Hit”; “He’s The Comedy Sensation Of The Nation”; “Brought Back For Your Reenjoyment.” REPUBLIC Heart Of The Rockies Western (5047) 67m Estimate: Okeh Rogers. Cast: Roy Rogers, Penny Edwards, Gordon Jones, Ralph Morgan, Fred Graham, Mira McKinney, Robert “Buzz” Henry, William Gould, Rand Brooks, Foy Willing and The Riders Of The Purple Sage. Produced by Edward J. White; directed by William Witney. Story: Highway engineer Roy Rogers is building a road with the help of a group of young first offenders from a model work camp. Powerful rancher Ralph Morgan opposes them. Morgan’s foreman, Fred Graham, secretly stealing cattle from the ranch, convinces Morgan that by starting a crime wave, and making it look like the boys from the camp are behind it, he will be able to stop the road. Rogers and Morgan’s niece, Penny Edwards, try to make him change his mind about the camp but fail. Graham’s men pull a series of jobs, including the murder of camp warden William Gould. Graham then kills Morgan after he discovers that Graham had been rustling his cattle. Rogers starts out after the gang, and with the help of the boys from the camp, captures Graham and the rest of the mob. X-Ray: In addition to the usual shoot¬ ing, riding, and fighting, this has added some social significance. Stress has been placed on the need to rehabilitate young first offenders. Some good exhibition riding, including a square dance on horses, helps maintain interest. Songs heard include: “Rodeo Square Dance”, “Wanderin’ ”, “Heart Of The Rockies”, and “Prairie Country.” This was written by Eric Taylor. Ad Lines: “Roy Rogers Battles To Keep Death Off The Road”; “Singing . . . Shoot¬ ing . . . Suspense . . . See Roy Rogers In ‘Heart Of The Rockies’ ”; “A Thrilling Story Of A Bunch Of Tough Kids Fighting For A Second Chance.” The Servisection Is the Only Service Of Its Kind Giving A Full Coverage, Listing and Reviews Of All Features and Shorts Released In the Domestic Market. 20TH-FOX Half Angel (116) Comedy 77m. (Color by Technicolor) Estimate: Mild programmer will need benefit of the name draw. Cast: Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten, Cecil Kellaway, Basil Ruysdael, Jim Backus, Irene Ryan, John Ridgeley, Therese Lyon, Art Smith. Produced by Julian Blaustein; directed by Richard Sale. Story: Nurse Loretta Young has a split personality. During the day she despises wealthy lawyer-philanthropist Joseph Cotten but subconsciously she is in love with him since childhood days. Young falls asleep, and, with her subconscious mind taking over, goes to Cotten’s home, and enchants him. Then she leaves. This re¬ sults in a confusing situation. After various episodes, both Young and Cotten discover the truth. However, since Young’s con¬ scious mind is master during the day, and she is set to marry John Ridgeley, things are tough. On the night before the wed¬ ding, her subconscious takes over, and Young marries Cotten but leaves him next morning to marry Ridgeley. Cotten arrives in time, tells the facts, and Young’s sub¬ conscious finally takes over permanently, with the usual clinch. X-Ray: While this has two star draws and some amusing moments, it misses for the most part because the use of the con¬ scious and subconscious angles just don’t jell. The mixture will be confusing to most audiences, and while the players make a stab at bucking the script, and there are some romantic moments between Cotten and Young, it just doesn’t come off. Young looks as gorgeous as ever, Cotten is competent, and there is ample support from Cecil Kellaway, as Young’s father; Basil Ruysdael, as an understanding doc¬ tor, and others. There is one song, by Young: “My Castle In The Sand.” The story was written by George Carleton Brown. Tip On Bidding: Program price. Ad Lines: “A Lady By Day ... A Mad¬ cap By Night”; “She Was ‘Half Angel’ . . . But The Other Half Was More Interest¬ ing”; “She Spent Her Nights Sleeping . . . Until She Suddenly Discovered She Was Doing Other Things.” The Kefauver Crime Investigation Compilation (137) Estimate: