The Exhibitor (1950)

June 21, 1950 EXHIBITOR esting yarn. While there are no names to speak of, this should make an attractive entry for the lower half. The screen play is by Earl Felton and Gerald Drayson Adams. Tip On Bidding: Lowest bracket. Ad Lines: “Hot As The Headlines”; “Crime Can’t Pay . . . This Shows Why”; “A Burlesque Queen Mixes Robbery With Her Business . . . And What A Business.” Rider From Tucson (027) Western 60m. Estimate: Above par Holt. Cast: Tim Holt, Elaine Riley, Douglas Fowley, Veda Ann Borg, Robert Shayne, William Phipps, Harry Tyler, Luther Crockett, Dorothy Vaughan, Stuart Ran¬ dall, Marshall Reed, Richard Martin. Pro¬ duced by Herman Schlom; directed by Lesley Selander. Story: Cowboys Tim Holt and Richard Martin travel west to be best men at the wedding of old friend William Phipps to Elaine Riley. They discover Phipps in terror at having his newly discovered gold mine claim jumped, and under con¬ stant hounding by Marshall Reed, an aide of surveyor Robert Shayne. Shayne’s wife, dance hall girl Veda Ann Borg, takes over the family plotting reins to get Phipps’ mine, and makes a deal with town badman Douglas Fowley to kidnap Riley, who arrives on the morning stage. Fowley discovers her importance. Borg kills Fow¬ ley while he is propositioning Phipps, and kidnaps Phipps. Holt and Martin arrive in time to be nabbed by the sheriff for the murder but escape, and free Riley after capturing Reed, who discloses her where¬ abouts. Riley reveals the mine location, they overcome the thugs and free Phipps as the sheriff’s posse arrives. X-Ray: Better grade performances by the supporting cast and the inclusion of some rodeo footage at the beginning make this an above average series issue. Holt and Martin cavort as usual, and are ably abetted by Borg, Fowley, and Shayne. Ed Earl Repp wrote the screen play. Tip On Bidding: Usual series price. Ad Lines: “Tim Holt And Richard Mar¬ tin Team Up To Maintain Justice In A Wild Western Mining Town”; “The Claim To A Rich Gold Mine Depended On The Speedy Riding And Shooting Of ‘Rider From Tucson’ ”; “One Woman’s Greed Meant Death For Her Followers.” The White Tower (023) Db9a8“ (Partly filmed in Europe) (Color by Technicolor) Estimate: Star draw should help wellproduced version of best seller. Cast: Glenn Ford, Valli, Claude Rains, Oscar Homolka, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Lloyd Bridges, June Clayworth, Lotte Stein, Fred Essler, Edit Arnold. Produced by Sid Rogell; directed by Ted Tetzlaff. Story: At the village of Kandermatt, Switzerland, assemble former U. S. pilot Glenn Ford, shot down there during World War II; Valli, whose father died trying to reach the top of the White Tower, a peak no mountaineer has ever scaled; Claude Rains, a Frenchman who tries to write, and his wife, June Clayworth; English botanist Sir Cedric Hardwicke, and former Nazi officer Lloyd Bridges. Aided by Swiss guide Oscar Homolka, they decide to scale the peak. First Hardwicke quits, and later so does Rains. Bridges starts to assert himself, which leads to a clash with Ford, who is falling in love with Valli. Rains dies, and Bridges wants the honor of being the first to reach the peak. Ford follows him, and tries to save his life but Bridges refuses aid, and eventually falls to his death. Ford, now practically snow blind, fails to reach the peak, and is over¬ taken by Valli and Homolka. Valli, realiz¬ ing that Ford’s life is more important than ultimate success, decides not to go on, and brings Ford in instead. X-Ray: Made with care and an impres¬ sive scenic background, this is an interest¬ ing version of a best-seller by James Ramsey Ullman, which will probably register best in the metropolitan and class spots. The thrills are there but the film has but one theme, that of scaling the mountain, which makes it seem longer than it really is. The name values, Valli, Ford, Rains, Homolka, etc., will help in the selling, and the Technicolor is a definite asset. Photographically, this reaches heights, but the dramatic values are too repetitious. However, the film has considerable merit, and deserves the best possible showmanship. Tip On Bidding: Good program price. Ad Lines: “A Life ... Or Success . . . She Had To Choose”; “She Sought Fame . . . But Chose To Save The Man Who Loved Her”; “See This Thrilling Film . . . The Story Of Those Who Dared, And Gave Their Lives To Win.” REPUBLIC The Avengers Romantic Action Drama 90m. (Made in Argentina) Estimate: Adventure show should ap¬ peal to action fans. Cast: John Carroll, Adele Mara, Mona Maris, Roberto Airaldi, Jorge Villoldo, Vicente Padula, Vivian Ray, Cecile Lezard, Juan Olaguivel, Fernando Lamas, Eduardo Gardere, Angel M. Gordordo Palacios. Associate producer-director, John H. Auer. Story: People’s protector John Carroll rides with one goal, to revenge the mur¬ der of his father during his youth by feared bandit Vicente