Harrison's Reports (1945)

January 27, 1945 HARRISON'S REPORTS 15 man, had tried to visit her on the eve of the murder but he had been killed by Jack Ingram, who donned his uniform and gained access to the house in order to steal the formula. When the butler is found murdered, and when the housekeeper is rescued from a gas-filled chamber that housed the secret formula, Chan discovers different clues that put him on the trail of the criminal. Meanwhile Ingram, determined to obtain the formula, murders the scientist's assistant and assumes his identity by means of a rubber mask and wig. Chan, carefully following up his clues, eventually exposes the disguise and proves that the housekeeper had been Ingram's accomplice in an elaborate plan to steal the formula for an enemy country. George Callahan wrote the screen play, James S. Burkett produced it, and Phil Rosen directed it. Unobjectionable morally. "Tonight and Every Night" with Rita Hayworth, Lee Bowman and Janet Blair (Columbia, no release date set; time, 92 min.) A good combination of romance, music, dancing and some comedy. The lavish production, the Technicolor photography, and the popularity of Rita Hayworth should draw the rank and file to the box-office. Not much can be said for the story, which is set in war-time London and which revolves around a valiant show troupe's determination to keep their show going despite the furious bombing of London ; the incidents are obvious, and the dramatic situations are too forced. Musically, however, the picture is satisfying, for the tunes are catchy and the dancing is good. One number, in which Miss Hayworth does a strip-tease dance, is rather suggestive. Mark Piatt, who gained fame as a dancer in the stage play "Oklahoma!", is exceptionally good; his dance routine is the outstanding bit in the picture. The romance between Miss Hayworth and Lee Bowman is appealing : — Sympathetic to the aspirations of Marc Piatt, an unknown dancer, Rita Hayworth and Janet Blair, performers in a London revue, induce Florence Bates, the show's owner, to give him a trial. Piatt dances with the girls and, together, all rise to stardom. Blind to Janet's love for him, Piatt falls in love with Rita. But Rita meets and falls in love with Lee Bowman, an RAF Squadron Leader. When Bowman is ordered away on a secret mission, Rita, unaware that he was not permitted to communicate with her, dejectedly assumes that he had forgotten about her. But a visit from Rev. Philip Merivale, Bowman's father, who proposes for his son by proxy, soon raises her spirits. Upon his return from his mission, Bowman asks Rita to accompany him to Canada, where he was being sent to instruct fliers. Rita, mindful of the show troupe's determination to never miss a show, despite Nazi bombings, hesitates, but Piatt and Janet urge her to leave. Disconsolate at losing Rita to Bowman, Piatt goes to a pub nearby, where he is followed by Janet. Both die when a Nazi bomb scores a direct hit on the pub. With Janet and Piatt dead, and with Rita about to leave, Miss Bates announces that the show must close. Rita, feeling that Janet and Piatt would have liked the show to continue, decides to remain. She parts with Bowman, who understandingly approves her decision. Lesser Samuels and Abem Finkel wrote the screen play based up on the play, "Heart of a City," and Victor Saville produced and directed it. The cast includes Leslie Brooks, Professor Lamberti and others. Unobjectionable morally. "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" with Dorothy McGuire, James Dunn and Joan Blondell (20th Century-Fox, February; time, 128 min.) Based on the widely-read novel of the same title, this emerges as a powerful human-interest drama, which on different occasions stirs the emotions to such an extent that it will be difficult for the spectator to hold back the tears. It is the sort of entertainment that will be understood and enjoyed by the masses, because it concerns itself with plain people, and tells its story in an honest, direct, convincing and realistic manner. By the excellence of the direction and acting, the spectator is made to share in the joys and sorrows of an impoverished family as they struggle to keep body and soul together in the hope that they will one day know a better life. James Dunn, as the father, makes a forceful comeback with is part. As a jovial, unemployed singing waiter, he arouses one's sympathy because of his helplessness in that he cannot adjust himself to earn a living for his family. His untimely death, while seeking work, gives the picture its most tragic and pathetic moments. The deep attachment between Dunn and his young daughter, Peggy Ann Garner, is stirring. Dorothy McGuire, as the practical, self-sacrificing mother, is excellent; with this part, she establishes herself as one of the screen's foremost dramatic actresses. Outstanding support is provided by Joan Blondell, as the man-chasing aunt; Ted Donaldson, as the youngest child; James Gleason, as a saloon keeper; and Lloyd Nolan as the understanding policeman on the beat. The squalor of a tenement district in Brooklyn, a generation ago, has been reproduced with such care that it gives the proceedings a realistic touch. Briefly, the story revolves around the monetary problems that beset the poverty-ridden family as a result of Dunn's inability to find a job. Worried about the coming of a new baby, Dorothy plans to take Peggy out of school so that she could go to work and help defray expenses. Peggy, a quiet, sensitive child of thirteen, dreamed of becoming a writer, and Dunn, a dreamer himself, had been encouraging her. Lest she be compelled to quit her schooling, Dunn determines to find any sort of work. Thinly clad against the wintry blasts, he catches pneumonia and dies. His tragic death makes Dorothy's problems even more acute, but James Gleason, a friendly saloon keeper, employs the children after school hours, paying them enough wages to help Dorothy meet expenses. Shortly after the new baby arrives, and on the day both children graduate from grammar school, Lloyd Nolan, a shy policeman, who had for some time admired Dorothy, asks her to marry him. Dorothy accepts his proposal, and he wins over the children by telling them that, though he cannot replace their father, he can be a good friend. Tess Slesinger and Frank Davis wrote the screen play from the novel by Betty Smith, Louis D. Lighton produced it, and Elia Kazan directed it. The cast includes Ruth Nelson, John Alexander and others.