Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1952)

ABOVE AND BEYOND' POWERFUL STORY OF FIRST A-BOMB ATTACK Rates • • • generally Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 122 minutes Robert Taylor, Eleanor Parker, James Whitmore, Larry Keating, Larry Gates, Marilyn Erskine, Stephen Dunee, Robert Burton, Hayden Rorke, Larry Dobkin Produced and Directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama "Above and Beyond" is a deeply engrossing story based on the career and the personal life of Col. Paul Tibbets, pilot of the plane that dropped the first atom bomb. Going behind the scenes of this earth-shaking event for the first time, it portrays in effective dramatic terms the emotional upheaval Tibbets experiencs in assuming one of the gravest responsibilities ever assigned a single mortal. Written, produced and directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, the production has good pace, although some of the technical sequences showing the training of the atom bomb crew are over-drawn and could be scissored to advantage. There is plenty of powerful heart interest throughout in the conflict between Tibbets' duty and his obligations to his wife and child. Some of the scenes are deeply stirring. The climactic scenes of the bombing of Hiroshima are charged with suspense and a sense of history-making impact. Certainly, this is a man's picture, but the emphasis given the wife's role makes it also a fine attraction for the fern trade. Boxoffice results should be well above average generally. Magnificent performances by Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker in the principal roles give this M-G-M film real conviction. Larry Keating turns in a topflight job as the general who selects Tibbets for the assignment. James Whitmore has a straight role as a security officer. STORY: While flying bombing missions in Europe during World War II, Robert Taylor (as Col. Tibbets) is chosen to help FACE TO FACE' TWO-STORY OMNIBUS HAS FAIR APPEAL Rates • • + as dualler; • • • for class spots to generate sufficient action or suspense to RKO-Radio Pictures 92 minutes James Mason, Michael Pate, Gene Lockhart, Albert Sharpe, Sean McClory, Alec Harford, Robert Preston, Marjorie Steele, Minor Watson, Dan Seymour, Olive Carey, James Agee — Directed by John Brahm and Bretaigne Windust This two-story "omnibus" film fashions Joseph Conrad's 'The Secret Sharer" and Stephen Crane's "The Bride Comes to Yelow Sky" into a feature that will have fair appeal to mass audiences. The former is set on a sailing ship and deals with man's judgment of man, while" the latter is a comedy-satire on the last days of the old West. The casts are excellent, and production good, but both stories are over-loaded with talk and played in a low key that fails satisfy the average movie goet This Huntington Hartford production should be good art house fare, but, "Face to Face" will be dualler material in most situations. In Conrad's story, director John Brahm has failed to hypo a wordy, slow moving script. James Mason is also mired by this Aeneas MacKenzie screenplay as he portrays a young English merchant officer who has assumed command of his first ship. Already faced with the prospect of proving his ability as a master to a hard-bitten crew, Mason has thrust upon him the added responsibility of judging a man's life. While awaiting a favorable wind, the ship is boarded by an exhausted swimmer, effectively played by Michael Pate. He is a mate from a ship anchored nearby and reveals that he is sought for killing a mutinous seaman during a storm. From these events grows a character study of Mason, who de test and perfect the new B-19. Arriving in the States, he is met by wife Eleanor Parker and son whom he hasn't seen for two years, but the meeting is brief, as Taylor is ordered to proceed to the test base. Months of dangerous flying follow, with Parker constantly fearing for Taylor's life. When he finally obtains a leave, it is interrupted by orders to report back to the base. There he learns he has been chosen to train personnel and coordinate activities for a proposed atomic attack. Weeks of preparation follow in the utmost secrecy, with not even the base personnel knowing what the real objective is. All families are brought to the base, and Parker notes a change in Taylor. Unable to tell her of his assignment and wracked by the tensions of his responsibilities, he quarrels with her and eventually sends her home. The time comes when all elements are ready for attack and it is up to Taylor to say when. Shouldering his tremendous decision, the mission is successfully carried out and Taylor returns to be reconciled with his wife. PHIL cides Pate was justified in his action, and in the process of setting Pate free, Mason gains' the respect of his crew. Director Bretaigne Windust has been content to allow Crane's tale to meander rather aimlessly. The James Agee screenplay has provided material for good characterizations by Robert Preston and Minor Watson, but the pace is slow and the comedy never produces more than a few chuckles. Preston is sheriff of a peaceful Western town that once bristled with lawlessness. Watson is a throw-back to those days and still shoots up the town whenever drunk. While Preston is away being married, Watson goes on a rampage. The sheriff and his bride arrive in town and Watson confronts them with loaded guns. When Preston tells the old outlaw he is now married and is not armed, Watson realizes his last link with the past is over and throws his weapons in the dust. PHIL ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET CAPTAIN KIDD' AND CHARLES LAUCHTON Rates • • + as dualler Warner Bros. 70 minutes Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Charles Laughton, Fran Warren, Hillary Brooke, Bill Shirley, Leif Erickson Directed by Charles Lamont To a typical Abbott and Costello farce has been added Charles Laughton and Supercinecolor, with the result that it is an improvement over their "Jack and the BeanStalk." While the formula is not new, the settings are, and there is no dearth of hokey action. Six musical numbers, scattered through this Alex Gottlieb production, and soniiMrc— Fran Warren's appearance heighten entertainment values. Being no better nor worse than other A & C comedies, and with an exploitable marquee, "Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd' should do above average business in the nabes and country houses. Directed by Charles Lamont from a script by Howard Dimsdale and John Grant, the film has been geared to the talents of the slapstick duo. Charles Laughton, as Captain Kidd, checks in with a performance that rivals A & C at their zaniest. He's the "ham" to end all "hams." In the role of a lady pirate, Hillary Brooke provides a decorative foil for the antics of Costello, and Fran Warren's vocalizing of "North of Nowhere" and "Speak to Me of the Tall Pine " are entertaining interludes in this whirlwind of buffoonery. STORY: Sailing into a pirate coastal town, Charles Laughton and his brigands seek a holiday from their chores of pirating. Entering a tavern where Abbott and Costello are employed as waiters, Laughton meets woman pirate chief Hillary Brooke. Accusing Laughton of stealing from her, she demands the map of his personal island where his loot is stored. Costello accidently takes the map and Abbott talks him into making a deal with Laughton for part of the treasure in return for the map. They all set sail in Laughton's ship for the island. Enroute, they capture Fran Warren from a Spanish Galleon. After reaching the island, LaiiKhton tries to double-cross Brooke and A&C, but Brooke's pirates show up to save the day and they all go sailing home with Laughton hanging by his toes from a yardarm. NEIL Page 18 FILM BULLETIN December I, 1952