Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1950)

■NO MAN OF HER OWN" STANWYCK SUPERB BN FINE MELODRAMA Rates *>* generally Paramount 97 Minutes Barbara Stanwyck, John Lund, Jane Cowl, Phyllis Thaxter, Lyle Bettger, Henry O'Neill, Richard Denning. Directed by Mitchell Leisen. Barbara Stanwyck has never been better than she is in "No Man of Her Own," Paramount's current-day version of the 1932 Clark Gable-Carole Lombard starrer. Her first sympathetic role in years, Miss Stanwyck unreels a portrayal that should put her squarely in line for another Academy Award nomination. And in Jane Cowl's motion picture debut, the J am 3d stage actress registers so .strongly that this film may well have two candidates in next year's voting. Aided by such strong performances, "No Man of Her Own" emerges as a finely etched melodrama, tingling with emotion and suspense, that should certainly 'rank with Paramount's top grossers of !the year. Although the story is of soapopera calibre, its ramifications are so compactly presented and the characters ?o beautifully delineated that one can overlook some obvious plot turns. Under Mitchell Leisen's expert guidance, the 31m builds in suspense until the very [ast scene and the cumulative force will eave audiences taut and excited despite a too-pat solution that dissolves into a lappy ending. Here is a universal audi ence picture, one that will please the men as well as the ladies, and one that should result in strong boxoffice returns in any type of theatre. Miss Stanwyck, as the woman who assumes a dead girl's name and standing in a well-to-do family to give her nameless son a home and then battles a blackmailer to protect her benefactors, runs a complete gamut of emotions in her superb characterization. She excites such sympathy as the troubled young mother that the audience, to a man, will be pulling for her to 'Overcome the obstacles barring her way to happiness. Miss Cowl delivers a beautifully shaded and knowing performance as her kind and gracious rnother-in-law and it is the screen's great loss that she was not persuaded to appear in films before. John Lund does his best work since "To Each His Own," dropping the "wise guy" mannerisms which were so characteristic of his other films. STORY: Barbara Stanwyck and her husband, John Lund, awaiting the arrival of police at their home regarding a murder, think back over the incidents that led to this moment. She remembers how, destitute ind about to have a baby, she went to plead with Lyle Bettger, her lover, to take her back and how he refused to even see her, shoving a train ticket and a five-dollar bill under the door. On the train, the near-exhausted Stanwyck is be-friended by another young pregnant woman, Phyllis Thaxter, on her way with her husband, Richard Denning, to his family, which she has never met. In the washroom, Thaxter gives Stanwyck her wedding ring to hold and at that moment the train crashes. When Stanwyck comes to in the hospital, she finds that she has a son and that she is mistaken for Thaxter, who has been killed along with her husband in the crash. Realizing that she and her baby will now have a home, she follows through with the deception and soon ingratiates herself with her new family, mother Jane Cowl, father Henry O'Neill and brother John Lund. She and Lund fall in love and her happiness seems complete when Bettger appears on the scene and begins to blackmail her. When he forces her to marry him so that he can share in her part of the legacy, she determines to kill him. She finds him already dead, but the shock forces her to squeeze tho trigger just as Lund comes in to stop her. He disposes of the body and they return to find his mother has died of a heart attack from the excitement. Now, some months later, as they wait for the police, a note turns up in which Cowl confesses to the murder. Realizing that the confession is only an attempt to protect her, Stanwyck tells the police she killed Bettger. Th? police, however, reveal that he had been killed by a blonde whom he had rejected and are merely clearing up loose ends to the case. BARN. cotics agent, Miss Trevor thinks he is a dangerous criminal, while MacMurray believes she is Burr's girl friend and a member of a dope ring. MacMurray hijacks Burr's cache of narcotics for ringleader Roy Roberts and takes Miss Trevor along with him to help get through customs with the stuff. With Burr's killers, as well as the local police, hot on their heels, MacMurray and Miss Trevor find time to fall in love, and when