Harrison's Reports (1951)

34 HARRISON’S REPORTS March 3, 1951 “U.S.S. Teakettle” with Gary Cooper (20th Century-Fox, April; time, 93 mirt.) Audiences should have a right good time with this imaginative and out-of-the-ordinary comedy, which deals with the misadventures of the captain and crew of a Navy Patrol Craft that is designated to test an experimental high-pressure steam engine. The comedy stems from the fact that the captain and his officers are all “90-day wonders," landlubbers converted into seamen after three months' training, none of whom had any experience in the running of a ship. The comic aspects of this situation are fully realized in the despondency of the captain when he learns that his crew, too, is green, and in the mishaps that occur on the trial runs, which invariably end in breakdowns, with the ship and crew becoming the laughing stock of the naval base because of the fact that they have to be towed back each time they put to sea. Some of the situations are hilarious, particularly those that have to do with the erratic behavior of the clanging and hissing steam engine, which requires all sorts of improvisations and the superhuman efforts of the harassed crew to keep it in operation. Much of the humor is in a satirical vein in that it pokes fun at Navy procedure and pompous Navy brass. The closing reels, where the ship's throttle becomes jammed and it runs wild through the harbor, narrowly missing collisions with numerous ships and bridges and ramming an aircraft carrier before it is stopped, are pure slapstick, but it is extremely funny. Gary Cooper is just right as the bewildered but determined captain, and he is given strong support by the other members of the capable cast, including Jane Greer, who appears briefly as his wife, Millard Mitchell, Eddie Albeit, Richard Erdman, Ray Collins, John Mclntire and Jack Webb. It was produced by Fred Kohlmar and directed by Henry Hathaway from a screen play by Richard Murphy, based on a story by John W. Hazard. Fine for the entire family. * Re leased as YOU'RE IN THE NAVY NOW. “Quebec” with John Barrymore, Jr., Corrine Calvet and Patric Knowles ( Paramount , April; time, 85 min.) Based on historical fact, there is considerable production flash in this Technicolor melodrama, which deals with the 1837 rebellion of French and English settlers against British rule in Quebec, but it fails to hit the mark as entertainment because of a complicated plot that is vague and confusing in its development. The skirmishes with British troops and the full-scale battle attacks give the picture ingredients that may help it get by with the non-discriminating action fans, but those who demand something more than conventional tumult and conflict will find it lacking in dramatic force and on the whole disappointing. Since most of the locales were shot right in Quebec, the film benefits from the picturesque natural surroundings, but it is not enough to make up for the patently artificial quality of the story. The story casts Corrine Calvet and Patric Knowles as the leaders of the rebellion. Corrine was motivated by her hatred of Don Haggerty, commander of the British garrison in Quebec, whom she had married at the age of fifteen to give her unborn child a name; Knowles, her lover, had been reported dead. She had later discovered that Knowles was a political refuge in exile, and that she had been tricked into marriage by Haggerty. Her son, John Barrymore, Jr., now eighteen, had been brought up in the wilderness by his father, and the lad had no idea that Corrine was his mother. The story, which is too complicated to synopsize, follows the adventures of young Barrymore and his father as they lay plans with Corrine for a full-scale attack on the fortress in Quebec. Worked into the plot is the love felt for Barrymore by Barbara Rush, Corrine’s youthful companion, and by Nikki Duval, a flashy-eyed girl of the Quebec wilds. When the attempted rebellion fails, Knowles, seeking amnesty for his men, is killed by Haggerty. Barrymore takes over the leadership of the rebels and attempts to storm the fortress, but he, too, is unsuccessful, and during the battle Nikki is killed. Corrine goes to Haggerty and pleads for her son's safety. Haggerty promises to allow the lad to walk out of the fortress unharmed. But Corrine, suspicious, dresses herself like Barrymore to test Haggerty. She. is shot dead. Gaining his freedom, Barrymore learns from John Hoyt, a kindly priest, that Corrine was his mother. The screen play was written and produced by Alan Le May, and directed by George Templeton. Adult fare. ** Teresa” with