Harrison's Reports (1943)

198 HARRISON'S REPORTS December 11, 1943 "The Ghost Ship" with Richard Dix, Russell Wade and Edith Barrett (RKO, no release date set; time, 69 min.) For audiences that go for horror melodramas, this one should do, for it has been produced fairly well, so far as direction and acting are concerned, but the story is nothing to brag abjut; there is nothing novel about it, and the development of some of the situations is arbitrary. Most of the interest is centered on Richard Dix, the paranoiac captain of the ship, whose mania is to exercise authority, causing the death of any member of the crew who would show even signs of disobeying him, and of Russell Wade, the young man and new third mate, who had realized that Dix was affected mentally. One of the most cruel scenes is that in which Dix bolts the escape hatch of the chain locker and the sailor who was stowing the heavy chain is crushed to death. Another thrilling scene is the fight with knives between the captain and Skelton Knaggs, a mute sailor. Knaggs overpowers Dix and kills him: — Russell Wade is happy when, upon leaving a nautical school, he becomes third officer on the tramp freighter Altair, captained by Richard Dix. Russell takes a liking to Dix because Dix had been giving him what appeared to be sound advice. But soon he finds out that Dix was a homicidal paranoiac. Unable to convince the representative of the company that Dix was crazy, he leaves the ship. But Dix manages to have him shanghaied and taken aboard the Altair. Dix plans to have Russell killed. Russell's effort to convince the members of the crew that Dix was crazy are of no avail; they avoid him because of their fear of the Captain. The radio operator tries to help him out, but Dix kills him. Dix enters Russell's cabin with a knife to kill him but Knaggs, having realized that Russell was right, follows him into the cabin and there ensues a terrific knife fight in which Knaggs kills Dix. Russell takes charge of the ship and brings it into port. There he meets the sister of Edith Barrett, Dix's lady, who had unwittingly been the cause of Russell's shanghaiing aboard the Altair. Mark Robson directed it and Val Lewton produce it, from a story by Leo Mittler, and a screen play by Donald Henderson Clark. The cast includes Ben Bard, Edmund Glover and others. Being a horror picture naturally it is unsuitable for children or for Sunday showing in small towns. "Tarzan's Murder Mystery" with Johnny Weissmuller, Nancy Kelly and Johnny Sheffield (RKO, no release date set; time, 70 min.) This Tarzan picture seems to be better than the average of this series. The interest is maintained fairly tense all the way through, and one surrounds Tarzan and Boy with sympathy because of their willingness to help others, and because of the fact that they always remember the sick Mrs. Tarzan, who was ill in London. Cheta, the Chimpanzee, will delight adults, as well as children, because of her pranks as well as her acting. At one time she acts as a tight-rope player, and she performs some difficult tricks. Johnny Shef' field should appeal to parents as well as to children. Wild animals and a huge fake spider cause the usual thrills : — Mrs. Tarzan, ill in London, writes to Tarzan in the African jungles asking for a certain fever medicine, which he could obtain from the flowers of a remote jungle. Boj' pleads to be taken along and Tarzan, who loves Boy, finally acquiesces. On their way over, they come across a caravan of an American woman (Nancy Kelly) magician, with her rctmue, carrying secretly a message to the head of an African tribe from the head of another tribe warning him of the fact that Hendrix (Otto Kruger) was a German agent, and that he was trying to foment strife between the two tribes. Tarzan mistakes the try-out of an act by which Nancy was supposed to be sawed in two, and, pouncing upon the supposed villians, frightens them away. With her horses gone, Nancy is compelled to join Tarzan and his co-travellers. Soon the four come upon some Arabs trying to capture Jaynar, a stallion, and Tarzan beats them and compells them to free him. Jaynar insists on following them. Thus they are compelled to take Jaynar along. The group reach the city of the Sheik, but Hendrix causes the arrest of Tarzan for horse stealing. While Tarzan is in jail, Nancy makes contact with Prince Selim (Robert Lowry), son of the Sheik, and she delivers to him the secret message, secreted in a bracelet. After her departure, Cheta enters and steals the bracelet. Hendrix and his henchmen murder the Prince, and because Nancy was the last person seen in the Prince's company, they cause her arrest. She is condemned to hang. Tarzan, with the aid of Boy and Cheta, escapes, finds Jaynar, mounts him, rushes to the place of execution, and carries her away. They reach the forest of the fever flowers, but they are followed by Hendrix and his henchmen. Boy, who had entered a cave with Nancy to hide, is caught in the web of a giant spider. Hendrix and his henchmen enter the cave, but they are caught in the tentacles of the giant spider and killed. But Tarzan reaches the spot in time to secue Boy and Nancy. The screen play has been founded on Edgar Rice Burroughs" writings. Sol Lesser produced it, and William Thiele directed it, from a story by Carroll Young, and a screen play by Edward T. L^we. Some others in the cast are Lloyd Corrigan, Frank Puglia and Phil Van Zandt. "Rookies in Burma" with Wally Brown and Alan Carney (RKO, no release date set; time, 63 min.) Poor! This second in the series of program army life comedies featuring Wally Brown and Alan Carney (the first was "Adventures of a Rookie") is nonsensical and tiresome. Every one in the cast struggles against poor dialogue and ridiculous slapstick situations, and the total effect, as far as the spectator is concerned, is just boredom. As a matter of fact the comedy is so completely stupid it is irksome. At best, the film is up to the intelligence of ten-year-old children. It is two reel stuff stretched to feature length: — When the Japanese attack their regiment's position, Wally Brown and Alan Carney, rookies, decide to distinguish themselves by capturing a machine gun nest. By the time they formulate their plan they find themselves prisoners of the enemy. Taken to a prison camp, they find that Erford Gage, their tough sergeant, had been captured while searching for them. Together with Gage, the boys plot to escape. The trio manage to overpower their guards and, changing into Japanese uniforms, ride out of camp in an enemy truck. Their escape is discovered, and the Japanese give chase. After many narrow escapes the three men