The Film Daily (1948)

Wednesday, September 1, 1948 ^ Film DfllLV REVIEWS OF REUJ FEATURES ^ "The Luck of the Irish" with Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter, Cecil Kellaway. 20th-Fox 99 Mins. A THOR0U3HGO1NG DELIGHT AND SURPRISE: HERE IS AN EASILY SOLD FA'=^Y-ROMANCE THAT SHOULD RECE|7'-i?tOVIPLETE AND REWARDING B.C. RECEPTION. This one is an unexpected and thoroughly pfeasant surprise, it is a delightful fantasy romance. What seriousness there is in the story is tinged with bits of stuff and non , sense completely out of this world. As things get perking after the first reel, it seems that the talent involved in its making lent themselves completely to the composition of a fresh, new entertainment. ■'And they have come off in top form. The 'title might lead an audience to expect pJ something trite and routine. This, however, is not the case. There is every indication the film will enjoy a complete and satisfactory box office reception. Henry Koster smartly chose his cast. Here is Tyrone Power in a new sort of role, and teamed up with Anne Baxter, he should lure plenty of patronage that places importance on name values. But Cecil Kellaway provides the delightful surprise. The part he plays is not of this world, rather it is from Irish folklore and legend — he's a lepredchaun, and a good one at that. (I The yarn is played straight and the humor .■of the various situations are sprung and -;developed spontaneously. The script by i Philip Dunne, who always turns in one of the better examples of the form, is an ; intelligent accomplishment. Power plays a foreign correspondent, name of Fitzgerald, who is driving around the Irish countryside. He has an accident on a bridge and goes after assistance. In a forest glen, near a waterfall, he encounters a little old man hammering aw/ay at a shoe. This is Kellaway. He directs Power to the nearest town and Power tells of the I meeting. Seems that is one of the legends of the community, strictly a product of the imagination. But Power meets Miss Baxter and late one night he finds J. M. Kerrigan setting a bottle of whisky outside the door of the inn. He previously learned that the "little people" know where gold is buried. He watches and soon Kel'away comes hopping and skipping, grabs the bottle, makes off with Power in pursuit. Power catches him, forces him to reveal himself and point out the gol3. It is found in a pot and Power, impressed by Kellaway's pleading that it is his life savings gives it back. Grateful Kellaway gives him a Spanish doubloon. So much for starting things off. Jayne Meadows, who is sweet on Power, ^arranges things so that he sees much of her. Miss Baxter is forgotten. A man servant is engaged for Power and turns out to be Kellaway. Power identifies him at once with the Irish character and after some hesitation takes him on. Power is mildly provoked by Kellaway's fancy for strong drink and his propensity for stealing milk. But Kellaway proves himself and things perk along interestingly until Miss Baxter shows up. There is considerable romantic shuffling about. It is briefly inter'rupted by some fine bit playing in which Miss Baxter tells Power, in the old country manner, how she came to be in town; there's a fine wedding with the singing of "The Rose of Tralee" and a finer brawl. Power eventually comes face to face with Kellaway who tells him off "In This Corner" with Scott Brady, Anabel Shaw. Eagle Lion 63 Mins. THIS PRIZEFIGHT NUMBER HAS ALL THE REQUIRED ELEMENTS IN IT TO PLEASE THE GENERAL AUDIENCE. SKILLFULLY HANDLED IN ALL DEPARTMENTS. This latest entry in the prizefight sweepstakes measures up a satisfactory programmer with effective performance and production. This time a psycho neurotic condition hampers the hero of the piece whsn he makes the big time and dirty work by gangsters gets him a severe beating. Charles F. Riesner's direction knits the whole works together tightly and he runs the players handily through the narrative. Discharged from a naval hospital after considerable treatment for a mental condition which affects his right arm, Scott Brady decides to take up a pugilistic career and is forthwith taken under the wing of Jimmy 'Miilicsn, a crooked promoter. Handy with his dukes, Brady quickly goes from the smalltime to the more interesting money. In short order Millican makes the usual proposition — he asks that Brady