Padula. Padula has long since taken the shelter of a new per¬ sonality, serving as the aide to ambitious army colonel Roberto Airaldi after the latter had gained fame for the publicized death of Padula. Airaldi is in the good graces of military governor Jorge Villoldo, and slated to marry his daughter, Adele Mara. Carroll prevents Airaldi from mur¬ dering enraged gambling loser Fernando Lamas in a tavern duel, and wagers that he can win the romantic favor of any woman. With Lamas’ lost estate against Carroll’s service as Airaldi’s servant as the stakes, Airaldi then names Mara as the girl. Carroll’s ardent courtship is suc¬ cessful but his love for Mara is real, and eventually he informs Airaldi he has lost the bet, and is told to flee. However, Air¬ aldi’s mistress, Mona Maris, informs Mara of the bet, hoping to kill the marriage. Mara then refuses Airaldi’s hand, and Vil¬ loldo refuses him a promotion so Airaldi has Padula ride again, terrorizing the town, and killing Villoldo. Airaldi then kills Padula but is killed by a Carroll aide. Carroll is jailed but saved from a hang¬ ing when Mara returns after fleeing, and the two are set for marriage. X-Ray: Made in Argentina, this is thor¬ oughly familiar in story line, and lacks considerable zest and conviction in the performances. However, there are ample sword-play and romancing for some period action drama fans. A song, “Your Heart Can Never Lie,” is heard. Lawrence Kimble and Aeneas MacKenzie wrote the screen play from Rex Beach’s novel, “Don Careless.” Ad Lines: “He Had Sworn To Gain Re¬ venge For His Father’s Death”; “John Carroll And Adele Mara Star As The Ill-Fated Lovers In ‘The Avengers’ “Everyone Mocked Their Love Affair But He Tossed Away A Fortune For Her Honor.” Destination Big House Melodrama (4918) 60m. Estimate: Fair meller for the lower half. Cast: Dorothy Patrick, Robert Rock¬ well, James Lydon, Robert Armstrong, Larry J. Blake, John Harmon, Claire DuBrey, Richard Benedict, Mickey Knox, Danny Morton, Mack Williams, Olan E. Soule, Peter Prouse, Norman Field. Asso¬ ciate producer William Lackey; directed by George Blair. Story: School teacher Dorothy Patrick on a weekend alone in the cabin of fiance doctor Robert Rockwell, aids city gang¬ ster Richard Benedict. His double-crossed partners, Robert Armstrong and John Har¬ mon, seek $80,000 which Benedict hides in the cabin. Benedict is cornered, and fatally shot, but before he dies wills all the money to Patrick. Newspapers distort the facts, and Patrick is forced to take a leave of absence. Her brother, James Lydon, is a weakling bank employe deep in debt for horse bets to bookie Larry J. Blake whose henchman’s night robbery attempt fails. Armstrong and Harmon fail at first, but Armstrong poses as a government tax collector, and their search of the cabin nets false money, immediately stolen by Blake. Lydon, who found and switched the real money, is forced to reveal the hiding place to Blake but warns Patrick. In the showdown alljhe crooks are killed or captured so Patrick and Rockwell can be married. X-Ray: This routine meller features Patrick, who looks pretty and acquits her¬ self well. Supporting performances are adequate, and enough suspense is gen¬ erated to make this find its niche on the lower half. Eric Taylor wrote the screen play. Ad Lines: “All His Life He Had Known Hatred And Greed So It Came To Pass He Was Slated For ‘Destination Big House’”; “She Was The Scandal Of The Town.” 20TH-FOX Outdoor Broken Arrow (01 4) Melodrama 92m. (Color by Technicolor) Estimate: High rating. Cast: James Stewart, Jeff Chandler, Debra Paget, Basil Ruysdael, Will Geer, Joyce MacKenzie, Arthur Hunnicutt, Ray¬ mond Bramley, Jay Silverheels, Argentina Brunetti, Jack Lee, Herbert Adler, Harry Carter, Robert Griffin, Bill Wilkerson, Mickey Kuhn, Chris Willow Bird. Pro¬ duced by Julian Blaustein; directed by Delmer Daves. Story: In Arizona around 1870, the Apache Indians under the leadership of Jeff Chandler are on the war path. Fron¬ tiersman Jimmy Stewart, tired of all the killing on both sides, is determined to confer with Chandler after learning the language, customs, etc. Stewart convinces Chandler to permit the mail riders to pass unmolested as a sign of good faith, and Stewart meets Indian maiden Debra Paget. The townspeople refuse to believe Stewart but the mail does go through un¬ molested despite other fighting. General Basil Ruysdael is sent by the President to set a fair peace, and Stewart arranges a meeting between him and Chandler. After several conferences, to which other tribe chiefs are invited, Chandler agrees to a trial peace for 40 days. Several chiefs withdraw. Stewart sees Paget, and they want to get married. Chandler consents, and they are wed. After a honeymoon, a group of renegade whites show up to kill Chandler and Stewart but only succeed in murdering Paget by ambush. They are Servisection 3 2871