Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1951)

BETTE DAVIS DRAWS KUDOS ??Q(JOT€S" AS CRITICS OKAY 'PAYMEMT' A better-than-average reception was afforded RKO's story of a divorce, "Payment on Demand," by the New York newspaper critics, although their reviews differed when evaluating the entertainment aspects of the picture as a whole. The scribes were united in the opinion that it was a definite Bette Davis thespic triumph, and they were also in agreement in commending the good taste with which the touchy! theme was handled in the script and in Curtis Bernhardt's direction. Their chief lament concerned the return of Miss Davis to the familiar role of the hateful vixen she has so often characterized in the past. Bosley Crowther, of the Times, referring to Miss Davis' return to "those woman-you-love-to-hate roles," states that the movie "is entirely a vehicle for Miss Davis to pull with a firm theatrical grip across the screen." Crediting it for getting* "better effects than most screen treatments of domestic agony," the Herald Tribune's Otis L. Guernsey qualifies the film as "superior footage for those who are partial to this type of entertainment." In the Compass, Seymour Peck finds it "often surprisingly frank and adult and even sardonic about marriage and divorce" handled in a manner that "will surely be admired by moviegoers who do not like their films too stark." The World Telegram's Alton Cook is one who criticizes the star's return to "her old routine of suffering, suffering, suffering." It goes right back, he concludes, "to the standard Bettc Davis pattern that has made her the darling of the handkerchief brigade." The return to the "out-and-out dramatic type role she favored before her satirical comedy success in 'All About Eve'" is emphasized by Rose Pelswick in the Journal American. The result, she says, is an "effective domestic drama," due to "an engrossing and credible performance" by Miss Davis. Archer Winsten, of the Post, offers "credit for avoiding sensationalism," the whole complex of male-female strife being "touched in adult fashion." 'THE MAGNIFICENT YANKEE' "Mixture of sentiment, patriotism and character study which overcomes a static playlike structure . . . Calhern's acting in the title role superimposes dignity and zest on a series of vignettes of the past." — GUERNSEY, N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. "Gentle screen drama . . . (that) Calhern endows with humor, inspiration and heart." — CROWTHER. N. Y. TIMES. "Not a highly dramatic nor exciting screenplay . . . Placid and glossy and genial movie . . . There is zip and punch only in Louis Calhern's grand nortrait of Mr. Justice Holmes." — PECK, N. Y. COMPASS. "Crowning disappointment, though, is Calhern's performance." — WINSTEN, N. Y. POST. . "Has a rosy glow of romance . . . Big speeches . . . give the movie an air of showy, theatrical flourish . . . Photographic reproduction of a stage play." — COOK, N. Y. WORLD TELEGRAM. "Notable screen entertainment . . . Warm and affectionate recital." — PELSWICK, N. Y. JOURNAL AMERICAN. What the Newspaper Critics Sag About New Film BORN YESTERDAY' COLUMBIA "Trenchant screen version of the stage play . . . Beautifully integrated compound of character study and farce . . . Miss Holliday brings to the screen a talent for characterization that is as sweetly refreshing as it is rare." — CROWTHER, N. Y. TIMES. "Swift, slangy comedy . . . Staged efficiently, with fidelity to Kanin's original . . . Occasion clearly belongs to Miss Holliday." — PECK, N. Y. COMPASS. "Screen has distorted 'Born Yesterday' in the direction of Judy Holliday. Fortunately, she is equal to the job of carrying on alone, in a performance that is a joy to behold." — GUERNSEY, N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. "Probably never before has a movie with so many small flaws offered such good entertainment." — COOK, N. Y. WORLD TELEGRAM. "Worthwhile messages . . . merely provide a substantial background against which the buoyant caricature and satire of the two lead characters can froth and bubble." — WINSTEN, N. Y. POST. 