Harrison's Reports (1944)

January 1, 1944 HARRISON'S REPORTS 3 "Suspected Person" with Clifford Evans (PRC, Js[ovember 29; time, 76 min.) This English-made gangster melodrama is moderately entertaining program fare. It directs some human appeal, but the story is trite and lacks originality in treatment. Moreover, it is short on suspense and the action is slow, most of the excitement being concentrated in the closing scenes where the criminals are apprehended. On the whole, American audiences may find it a bit too "British." The romantic interest, though pleasant, is incidental: — Acquitted of a bank robbery through lack of evidence, Robert Beatty and Eric Clavering, American gangsters, learn from an accomplice that Clifford Evans, an Englishman, had taken the $50,000 stolen from the bank back to England. They set out to follow Evans. Upon his arrival in England Evans goes to live at an apartment house operated by his sister (Patricia Roc). There he meets and falls in love with Anne Firth, a cabaret singer. Suspicious of Evans' mysterious movements, Patricia searches his room and learns through newspaper clippings that he was involved in the robbery. Meanwhile Inspector David Farrar of Scotland Yard, informed by the New York police that the gangsters were en route to England, decides to shadow them in the hope that they will lead him to the stolen money. Upon their arrival, the gangsters, through underworld acquaintances, learn of Evans' whereabouts. They go to the apartment house and threaten him, but Evans, at gun-point, forces them to leave. Suspecting Evans, Farrar poses as a traveler and secures lodging at the house. He falls in love with Patricia. To change the stolen money into English currency, Evans travels to Holyhead. The gangsters follow him and knock him unconscious, but Evans, prepared for such an eventuality, had mailed the money to himself at Holyhead. As he calls for the package on the following day, Evans is confronted by Farrar. To the surprise of both men the package contains newspapers. Returning to London, Evans learns that the gangsters had kidnapped Anne. Desperate, he arranges to meet them at a dockside inn, promising to produce the money in exchange for Anne. Farrar and his men trail Evans to the inn and, after a gun battle arrest the gangsters. Later, Evans and Farrar learn that Patricia had substituted the newspapers for the money, and that she had mailed the $50,000 to the American embassy. Assured that Evans will turn over a new leaf, Farrar drops the investigation and proposes to Patricia. Lawrence Huntington wrote the screen play and directed it. Adult entertainment. "The Girl from Monterrey" with Armida, Jack LaRue and Edgar Kennedy (PRC, September 24; time, 59 min.) A pretty good program comedy-melodrama with music; it is fast-moving, has good comedy situations, and the story holds one's interest throughout. Although produced on a modest budget, its entertainment values make it worthy of playdates in situations other than the normal PRC market. Much of the enjoyment is derived from the engaging performances of the cast, particularly of Armida, as a fiery Mexican singer, who guides the boxing career of her brother and leads him to the world's championship. Edgar Kennedy is quite comical as a fight promoter, provoking much laughter with his well known exasperations:— Armida, popular entertainer in a Mexican cafe is visited by Anthony Caruso, her brother, who informs her that he had left college to become a prizefighter. Caruso comes to the attention of Edgar Kennedy, an American fight promoter, who signs him to a contract. Armida accompanies Caruso to New York, where she becomes his manager and trainer. In Kennedy's office, Armida meets Terry Frost, contender for the light heavyweight championship, and falls in love with him. Under Armida's guidance, Caruso wins one fight after another by knockouts. Meanwhile Frost works his way up to the championship, much to Armida's delight. Caruso's sensational record impresses the boxing commissioner, who orders a match between Caruso and Frost. Frantic at the thought that her brother and sweetheart would fight each other, Armida protests against the match, but to no avail. Jack LaRue, Frost's crooked fight manager, arranges with Veda Ann Borg, a cabaret entertainer, to keep Caruso out of condition, so that Frost would win the fight. Frost, however, was unaware of the arrangement. On the eve of the fight, Veda brings Caruso home in an intoxicated condition. Armida, suspecting foul play, forces a confession from Veda. Angry because Caruso resented her treatment of Veda, and disappointed because she believed Frost was involved in the plot, Armida attends the bout, but does not root for either man. After a furious battle, Caruso beats Frost and wins the championship. The two fighters disappear after the fight. They show up several days later in Army uniforms and effect a reconciliation with Armida. Arthur Hoerl wrote the screen play from a story by George Green and Robert Gordon. Jack Schwarz produced it and Wallace Fox directed it. Harry D. Edwards was associate producer. Morally suitable for all. "Three Russian Girls" with Anna Sten and Kent Smith (United Artists, January 14; time, 80 min.) As a tribute to the valor of Russian nurses serving on the battlefront, this war film is forceful, for it depicts realistically the magnificent service they are rendering under the most trying conditions; as entertainment, however, it is no more than moderately engrossing program fare, for as far as the story is concerned it presents little in the way of novelty and lacks substance. It depends for its drama on a series of hackneyed situations that fail to impress. There are some exciting battle scenes towards the finish. Actual scenes of the Leningrad siege have been inserted to good effect. But on the whole, the action is slow. The production values, however, are good : — As the citizens of Leningrad rise to the defense of their historical city, Red Cross headquarters calls all volunteer nurses to duty. Among those reporting are Anna Sten, whose love for Russia sets an example for the others; Mimi Forsaythe, a former dancer, who reluctantly exchanges her dancing slippers for military boots; and Cathy Frye, a 'teen-age girl who pleads that she be allowed to serve. Within a few hours, Anna leads a group of twenty nurses to the battlefront, where they convert an old house into a field hospital. Despite the terrifying bombardment, the nurses, under Anna's inspiring leadership, carry on with their work. Kent Smith, an American flyer who had been shot down while testing a plane, is brought to the hospital wounded seriously. Though an operation on him proves successful, Kent's legs remain numb from the shock. Anna cares for him day and night, and Kent, though despondent, slowly recovers his will to live. The approaching enemy forces the nurses to evacuate the patients, but, owing to a shortage of ambulances, Anna remains behind with some of the wounded, seeking refuge in a dugout. In this moment of danger Anna and Kent fall in love with each other. They are rescued on the following day and driven to another hospital far removed from the front. Smith recovers and walks again. Anna, though deeply in love with him, does not permit her personal feelings to interfere with her duty. When a call comes from the front for volunteer nurses, she goes without hesitation, as do Mimi and Cathy. At the front Anna acts as both soldier and nurse. Mimi is killed by a sniper's bullet, and Anna, wounded seriously in a pitched battle with the enemy, is taken to a hospital in Leningrad. Ordered to return to the United States for duty, Smith visits Anna at the hospital and bids her goodbye with the assurance that they will meet again when victory is their's. Aben Kandel and Dan James wrote the screen play, Gregor Rabinovitch produced it, and Fedor Ozep and Henry Kesler directed it. Eugene Frcnke was associate producer. The cast includes Alexander Granach, Paul Guilfoyle and others. Morally suitable for all.