The Exhibitor (1951)

July 18, 1951 EXHIBITOR U-Infernafienal Cattle Drive (128) Western 77m. (Color by Technicolor) Estimate: Pleasing western. Cast: Joel McCrea, Dean Stockwell, Chill Wills, Leon Ames, Henry Brandon, Howard Petrie, Bob Steele, Griff Barnett. Produced by Aaron Rosenberg; directed by Kurt Neumann. Story: Spoiled, motherless Dean Stockwell, traveling with his father, railroad head Leon Ames, in the west, wanders away from their special car, and the train goes on without him. Stockwell is picked up by cowboy Joel McCrea, who, instead of taking him directly to his father, tells him that he can become part of a cattle drive taking steers to market. Stubborn at first, Stockwell eventually straightens himself out, and makes everyone in the group like him. After several episodes, one of which involves a wild horse which McCrea has been trying to catch and which Stockwell accidentally allows to escape, Stockwell and McCrea meet Ames, who sees that a reformation has taken place, and realizes that he could have been closer to his son. Ames, McCrea, and Stockwell then ride off together to try to catch the wild horse. X-Ray: Extremely pleasant, ideal for the family and neighborhood trade, this doesn’t ofer much that hasn’t been seen before but it is has been directed with a sympathetic hand. McCrea and Stockwell are good, while Chill Wills supplies the comedy. A cattle stampede, the chase for the wild horse, and other scenes have been well handled, and the whole thing shapes up as a western that certainly should please outdoor devotees. With no women in the cast, this lacks the usual femme appeal but it has a certain charm of its own to offset this. The story is by Jack Natteford and Lillie Hayward. Tip On Bidding: Fair program price. Ad Lines: “He Was As Tough As A Wild Colt . . . But They Broke Him In”; “A Tough Kid Rebuilds Himself The Hard Way”; “Never An Outdoor Show Like ‘Cattle Drive’.” Iron Man (130) Melodrama 83m. Estimate: Good fight meller. Cast: Jeff Chandler, Evelyn Keyes, Stephen McNally, Rock Hudson, Joyce Holden, Jim Backus, Jim Arness, Steve Martin. Produced by Aaron Rosenberg; directed by Joseph Pevney. Story: Jeff Chandler, working in a Pennsylvania coal mine, is encouraged by his brother, Stephen McNally, to become a fighter, with McNally as manager. Chandler, an amiable fellow, shows a killer instinct, and the crowds hate him. He keeps winning, with tactics decried by sports writer Jim Backus. Chandler wants to fight to save enough money so that he and his sweetheart, Evelyn Keyes, can buy a radio store. McNally overmatches Chand¬ ler, who is badly beaten, and McNally and Keyes ask him to quit. Chandler, irri¬ tated because the crowd hates him, de¬ cides to go on, and keeps winning. Mean¬ while, Rock Hudson, a close friend, starts fighting in the preliminaries in the same class. Chandler marries Keyes. When Chandler is rematched with the fellow who beat him, McNally and Keyes, fearful that he will be defeated again, pay to have his opponent take a dive. Aii investigation clears Chandler but he breaks with Mc¬ Nally and Keyes. On his own, he becomes champ, and is matched with Hudson. In his bout, Jie then sees that he can fight fairly. Taking a terrific beating, he is knocked out by Hudson. However, the crowd, realizing that Chandler has the stuff of which champions are made, cheers him. He leaves the ring satisfied, and re¬ united with Keyes, McNally, and Hudson. X-Ray: One of the best fight films in some time, this is in the better action class. The Chandler-Keyes-McNally combination is marquee help, and the direction and production, with fast tempo, are respon¬ sible for an action show that fight fans will love, and that any audience should find satisfactory in the entertainment division. Chandler is tops as the killerfighter, and the rest of the cast is above average. The title will lend itself to the selling, too. The story was written by W. R. Burnett. Tip On Bidding: Good program price. Ad Lines: “He Was A Killer . . . Even To The Woman Who Loved Him”; “The Crowd Paid To See Him Defeated . . . But He Proved Himself A Champion”; “ ‘Iron Man’ . . . The Story Of A Fellow Who Hated The Crowd Which Hated Him.” WARNERS On Moonlight Bay Comedy 95m. (Color by Technicolor) Estimate: Pleasing musical has the names and angles. Cast: Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Jack Smith, Leon Ames, Rosemary DeCamp, Mary Wickes, Ellen Corby, Billy Gray, Henry East, Jeffrey Stevens, Eddie Marr. Produced by William Jacobs; directed by Roy Del Ruth. Story: During World War I, before this country entered the conflict, tomboy Doris Day, mother Rosemary DeCamp, father Leon Ames, and brother Billy Gray move to a new neighborhodd in an Indiana town where Day meets college student Gordon