Harrison's Reports (1946)

30 HARRISON'S REPORTS February 23, 1946 "Young Widow" with Jane Russell and Louis Hayward (United Artists, March 1; time, 100 min.) Because of the great amount of publicity Jane Russell has received in recent years, this drama may draw fairly well at the box-office, but as entertainment it is just fair; discriminating patrons may find it tiresome. The story, which deals with the emotional problems of a young widow, whose husband had been killed overseas, is thin and familiar, and it unfolds in just the manner one expects. Moreover, it is slow and draggy. Some of the situations are forced and a great effort has been made to bring forth tears, but it rarely succeeds in really affecting one's emotions. Miss Russell photographs well and is attractive, but as an actress her lack of experience is obvious; her characterization is a highly sympathetic one, but she fails to make it dramatically effective : — Bewildered and heartbroken when her husband is killed overseas, Jane, a newspaperwoman, goes to live on a Virginia farm, where both had spent many happy hours. The familiar surroundings serve only to intensify her grief, and she decides to return to her job in New York. On the train, she meets Louis Hayward, an audacious Army flier, who tries unsuccessfully to flirt with her. Arriving in New York, she goes to live with Penny Singleton, a close friend, who shared her apartment with Marie Wilson, a "dizzy" showgirl, whose dates with numerous servicemen kept the household in an uproar. Hayward follows Jane there and persists in his attentions until she reveals that she had just been widowed. His apologetic manner softens her resistance to him, and before long a close friendship springs up between the two, marking a renewed interest in life for her. Hayward, deeply in love with her, proposes marriage, but she remorsefully declines his offer because of her inability to set aside the yearning love she still felt for her departed husband. Understanding her feelings, Hayward presses his suit no further. But on the following day, when Jane learns that he had been ordered to fly to Japan, she realizes her love for him; she rushes to the airport, arriving in time to wave him farewell with a promise to wait for his return. Richard Macaulay and Margaret Bucll Wilder wrote the screen play from the novel by Clarissa Fairchild Cushman, Hunt Strombcrg produced it, and Edwin L. Marin directed it. The cast includes Kent Taylor, Cora Witherspoon, Connie Gilchrist and others. Unobjectionable morally. "The Madonna's Secret" with Francis Lederer, Ann Rutherford and Gail Patrick (Republic, Feb. 16; time, 79 min.) A somber but interesting program murder-mystery melodrama, artistically produced; it is good enough to top a double-bill wherever this sort of picture is liked. The atmospheric settings, competent direction, and capable performances set the proper mood for a story of this type, and it holds one's attention throughout because of the plot's interesting developments. The murderer's identity is concealed until the very end, and its revelation comes as a complete surprise. Although the action lacks excitement, it holds one in suspense, for one is never sure whether the hero, who shows symptoms of being a psychopathic case, committed the crimes or not. The romantic interest plays an important part in the proceedings: — Francis Lederer, a moody Parisian artist working in New York, employs Linda Sterling as his model but paints the face of his former Paris model, who had been murdered mysteriously years previously. When Linda resents his painting of the dead model's face, Lederer, realizing that she had fallen in love with him, promises to paint her portrait. Following completion of the painting, Linda celebrates the occasion with Lederer and his mother, Leona Roberts. In the morning she is found murdered — poisoned and drowned in the same manner as the French model. Edward Ashley, a dramatic critic who knew Lederer in Paris, informs the police of the sameness of the crimes, in' dicating that Lederer slew the girls for inspiration. Lederer is arrested but released for lack of evidence. Determined to avenge the death of Linda, Ann Rutherford, her sister, assumes another identity and obtains employment as Lederer's new model. But she soon finds herself in love with him, and becomes convinced of his innocence. When Gail Patrick, a wealthy divorcee, takes an interest in Lederer, Ann suffers pangs of jealousy. Shortly afterwards, Gail is found mur dered in the same fashion as the others. Lederer, arrested, informs Ann that he suffers lapses of memory and expresses a belief that he might have committed the murders. Ann protests his self-suspicion and vows to help him prove his innocence. Lederer's mother, realizing that Ann loved her son dearly, takes the distracted girl to her home to rest. There, the old lady drugs Ann and, after revealing that she had committed the murders to keep her son's life free of romantic entanglements, prepares to kill her. The police, who had been following Ann, break into the house and shoot the old lady before she can make Ann her fourth victim. Bradbury Foote and William Thiele wrote the screen play, Stephen Auer produced it, and Mr. Thiele directed it. Adult entertainment. "A Yank in London" with Anne Neagle, Rex Harrison and Dean Jagger (20th Century-Fox. March; time, 106 min.) Restrained performances by the cast, coupled with the sentimental appeal of the story, makes this British-made romantic drama fairly good entertainment. It was released originally in England under the title, "I Live in Grosvenor Square." The story, a love triangle, has considerable human interest, and all the characters are sympathetic. It revolves around an American soldier in London, an English noblewoman, and her fiance, a British soldier-politician. The manner in which the American wins the aristocratic heroine'6 love, and the gallantry with which the fiance accepts his loss, result in situations that are warm and charming and, at times, deeply moving. The ending, where the American sacrifices his life in order to avoid a crash landing in an English village, is tragic. Intermingled in the drama are deft touches showing how the British, at first resentful of the American soldiers and their ways, took them to their hearts. The story takes place before V-E Day and, except for one fleeting combat scene, it is void of war action: — Arriving in London, Dean Jagger, a waist gunner in the USAAF, is billeted in the home of an English Duke (Robert Morley), who, fascinated by Jagger's American mannerisms, invites him to spend the weekend at his country estate. There, Jagger meets Anne Neagle, the Duke's daughter, and Rex Harrison, her fiance, a British officer seeking election to public office. Anne and Jagger fall in love, but she does not reveal this to Harrison lest it upset him emotionally and interfere with his election campaign. Harrison, however, senses her feelings for Jagger and, following his defeat on election day, he gallantly bows out of her life so as not to interfere with her happiness. Jagger's efforts to keep Anne from learning that he was endeavoring to be put on active combat duty result in a misunderstanding between them, and she resumes her friendship with Harrison. But the gallant rival, realizing that her heart was with Jagger, contrives to bring them together again. Their reconciliation comes to a tragic end, however, when Jagger, returning from a mission with a damaged plane, sacrifices his life in order to prevent his plane from crash landing in the midst of an English village. Maurice Cowain wrote the screen play, Herbert Wilcox produced and directed it, and Max Greene was associate producer. Unobjectionable morally. "Live Wires" with the Bowery Boys (Monogram, Jan. 12; time, 65 min.) Good program fare. In spite of the fact that the story is hardly worth writing about, this first of Monogram's new "Bowery Boys" series is a decided improvement over the last series, in which virtually the same players were featured as the "East Side Kids"; it has better production values, tighter direction, and the comedy situations are much more imaginative and amusing. As in the other pictures, Leo Gorcey dominates the proceedings and he is very effective; his antics cause one to laugh frequently, even though they are nonsensical. His encounter with Mike Mazurki, a gangster twice his size, provides the picture with some of its most hilarious moments: — Due to his quick temper and his attraction for women, Gorcey cannot hold on to a job. Pamela Blake, his sister, induces John Eldredge, her employer, to hire him but he quits after a fight with the supervisor. Together with Huntz Hall, his pal, Gorcey obtains employment as a process server for an auto financing company, and he does so well that he is assigned to track down an auto theft racket headed by unidentified gangsters, whom the police had been unable to