Harrison's Reports (1941)

January 4, 1941 HARRISON'S REPORTS 3 "Kitty Foyle" with Ginger Rogers, Dennis Morgan and James Craig {RKO, December 27; time, 108 min.) Very good ! The picture stands very good chances at the box-office, first because of the wide popularity of the novel from which it was. adapted, and, secondly, because of its Own merits. The story is simple but realistic ; it has deep human appeal, a stirring romance, and delightful comedy bits ; moreover, the performances are excellent. There are a few situations that tug at one's heart-strings, and others that provoke hearty laughter. The story is told in flashback : — On the night that Ginger Rogers had agreed to marry James Craig, a young doctor, she receives a visit from Dennis Morgan, her former husband. He tells her that, although he had remarried, he could not forget her, and that he had left his wife ; his intention was to live in South America. He asks Miss Rogers to go with him. She promises to meet him at the dock. While packing, the picture of her past flashes in front of her. She remembers the day she had met Morgan, son of a wealthy, socially-prominent Philadelphia family ; he had called on her father for help in writing an article. Learning that she was out of work, he had offered her a position in his mazagine publishing firm. In a short time, they had fallen deeply in love with each other. But the magazine had failed and they had parted. When her father died, she had gone to New York. There she had met Craig, a young struggling doctor. But Morgan had found her, and induced her to marry him. Once back in Philadelphia with his family, she realized she did not fit in with them, and she had left. She and Morgan were divorced. Learning that he had become engaged to a society girl, she did not tell him that she was going to have a baby. She was grief-stricken when she learned that the baby had died at birth. She and Craig had become friends again; and she had finally accepted his marriage proposal. She stops packing, realizing suddenly that going away with Morgan would only mean unhappiness, even though she still loved him; and so she marries Craig, for she was fond of him and knew he was dependable. The plot was adapted from the novel by Christopher Morley. Dalton Trumbo wrote the screen play, Sam Wood directed it, and Harry E. Edington produced it. In the cast are Eduardo Ciannelli, Ernest Cossart, Gladys Cooper, Odette Myrtil, Mary Treen, and others. Not for children. Class B. "Behind the News" with Lloyd Nolan, Frank Albertson and Doris Davenport (Republic, December 20; time, 74 min.) This is a good program comedy-melodrama. It is a newspaper story, revolving around two reporters, one, cynical and hard, the other, new at the work and idealistic. Both Lloyd Nolan and Frank Albertson, as the two reporters, give good performances; as a matter of fact, due to their ability, one's attention is held throughout, for on occasion the action lags. The closing scenes are fairly exciting. There is a pleasant romance : — Frank Albertson, on graduating from college, wins a scholarship entitling him to six month's work as a reporter on a certain newspaper. Robert Armstrong, the editor, assigns Albertson to Lloyd Nolan, ace reporter; he purposely did it, knowing that it would annoy Nolan. Albertson, who had always admired Nolan's work, feels unhappy when he realizes that Nolan had changed from an idealistic, forceful writer to a cynical reporter. Nolan tries to disillusion Albertson about newspaper work, but he clings to his ideals. While Nolan is off on a spree, a big story about an escaped criminal breaks ; Albertson covers it, writes a story and sends it to the editor under Nolan's name. Nolan is grateful ; and, since he had become fond of Albertson, decides to force him out of newspaper work, because he felt he was too decent to be in it. First, he gives him a misleading story, which Albertson turns in to Armstrong ; Armstrong thinks that Albertson had tried to put something over on him, and is furious ; but he cannot discharge him until the scholarship expired. Albertson accidentally learns that an innocent man had been framed on a murder charge ; he tries to convince Nolan that they should work on it. At first, Nolan refuses to listen to him ; but later he decides to follow up the clues. He and Albertson uncover the plot, and prove that the District Attorney himself was mixed up in the case. By this time, Albertson is considered a fullfledged reporter. And Nolan finally marries Doris Davenport, who had been patiently waiting for the event. Dora Schary and Allen Rivkin wrote the story, and Isabel Dawn and Boyce DeGaw, the screen play ; Joseph Santley directed it, and Robert North produced