Compilation of crime hear¬ ings has plenty of selling angles. Credits: Produced by Edmund Reek; narrated by Joe King. Story: Most of the newsreel camera footage to be seen here was shot principally at the New York hearings of the Kefauver Senate Crime Investigating Committee, which attracted so much widespread atten¬ tion via television. Investigators Senator Estes Kefauver, Senator Charles W. Tobey, Senator Herbert R. O’Conor, Senator Les¬ ter C. Hunt, Senator Alexander Wiley and Chief Counsel Rudolph Halley are seen in action questioning witnesses Frank Cos¬ tello, Ambassador William O’Dwyer, A. Anastasia, Virginia Hill Hauser, Frank Erickson, Jacob “Greasy Thumb” Guzik, and others. Senator Kefauver makes an address at the start as well as at the con¬ clusion of the film outlining the commit¬ tee’s aims and hopes. X-Ray: Millions saw most of this foot¬ age on television, and this release is aimed at primarily those who did not witness it and those who want to see the spectacle over again. There are some exciting moments, but, on the whole, this will depend on the individual situation. The editing seems choppy, and variety seems to be sought here rather than continuity. There is no doubt that in order to cash in effectively on the subject, it should be played as rapidly as possible. Tip On Bidding: Low bracket. Ad Lines: “The Complete Story Of The Kefauver Crime Committee In New York”; “Drama From Life Itself”; “The Kefauver Crime Committee And Its Parade Of Wit¬ nesses Brought To The Screen.” UNITED ARTISTS The Man From Planet X Melod“0”a (Corwin) Estimate: Interesting pseudo-scientific melodrama is packed with exploitation angles. Cast: Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, Raymond Bond, William Schallert, Roy Engel, Charles Davis, Gilbert Fallman, David Ormont. Produced by Aubrey Wisberg and Jack Pollexfen; directed by Edgar Ulmer. Story: Scotch scientist Raymond Bond informs reporter Robert Clarke, in love with his daughter, Margaret Field, that he has been observing a strange planet swing¬ ing closer to earth. Field stumbles on an odd space vehicle on the mistcovered moors one night, and learns that it is occupied by a weird creature from another world. It has over-sized features, is encased in something like glass, protected by death rays, and possessing strange hyp¬ notic powers in bending earth objects to his will. The creature seems friendly, but William Schallert, another scientist, antag¬ onizes him, and he prepares a radio signal beam to guide in other invaders. Clarke foils the plot with the aid of Roy Engel, local constable, Scotland Yard, and others. The creature soon misses his target, the earth, and becomes a planet without a home. , X-Ray: Another science fiction film attempt, written by the producers, Aubrey Wisberg and Jack Ppllexfen, this is pure fantasy, and while students of science may find flaws in it, it does give the imagina¬ tion free rein, and is good entertainment. Thrill aspects are achieved more through mood, with the setting on the Scottish mist-covered moors an asset, and a handling that raises the film above its low budget level. The cast is practically unknown, but the film has plenty to give it exploitation push to attract at the boxoffice. The direction by Ulmer keeps the plot moving, and is suspenseful at all times. A narration treatment is used dur¬ ing sequences denoting terror that strikes during the action. Tip On Bidding: Program price. Ad Lines: “Can The Earth Be Invaded From Another World?”; “Are Other Planets Occupied?”; “An Engrossing Scien¬ tific Fantasy.” U-International The Fat Man Mystery Melodrama (120) 77m. Estimate: Picturization of popular radio show is okeh for the duallers. Cast: J. Scott Smart, Julie London, Rock Hudson, Clinton Sundberg, Jayne Mead¬ ows, John Russell, Jerome Cowan, Emmett Kelly, Lucille Barkley, Robert Osterloh, Harry Lewis, Teddy Hart. Produced by Aubrey Schenck; directed by William Castle. Story: A California dentist is murdered in New York, and an x-ray plate is stolen. 3054 Servisection 2