FilmIndia (1946)

March, 1946 FILMINDI A wounds in a North African hospital. After a separation of three years, Donat and Deborah each receive a ten-day furlough and both arrange to meet in their London apartment. Each felt morally obliged to return to the other, but the thought of resuming their dull married life was abhor rent to both. Deborah journeys to London accompanied by Glynis Johns, her Wren friend, while Donat takes with him Caven Watson, his buddy. Both tell their friends that they planned to ask for a divorce. Meeting for the first time, Deborah and Donat are delightfully shocked to see the change in one another, but inadvertent remarks made by their friends about what each said of the other leads them into a quarrel. Eventually, however, bo h become repentant, and the finish finds them in each other's arms. Clemence Dane and Anthony Pelissier wrote the screen play, and Alexander Korda produced and directed it. The supporting cast is composed of English players. Unobjectionable morally. "FRONTIER GAL" (Universal, Dec. 21; time, 84 min.) A pretty good "glorified" Western, in Technicolor. In spite of the fact that the story is ordinary, it should enjoy wide audience appeal, for it has plentiful rough and-tumble action, comedy, some music, and a fien romance. Some of the melodramatic situations are wildly imaginative, and the hectic romantic by-play between Yvonne De Carlo and Rod Comeron is sometimes stretch ed to the limit of comic absurdity, but if one accepts the story for what it is he should find it entertaining. Miss De Carlo's acting shows improvement over her work in "Salome, Where She Danced," and, as in that picture, extra care has been taken to see that her physical attributes are shown off to good advantage. The surprise of the picture is five-year-old Beverly Simmons; she is a natural little actress, and her charm is captivating: — Rod Cameron, a fugitive wanted for the shooting of his partner's slayer, rides into Red Horse Gulch in search of the assassin's accomplice. There he meets Yvonne, operator of a saloon. She misinterprets his attentions as a proposal of marriage and, when he tries to laugh it off. compels him at the point of a gun to marry her. Amused, he takes her forcibly to his ranch for a honeymoon, much to the chagrin of Sheldon Leonard, her discarded admirer. On the following day, however, the law catches up with Cameron and he is sent to prison. Returning after a sixyear term, Cameron finds that he has a five-year-old daughter (Beverly Simmons). Despite the coolness between Cameron and Yvonne, the little girl wins his affection and, when he sees her singing in the saloon, he wrests her away from Yvonne and takes her to his ranch. He sends for his former sweetheart, a school teacher, to give the child a woman's care. When Yvonne comes out to the ranch, Cameron tells her that he intended to marry the school teacher. She agrees to divorce him and to give up her daughter in the belief that the child would have a cultural advantage. Their agreement is frustrated, however, when Leonard, still angered at having been jilted, kidnaps Beverly. Cameron rides after him, while Yvonne rounds up the sheriff (Andy Devine) and a posse. After a hot pursuit. Cameron catches Leonard and in a desperate struggle throws him over a cliff to his death. He then rescues the child from a perilous perch on a log over a deep chasm. Their daughter saved, Cameron and Yvonne become reconciled. Michael Fessier and Ernest Pagano wrote and produced the screen play, and Charles Lamont directed it. The cast includes Fuzzy Knight, Andrew Tombes and others. Unobjectionable morally. "ROAD TO UTOPIA" (Paramount, March 22; time, 90 min.) Good mass entertainment. Like the previous "Road" pictures, in which Crosby, Hope, and Miss Lamour have been starred, this one is fast-moving and filled with many nonsensical but hilarious situations. In spite of the fact that it hasn't much of a story to tell, one's interest in the proceedings never lags, for the laughs come frequently, continuing to the end. Crosby and Hope, as two confidence men loose in Alaska during the Gold Rush days, are extremely funny; individually, or as a team, they get the most out of every gag and comedy situation. The picture pokes fun at itself throughout, beginning with a commentary by the late Robert Benchley, who tells the audi ence that it is an example of how a picture should not be made, and continuing with numerous other "kidding" gags, some of which include direct remarks to the audience by the players, as well as by animals that talk. The action is intcrpersed with several tuneful songs, sung b\ Crosby and by Miss Lamour: — Learning that her father, discoverer of a gold mine, had been murdered by two Alaskan desperadoes, who had stolen the map of the mine, Dorothy Lamour determines to follow the pair to the Klondike to recover the map and to file claim to the mine. Meanwhile Crosby and Hope come to a parting of the ways when Hope insists that they go to Alaska in search of gold. Hope, however, tricks Crosby into accompanying him and, during the voyage, both become mixed up with the two thugs, steal the map. and assume their appearances 10 get off the ship. The townspeople, believing them to be the ruthless desperadoes, keep out of their way. Dorothy, under the same impression, starts romancing with both of them in an effort to recover the map. She also enlists the aid of Douglas Dumbrille, a crooked political boss, who pretends friendship for her as part of a plan to steal the map for himself. Hope and Crosby soon become the prey of, not only Dorothy, but also Dumbrille's henchmen, as well as the two desperadoes, who sought revenge. They head into the fat north in search of the mine, closely pursued by the others, who overtake them in a snow storm. After numerous complications and adventures, during which both men play hide-and-seek with the villains, but find enough time to vie for Dorothy's hand, they elude their pursuers and turn the map over to Dorothy. Hope wins her for his wife, but twenty-five years later their grown son looks uncommonly like Crosby. Norman Panama and Melvin Frank wrote the screen play, Paul Jones produced it, and Hal Walker directed it. The cast includes Hillary Brooke, Jack LaRue and others. Unobjectionable morally. 61