take a dive. Brady is not built that way and gets his contract back. He prepares to go on his own. In training, Millican plants a punchdrunk has-been as a sparring partner. Brady knocks the man out. On the night of an important bout an unsigned wire comes carrying information that the sparring partner is dead. Brady's old complex comes on him again and he loses out, being unable to throw his right. A return match is set. Brady wants to give the money to the "dead" man's family. While Brady had been nursing his phobia, Anabel Shaw and Charles D. Brown have been doing research. They locate the supposedly dead man, bring him to the ringside. Brady perks up and goes to town. The cops pick up the crooks. CAST: Scott Brady, Anabel Shaw, Jimmy Millicon, Mary Meade, Charles D. Brown, Johnny Indrisano, Robert Bice. CREDITS: An ARC production; Producer, David I. Stephenson; Director, Charles F. Riesner; Screenplay, Fred Niblo, Jr., Burk Symon; Photography, Guy Rose; Musical director, Irving Friedman; Editor, Alfred DeGaetano; Art, Edward llou: Sets, Armor Marlowe, Clarence Steenson; Sound, Leon S. Becker, Thomas Lambert. DIRECTION: Okay. PHOTOGRAPHY: Very Good. properly about romance and true love. The lucky doubloon has turned into a pebble. Lastly Power has married Miss Baxter and gone to live in Ireland; Lee J. Cobb :tews in his publishing business; Miss Meadows is left to her connivery and now our hero is the one who places a bottle at the inn's door for old pal Kellaway, also known as Horace. It is sheer fantasy, not to be taken seriously. It won't. Kellaway is a thoroughgoing delight in the category wherein hidden proclivities are brought to the light. Picture's first and last reel have a green tint. There's no need at all to explain that. CAST: Tvrone Power, Anne Baxter, Cecil Kellaway, Lee i. Cobb, James Todd, Jayne Meadows, J M. Kerrigan, Phil Brown, Charles Irwin, Louise Lorimer, Tim Ryan, Harry Antrim, Margaret Wells, John Goldsworthy, Dorothy Neumann, Ruth Clifford, Tito Vuolo, Tom Stevenson, Norman Leavitt, Frank Mitchell, Bill Swingley, Hollis Jewell. „ ,, „. ^ CREDITS: Producer, Fred Kohlmar; Director, Henry Koster; Screenplay, Philip Dunne; Based on a novel b,' Gu-' and Constance Jones; Music, Cyril Mockridge; Orchestral arrangements, Herbert Siencer, Maurice De Packh; Photography, Joseph' La Shelle; Art, L-le Wheeler, J. Russell Spencer; Sets, Thomas Little, Paul S. Fox; Editor, Charles Le Maire; Sound, George Leverett, ""dIRECtToN: Fine. PHOTOGRAPHY: Good. "An Act of Murder" with Fredric March, Florence Eidridge, Edmond O'Brien. U-l 91 Mins. MASTERFULLY PERFORMED DRAMA OF LEGAL TURNS AND TWISTS WITH SU ERB ROLES TURNED IN BY FINE PLAYERS. IT IS A POTENT CHUNK 0DRAMA TO BALANCE THE B. 0. SCALLS. Moral guilt and legal innocence are pondered in this drama based on the novel "The Mills of God," by Ernst Lothar. It is a profound, moving story quite unrelieved in its handling that is most capably and artfully played in the main by Fredric March, Florence Eidridge, Edmond O'Brien and Geraldine Brooks. Its basic theme is killing to relieve suffering. It goes without saying that it is of an adult, serious nature. The story content is impressively yet simply developed and there are uniformly superior performances turned in by all concerned in the reading of the script. Michael Gordon in his direction has made an intensely human story come to screen life in the most tasteful and potent terms. March, as a judge in a Pennsylvania county court, is given to administering jusfice'So the very letter. Known as "Maximuiti" Cooke on Courthouse Square, he deals out severe penalties without recourse to contributing circumstances or investigation. At home he is a perfect husband to his wife, Florence Eidridge, and a proper father to Geraldine Brooks. Latter is in love with Edmond O'Brien, a young lawyer, whom March has had run ins with over his severity. Unknown to March Miss Eidridge is ill and she consults Stanley Ridges, a medico and friend to the family. His diagnosis shows her to be seriously ill of a bra.n malady that in a short while will prove fatal. Ridges communicates this to March End supplies him with pain relieving pills i:nd a prescription for a new supply. The tablets are highly toxic and must be used sparingly. Much concerned over his wife, March is relieved on the bench and goes to the seaside with Miss Eidridge, his