it. In the cast are Paul Harvey, Charles Halton, Eddie Conrad, and others. Suitability, Class A. "Romance of the Rio Grande" with Cesar Romero, Patricia Morison, Ricardo Cortez and Lynne Roberts {Twentieth Century-Fox, January 17; time, 72 min.) A fair addition to the "Cisco Kid" series. Although it lacks real thrilling action, such as fights and fast horseback riding, the performances are adequate and the story is fairly interesting. One is held in some suspense because of the hero's efforts to outwit the villain. As in the other "Cisco Kid" pictures, the comedy is handled by Chris-Pin Martin, whose efforts to steal are thwarted by the hero : — Pedro deCordoba eagerly awaits the arrival of his grandson (Cesar Romero) from Spain, for he wanted to turn the ranch over to him and also to see him married to his ward (Patricia Morison). DeCordoba did not know that his own nephew (Ricardo Cortez) was at the head of cattle rustlers who had been stealing from his ranch, and that he and Miss Morison were sweethearts. Cortez instructs his men to kill Romero before he could reach the ranch. The "Cisco Kid" (also played by Romero), seeing the attempted murder, rushes to the man's help. He is amazed at their resemblance to each other. He leaves the man in the care of a friend, and then leaves for the ranch to take the grandson's place; he is welcomed there with open arms. In a short time, he finds out all about Cortez. He purposely arouses Cortez' s jealousy by pretending to be in love with Miss Morison, when he really had fallen in love with Lynne Roberts, a friend of the family. In a quarrel that follows between Miss Morison and Cortez, they are both killed. Romero turns the ranch over to the rightful owner, who had recovered. He tells him everything, and suggests what he should say to Miss Roberts, so that she would suspect nothing. Katherine F. Gerould wrote the story, and Harold Buchman and Samuel G. Engel, the screen play ; Herbert I. Leeds directed it, and Sol M. Wurtzel produced it. Not for children. Class B. "Hudson's Bay" with Paul Muni {Twentieth Century-Fox, January 3; time, 94 min.) Fair. The picture lacks the excitement that one would expect in a story depicting the formation of the Hudson's Bay Company. Instead of action, the plot is developed by dialogue ; moreover, more stress is placed on the personalities of the characters involved than on the story itself ; for those reasons, the action lags. There are one or two situations that hold one in suspense, but those are not enough to hold the spectator's attention throughout. Another fault is the fact that Paul Muni's part requires him to talk with an accent, which becomes tiresome after a while. The love interest is mildly pleasant : — Muni and Laird Cregar, two French-Canadian fur trappers, induce John Sutton, an English lord who had been banished from his country, to invest all his money in their scheme to trade for beaver pelts with the Indians at Hudson's Bay. Sutton accompanies them on the trip. They have great luck, returning to Montreal with 300,000 pelts. But the scheming governor, by invoking laws against them, takes the pelts away from them. Managing to escape with part of the furs, they leave for England, in hope of interesting the King (Vincent Price) in their idea of founding a Hudson's Bay Company, and at the same time of winning forgiveness for Sutton. Gene Tierney, Sutton's fiancee, is overjoyed at seeing him. Muni's ideas appeal to the King, and he permits the founding of the company. Sutton, Muni, and Cregar, supplied with ships and funds, prepare to go back to Hudson's Bay. Miss Tierney induces them to take her brother (Morton Lowry), hoping that the experience would make a man of him. By the time they reach the fort, the last outpost on the edge of the wilderness, Lowry rebels, refusing to go further. The three men leave; word soon comes to them that Lowry, by plying the Indians with liquor, had taken from them a great store of fur pelts. They rush back, and find that Lowry had incited the Indians to fight each other. The Indian chief insists on justice, informing Muni that the only way to bring peace to the countryside would be to execute Lowry. Despite Sutton's pleas, Muni does just that. They return to England with a fortune in furs ; when the King learns of Lowry's death, he imprisons the three men. But when Muni tells the King that he had left word with the Indians not to deal with the English if he did not return, the King sets them free. Sutton marries Miss Tierney. Lamar Trotti wrote the original screen play, Irving Pichcl directed it, and Kenneth Macgowan produced it. In the cast are Virginia Field, Nigel Bruce, Robert Greig, Chief Thundercloud, and others. Suitability, Class A.