Harrison's Reports (1946)

188 HARRISON'S REPORTS November 23, 1946 constitute a charter of economic liberty.'" In the future, business will be able to proceed in a normal course, without agitation and suspicion. Order will reign in this chaotic industry. lou-j'he proceedings resulted in the opinion of the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit already cited, Federal Trade Commission v. Paramount I-'amousLasky Corp., (CCA. 2) 57 F. 2d. 152. 1,0 S. 1667. introduced in the Senate by Senator Brookhart of Iowa, on which there were extensive hearings in 1928 before the Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce. 111 S. 280, introduced in the Senate by Senator Nccly of West Virginia. U.K. 4757, 74th Cong., 1st Scss., introduced by Reprc sentative Pettingill, on which there were lengthy hearings in 1936 before a Sub-Committee of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. "'These proceedings are narrated in the article on "Anti-Trust Litigation in the Motion Picture Industry" in Harrison's Repobts, 1936. Subsequently suits were instituted in Texas, Tennessee, Western New York and Oklahoma. '"Harrison's Reports, June 27, 1936, August 3, 1946. '"U.S.C.A., 1,2. 116 Executives of other corporations convicted of violating the antitrust laws have recently been subjected to substantial punishment. In the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky three leading tobacco companies and some of their officials were lined a total of $255,000 on only three charges. The judgments were affirmed by the Circuit Court of Appeals, American Tobacco Company v. United States, (CCA. 6) 147 F. (2d) 93, and the Supreme Court, Id., June 10, 1946 Recently the press has reported the imposition of substantial fines upon the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company. ""Harrison's Reports, Nov. 2, 1946. "■•Appalachian Coals, Inc. v. United States, 228 U.S. 334, 359, 360. THE END "My Brother Talks to Horses" with "Butch" Jenkins, Peter Lawford and Edward Arnold (MGM, no release date set; time. 92 min.) A delightful, heart-warming comedy-drama; it keeps one chuckling from beginning to end. Its tale about a youngster's love for animals and his amazing ability to talk with them serves as the basis for a charming family story, which to some extent is a variation on the "daffy" family theme. It has plentiful comedy brought about by the eccentricities of the boy's mother, by an inventor who lived with the family, and by gamblers who take a sudden interest in the boy in the hope that he could tell them in advance the name of the horse that would win a particular race. The central character is the remarkable child-actor, "Butch" Jenkins, who endears himself to the audience by his natural manner. The action includes two horse races, both of which are executed in a highly exciting and realistic fashion. Charles Ruggles, as one of the gamblers, contributes an amusing characterization. Understanding direction and competent performances make it the type of entertainment that puts one in a good mood : — "Butch," whom animals instinctively adored, spends his spare time with "The Bart," a gallant but aging race horse owned by Edward Arnold. One day Arnold asks "Butch" to accompany him to the race track and invites Peter Lawford, "Butch's" older brother, and Beverly Tyler, Lawford's sweetheart, to join them. At the track, "Butch" proves his ability to talk to horses by reporting to the group just which horse would win a particular race, in accordance with the information given him by the animals. Three amazed gamblers overhear his statements and see them come true. When "Butch" learns that "The Bart" had been entered in a claiming race, he becomes concerned lest the new owner be someone who might mistreat the animal. To ease the lad's mind, Ernest Whitman, Arnold's colored groom, put up his savings of $1800, and Lawford adds to it the $400 he had saved to marry Beverly. "The Bart" breaks his leg in the race and is destroyed. The loss of his savings delays Lawford's marriage plans and creates a rift between Beverly and himself. Meanwhile "Butch," recovered from the shock, finds the gamblers taking a sudden interest in his welfare. On the day of the Preakness, "Butch" discovers that the death of "The Bart" had in some way affected his ability to speak with horses. One of the gamblers, infuriated because the boy could not give him any information, strikes him. Law ford, enraged, licks the gamblers in a terrific fight. He then pools his money with that of Beverly and his mother (Spring Byington) and bets it all on a horse in whom "Butch" believed. The horse wins, and though Lawford, a bank employee, is discharged for gambling, he finds himself financially able to marry Beverly. Morton Thompson wrote the story and screen play, Samuel Marx produced it, and Fred Zinncmann directed it. The cast includes O. Z. Whitehead, Irving Bacon, Howard Freeman and others. Unobjectionable morally. "The Razor's Edge" with Tyrone Power, Gene Tierney, Herbert Marshall, Anne Baxter and Clifton Webb (20th Century-Fox. December; time. 146 min.) Technically, this screen version of W. Somerset Maugham's widely-read novel is an impressive production, and the popularity of the stars, coupled with the extensive publicity campaign behind the picture, will undoubtedly attract many patrons to the box-office. As entertainment, however, it is somewhat disappointing, despite fairly good performances by the players, particularly the excellent work of Anne Baxter, as "Sophie," a fallen woman addicted to drink. The chief trouble is with the story itself, for, like the book, its tale about a young man's quest for spiritir! peace, his finding of it, and his efforts to bring goodness into the lives of his friends, is so vague that few will be able to grasp the message of faith it intends to convey. When the picture gets away from its obscure excursions into things spiritual, the story is essentially a tale about the frustrated love of a beautiful but deceitful woman, who marries a wealthy man because he could keep her in the style she was accustomed to rather than chance marriage to the man she loved, whose search for a better way of life and whose limited earnings would deny her the luxuries she desired. How she tries to hold his love, despite her marital status, and how, after he spurns her overtures, she deliberately breaks up his pending marriage to "Sophie," whom he was trying to rehabilitate, make up the rest of the story. All this is told against backgrounds that range from the fashionable districts in Chicago and Paris to the Parisian Apache quarter and the Himalayas in the Far East, where the teachings of a Hindu mystic help the hero to find the spiritual peace he sought. It is not a pretty story, and several of the incidents are quite unpleasant. Moreover, the continuity is choppy, for the action shifts from one episode to another with rapidity. The picture's emotional appeal revolves mainly around the tragic life of Miss Baxter. One feels deeply her grief when, as a happily married woman, both her husband and baby are killed in an auto crash, a tragedy that eventually leads to her degradation as a habitue of Apache bistros, where she tries to drown her sorrow in drink. Tyrone Power, as the emotionally upset young aviator who returns from World War I determined to learn the reason why his life was spared while others died, and Gene Tierney, as the woman who pursues him, do well with the requirements of their roles. Others who contribute impressive performances include Clifton Webb, as Gene's uncle, an arrogant but good-hearted snob; Herbert Marshall, as Maugham, the author; and John Payne, as Gene's husband. All in all, the picture represents an earnest effort on the part of all concerned in its making, but the story material lacks the necessary qualities that would make it the significant drama it was intended to be. As it stands, it is the sort of picture that is more suited to the classes than to the masses, who, aside from the inconclusiveness of the story, may find the dialogue, not only too abundant, but also a bit too lofty. Lamar Trotti wrote the screen play, Darryl F. Zanuck produced it, and Edmund Goulding directed it. The cast includes Lucile Watson, Frank Latimore, Elsa Lanchester, Fritz Kortner and others. Adult entertainment.