Harrison's Reports (1954)

10 HARRISON’S REPORTS January 16, 1954 “Both Sides of the Law” with Peggy Cummins, Terence Morgan and Anne Cravrford (Univ.'Int’l. January; time, 94 min.) An absorbing and fairly exciting British-made crime melodrama, which pays tribute to London’s policewomen. Made up of a collection of crime stories that have been interlocked skillfully, the picture, besides offering a mixture of action, robbery and murder, is endowed with nice touches of human interest and humor, giving the spectator an interesting insight into the worHngs of the women’s police force. The picture is further enhanced by authentic backgrounds, which help to keep the action realistic. The direction is expert and the acting competent, but the all-British cast is generally unknown in this country. Briefly, it revolves around the different cases to which the policewomen are assigned. One has to do with the investigation of the maltreatment of a child by a callous stepmother, and with the restoring of the child to her real mother. Another case has to do with the plight of Eleanor Summerfield, who proves to be a deserter from the Women’s Army and bigamously married to a disabled man when she comes to the attention of the police after rescuing a boy from drowning, but being an inherently good person who had unwittingly run afoul of the law, her tangled life is straightened out by the policewomen. A third case centers around Peggy Cummins, a young wife and mother, who is picked up for shoplifting. After being let off with a light fine, she leaves her husband and child to take up with Terence Morgan, a free-spending hoodlum, and soon finds herself in deeper trouble after Morgan commits a jewel robbery and then impersonates a police officer to extort money from the “fence” who had bought the stolen goods. The police use the unwitting Peggy to lead them to Morgan’s hideout and, after apprehending him, they see to it that Peggy, chastened, is reunited with her family. It was produced by William Mac Quitty, and directed by Muriel Box, who wrote the screenplay in collaboration with Sydney Box, based on a story by Jan. Read. Adults. “Three Young Texans” with Mitzi Gaynor, Keefe Brasselle and Jeffrey Hunter (20th Century'Fox, January; time, 78 min.) Photographed in Technicolor, this western-type melodrama is an effective picture of its kind and should find favor with the action fans. There is nothing unusual about either the story or the treatment, which centers around a young man who robs a train to prevent his father from committing the crime, and around the difficulties that arise when he is unable to return the money because of the machinations of a double-crossing pal. It does, however, hold one’s interest well, and has all the exciting ingredients that one expects to find in a film of this type. The direction and acting are competent, and the outdoor scenery, enhanced by the ^e color photography, beautiful: — Jeff Hunter and Keefe Brasselle, young cowboys, are close pals with Mitzi Gaynor and work on her father’s ranch. Harvey Stevans, Hunter’s father, gets involved in a crooked poker game with Mike Ansara, Frank Wilcox and Aaron Spelling, and shoots Wilcox when he catches him dealing from the bottom of the deck On the following day. Hunter overhears Ansara and Spelling falsely tell his father that Wilcox is dead and, under threat of turning him in as a murderer, force him to agree to participate in the holdup of a train carrying a $50,000 payroll. To prevent his dad from committing the crime. Hunter dons a mask and holds up the train himself. He then hides the money in the ruins of an abode shack. News of the robbery, coupled with the fact he notices fresh red clay on Hunter’s boots, leads Brasselle to rightfully suspect that Hunter had robbed the train and that he had hidden the money in the shack — their childhood rendezvous. Brasselle re-hides the money, after which he confronts Hunter and demands an equal share. Hunter refuses, saying that he intends to return the money to the railroad, but Brasselle refuses to believe him and does not reveal the new hiding place. Suspicion falls on Brasselle when Dan Riss, the sheriff, notices him with a pocketful of newly-minted silver dollars. He flees over the border to Mexico rather than face questioning, and he is followed by Hunter, who had vowed to keep an eye on him. In the complicated events that follow, Ansara and his gang learn that Brasselle had hidden the loot. They capture the boys, knock Hunter unconscious, and force Brasselle to lead them to the hiding place. Recovering consciousness. Hunter gives chase and enlists the aid of his father, Mitzi and the sheriff to help rescue Braisselle. All this leads to a furious gun battle in which Brasselle is killed by Ansara, who in turn is shot down by Hunter before he can get away with the money. After hearing Hunter’s explanation of the train holdup, the sheriff gives him a clean slate and Mitzi agrees to marry him. It was produced by Leonard Goldstein, and directed by Henry Levin, from a screenplay by Gerald Drayson Adams, based on a story by William Macleod Raines. Unobjectionable morally. “She Couldn’t Say No” with Jean Simmons and Robert Mitchum (RKO, February; time, 89 min.) A light but pleasant and amusing small-town comedy, revolving around the difficulties that arise in a small Arkansas village when a well-intentioned young heiress anonymously distributes gifts and money to the inhabitants to repay them for the aid they had given her as a child. The action moves along at a moderate pace, and the homespun quality of the humor is such as to provoke chuckles rather than hearty laughter, but the general run of audiences should find it entertaining even though it does not reach any kind of distinction. Jeeui Simmons is engaging as the young heiress, and Robert Mitchum is pleasing as the village doctor who straightens out the havoc caused by her philantrophy and wins her heart at the same time. Arthur Hunnicutt turns in a delightful portrayal as the genial village drunkard: — Jean learns from her late father’s lawyer that the people of Progress, a tiny Arkansas town, had saved her life by raising money to provide medical attention when she, as a small girl traveling with her impoverished father, had been stricken ill. She decides to reward them and goes to Progress under an assumed name. There she becomes friendly with Mitchum, who proves to be the son of the doctor who had saved her. Posing as a vacationist, Jean questions Mitchum about the town and its people in an effort to get some information about their needs. Shortly after several people in town receive lavish gifts from an unknown donor, Mitchum manages to learn the truth about Jean’s identity and about her purpose, but he decides to keep her secret to himself. In the events that follow, Mitchum and Jean find themselves attracted to each