Harrison's Reports (1945)

November 10, 1945 HARRISON'S REPORTS 179 "Detour" with Tom Neal and Ann Savage (PRC, Hov. 30; time, 68 min.) Martin Goldsmith's novel about the misadventures of a well-intentioned young man, who hitchhikes his way across country to join his sweetheart, has been fashioned into an absorbing melodrama by PRC; it should make a strong supporting feature, for it grips one's interest from start to finish. Tom Neal and Ann Savage give outstanding performances. As the young man who is victimized by a blackmailing tart, after becoming involved innocently in an accidental death, Neal interprets a difficult role with deep understanding. One is at all times sympathetic towards him, for the tragedy that enters his life is caused by a peculiar set of circumstances that place him in an untenable position. As the tart, Ann Savage is cruel and ruthless, yet pitiable. The manner in which Neal inadvertently murders her is ingenious. Well produced and directed, the picture sustains a tense mood throughout: — Eager to join his sweetheart (Claudia Drake) in Hollywood, Neal, a penniless New York musician, hitchhikes across country. In Arizona, he is given a lift by Edmund MacDonald, a dissipated socialite, who had run away from home as a boy. MacDonald, observing that Neal had noticed a bad gash on his arm, explains that he had been clawed by a girl hitchhiker, with whom he had become too friendly. While Neal drives, MacDonald, sleepy, tumbles out of the car and is killed accidentally. Neal, fearing that he would be accused of murder, changes identities with the dead man, and continues to drive the car toward Los Angeles. En route, he offers a ride to Ann Savage, a wearylooking hitchhiker. Ann, uncommunicative at first, suddenly turns to Neal and asks him what he had done with MacDonald's body; he soon realizes that she was the girl who had clawed the dead man. Neal explains his innocence, but Ann threatens to turn him over to the police unless he sells the car and gives her the proceeds. Helpless, Neal agrees. When they reach Los Angeles, Ann learns from a news story that MacDonald's father, a millionaire, was dying, and that he wished to contact his missing son. She tries to compel Neal to present himself as the missing heir, offering to divide the inheritance with him. When Neal refuses, Ann picks up the telephone to call the police. Neal tries to stop her and, in the ensuing struggle, the telephone wire forms a noose around her neck, strangling her accidentally. Blind with terror, Neal takes to the road again, but he is soon picked up by the police. Martin Goldsmith wrote the screen play, Leon Fromkess and Martin Mooney produced it, and Edgar G. Ulmer directed it. Not suitable for children. "Girls of the Big House" with Lynne Roberts and Virginia Christine (Republic, N.ov. 2; time, 68 min.) Just a moderately entertaining program prison melodrama. The chief fault with the story is that it lacks plausibility; as for instance the fact that the heroine, though innocent, confesses to a crime and goes to prison rather than have her father learn that she was suspected. There is mild suspense here and there, but on the whole the doings of the chief characters are not so interesting, and in some instances unbelievable. For instance, it is difficult to believe that the heroine, after breaking out of jail with the greatest of ease, can visit her home town for a few days without being caught by the police who were searching for her, particularly since they had her home address and since she made no effort to hide. There are numerous other illogical happenings. The fairly good performances of the players saves the picture from being mediocre: — Although innocently involved in the theft of a wallet, Lynne Roberts confesses to the crime lest her father, a college president, learn that she was in trouble. In prison, she finds herelf in the company of Virginia Christine, an habit ual criminal, and of Tala Birell, a murderess, who had mistakenly killed another man while lying in wait for her husband and his girl-friend. Tala was unaware that Virginia was the woman who stole her husband. Because of her inability to send letters to her father without the prison postmark, Lynne breaks out of jail. She visits her home town and, after spending two days with her father and with Richard Powers, her boy-friend, a young attorney, she voluntarily returns to prison, first arranging with a kindly postmistress for her letters to reach home without the prison postmark. Back in jail, Lynne is punished for her break. Virginia, sympathizing with her, manages to get word to Powers of her plight. Her kindly feelings toward Lynne change, however, when Tala's husband visits the prison and pays undue attention to her. Insanely jealous, Virginia attacks Lynne with a knife. As a result of the incident, Tala learns of Virginia's association with her husband, and kills her. Meanwhile Powers, having investigated into the cause of Lynne's imprisonment, proves her innocence and gains her freedom. Houston Branch wrote the screen play, Rudolph E. Abel produced it, and George Archainbaud directed it. The cast includes Adele Mara and others. Not suitable for children. "Allotment Wives" with Kay Francis and Paul Kelly (Monogram, T^ov. 17; time, 80 min.) As entertainment, this crime melodrama is just fair, but it may do better than average business because of its timely, exploitable subject — women bigamists who marry several servicemen to collect allotment and insurance benefits from the Government, a practice that has received wide publicity in the nation's newspapers. A gangster-picture formula has been employed to tell the story, which deals with the machinations of a crime ring that organizes the women and teaches them how to prey on servicemen, offering them protection in return for a share of the benefits collected. It is a rather sketchily told tale, involving murder, kidnapping, and blackmail, and occasionally it resorts to preachment. Paul Kelly, as the secret investigator who exposes and smashes the crime syndicate, is believable, but Kay Francis, as head of the ring, and Otto Kruger, as her lieutenant, fail to make their characterizations convincing: — Kelly, a colonel in the Army, is asked by the Office of Dependency Benefits to investigate the increase of bigamous claims. Posing as a reporter, Kelly soon establishes that a crime syndicate had organized the racket, and he sets out to find its leaders. In the course of his investigation, he makes the acquaintance of Kay Francis, a socially prominent businesswoman, unaware that she was the secret leader of the ring. Kay, a reform school "graduate," had turned to organized crime in order to give her daughter (Teala Loring) the better things in life. She cleverly uses her friendship with Kelly to check on his movements. When Gertrude Michael, one of the "allotment wives," learns of Kay's connection with the ring, she attempts to blackmail her. Failing this, she entices Kay's daughter, a weak sort, away from home and persuades her to enter the easy life of an "allotment wife." Kay, frantic, murders Gertrude. Meanwhile Kelly, in a round-up of the "allotment wives," finds Teala. Kay, learning that Teala was with Kelly, orders her henchmen to recover the girl. Guided by Kay, the gangsters raid Kelly's office and succeed in their mission, but Kay inadvertently leaves behind a clue that reveals her to Kelly as the secret leader. Kelly and the police rush to Kay's home, arriving in time to prevent her from leaving town. In the struggle that ensues, Kay and her henchmen are shot to death. Harvey N. Gates and William Austin wrote the screen play, Jeffrey Bernard and Miss Francis produced it, and William Nigh directed it. The cast includes Bernard Bedell, Anthony Warde, Sclmcr Jackson and others. Not suitable ior children.