Harrison's Reports (1954)

February 27, 1954 HARRISON’S REPORTS 35 fort Montgomery, believing that the Indians had broken the truce, prepares to wipe them out. In the developments that follow, Parnell manages to get word to Montgomery before he can launch his attack, and Denning is revealed as the culprit after Montgomery gives him a sound thrashing. Risking his hfe under a flag of truce, Montgomery visits the Chief and explains that the misunderstanding had been brought about by Denning’s perfidy. This results in the estabhshment of a lasting peace, and with the peace comes official statehood for the Territory of Oregon. It was produced by Sam Katzman, and directed by Wilham Castle, from a story and screenplay by Douglas Heyes. Suitable for the family. ‘‘Executive Suite” with an all-star cast (MGM, April; time, 104 min.) The chief asset of this drama is the galaxy of star names, including William Holden, June Allyson, Barbara Stan« wyck, Fredric March, Walter Pidgeon, Shelley Winters, Paul Douglas, Louis Calhern, Dean Jagger and Nina Foch. It is a quality production, expertly directed and finely acted, but as a dramatic offering it seems more suited to the classes than to the masses. The interesting characterizations and the story's mixture of human emotions, including love and hate, loyalty, fear, sorrow, envy, honesty and greed, should make an impression on the more thoughtful and discriminating picture-goers, but it is doubtful if the rank-and-file will find their interest gripped by a story that is all talk and little movement, and that is steeped in intricate big business details, which deal with the sudden death of a big corporation president and with the intrigue that goes on among the directors of the company as they compete for election to the presidency. The principal roles are played by Fredric March, as a shrewd vice-president who unscrupulously strengthens his bid for the presidency by threatening to expose the wrongdoings, business and personal, of several of the other directors, and by William Holden, as a brilliant young executive, whose ideahstic but practical approach on how big business should operate wins him the top post. Holden's impassioned speech to the board in the closing reel is a dramatic highlight. There is very little comedy relief: — During a business trip to New York, the president of a large furniture manufacturing company dies, but because the papers in his pocket had been stolen by a thief his identity does not become known at once. The death, however, is noticed by Louis Calhern, a stockbroker and member of the company's board of directors, amd he seizes the oppor' tunity to sell the company's stock short to reap a fortune. When word of the president’s death finally reaches the company's home office, an intrigue starts among the board of directors, with several of them trying to get support so that he might be elected as the new president. The news of the death shocks Barbara Stanwyck, whose father had founded the company and who was one of the largest stockholders. The shock is greater to her because she was in love with the dead man. Fredric March, the company’s comptroller and one of its five vice-presidents, starts a campaign to gain votes so that he might become the top executive. He manages to obtain the distracted Miss Stanwyck’s voting proxy, and he strengthens his position when he uncovers Calhoun’s unscrupulous stock manipulations and practically blackmails him into agreeing to vote for him. He does the same with Paul Douglas, who was harassed by an unhappy married hfe and who was carrying on a secret romance with Shelley Winters, his secretary. William Holden, in charge of design and development, does not seek the presidency, but because he considered March poor material and did not like his tactics, he, too, sets his cap for the presidency and wins the support of Walter Pidgeon, who, too, disliked March. Dean Jagger, the vice-president in charge of manufacturing, is non-commital as to his choice. Taking advan« tage of Pidgeon's and Jagger’s late arrival at a board meeting, March attempts to push through his bid for the presidency, but Holden succeeds in delaying the vote until Pidgeon and Jagger arrive. He then makes an impassioned speech denouncing March's methods and expressing his own ideals. His talk is so impressive that all the directors, including Miss Stanwyck, decide to support him. March, realizing that he had lost, makes it unanimous. Thus Holden becomes the new president, much to the pride and joy of June Allyson, his wife. John Houseman produced it, and Robert Wise directed it, from a screenplay by Ernest Lehman, based on the novel by Cameron Hawley. Because of the many sex implications it is suited chiefly for adults. “Dangerous Mission” with Victor Mature, Piper Laurie, Vincent Price and William Bendix (RKO, March; time, 75 min.) Photographed in Technicolor and available to the exhibitors in either 2-D or 3-D, “Dangerous Mission” is suitable for undiscriminating patrons who like action melodramas. For thrills it has many hokum but dependable situations. For instance, there is an avalanche of rock and dirt that descends on the roof of a house built on the side of a mountain while the house is filled with merry-making guests. Then there is the snaking of a broken hve electric wire that threatens to electrocute the guests until the hero risks his hfe to shut off the power. A forest fire with flaming trees crashing around the different characters, and a climactic chase across a glacier, with the heroine and the villain falling into a deep crevasse, are among the other hokum situations that have been incorporated. The story itself is a routine affair about the danger threatening a young woman who had witnessed a murder. The suspense is brought about by the fact that a gunman, posing as a photographer, seeks to eliminate her, while a detective, posing as a vacationist, seeks to protect her. The direction and acting are competent. Much of the footage was shot against the colorful backgrounds of Glacier National Park in Montana: — Piper Laurie, a cigarette girl in a New York nightclub, sees Ken Dibbs, a gangster, commit a murder. Fearing for her hfe if she should testify, she goes to Glacier National Park and obtains a job in the hotel’s curio shop. Both the killer and the District Attorney learn that Piper had witnessed the crime and, finding out about her whereabouts, each sends a representative there, one to kill her and the other to persuade her to testify and return. ’Vincent Price, the gangster’s representative, poses as a magazine photographer, while Victor Mature, a New York detective, poses as a vacationist. Unaware of each other’s identity, both men become friendly with Piper and join in the resort’s social life, which is marred by a rock and dirt avalanche and by a forest fire that threatens the safety of the guests. Mature distinguishes himself heroically in both disasters, and Piper falls in love with him. Meanwhile Price wins the heart of Betta St. John, an Indian girl, whose father was wanted for murder. In due time Price manages to lure Piper into his automobile and pushes her out while he is driving at high speed, hoping to kill her. She survives the fall and is rescued by the Park Rangers, headed by Wilham Bendix. Mature, making his identity known, joins Bendix in an effort to track down Price, who had in turn forced Betta to guide him out of the Park over a remote and dangerous route across the glacier. Mature, accompanied by Piper, catches up with Price on the glacier. Mature slips down a hiU during a gun fight, and Price, seizing Piper, continues his flight. The ice suddenly caves in and both Piper and Price fall into a deep crevasse, with Piper landing on a protruding snow ledge above Price. Aided by Betta, Mature rescues Piper, despite the fact that Price continues to shoot at him. Just as Mature drags Piper to safety, the snow ledge becomes dislodged and falls on Price, burying him in an icy tomb. Piper agrees to return to New York to testify and to become Mature’s wife. Irwin Allen produced it, and Louis King directed it, from a screenplay by Horace McCoy, W. R. Burnett and Charles Bennett, based on a story by Mr. McCoy and James Edmiston. Harmless for the family.