Harrison's Reports (1942)

14 HARRISON'S REPORTS January 24, 1942 "Torpedo Boat" with Richard Arlen, Jean Parker and Mary Carlisle (Paramount, Rel. not set; time, 68 min.) Just a mildly entertaining program picture. The story, besides being routine, is developed in the main by dialogue instead of by action; for this reason one's interest lags. There are only two situations that offer any real excitement; both revolve around tests of a small torpedo boat driven at a high rate of speed. Yet, even these are limited in their appeal to those interested in boats. The two romances are developed along formula lines: — Richard Arlen and his pal (Phillip Terry) invent a new type of torpedo boat. They meet an old pal (Dick Purcell), manager of the shipbuilding firm owned by Robert Middlemass. At the same time, they are embarrassed when they meet Middlemass's daughter (Mary Carlisle), because they had had an unfriendly encounter with her on the road when their car had bumped into hers. Purcell gives both Arlen and Terry jobs at the plant, promising to speak to Middlemass about their torpedo boat idea. Terry falls in love with Jean Parker, Aden's former sweetheart, and marries her. This so enrages Arlen that he breaks with Terry. They are brought together again when Middlemass decides to permit them to build a model of their torpedo boat. Everyone turns out to see the test, which is fine until Arlen decides to find out how fast the boat could really go; the hull gives way and there is an accident; Terry dies. Arlen, ashamed of himself, leads Miss Carlisle, who had fallen in love with him, to believe that he had used her to get to her father. He then takes a job with another ship firm and starts building a new model; Middlemass starts building a new one, too. The two boats are scheduled to make the test run at the same time; Arlen risks his life to save Miss Carlisle, whose boat was in the path of an oil tanker. Arlen lands in the hospital, but he is happy for his boat is accepted by the Navy and he and Miss Carlisle are reconciled. Maxwell Shane wrote the screen play from a story by Aaron Gottlieb. John Rawlins directed it, and Wm. Pine and Wm. Thomas produced it. In the cast are Ralph Sanford, William Haade, and Oscar O'Shea. Morally suitable for all. "Fly By Night" with Nancy Kelly and Richard Carlson (Paramount, Rel. not set; time, 73 min.) This is a good program espionage melodrama. The action is fast'moving, and at times exciting; and, even though the plot is highly far-fetched, it holds one's interest and keeps one in suspense. The tension is occasionally relieved by some good comedy bits and a pleasant romance: — Martin Kosleck escapes from a sanitarium for mentally deranged patients by strangling a guard. Although the escape is discovered within a few minutes, he manages to elude his pursuers by hiding in the car of Richard Carlson, a young doctor, who had parked the car in front of the sanitarium while he went to buy a can of gasoline. At the point of a gun, he forces Carlson to drive him to the city; and, since he noticed that his pursuers had trailed them, he orders Carlson to take him to his hotel room. He then tells Carlson a strange story — that he was not insane, that he had been working with a famous scientist (Miles Manger) on a powerful ray for the American Army, and that the heads of the sanitarium were actually spies, seeking his invention. Carlson steps out of the room; when he returns he finds that Kosleck had been murdered. He manages to remove from his clothes the baggage check for the invention which had been left at a railroad station. By that time, the police arrive and insist on arresting Carlson for the murder. He escapes and hides in the room below occupied by Nancy Kelly. In order to prevent her from giving him away, he forces her to leave with him, and they drive away in her car. He convinces her of his innocence, and even induces her to work with him on the spy theory. In order to avert the suspicion of two policemen, they pretend they were eloping. The policemen take them to their father, a justice of the peace, who marries them. Miss Kelly thinks of a plan — she would take Carlson to the sanitarium, pretend he was a mental case, and leave him there. He could thus search for the scientist and get the proof he needed. But the spy chief (Albert Basserman) recognizes him from a sketch appearing in a newspaper and holds him prisoner. He forces him to turn over the invention which he had picked up at the railroad station. Manger agrees to show Basserman how it worked; the ray is so strong that Basserman is blinded — that was the invention. Carlson and Miss Kelly, who, too, had been brought to