Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1952)

O. HENRY S FULL HOUSE' WILL BE EXHIBITOR'S FULL HOUSE Rates • • • generally 20th Century-Fox 117 minutes Fred Allen, Anne Baxter. Jeanne Crain, Farley Granger. Charles Laughton. Oscar Levant. Marilyn Monroe. Jean Peters, David Wayne, Richard Widmark, Dale Robertson Directors Henry King. Henry Koster, Henry Hathaway. Howard Hawks and Jean Negulesco Producer Darryl F. Zanuck has taken five of O. Henry's best gimmick-ending stories, given them each an all-star cast and director, and called the omnibus film "O. Henry's Full House". So well has this production captured the spirit of O. Henry's nostalgic tales, with their humorous and ironic twists, that it should soon be known as "The Exhibitor's Full House". For. while there are occasional slow sequences, the package as a whole is a sparkling bit of entertainment that provides something for everybody, and it ranks with the very best multiple-story films. John Steinbeck's narration bridges the stories and good balance has been maintained by playing humor against pathos. For the most part, the acting is excellent and direction first rate. Topping all this off with a blazing marquee and sure-fire word-of-mouth that is almost a certainty, "O. Henry's Full House" is stamped a top grosser for all but the action houses. Best of the lot is "The Cop and the Anthem", starring Charles Laughton, David W ayne. Marilyn Monroe and directed by Henry Koster. Laughton, as the dignified tramp Soapsy who spends summers in Central Park and winters in jail, is hilarious as he trys to be arrested with no success. Then, after deciding to reform. Laughton is jailed for vagrancy. Monroe's contribution is negligible, and the publicity given her brief appearance may tend to mislead and disappoint some of her fans. Directed by Henry Hathaway, the second episode. "The Clarion Call", star? Richard Widmark and Dale Robertson. This is a hard-hitting story in which detective Robertson is unable to arrest killer Widmark because of a debt incurred in the past. A solution is provided in typical O. Henry style and \\ idmark — who is extremely effective in his role — is jailed. "Ransom of Red Chief" is the lightweight entry, starring Fred Allen, Oscar Lev: and directed by Howard Hawks. Involv frivolity about two confidence men kidnap a boy, only to find that they hav pay his parents to take him back, it is weakest of the lot. Allen manages to into the spirit of the thing, but Levant f to be convincing and his efforts are aim amatuerish. Ann Baxter and Jean Peters star in "1 Last Leaf, directed by Jean Xegulesco, it is Gregory Ratoff who provides the heart in this drama about a girl who is sessed with the belief she will die when last leaf falls from a vine outside window. A shiftless artist Ratoff paintl leaf on the wall during a blizzard, thot the effort kills him. The girl finds strerJ to go on, because this derelict traded his for hers. Henry King directs the final episode " of The Magi", starring Jeanne Crain Farley Granger. Perhaps the best kno the O. Henry tales, it is a heartwa dramatization of a young couple who up their most prized possessions for other. NEIL BIG JIM McLAIN' WAYNE BATTLES COMMIES IN HAWAII Rates • • • tor action houses; slightly less elsewhere Warner Brothers 90 minutes John Wayne, Nancy Olson. James Arness, Alan Napier. Veda Ann Borg. Gayne Whitman, Hal Baylor. Robert Keys. Directed by Edward Ludwig Bolstered by the magic John Wayne name and a topical plot, "Big Jim McLain" should garner fairly strong grosses down the line, although it falls short of being wholly satisfying entertainment. There is action aplenty and enough suspense to keep the minds of even discriminating moviegoers off of the plot's shortcomings. Adding interest is the fact that the film's backgrounds were shot on the spot in Hawaii, whence Government agent Wayne goes to rout a nest of Communist saboteurs. The screenplay was done by no less than three writers, James Edward Grant. Richard English and Eric Taylor, but it lacks substance and credibility. Edward Ludwig's direction, likewise, fails to develop fully the serious topical theme. Despite these weaknesses. "Big Jim" will do handsomely in the action houses and well enough elsewhere. Wayne turns in a typical hard-hitting performance, but acting honors go to Nancy Olson. This lovely girl gives further evidence of being one of the better young actresses in Hollywood. Given one strong role, she could become a star. STORY: John Wayne and James Arness go to Honolulu as special investigators for the House Un-American Activities mittee. John falls in love with a young widow, Xancy Oysen, whom he mee' the office of Gayne Whitman, a doctor, of the suspects in a Commie espionage Wayne and Arness are making good way in their investigation, thanks to t of hidden microphones, when Am bumped off. Wayne, meanwhile, has covered some useful evidence on the island of Molokai and gets other v leads from an elderly couple whose so Communist traitor, and from a rc house landlady, Veda Ann Borg. AU| the local police. Wayne tightens the ne a slugging match he takes on eight o Communists and is saved just in time b cops. COULTER CAIRO ROAD' STRONG EXPLOITATION VALUES IN DOPE EXPOSE Rates • • + as dualler; more where exploited Realart 82 minutes Eric Portman. Laurence Harvey. Maria Mauban. Coco Asian, Camelia Directed by David MacDonald This melodrama about dope-selling in the Near East is notable for its strong exploitation values, more than for its entertainment factors. Filmed largely on location in Egypt "Cairo Road" has the ring of authenticity, but the highly exploitable narcotics angle is the principal boxoffice asset of this British film. There are, under David DacDonald's direction, a few high spots of thrills and suspense, but these are muffled by the obscure story and the sudden plot turns. Hashish is the real villain of the piece, and some of the scenes in the hospital where tht addicts are treated, while not showing the miserable patients directly, are among the best sequences in the picture. Boxoffice returns should respond to ballyhoo of the dope theme, making this best suited for the transient exploitation spots in metropolitan areas. It will serve as a useful dauller. Eric Portman, as head of the anti-narcotics bureau in Cairo, goes through his role with a haughty iciness that makes his role effective. Laurence Harvey, as the top man in the narcotics racket, is more volatile but still a bit too mindful of the British technique of underplaying a role. The two women, Maria Mauban and Camelia, who have the featured roles in the distaff department do the little they have adequately. STORY: The anti-narcotics squad, ating out of Cairo under headman Eric man, is given a lead on hashish smu when a man is found murdered. Oj on the most meagre of clues. Per agents follow the trail through the lab of hospitals where the addicts are found. Suspecting that a camel carrying a load of hashish, Portman them through an electric eye corrido uncovers the dope. The camel boy, questioned, reveals a rendezvous o smugglers, and in a fight in the many of the gang are captured but the pin escapes. In a chase through the along the Suez canal and back into the top man, Laurence Harvey, is tr~ in a final desperate fight, is captured. (More Reviews on Page 17) FILM RL'LLE