Harrison's Reports (1951)

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April 21, 1951 HARRISON’S REPORTS 63 “Tokyo File 212” with Florece Marly and Robert Peyton ( RKO , no rel. date set; time, 84 min.) Filmed entirely in Japan, the one thing that may be said for this melodrama is that it offers some fascinating actual Tokyo backgrounds and street scenes. Aside from this asset, however, it is just an ordinary, overlong spy picture, hampered by an improbable plot that is so involved that one finds it difficult to follow the proceedings. Not much can be said for either the direction or the acting, which borders on the amateurish. Florence Marly in particular is guilty of overacting. Except for the principals, most of the others in the cast are Japanese. The dialogue is all in English, but as spoken by some of the Japanese players it is difficult to understand: — Robert Peyton, a U. S. Army Intelligence officer, arrives in Tokyo to investigate suspected communist sabotage of military supplies needed in Korea. Posing as a news correspondent, he meets up with Florence Marly, an international adventuress, whom he suspects of being connected with the conspiracy. With Florence as his night-club coma panion, Peyton visits an infamous cabaret in Tokyo's slums to meet Taro Matsudo, whom he had known in the States and who had become an important communist. Taro rebuffs him, and shortly thereafter Peyton is beaten up by Communist goons. In the complicated events that follow, Florence learns that the communists had killed her sister, and that she herself was being used as a tool by the Jap leader of the subversive group. She turns against the leader and offers to help Peyton. When Florence informs him that Taro will lead a railroad strike to cripple the movement of supplies to Korea, Peyton induces Taro's father to speak to the railroad workers against his son. The communists beat the old man severely, causing Taro, too, to turn against them. But before he can reach Peyton, Taro is captured by the communist leader, who had cooked up an elaborate scheme whereby Peyton and Florence would be killed by a time bomb on a Tokyo street corner, after which Taro, too, was to be killed. To save Peyton and Florence, Taro hurls himself from the leader’s high office window, thus causing Florence and Peyton to rush to the scene from the street corner, seconds before the time bomb explodes. Aided by the Japanese police, Peyton finds the office window from which Taro had hurled himself, and quickly rounds up the leader along with the rest of his group. His work finished, Peyton says goodbye to Florence and assures her that she will receive only a light sentence for her part in the conspiracy. It was produced by George Breakston and Dorrell McGowan. The screen play and direction is by Dorrell and Stuart McGowan, from a story by Mr. Breakston. Adult fare. “Apache Drums” with Stephen McNally, Coleen Gray and Willard Parker (Univ.'Int'l, no rel. date set; time, 15 min.) Photographed in Technicolor, “Apache Drums’’ shapes up as a pretty good whites-versus-Indians melodrama. The first half of the picture, which deals with the conflict between a gambler and the mayor of a small frontier mining town, is rather slow-paced, but it becomes exciting and is filled with suspense in the second half, where the Apaches attack the town. The excitement runs high during the last few reels, which show the surviving townspeople taking refuge in a church, where they spend a long night of vigil beating off Indian braves who hurl themselves through the window openings in suicide attacks. The plot developments are obvious, but this should make little difference to the action fans, for the picture provides the thrills they seek: — To protect the citizens of Spanish Boot from the lawless element, Willard Parker, the town’s mayor and blacksmith, compels Stephen McNally, a gambler, as well as a group of dance hall girls, to leave town. McNally asks Coleen Gray, his sweetheart, to accompany him, but she declines, telling him that he must reform and settle down. McNally then accuses her of being in love with Parker. Riding to the next town, McNally comes across the dance hall girls, all mas sacred by a war party of Apaches. He rushes back to warn the people of Spanish Boot, but Parker ridicules his story as an excuse to return to town. But when a stage coach arrives and McNally’s story is confirmed, James Best is dispatched to a cavalry fort nearby for aid. The Apaches, however, intercept Best and kill him. In the events that follow the townspeople ward off several light Indian attacks, but in due time the Apaches attack in force and the surviving citizens are compelled to take refuge in the church. Throughout the night Indian braves enter the church in suicide attacks but each is shot down, and during the action McNally acquits himself with valor, winning the respect of Coleen and the apologies of Parker. The Apaches, under a flag of truce, ask for a doctor to treat their wounded chief, and announce that they will leave if the chief lives, but will burn down the church doors and massacre everyone if he dies. Parker voluna teers to treat the chief, and is killed when he dies. The Apaches then start to burn down the massive doors, but McNally manages to keep them at bay until the timely arrival of a cavalry contingent. With the Apaches routed, McNally and Coleen emerge from the ordeal arm in arm. It was produced by Val Lewton and directed by Hugh Fregonese from a screen play by David Chandler, based on “Stand at Spanish Boot,” by Harry Brown. Suitable for the family. “I Was a Communist for the F.B.I.” with Frank Lovejoy and Dorothy Hart (Warner Bros., May 5; time, 83 min.) A highly engrossing anti-Communist melodrama, based on the true experiences of Matt Cvetic, an undercover FBI agent, who posed as a rabid Communist Party member in the Pittsburgh area for many years. The timeliness of the theme, coupled with the fact that it has been produced effectively, assures the picture of wide audience interest. In focusing a spotlight on communism within the United States, the film delves into the inner workings of the Communists and exposes them in no uncertain terms. Their hypocrisy, racial intolerance, exploitation of minority groups, their use of physical violence — all these and other foul tactics employed by the Communists to attain their sinister ends are presented in a way that will enlighten the public and awaken them to the need of combatting this subversive element. The story itself is suspenseful, exciting and dramatic, and Frank Lovejoy, who plays the part of the undercover agent, does an outstanding job. One feels keenly the anguish he suffers because of the contempt that is felt for him by his family, particularly his 'teen-aged son, to whom he is unable to reveal the true nature of his work. The ending, where he vindicates himself and his patriotism and heroism become apparent to his family, is dramatically satisfying. Briefly, the story depicts how Lovejoy wins the confidence of the party leaders by his strict adherence to the Communist ideology, and by his helping Communists to infiltrate a large steel plant, in which he was employed as personnel manager. His “good” work wins him a promotion as party organizer in Pittsburgh and, despite his abhorrence of the loathsome tactics employed by the party to create dissension among minority groups and to engineer labor strikes, he does not waver in the execution of his slimy duties in order to continue furnishing the FBI with needed information. Aware that his loyalty to the party was under constant surveillance, Lovejoy permits even his own son to look upon him with disdain. In the course of events he becomes friendly with Dorothy Hart, a new member of the party, who accidentally discovers that he is an undercover agent. By that time, howveer, Dorothy becomes sickened by the Communists’ foul tactics and decides to repudiate the party. The party leaders decide to do away with her because of her intimate knowledge of their affairs. Lovejoy, in an exciting encounter with two Communist goons, whom he kills, prevents Dorothy’s assassination. The party leaders suspect him of helping her and beat him to make him confess, but through clever work on the part of the FBI his loyalty to the party is established. At the finish, Lovejoy finally gets a chance to clear his name of the Red taint when he testifies before the Congressional Un-American Activities Committee and puts the “finger" on his erstwhile “comrades,” completely surprising not only them but also his joyful family. It was produced by Bryan Foy and directed by Gordon Douglas from a screen play by Crane Wilbur. Suitable for all movie.-goers.