'THE SECOND WOMAN' UNITED ARTISTS "Confused film . . . Instead of building up suspense . . . telegraphs the result long before the end . . . Badly edited . . . Really a mystery film." — PIHODNA, N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. "Does not possess anywhere near the novelty it — and we — might hope for . . . Second-rate mystery . . . Got to be a little foolish and preposterous." — PECK, N. Y. COMPASS. "Suspense melodrama . . . Although ... a nicely appointed production, the melodrama is static, being weighted with dialogue and action which does very little to carry the story forward." — T. M. P., N. Y. TIMES. 'OF MEN AND MUSIC 20TH CENTURY-FOX "Patch-up picture lacks dramatic continuity and visual power . . . Successfully fills the one purpose of providing a clear and distinguished musical program on the screen." — CROWTHER, N. Y. TIMES. "A very respectable achievement . . . Straightforward movie about . . . men and music . . . Has only now and then won out over the problem of how to mak? music interesting VISUALLY; a great deal of 'Of Men and Music' is static." — PECK, N. Y. COMPASS. "A dignified and worthy film." — PIHODNA, N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. "Not a story, not a fictional amusement, not a picture in the sense we are accustomed to, not an entertainment that can be justly evaluated by the motion picture reviewer ... A great concert." — WINSTEN, N. Y. POST. THE MAN WHO CHEATED HIMSELF 20TH CENTURY-FOX "Since it is perfectly lucid ... is robbed of suspense . . . Interesting but not exciting fare." — A. W., N. Y. TIMES. "Not the most original movie in the world . . . Minor melodrama . . . Neat, modest job, however." — PECK, N. Y. COMPASS. "Straightforward cat-and-mouse thriller . . . Routine but efficient police story." — GUERNSEY, N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. "Middling little killer-thriller . . . Ticketed for the bottom of double bills . . . There's nothing here for him (Cobb) t sink his teeth into." — WINSTEN, N. "5 POST. FRENCHIE' UNIVERSAL-INTERNATIONAL "Crammed with fighting, chasing an shooting ... In spite of all the actio . . . manages to be listless and unexci ing." — COOK, N. Y. WORLD TEL! GRAM. "Lively Westerner that gets away fror the standard sagebrush formula." PELSWICK, N. Y. JOURNAL AMER CAN. "Shelley Winters vying with the Teci nicolor scenery . . . Has a bit more wi than the run-of-the-mill horse opera." PIHODNA, N. Y. HERALD TRIBUNE. "Blueprint as familiar as 'they wen thataway.' . . . There's just too muc 'talkin' ' going on." — A. W., N. } TIMES. "Pretentious, unexciting Western . . Likely to make the kiddies who worshi Westerns groan in disgust . . . Flat, ii sipid Western story without any flair o wit or pep." — S. P., N. Y. COMPASS. 'SUGARFOOT1 WARNERS "Simple, elementary Western whic should — if I may venture to predict th unpredictable — please the children . . Happily, there isn't too much of that lov stuff." — S. P., N. Y. COMPASS. "Kind of Western that holds no sui prises. In fact, it holds no entertair merit." — T. M. P., N. Y. TIMES. "Several notches higher than the avei age horse opera . . . Familiar drink fror a well known recipe, but the appetizers the service and the setting give it a fres.' taste." — BARSTOW, N. Y. HERALIj TRIBUNE. "Can be exciting to the kids and res'j fully familiar to sleepy adults. Don't trto enjoy it when you're wideawake. -, WINSTEN, N. Y. POST. "Back to formula . . . Regulation hors opera." — PELSWICK, N. Y. JOURNA1, AMERICAN. "In spite of all the action . . . marj ages to be listless and unexciting." COOK, N. Y. WORLD TELEGRAM. •CALIFORNIA PASSAGE' REPUBLIC "Overlengthy but action-packed wes ern . Never stops moving, usually a full gallop."— E. C, N. Y. WORLD TELIj GRAM. "Gun fighting was pretty good . . • but) Heaven protect us from such fane talk in a Western."— T. M. P., N. \ TIMES. "Polished Western in the standard tn dition, calculated to set Saturday aftei noon audiences afire . . . Escapist wit! out refusing to listen to reason, a gallop ing show whose driver always has cor trol of the reins."— GUERNSEY, N. "5 HERALD TRIBUNE. "Rootin', tootin', shootin' prescriptioi as-before of the standard Western." WINSTEN, N. Y. POST. "Slam-bang Westerner . . . You've see^ it before and you'll see it again and, a always, the ridin', fightin' and shootin' a well as the chases make for lively a«! tion." — PELSWICK, N. Y. JOURNA| AMERICAN. FILM BULLETI1