Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1950)

lUOrtS What the Newspaper Critics Say About New Rims "WINCHESTER" 'WHOOP-DE-DO' FOR WESTERN FANS TIMES Bestowing their unanimous critical approval upon the Universal-International saga of the gun that won the West, "Winchester '73," the New York newspaper reviewer hasten to qualify their laudatory rema.rks by classifying the film as one for "fans of mayhem, shooting and scenery " As western fare, they agree with the Times' Bosley Crowther, who dubs it "simple, direct and actioncrammed ... a whoop-de-do cowboy picture." Crowther finds it "good-humored and tongue-in-cheek, too," summing the film up as "j«st a frisky, fast-moving, funny Western in which a rifle is the apple of a cowboy's eye." In the Herald Tribune, Howard Barnes describes it as "an altogether superior saga of the winning of the West," boasting "suspense and great excitement" with "enough action to carry several horse operas and still have some to spare." "Has all the ingredients of a good Western," says Alton Cook in the World Telegram. "Any taste that inclines at all toward Westerns will bask in contentment," he concludes. The Compass' Seymour Peck writes: "A Western that knows its business and sticks to it • . . action, hard, fast and fierce action." To Archer Winsten, whose Post Movie Meter rates the film "Good-plus," it is "fairly plausible . . . crammed with every possible kind of action" with "never a dull moment." The Journal American's Rose Pelswick calls it "bang-up entertainment, a melodrama of the Old West packed with hard ridin', fightin' and shootin', elegant scenery and Indians," applauding it as "superior to most such outdoor yarns." "NO MAN OF HER OWN' PARAMOUNT "Soap Opera ... Is there, then, no hope that the pictures which are better than ever are going to be no better than this?" — WINSTEN, N.Y. POST. "A sizable package of dramatics . . . Straight hornswoggle • . . A lurid and artificial tale, loaded with far-fetched situations and deliberate romantic cliches." — CROWTHER, N.Y. TIMES. "A turbid screen drama . . . Tiresome hodge-podge of violent events." — BARNES, N.Y HERALD TRIBUNE. "A neat, tightly packed little murder drama . . . Works up a lusty blend of excitement and weeping . . . Does not seem to be urgently worth doing." COOK, N.Y WORLD TELEGRAM. "A slight breeze on a mud puddle . . ■ Generous samples of true confession fiction." — PECK, N.Y. COMPASS. "Melodrama piled on melodrama in the best soap-opera tradition." — PELSWICK, N Y. JOURNAL AMERICAN. "ANNIE GET YOUR GUN' MGM "Miss Hutton's contributions are an unwelcome distraction . . • (but) Hutton doesn't spoil a show as good as this . . . A swell show." WINSTEN, N. Y. POST. "A buoyant romp for rambunctious Betty and her audience • . . Bounding, rowdy gayety . . . raising more cheers than have greeted anv musical movie in manv a day." — COOK, N. Y. WORLD TELEGRAM. "Show business at its bright, gay, glossy, glittering best . . • Represents solid show business know-how ... A faithful adaptation of the stage show . . . De mands that broadest of encomiums, 'Take the entire family'." — SP, N.Y. COMPASS. "A whale of a musical picture . . . The important thing is that great gusto and that ribald regard for 'show business' is still rampant." — CROWTHER, N. Y. TIMES. "Almost as captivating as the original musical comedy . . Has its faults, but on the whole it is an amusing redaction of a memorable stage musical. Berlin should take most of the bows." — BARNES, N.Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. "Right out of the top drawer, the best screen musical seen around these parts in a good many years . . . Big, beautiful and hugely entertaining . . Even better than the Broadway hit show . . . Has everything . . . It's grand fun, and tops on every count." — PELSWICK, N. Y JOURNAL AMERICAN. 