Harrison's Reports (1954)

16 HARRISON’S REPORTS January 23, 1954 SENSIBLE ADVICE FROM A. F. MYERS Commenting on the decisions handed down this week by the U.S. Supreme Court in the “M” and “La Ronde” cases, in which it reversed two lower court decisions up^ holding state film censorship, Abram F. Myers, National Allied’s board chairman and general counsel, had this to say: “As one who detests the very thought of censorship I am glad the court went as far as it did and wish it had gone all the way. In strict logic, I wonder if the industry's opposition to ofiicial censorship isn't complicated by its adherence to the Production Code and the decisions of the Code Authority? “Now is the time for the industry to consider a new classification by the Production Code Authority, namely, ‘For adults only.’ The case of ‘The Moon is Blue’ points up the need for this. To say that this picture should not be shown to grown-ups is to deprive a lot of people of an evening’s solid entertainment that can do them no harm. “Now I am puzzled about the distinction between the dances of Rita Hayworth and Jane Russell, unless Breen is drawing a bathycolpian line.” DRIVE-IN OPERATORS TO CONVENE IN CINCINNATI The National Allied Drive-In Theatres Convention, the first to be sponsored by Allied States Association, will be held in Cincinnati on February 2, 3 and 4, and the advance registrations indicate that it will be heavily attended. According to a press release from the convention committee, the several hundred drive-in operators expected at the meeting are disturbed by the possibility that the flow of “A” product may be cut off by reason of the distributors’ insistence on stereophonic sound, and they are prepared to take drastic action, if necessary, to keep their theatres open. Among the topics slated for discussion are the different problems allied to CinemaScopie presentations; the stock purchase plan recommended at the Allied Convention in Boston; insurance in all its phases; all year operation of drive-ins with heaters; film buying and advertising methods. The need for new equipment no doubt will come in for considerable discussion on the first day when Herbert Barnett, president of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers, makes his talk to the convention. Having discovered that new product was the one thing that could improve their business, many drive-in operators are fearful lest the advent of CinemaScope and other new processes force them back into old pictures. It is expected that the convention will take steps to prevent this possibility. “Jivaro” with Fernando Lamas, Rhonda Fleming and Brian Keith (Paramount, January; time, 91 min.) A fair romantic adventure melodrama, with a South American jungle background, photographed in Technicolor. As an entertainment, it is best suited for undiscriminating movie-goers who are not too fussy about story values so long as the action is virile and exciting. Selective picturegoers probably will find it tiresome, for the thin and artificial story lacks originality and the characterizations are stereotyped. Moreover, the plot unfolds in just the manner one expects. The acting is acceptable, if not outstanding, and so is the direction. On the credit side are the picturesque jungle settings and the good color photography: — Returning in his boat to his jungle trading post at Pedrone, a small river settlement close by the dangerous headhunting Jivaro Indian country, Fernando Lams finds himself with a passenger — Rhonda Fleming, who was going to the settlement to meet Richard Denning, her fiance, whom she believed to be the owner of a huge rubber plantation. Actually, Denning had become a drunken drifter who spent his time hunting for a lost gold treasure rumored hidden m the Jivaro country. Lamas does not disillusion her, and when they reach Pedrome he learns that Denning had gone off on another wild goose chase after the lost treasure, accompanied by two other white men. He sees to it that Rhonda is made comfortable in Denning’s hut and merely tells her that he will return soon, but Rhonda begins to suspect that Denning is a ne’er-do-well when she finds evidence indicating that he was having an affair with Rita Moreno, a native girl. Brian Keith, an unsavory character, makes a play for Rhonda and schemes to get her marooned with him overnight on an up-river trip, but Lamas, suspecting his game, rescues Rhonda. By this time a strong feeling grows up between Rhonda and Lamas but neither admits it. When word arrives that Denning and his companions had been captured by the Jivaros, Lamas sets out to rescue them and Rhonda insists upon going along. After a long trek in the jungle, they find the bodies of all three men next to a ruined shrine containing the lost treasure. They, too, are attacked by the Jivaros, but after many hairraising adventures, they succeed in reaching Pedrone, where both are married by the local priest. It was produced by William H. Pine and William C. Thomas, and directed by Edward Ludwig, from a screenplay by Winston Miller, based on a story by David Duncan. Adult fare. “The Boy from Oklahoma” with Will Rogers, Jr. and Nancy Olson (Warner Bros., Feb. 27; time, 87 min.) Good! Photographed in the WarnerColor process, it is a homespun western melodrama, the kind that should have wide appeal, for it has virile action, human characterizations, nice touches of comedy and fine acting. As a matter of fact, the amazing thing about the picture is the improvement in the acting of Will Rogers, Jr., son of the late Will Rogers, the famed humorist. Whereas his acting in the “Will Rogers Story” was on the “hammy” side, in this picture he is realistic and believable in whatever he does. The entire story is in a light mood, and it centers around Rogers as an easygoing cowboy who, though he never carries a gun, takes on a temporary job as sheriff of a small town and brings law and order to it through his power of persuasion and his adeptness with a lariat. It is different from most westerns and holds one’s interest throughout. Anthony Caruso is very effective as the clever villain in control of the lawless element. Nancy Olson is a captivating heroine and she acts well. The color photography is very fine: — Rogers, an easygoing cowboy, rides into Bluerock to mail his final examination papers for a law degree. He becomes involved in a horse race, the winner of which is to receive a prize of $100 from Caruso, a saloonkeeper, who had just been reelected as Mayor by questionable means. The race ends in a tie between Rogers and Nancy Olson, a tomboyish girl. The tie is broken by a shoot-off in which Nancy deftly hits the target while Rogers, using a borrowed gun, misses his mark by a wide margin. Looking for a naive and inept man as sheriff, Caruso offers the job to Rogers. He declines the post, but, when word comes that bandits had stolen the mail sack containing his examination papers, he reconsiders and accepts the job. Nancy is humiliated at the idea that a spineless person was to replace the former sheriff, her father, who had been murdered, but Rogers appeases her by promising to catch the culprits who killed him. In the course of events, Rogers uncovers evidence indicating that Nancy’s father had been murdered by a man who worked for Caruso. He reports this to Caruso, and the town boss, feigning cooperation, plans to have him killed by Tyler MacDuff (as Billy the Kid), his outlaw cousin. Rogers not only outbluffs the young outlaw in an encounter in Caruso’s saloon but he decides to arrest Caruso for selling liquor to a minor. To evade arrest, Caruso shows Rogers false evidence to prove that Nancy’s father was dishonest, and he threatens to make it public to humiliate Nancy. Rather than hurt Nancy, Rogers decides to leave town, but she persuades him to remain. Shortly thereafter Rogers stumbles across information that enables him to catch the mail robbers and to pin the murder of Nancy’s father on Caruso himself. Caruso’s attempt to escape fails when Rogers brings his lariat into play. It all ends with Rogers going to another town to serve an apprenticeship in his uncle’s law office, promising to return to Bluerock to marry Nancy. David Weisbart produced it, and Michael Curtiz directed it, from a screenplay by Frank Davis and Winston Miller, based on a story by Michael Fessier. Suitable for the family.