MacRae, and love blossoms, causing her to become entirely feminine. The thorn in everyone’s side is Gray, who gets into one scrape after another, generally in¬ volving the family. Another rough spot is MacRea’s idealism, which clashes with Ames’ conservative principles. Eventually, love conquers all. MacRae, with his class, enlists, boy getting girl, etc. X-Ray: A nostalgic musical, enhanced by Technicolor, old-time favorite tunes, the Day and MacRae names, and a gen¬ erally pleasing production, this should register. While the youngsters who have made Day a favorite because of her hand¬ ling of new numbers may be annoyed at this omission in the story, still they should have fun out of the romance and general appeal. MacRae’s draw will also be a factor. The production and direction are in keeping with the piece. In part, this is based on some stories written by Booth Tarkington, another asset for the young¬ ster and family trade. The presence ol radio’s Jack Smith may also help in the selling. Songs heard include: “Moonlight Bay”, “Yoo Hoo”, “Ain’t We Got Fun”, “Oh, You Beautiful Doll”, “Pretty Baby”, “Cuddle Up A Little Closer”, “Tell Me”, “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles”, “Love Ya”, “Tickle The Ivys”, “The Bowery”, “Christmas Story”, “Hail To Old I.U.”, “It’s A Long Way To Tipperary”, “Pack Up Your Troubles”, “Every Little Movement”, “’Til We Meet Again”, and “There’s A Long, Long Trail.” Tip On Bidding: Good program price. Ad Line: “It Happened While They Were Singing ‘On Moonlight Bay’ ”; “She Was A Tomboy Until Cupid Took A Shot At Her”; “You’ll Have A Gay Time With Young Lovers In ‘On Moonlight Bay’.” FORilCN Far From Moscow (Artkino) (Russian-made) (English titles) (Magicolor) Estimate: Better than average Russian program. Cast: N. Okhlopkov, Lev Sverdlin, P. Kadochnikov, V. Kvachadze, A. Khanov, K. Kirillov, P. Makhova, L. Kmit. Pro¬ duced and directed by A. Stolper. Story: In 1942, Russia is badly in need of oil. Engineer N. Okhlopkov is sent to Far :^stern Siberia to direct the con¬ struction of a pipe line. K. Kirillov, in charge of the project, informs the com¬ mittee that it would be impossible to build the line in the time given them. An¬ other engineer, V. Kvachadze, however, offers a plan which he feels will work, and Okhlopkov gives Kvachadze permission to put his plan into operation. P. Kadochni¬ kov is ordered from the front to become Kvachadze’s assistant. Furious at first, he pitches in when he realizes how important the job is. Investigation into Kirillov’s activities proves that he is unfit for the job, and he and his followers are dismissed. As the work goes on, Kvachadze falls in love with P. Makhova. Kadochnikov learns that his wife has been killed at the front, and Okhlopkov adopts a war orphan to replace his lost son. After a terrific struggle, the line is completed on time. X-Ray: Using some top Russian actors, with a script not overly loaded with obvious propaganda speeches, this shapes up as one of the better Soviet imports. 'Hie Magicolor is effective, particularly on the outdoor shots. The screen play is by M. Papava. Ad Lines: “Russian Engineers Battle The Fury Of The Siberian Winter”; “They Said It Was Impossible To Do So They Went Ahead And Did It”; “See The Titanic Struggle To Build The Lifeline To Victory.” Maniacs On Wheels Drama 76m. (International Releasing) (English-made) Estimate: Routine import. Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Bonar Colleano, Renee Asherson, Bill Owen, Moira Lister, Thora Hird, Cyril Cusack, Pauline Jame¬ son. Produced by Ian Dalrymple; directed by Jack Lee. Story: Fascinated by motorcycle racing, Dirk Bogarde has champion rider Bill Owen teach him how to ride. Bogarde meets Owen’s sister, Renee Asherson, and driver Bonar Colleano. In Bogarde’s first big race, he sets a new record but causes Owen to have a crack-up that sends him to the hospital. Bogarde, rich and famous, meets thrill-seeking Moira Lister, and they have a wild romance that ends when Bogarde walks out. He visits Owen, now confined to a sanitarium, and again sees Asherson. After a short romance, the two marry. Seeing what happened to Owen, Bogarde attempts to organize a union to protect the drivers. When the manager learns of this, he prevents Bogarde from racing. The idle Bogarde continues to try to organize but fails because the other drivers don’t trust his motives. When he refuses to give up racing, Asherson leaves him. The war comes, and, after six years, Bogarde returns to civilian life only to learn that the only thing that he can do is race. He goes to Colleano, who now manages the track, and asks for a chance. Although rusty, he beats the best driver at the track but when he sees Asherson, he decides to quit racing. S«rvis*cti«n 3 3111