'IN A LONELY PLACE' COLUMBIA "A harsh, honest film . . . Suspense, carefully, expertly built, is terrific . . . Less violent film than most of Bogart's • . . Bogart's best picture in a long, long time ... a breath-quickening thriller." — CREELMAN, N.Y. WORLD TELEGRAM. "Exciting, though it leads to frustration in the end, as what doesn't?" WINSTEN, N.Y. POST "The surprise hit of 1950 ... A movie of uncommon intelligence and fascination, at once a murder thriller and a mature, unsentimental human drama . . . Brilliant mixture of mystery story and human relations." — PECK, NY. COMPASS. "Bogart in top form ... A superior cut of melodrama . . Packs both surprise and a punch . . • Comes off a dandy film." — T.M.P., N.Y. TIMES. "A rarified thriller . • . Somewhat cramped and wordy . . . but it is a finely machined and interesting piece of work." — GUERNSEY, N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. "Taut and tense melodrama . • . Completely unlike previous Bogart vehicles." — PELSWICK, N. Y. JOURNAL AMERICAN. 'CAGED' WARNER BROTHERS "To much of the fire of Caged has been burned in previous films for this one to receive the credit it deserves for its good quality." — WINSTEN, N. Y. POST. "Script • . . no great shakes . . . Plays awfully hollow . . A cliche-ridden account of institutional brutality and depravity. . . . Rings true, but unfortunately there is too much that appears to be contrived." — T.M.P-, N.Y. TIMES. "Fairly sensible story . . obscured behind clouds of overstatement . . . Pitched way up beyond the key of credibility." — GUERNSEY, N Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. "A powerful and authentic drama of prison life . . . Not the usual bang-bang thriller of the world behind bars ... A powerful picture." — CREELMAN, N.Y. WORLD TELEGRAM "Lurid and sensational and violent and tawdry . . . For all its surface competence, Caged remains a rehash of 101 dames-in-prison movies." — PECK, N.Y. COMPASS. 'WABASH AVENUE' 20th Century-Fox "People who are familiar with the old patt rn of a Betty Grable musical will know what they're getting this time, and those who don't know had better not take a chance."— WINSTEN, N. Y. POST. "All the virtues and pleasures of 'Wabash Avenue' lie in two splendid words: Betty Grable . . . Unfortunately, there is a plot ... As conventional and mediocre as a tired Tin Pan Alley love song."— PECK, N. Y. COMPASS. "Betty Grable, songs, dances, bright Technicolors and plush last century sets and costumes . . . All adds up to lively and amusing entertainment . . . You'll find it fun."— PELSWICK, N. Y. JOURNAL AMERICAN. "Loud, brash and filled with as much innuendo as the movie law allows . . . Just another ninety minutes of brightly eo.ored vulgarity . . . Swift, simple and as brassy as a tin alarm clock." — GUERNSEY, N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE 'A TICKET TO TOMAHAWK 20TH CENTURY-FOX "Not an awful lot of fun ■ . . Jus' enough exaggeration to bring out tlu critic in the simplest Western fan." WINSTEN, N. Y. POST. "Much of the action is ridiculous . . Far more concerned with spectacle thai drama . . • However fabulous it ma; seem, it is good fun to watch." BARNES, N.Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. "By George, it's a pretty good sho\ ... A funny idea, cleverly engineerec with enough velocity at the outset t carry it most of the way " — CROW THER, N. Y. TIMES. "One long wave of laughter billowe through the gun smoke and war whoop ... If any of the real old time Wester stars get wind of these goings on, the will sit right up in their graves and di laughing." — COOK, N.Y. WORLD TELI GRAM "Frequently funny burlesque of tl" rootin', tootin', shootin' cowboy and I; dian epics . . . Not the all-out, no-hold barred satire of the Hollywood Westei we have all hoped for, but . . . pleasir and foolish enough." — PECK, N. 1 'COLT .45' WARNER BROTHERS "Ugh, ugh, is all we have to say." PECK, N.Y. COMPASS. "Does get monotonous ... If it's sil lines of dialogue you like to collect, dor sell 'Colt .45* short " — WINSTEN, N. POST. "Horse opera dressed to the nines • A humdinger of sheer nonsense . . . The are a lot of laughs . . . but one dout that they were intended . . . No mo than small boy entertainment" BARNES, N.Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. "As intellectually simple as one a: one are two ... A whoop-de-do nor opera . . . Such a hackneyed picture th it is actually a lot of fun" — CRO1 THER, N.Y. TIMES. "Bang-bang all the way . . . Busy lit Westerner . . . Old-fashioned melodran tics, with dialogue to match, practica turn the piece into a burleque of t he went-that-a-way horse operas" PELSWICK, N.Y. JOURNAL AMEJ CAN. U FILM BULLET;