the sanitarium, start fighting their way out. They are helped by the two friendly policemen, who arrive in time to round up the spies. Since they were in love, Miss Kelly and Carlson are happy that they were married. Jay Dratler wrote the the screen play, Robert Siodmak directed it, and Sol C. Siegel produced it. In the cast are Walter Kingsford, Edward Gargan, and others. Morally suitable for all. "The Remarkable Andrew" with William Holden, Ellen Drew and Brian Donlevy (Paramount, Rel. not set; time, 80 min.) Here is a prestige picture; it is so out of the ordinary, that it should prove interesting and inspiring to those who see it. It is a phantasy, in which famous dead persons come to life in order to help the hero out of a mess. Toward the end, the young hero makes a speech in court, telling the judge and jury what democracy means to him; most people will be touched by it. Some of the situations are amusing because the hero alone can see the "ghosts" and naturally confuses those around him who cannot see them. The romance is pleasant: — William Holden, who worked for the city as a bookkeeper, finds a shortage in the accounts of $1240. He realizes that something crooked had been pulled, and refuses to close the books, even though his superior (Porter Hall), and later the District Attorney and even the Mayor order him to do so. Since these officials were all mixed up in stealing city funds, they decide to make Holden the goat. Accordingly, they bring embezzlement charges against him. But Holden is not afraid for he was receiving aid from General Andrew Jackson (Brian Donlevy), George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Chief Justice Marshall, Thomas Jefferson, and two others, who had come to life to help him. Since no one else could see the ghosts, word spreads that Holden had gone crazy and was talking to himself. Even his sweetheart (Ellen Drew) fears the worst, although she had faith in his innocence. The ghosts find the necessary evidence to help Holden. They rush with this to the court room and then instruct him as to how to proceed. He proves his innocence and forces the crooks to resign. Holden marries Miss Drew, but is embarrassed on his wedding night when Jackson insists on staying with him. He finally induces him to leave. As he goes, Miss Drew, for the first time, is able to see him. Dalton Trumbo wrote the novel and screen play, Stuart Heisler directed it, and Richard Blumenthal produced it. In the cast are Rod Cameron, Richard Webb, Frances Gifford, Montagu Love, and others. Suitable for all. "Salute to Courage" with Conrad Veidt and Ann Ayars (MGM, Rel. not set; time, 82 min.) A fairly good espionage melodrama. Although the plot is highly far-fetched, it holds one's interest and keeps one in suspense because of the constant danger to the hero. Moreover, one feels deep sympathy for the hero, who sacrifices his life for the sake of another. The direction and performances are competent, and the production values good. There is just a suggestion of a romance: — Otto Becker (Conrad Veidt), formerly of Germany and now an American citizen, is the proud owner of a book store. He receives a visit from his twin brother Baron Von Detner (also played by Veidt), the new German consul, and an ardent Nazi. Von Detner informs Becker that, unless he permitted them to use his store as their hideout for sending and receiving messages, he would inform the U. S. officials that Becker had entered the United States on a forged passport, the means he had chosen to escape from Germany. Becker is held a prisoner in his own store. When he tries to get a message through to the police, Von Detner intercepts the message and calls at the store to kill his brother. In the fight that ensues Becker kills Von Detner instead. He decides to dress in his brother's clothes, and take his place in an effort to obtain information about the spy activities and turn it over to the F.B.I. His plan works for a time. Through his tips, the F.B.I, rounds up and arrests many spies and prevents sabotage. But he is eventually found out by the spies. He makes them a proposition : he would return to Germany as a prisoner in return for silence on their part with respect to Kaaren DeRelle (Ann Ayars), a young girl whom he loved and who had been forced into doing spy work by the Nazis in order to protect her relatives in France. His proposition is accepted. Paul Gangelin and John Meehan, Jr., wrote the screen play from an idea by Lother Mendes. Jules Dassin directed it, and Irving Asher produced it. In the cast are Frank Reicher, Dorothy Tree, Ivan Simpson, Martin Kosleck, Marc Lawrence, and Sidney Blackmer. Morally suitable for all.