they finally reach the border, they half-heartedly turn each other in to the officials. Meanwhile, Burr has been picked up by Mexican G-men and thereby withdrawn from the scenery. The two secret agents quarrel when they realize the truth, but are ordered to deliver their cargo to Los Angeles, where they are to meet the American contact of the smuggling ring. Roberts is unmasked as head man on both sides of the border and is captured in a raid in which MacMurray is wounded, but finally wins Miss Trevor's affections. TAYLOR. on her wedding day by Peggy Dow, scornful mistress of McNally, Miss Lupino flees in an automobile unwarned of disengaged brakes. She crashes through a bridge into the river, and unknown to anyone, escapes with her life. Miss Lupino dev Mes to play dead long enough to find T':-.s Dow to establish McNally as a murderer. McNally, who believes his wife isn'l dead because of no corpus delecti, offers a reward for information of her whereabouts. Howard Duff, a happy-golucky war veteran, recognizes and befriends Miss Lupino, but doesn't believe her story. He turns her over to McNally who unsuccessfully tries to throw Miss Lupino down several flights of stairs. Shortly afterwards, Duff finds out the truth and in a thrilling hunt on the catwalk of a dark, deserted mill, kills McNally. GRAN. BORDERLINE' CONVENTIONAL CHASE MELLER Eates < * t as dualler; slightly more for Universal-International $8 minutes 7red MacMurray, Claire Trevor, Raymond Jurr, Roy Roberts, Jose Torvay, Morris Vnkrum, Charles Lane, Don Diamond, Vacho Galindo, Pepe Hern, Richard Irvng. Greeted by William A. Seiter. This conventional chase thriller, deal,ng with the tracking down of dope smugglers, should prove a fairly satisfactory /ntry for dual bills generally and action louses in particular. Too little originality n the plot and the routine production nilitate against its acceptance by disriminating audiences, but it should mange to attract slightly above average rosses in houses where cops-and-robbers lelodrama succeeds. The screenplay by )every Freeman provides for considerble violence, as well as some welcome omic relief when the going gets too eavy. action houses Two fair marquee names, Fred MacMurray and Claire Trevor, add value to this Universal International release. Unfortunately, however, Miss Trevor's proven excellence as an actress has been somewhat ignored as she cavorts in the nonsensical role of a policewoman on an assignment for the Narcotics Division of the Secret Service. As her partner-infarce, MacMurray once again turns in his usual, stolid performance. Raymond Burr is well-cast as the cold-blooded, triggerhappy smuggler with whom MacMurray clashes, while Roy Roberts, Jose Torvay and Morris Ankrum contribute their talents in support. STORY: While searching in Mexico for evidence which will help uncover the man behind dope smuggler Raymond Burr, Los Angeles policewoman Claire Trevor becomes entangled in a gunbattle between Burr and MacMurray. Although MacMurray is also an undercover Nar WOMAN IN HIDING' SUSPENSEFUL MELODRAMA lates ♦ 9 + as dualler generally; more Jniversal-International 2 minutes da Lupino, Howard Duff, Stephen Mefally, Peggy Dow, John Litel, Taylor lolmes, Irving Bacon, Don Beddoe, Joe lesser. Greeted by Michael Gordon. Here is a suspenseful killer-stalkingrey melodrama. It will stand up well l dual bills generally, while action houses tiould find it an above-average attracon. Unlike most suspense yarns which 'ork steadily toward a climax, director lichael Gordon has shrewdly handled Osir Saul's screenplay to develop a whole ?ries of breath-taking experiences, startig in the very opening scene. The weakness of the plot is the fact that the end is in action spots obvious for a long time, but Gordon's accomplished direction and the convincing performances by a capable cast contrive to hold the spectator's interest throughout. The story ran as a serial in the Saturday Evening Post under the title, "Fugitive from Terror" — a far better one tha. Universal's choice. Ida Lupino is at her best as the hunted woman who realizes her husband's homicidal intent. Stephen McNally gives an ominous tone to the role of the husband, while Howard Duff is outstanding as the war veteran who befriends Miss Lupino. Newcomer Peggy Dow makes a strong impression. STORY: Ida Lupino marries Stephen McNally unaware that he has murdered her father and has married her to gain control of her newly inherited lumber mill. Upon being informed of these facts Ell KHARV 2 7. 1 9 5 0 11