Pier Angeli, John Ericson and Patricia Collinge (MGM, no release date set; time, 101 mirt.) There are moments of tender appeal and strong drama in this story of young love and of the problems of a mentally befuddled young war veteran, but on the whole it misses fire, for the proceedings ramble along unevenly and matters are not helped much by the flashback treatment, which serves to confuse one. Being a moody type of story with an approach that is heavy and sombre, and lacking marquee names, it is doubtful if it will have more than a modicum of box-office value for the general run of theatres. The film introduces to American audiences Pier Angeli, a young Italian actress, who is very good as the sympathetic war bride of the mixed-up veteran; she has a winning personality, and is completely natural. John Ericson, as the confused veteran, does good work, but his characterization is not clearly defined and does not seem real. Authenticity and color are given to the production by the fact that it has been shot against actual backgrounds in New York City and Italy. The story opens in New York where Ericson is depicted as a maladjusted war veteran living at home with his parents (Patricia Collinge and Richard Bishop) and sister (Peggy Ann Garner), and resisting all efforts to aid him. By flashback, the story shifts to a ruined Italian village, where Ericson meets and falls in love with Pier during the war. He be-, comes a victim of battle shock when he is sent out on his first patrol and, after a stay at the hospital and the end of hostilities, he returns to the village and marries Pier. He then returns to the United States alone to await her arrival as a war bride, but he keeps the marriage a secret because of the possessive jealousy of his mother. His mother eventually learns about the marriage, and when Pier arrives she makes her home with Ericson’s parents in their cramped tenement quarters. His mother’s domination so affects Ericson that he loses job after job and feels himself to be totally incompetent, despite words of encouragement from Pier. When Pier learns that she is pregnant, she urges Ericson to leave his mother and make a home with her elsewhere. The suggestion infuriates him and, after a quarrel, she leaves him. The separation and its cause enable Ericson to see his mother in a true light. He rids himself of her domination, leaves home and finds a steady job. When he learns that Pier had given birth to their son in Bellevue Hospital, he rushes there for a reconciliation, and the finish finds them embarking on a new life. It was produced by Arthur M. Loew and directed by Fred Zinnemann from a screen play by Stewart Stern, who collaborated on the original story with Alfred Hayes. A picture for mature minds. “Belle Le Grand” with Vera Ralston, John Carroll and Muriel Lawrence (Republic, Jan. 27; time, 90 min.) Set against an 1870 San Francisco background, “Belle Le Grand" has been given a handsome production mounting, but it is not enough to lift it above the level of mildly interesting program fare. Where the picture misses its mark is in the story, which is routine, unconvincing and lacking in dramatic strength. Moreover, the treatment is unimaginative and the dialogue stilted. The direction and acting are ordinary, and the players are, at times, guilty of overacting. The picture introduces Muriel Lawrence, a charming young soprano, whose renditions of several operatic arias are pleasing to the ear. For all its shortcomings, however, the picture has enough action and colorful settings to get by with those who are not too fussy about story values: — Having spent five years in prison for a murder committed by Stephen Chase, her ex-husband, Vera Ralston leads the only life left to her by a prejudiced society — operator of a luxurious Barbary Coast gambling house. Qn a chance tip, Vera buys a substantial block of shares in a Virginia City silver mine owned by John Carroll and makes herself a fortune. Carroll, by keeping secret news of a rich strike at the mine, had outwitted Chase, a financier, and had bought up thousands of his shares for practically nothing. Vera and Carroll are attracted to each other as a result of this manipulation. Chase, bitter, sets in motion a plan to grab control of the mine. Meanwhile he tries to romance with Muriel Lawrence, a young singer. Unknown to Muriel, she is Vera’s sister. They had not seen each other since childhood, and Vera had been financing her career secretly. Vera threatens to kill Chase if he does not leave Muriel alone. Complications arise when Carroll meets Muriel and falls in love with