Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1951)

THE MODEL AND THE MARRIAGE BROKER' THELMA RITTER MAKES IT FUNNY Rates • • + or better, except in actio 20th Century-Fox 103 minutes Jeanne Crain, Scott Brady, Thelma Ritter, Zero Mostel, Michael O'Shea, Helen Ford, Frank Fontaine, Dennie Moore, John Alexander, Jay C. Flippen, Nancy Kulp, Bunny Bishop, Kathryn Card, Maude Prickett, Athalie Daniell, Dennis Ross, Ken Christy, Shirley Mills, Eve March, Tommy Noonan, Jacqueline French, Edna May Wonacott, June Hedin. Directed by George Cukor. Sparked by a warm, humorous performance by the wonderful Thelma Ritter, "The Model and the Marriage Broker" comes through as amusing, if not wholly satisfying, fare. Since it was produced and co-written by Charles Brackett and directed by George C ukor, master craftsmen, one is n houses entitled to expect a more brightly polished comedy. But, mind you, this has plenty of fun to offer. The script contains many funny lines and clever, original situations. It's just that what should be a hysterical plot simply doesn't come off that way. Cukor allows several of the sequences to drag too long and the subsidiary romantic plot is too pat to stir much interest. However, whenever things lag, there's always Miss Ritter and everyone will enjoy her immensely. The boxoffice potential of this can best be compared to her "Mating Season". Grosses will be best in metropolitan areas. The picture is all Thelma Ritter, and a good thing too. The tiny character actress reads lines with an all too rare insight, and her economy of gesture is a joy to watch. Jeanne Crain is lovely to look at, but her performance lacks warmth. Scott Brady does extremely well with a light comedy part, showing himself a more versatile mummer than supposed. Zero Mostel, Michael O'Shea, *nd Helen Ford do good work in support. Frank Fontaine overplays a dumb Swede. STORY: The yarn spots Thelma Ritter as the operator of a matrimonial bureau who has a tough time making collections from her clients. Sill when she meets Jeanne Crain, a model who is carrying on an affair with a married man, she steps in as matchmaker even though there is no possibility of remuneration. She pairs the girl off with Scott Brady, an ambitious, brash X-ray technician. Their courtship suffers the usual tips and downs but reaches a successful landing eventually. Meantime Miss Ritter has been caught up in her own devices and nearly falls prey to a romantic encounter that has been arranged, with rare efficiency, by none other than Jeanne Crain. ANGEL I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS' BRIGHT MUSICAL WITH A HEART Rates • • • except in action houses Warner Bros. 113 minutes Doris Day, Danny Thomas, Frank Lovejoy, Patrice Wymore, James Gleason, Mary Wickes, Julie Oshins, Jim Backus, Minna Gombell, Harry Antrim, William Forrest, Dick Simmons, Bunny Lewbel, Robert Lyden, Mimi Gibson, Christy Olson. Directed by Michael Curtiz. "I'll See You In My Dreams" packs a strong entertainment wallop, musically and dramatically, that should register solidly. Family audiences, particularly, are sure to take it to their hearts and all but the action houses should find it a good grosser. With its well-told story woven around the life and days of Gus Kahn, one of America's best loved and most gifted songwriters, and under the deft production supervision of Louis Edelman, this Warners release emerges as a high-grade show package geared for mass appeal. The music, including such memorable songe as "Toot Toot Tootsie," the title tune, "It Had To Be You," and literally a dozen others, is a joy to hear. And the ditties are socked across by the three top players, Doris Day, Danny Thomas, and Patrice Wymore, in a fashion that befits their show-stopping calibre. The story, a refreshing change from the usual musical script, is real and believable, a bit hokey at the finish, but otherwise notable for its depiction of show folks as average people devoted to their home and family. "I'll See You In My Dreams" has a warmth that few musicals possess, and this is the quality Michael Curtiz stresses in his direction. The pathos is nicely balanced by humor and the dialogue is sprightly and gay. For Danny Thomas, the Gus Kahn role marks the beginning of a career as a top celluloid personality. Thomas is the Kahn character, kind, simple, loveable. His quiet playing is charming, and his soft way with a song is highly effective. As his wife, Doris Day is in lop form, singing the songs with verve and showmanship. Frank Lovejoy comes on late in the action to make a vivid impression as Walter Donaldson who wrote the music for so many of Kahn's lyrics. Patrice Wymore is an eyeful as the Ziegfeld charmer who tries but doesn't succeed in breaking up Kahn's happy home. Supporting players are fine. STORY: The narrative begins in Chicago where the young composer, Danny Thomas, brings his first writings to a firm where Doris Day works as a song plugger. They are frankly awful but when he shows up at her house with a good lyric she sets it to music and their partnership begins. She forces herself aside to allow Thomas to progress; eventually, they are married. He is indifferent to success at first and it takes all of the wife's prodding to force him into accepting a Ziegfeld show. Here he has his first taste of the bright lights and the adulation that comes with success. A near crisis occurs, is weathered successfully, but the market crash wipes him out and leads to a separation. Eventually Doris persuades Thomas to try the new field of talking pictures, where he soon reaches the top again. HANNA (Hollywood) THE WILD BLUE YONDER' GOOD AIR STUFF, ROUTINE STORY Rates • • + in action houses Republic 98 minutes Wendell Corey, Vera Ralston, Forrest Tucker, Phil Harris, Walter Brennan, William Ching, Ruth Donnelly, Harry Carey, Jr., Penny Edwards, Wally Cassell, James Brown, Richard Erdman. Directed by Allan Dwan. This is the story of the B-29 Superfortress of Uncle Sam's Air Force. As such, "The Wild Blue Yonder" is engrossing and sometime exciting. However, the story is no match for the interesting factual airplane stuff, being too obvious and contrived. The characters are stereotypes and the plot falls into the familiar groove of pitting fellow officers against each other in a joust for the affections of the same girl. When director \llan Dwan deals with the guts of airplanes and their flight through space, this is good movie, but his handling of the fictional material is unimaginative. Bolstered by the double-barrel exploitation Republic is giving the film, grosses generally should be above average. It will go best in action houses. Wendell Corey, although looking a bit old for the job, plays the pilot with verve. Quite the best of the principals is Forrest Tucker, who convinces with his sincere, thoughtful playing of a man carrying his troubles on his sleeve. Vera Ralston is attractive in the not-too-demanding feminine lead. Phil Harris is on deck for a mild comedy effort and a rendition of "The Thing" (remember?), while Walter Brennan is his authoritative self as an Air Force brass. STORY: Conflict developes between Wendell Corey, a pilot, and Forrest Tucker, his commanding officer, after the former' disobeys orders on a trial run of the B-29's. It is aggravated when both discover they love Vera Ralston, a nurse. Script switches between this premise and lots of tedious technical explanations about the history of the B-29's. All points are resolved when Tucker, the cowardly fellow, proves the worth of the craft during a flight over the Japanese mainland. In losing his life he proves his heroic worth and clears the way for Corey and Miss Ralston to live happily ever after. JAMES. DECEMBER 17, 1951 (More Reviews on Pages 10 and 23) 9