Harrison's Reports (1945)

February 3, 1945 HARRISON'S REPORTS 19 Intrigued by the strange behaviour of George Macready in a San Francisco cafe, Jim Bannon and Barton Yarborough learn that he feared decapitation at the hands of a peg-legged man. Macready tells them of a wierd plot on his life instituted by a secret oriental cult, which had offered him $10,000 for his head, because he was the image of the cult's founder. The founder's body had been preserved for many years, but the head was deteriorating and a new one was needed to take its place. At Macready 's home, Bannon meets Nina Foch, his paralytic wife, and her actions lead him to suspect that her illness was faked. Bannon sets a trap for the peg-legged man, but his scheme is foiled by Carole Matthews, a mysterious woman who had atached herself to Macready in the cafe. On the following day, Bannon learns that the peg-legged man and Carole, who were father and daughter, had been murdered. Bannon, continuing his investigation, learns that the secret cult was non-existant, and that Lester Matthews, an art dealer, Gregory Gay, Nina's physician, and Nina herself, were working together in a diabolical plot to drive Macready insane in order to gain possession of his estate. All three suspected one another of killing Carole and her father, who were part of the conspiracy. None, not even Bannon, knew that Macready had discovered their scheme and had committed the two murders to avenge himself. Lest Bannon find him out, Macready tries unsuccessfully to kill him. Fleeing from the detective, Macready overturns his car and is decapitated. Nina and her confederates are taken into custody. Charles O'Neal wrote the screen play, Wallace MacDonald produced it, and Henry Levin directed it. Unobjectionable morally. "Thunderhead — Son of Flicka" with Roddy McDowall and Preston Foster (20th Century-Fox, March; time, 78 min.) This sequel to "My Friend Flicka" retains all the wholesomeness, human interest and pictorial beauty of its predecessor; it is the sort of entertainment that should appeal to all types of audiences. The outdoor Technicolor photography and the exceptionally fine shots of horses roaming the range are so magnificent that they alone are worth the price of admission. The sequence in which two majestic white stallions have a fight to the death is extremely thrilling. An exciting horse race and a hunt for a wild, vicious albino stallion provide a number of other thrills. As in "My Friend Flicka," the story is a simple, sentimental tale about a young lad's love for his horse — this time, Flicka's foal,' and it has been told with considerable charm and feeling. Roddy McDowall, who again plays the part of the rancher's son, is very good; he has poise, and, by not overacting, gives credence to the part : — Thrilled when Flicka presents him with a white colt, Roddy plans to train it as a race horse, despite his father's (Preston Foster) warning that the colt will be as wild as its grandsire, a wild albino stallion that had been raiding Foster's herds, leading many mares away. Roddy, however, patiently trains the animal and, with the help of his mother (Rita Johnson), induces his father to pay a $500 fee to enter Thunder head in a $5,000 handicap race. With Roddy as his jockey, Thunderhead shows remarkable speed and quickly takes the lead, but, towards the finish, with the race almost won, the horse pulls a tendon and loses. His racing days over, Thunderhead becomes Roddy's saddle horse. Meanwhile the $500 entrance fee had cut deeply into Foster's finances, causing him considerable concern. To make matters worse, the wild albino raids his herd again, killing a prize stallion. To rid himself and the neighboring ranchers of this vicious animal, Foster, taking Roddy and James Bell, his handyman, with him, determines to track down and kill the albino. While camping overnight, Roddy sees Thunderhead break loose from his stake and start off towards the hills. Roddy follows the animal into a hidden valley, where he finds the albino guarding many of his father's missing mares. The vicious animal rushes at Roddy, but Thunderhead comes to his rescue and, in a desperate struggle, deals the albino a death blow with his hoofs. Thunderhead leads the herd back to the ranch and, as a reward, Roddy gives him his freedom. The horse heads into the wilderness. Dwight Cummins and Dorothy Yost wrote the screen play, Robert Bassler produced it, and Louise King directed it. The cast includes Diana Hale, Ralph Sanford and others. "Here Come the Co-Eds" with Abbott and Costello (Universal, Feb. 2; time, 87 min.) Like most Abbott and Costello slapstick comedies, this one provokes hearty laughter in spite of the fact that the story is completely nonsensical. It makes use of many gags and routines, some new and some old; but these are, for the most part, comical. One sequence that will cause considerable laughter is where Costello, eating a bowl of oyster stew, is molested by a belligerent live oyster. His antics in a wrestling match with Lon Chaney as his opponent, his participation in a girl's basketball game, and his sohg-and-dance routine with Peggy Ryan, are other high spots in the comedy. The musical interludes furnished by Phil Spitalny and his all-girl orchestra are pleasant : — Seeking to publicize his dancing sister (Martha O'Driscoll) , But Abbott "plants" a story in a national magazine that her ambition was to earn enough money to attend Bixby College, an exclusive school for young ladies. Donald Cook, Bixby 's young dean, seeking to modernize the school, awards a scholarship to Martha. Abbott and Costello accompany her to Bixby, where they obtain employment as caretakers. Cook's awarding of the scholarship to Martha arouses Charles Dingle, who held an overdue mortgage on the school; he demands that Martha be dismissed lest he foreclose. Learning that the mortgage amounted to twenty thousand dollars, Abbott and Costello decide to come to the rescue. They rally the support of the students and, through Costello's participation in a wrestling match and in a girls' basketball game, in which he outwits a crooked gambler, they raise the necessary funds to pay off the mortgage and save the school. Arthur T. Horman and John Grant wrote the screen play, Mr. Grant produced it, and Jean Yarbrough directed it. The cast includes June Vincent, Richard Lane, Joe Kirk, Bill Stern and others. Unobjectionable morally.