plan being to T.ake her short span of life as easy as possible. All this is quite unknown to Miss Eidridge. She has an attack and March ijives her "aspirin." She recovers next morning but also learns of her illness when she looks into March's luggage. She finds her case history and the prescription. March returns and they decide to go home. En route there is another attack and while driving March deliberately tries to kill his wife and himseif. There is a crash. March survives. He arranges that he be held responsible for the murder of his wife and in due course goes to trial. It is via the love and interest of Miss Brooks and O'Brien that he is found innocent when a couple of witnesses testify that Miss Eidridge died of an overdose of the medicine. In a concluding courtroom speech — in his own court— March pledges that in view of the dawn of understanding just demonctrated, he will, if permitted to sit in judgment again, henceforth balance defense motives as well as the legal rule. CAST: Frederic March, Florence Edridge, Edmond O'Brien, Geraldine Brooks, Stanley Ridges, John Mclntire, Fredric Tozsre, Will Wright, Virginia Brissac, Francis McDonald, Mary Servoss, Don Beddoe, Clarence Muse. CREDITS: Producer, Jerry Bresler; Director, Michael Gordon; Screenplay, Michael Blankfort, Robert Thoeren: Based on the novel, "The Mills of God," by Ernst Lothar; Photography, Hal "Night Wind" with Charles Russell, Virginia Christine, Gary Gray. 20th-Fox-Wurtzel 68 Mins. GOOD BOY AND DOG NUMBER FOR THE JUVENILE, GENERAL AUDIENCE. IT HAS PAT, KNOWING HANDLING OF WHAT IS REQUIRED. Juvenile audiences, particularly pre-teen agers should find this Sol Wurtzel production to their tastes. It is boy and dog stuff that has benefit of smart handling and a concentration on the love and faith of the former for the latter. The dog "Flame" has a good part in the story and he performs as well as any canine of similar breed — German Shepherd — ever did in previous screen history. Yarn has few complexities. It is unfolded and laid out with pat directorial handling by James Tinling. There are moments of action. It should do very wel for itself as a Saturday kid show. "Flame" is a discharged war dog. He has been demobilized and his killer training has been subordinated to normal. He was S canine paratrooper. His master was father to young Giry Gray. They used to go together on dangerous missions. In this way Gary Gray was left fatherless and he is living with Charles Russell, his foster father and Miss Christine, his mother, when the story opens. But "Flame" has not forgotten the war and how his master was killed. He kills two men, members of a hunting party who live nearby. The dog is caught and marked for destruction. He manages to elude his captors and bring the guilty party — a murderer— to justice. The story has some good father son points. Dog's actions are justified in a dream sequence wherein the parachute mission is re-enacted and logically made a contributing factor to the train of events. Performances are fair. CAST: Charles Russell, Virginia Christine, Gary Grav, John Ridgely, James Burke, Kon^tantin Sliavne, William S. Telling, Guy Kingsford, Charles Lang, Deanna Woodruff, Flame. CREDITS: Producer, Sol M. Wurtzel; Director, James Tinling; Original story, Robert G. North; Screenplay, Arnold B5lgard, Robert G. North; Photography, Beniamin Kline; Editor, William F. Claxton; Art, George Van Marter; Sets, Fay Sabcock; Musiral score, Ralph Stanley; Supervision David Ohi'dnow: Send, Earl Sitar. DIRECTION: Okay. PHOTOGRAPHY: Good. Pix Cos. "Anxious" For Phonevision — McDonald Chicago — E. F. McDonald, Jr., Zenith president, declared he had approved in advance the statement of J. J. Hanselman, assistant vicepresident of AT&T, which said Zenith was premature in implying telephone company participation in Phonevision. "Certain motion picture companies," McDonald said, "are anxious to move too rapidly with Phonevision." Device is said in transition from laboratory development to commercial reality and Zenith's new sets will provide for conversion to Phonevision. Mohr; Art, Bernard Herzbrun, Robert F. Boyle; Editor, Raloh Dawson; Sets, Russell A. Gausman, lohn Austin; Sound, Leslie I. Carey, Jack A. Bolger; Orchestrations, David Tamkin; Legal technical advisor, Laurence M. Weinberg; Music, Daniele Amfitheatrof. DIRECTION: Fine. PHOTOGRAPHY: Good.