Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1954)

"The Glenn Miller Story" "King of the Khyber Rifles" StMUCM, I^oUh^ O O O G ScoUhc^ ^cUck^ O O O O A goldmine in Technicolor. Will rank with 1954's top qrossers. Combines brilliant acting, good music, clean humor and heart-touching sentiment in perfect entertainment for every type of audience. A long-run, big-money, prestige-producing show. Here's a winner from Universal. "The Glenn Miller Story" will be in the running for Academy honors. The story is warm, human, sympathetic, but never mawkish. Famed band leader Glenn Miller was an ordinary sort of guy. But Anthony Mann's unusually fine direction, the unstinted production by Aaron Rosenberg and (outstanding performances by Jimmy Stewart as Glenn — the trombonist with "a sound in his head" — June .\1lyson as his wife, Henry Morgan and George Tobias, cram it with entertainment. Other notable contributors include Louis Armstrong. Frances Langford. Ben Pollack and the Modernaires. Photographv director William Daniels deserves highest commendation. The music by an all-star group assembled by Music Director Joseph Gershenson is tiptop. This abounds in exploitation angles. The great (ilenn Miller music, his tragic death, the Stewart-Allyson names, plus the famous musical personalities in the cast. Leon Universal. SO'/j Minutes. James Stewart, June Allyson, Charles Drake, George Tobias, Henry Morgan, Frances Langford, Louis Armstrong, Gene Krupa, Ben Pollack. Producer, Aaron Rosenberg. Director, Anthony Mann. "His Majesty D'Keefe" ^eulKC^ 'RiUOu^ O O O Good returns in general market on Lancaster draw and expjoitaJables. Will be big where action is preferred. Class audience will be bored by incredible story and trite turns. On-locating filming lends pictorial interest. Burt Lancaster has a film tailored to his physical talents in bizarre story of the islands. Episodic tale has plenty of the Lancaster acrobatics and blood-letting to delight his fans. Story takes Lancaster as a ship captain set adrift by mutineers landing on South Pacific island where he makes his physical prowess known in tififs with natives. Lust for loot from the island's co])ra takes him to various spots in Orient, all replete with fights, but brings him back with half-caste wife to the original island where he becomes "king". Raiding traders and another island maiden cause complications, ^but clima.x rallies natives and wife to His Majesty. Beautiful scenery in Technicolor, eye-ai)neal of loa?) Rice and Tessa Prendergast help. Barn V/arncr Dros. 09 Minutes. Burt Lincaster, Joan Rice, Andre Borell, Abraham Sofaer, Archie Savage, Benson Fong, Teresa Prendergast, Lloyd Berrell, Charles Horva h, Philip A!-.n. Producer, Harold Hecht. Director, Byron Haskin. /^aUtt^ O O O O TOPS O O One of season's big grossers. CinemaScope makes the difference. Tyrone Power-Terry Moore names assure additional draw. Enough here for any market. Not as strong for highly discriminating class trade because of undistinguished story, but wide screen makes scenes breathtaking. Third of the CinemaScope productions from 20thFox proves value of medium to raise so-so story to boxoffice winner. .*~^cript flaws nullified by overwhelming scope of the anamorphic lens. Plenty of action, empha.-■ized by C'Scope, in tale of Indian-British officer battling prejudice in own army and rebellion of natives in mid-19th Century India. Romantically, complications have the half-caste in love with commandant's daughter : dramatically, his struggle with chief of the rebels, erswhile boyhood friend. Grandeur of backgrounds, efi'ectiveness of battle scenes, given striking power by CinemaScope. will be talking points. So, too, scene in which I'ritish captives strapped to posts are speared by galloping horsemen in gruesome game. I'ower. Moore and Michael Rennie well cast, perform convincingly. Phil 20th Century-Fox. 99 Minutes. Tyrone Power. Terry Moore, Michael Rennie, Guy Rolfe, John Justin. Producer. Frank P. Rosenberg. Director, Henry King. "The French Line" (3D) Su^utc^ l^atu^ O Q O May better this rating on strength of publicity whipped up by censorship controversy. Revealing costumes and now famous Jane Russell dance will have word-of-mouth buzzing. Eye-popping fashion show sequence big draw for fern audiences. Backed by typical Howard Hughes exploitaHon — a la "The Outlaw"— grosses should jump way above the film's actual entertainment value. 3D effective though not used as gimmick. If the Breen office hadn't denied Jane Russell's first .^D film a Code seal and resultant fanfare in its St. Louis opening hadn't made headlines, boxoflfice chances of "The French Line" would have been only a bit above average. A talky script and trite story are i)rincipal handicaps. On the plus side, however, arc some beautiful set and costume trappings, dazzling show girls, torrid song-selling by Jane Rus^ell and a fine off-beat performance by Gilbert Roland. Story line re\ amps old chestnut about wealthy girl posing as working slave to find a man who can love her for herself. Miss Russell proves herself one of the top song and dance gals in the business, topping even her big number in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". ^lary McCarty. Broadway hit star, helps hypo musical and dramatic jKjrtions. Top honors ,go to Michael W olfe and Howard (ireer for their bangu]) costuming. Technicolor and 31) arc both good. AUcn RKO Radio. IC2 Minutes. Jane Russell, Gilbert Roland, Arthjr Hunnicutt, Mary McCarty, Joyce McKeniie, Paula Corday, Scott Elliott, Craig Stevens. Prodjcer, Edmund Grainger. Director, Lloyd Bacon. O GOOD O O AVERAGE O POOR ' FILM CLJLLCTi:g Jjnjary II, WZA Pore 9