Harrison's Reports (1946)

194 HARRISON'S REPORTS December 7, 1946 "Dangerous Millions" with Kent Taylor and Dona Drake (20th Century-Fox, December; time, 69 min.) A fairly good program murder-mystery melodrama. The story is far-fetched and familiar, but it has enough excitement, suspense and intrigue to satisfy audiences who enjoy action more than story material. Set in China, which serves as an appropriate background for the sinister doings, the story revolves around an eccentric shipping magnate who feigns death and assembles his prospective heirs under one roof to claim their share of his fortune. The excitement is brought about by the methods he employs to test their worthiness, causing all but two to reveal their greed and murderous instincts. Several murders arc committed, and the fact that the killer's identity is not disclosed until the finish helps to retain one's interest. The story has little human appeal, and the romantic interest is mild: — A premonition of death causes Robert H. Barrat, a shipping tycoon, to make out his will. He entrusts Tao Ling (Leonard Strong), a close Chinese friend, with eight distinctive gold coins to be sent to his heirs, who were to use them as identification when they came to Ling's home to claim their legacies. Ten years later, the heirs, including Kent Taylor, an American aviator; Dona Drake, a South American beauty; Tala Birell and Rudolph Anders, Russians; Konstantin Shayne, a Dutchman; Rex Evans, an Englishman; Otto Reichow, a German; and Franco Corsaro, a Mexican, arrive in Shanghai. Unknown to one another, each keeps secret the purpose of his trip. All depart by bus for Ling's home and arc held up on the road by Chinese bandits just as Corsaro is found murdered. Escorted to a beautiful mansion, the captives are forced to give up their coins to the bandit chieftain, who indentifics himself as a former partner of Barrat's and lays claim to half the in' heritance — a treasure chest containing $20,000,000 in jewels. He orders them to appoint one from among themselves to go to Ling's home for the treasure, but when they fail to agree he selects Taylor. While Taylor is gone, the different heirs scheme to gain control of the chest at the expense of the others, but each scheme is discovered and foiled by the wary chieftain. Taylor returns with the chest and, that evening, Reichow tries to rifle it only to be stabbed to death by Shayne, who wanted the fabulous jewels for himself. Taylor subdues Shayne just as Barrat enters the room and reveals that he was still alive. He discloses that the bandit chieftain was none other than his good friend Ling, and that he had devised the scheme to learn if any of his heirs were worthy of his fortune. He concludes that all were unworthy, except Taylor and Dona, who had shown some semblance of spunk and fairness. As both embrace, Barrat makes plans for their financial future. Irving Cummings, Jr. and Robert North wrote the original screen play, Sol M. Wurtzel produced it, and James Tinling directed it. Unobjectionable morally. "Affairs of Geraldine" with Jane Withers and James Lydon (Republic, Jvfou. 18; time, 68 min.) Just a moderately entertaining program comedy-drama, revolving around a wealthy small-town girl's search for a husband. The story unfolds at a leisurely pace, and since the plot hasn't much substance the action is padded by an over-abundance of dialogue, and by numerous stock shots of moving trains. As the heroine, Jane Withers strives to make something of her part, but she is handicapped by the weak story. The chief trouble with the picture is that the comedy is forced to the point of silliness. Unsophisticated audiences may find it amusing, but others will probably be bored : — To carry out their mother's dying request, Grant Withers and William Haade set out on a campaign to find a husband for their younger sister, Jane. Their crude methods, however, serve only to embarrass Jane with her friends and cause her to run away from home to do her own husband-searching. She visits Raymond Walburn's matrimonial agency and soon finds herself working as his assistant. Her astute business sense helps the agency to prosper, and in the course of events Jane becomes famous as "Madame L'Amour," broacasting advice to the lovelorn, despite her inability to find a husband for herself. Her luck changes when she meets Charles Quigley, who had come to the agency posing as a wealthy man in search of romance. Quigley, having learned of Jane's wealth, sets out to win her heart. Completely flustered, Jane agrees to marry him. She returns to her hometown to gloat over her catty friends, and to make arrangements for the wedding ceremony. James Lydon, a local boy who had long been in love with Jane, helps her with the arrangements and prepares to act as best man. Meanwhile, at the matrimonial agency, Walburn finds himself confronted by two women claiming Quigley as their husband. Realizing that Jane was about to marry a bigamist, he rushes to her home and arrives in time to expose Quigley and turn him over to the police. Jane finds herself stranded at the altar, but Lydon saves the situation by taking Quigley's place as the groom and making Jane like it. John K. Butler wrote the screen play from a story by Lee Loeb and Arthur Strawn. Armand Schaefer produced it, and George Blair directed it. The cast includes Donald Meek and others. Unobjectionable morally. "San Quentin" with Lawrence Tierney and Barton MacLane (RKO, no release date set; time, 66 min.) A fairly good program entertainment, with a special appeal to the followers of action melodramas; the title offers unusual exploitation possibilities. Although it is not different in story content and in plot development from most "copsand-robbers" stories, it is novel in that the hero is a reformed convict, who, to save a prisoners' rehabilitation league and to make life easier for the convicts, risks his own life to track down a murderous criminal, who had used the league to make good his escape. It has plentiful exciting action and holds one in suspense throughout. The closing scenes, where the hero subdues the villain in an isolated gun' club, are thrilling. There is some romantic interest, but it is of no importance: — Perturbed over the adverse press criticism aimed at the Inmate's Welfare League, an organization composed of convicts within the prison, and designed to preserve discipline amongst themselves, Warden Harry Shannon accepts an invitation to address the local press club in order to squelch charges that he was mollycoddling the prisoners. He arranges to take along Lawrence Tierney, a former inmate, who had founded the League, and Barton MacLane, a notorious criminal, who had become one of the League's most trusted members. On the way to the club, MacLane, aided by an outside friend (Tony Barrett), makes his escape after shooting and wounding the warden. MacLane's escape brings pressure on the warden for abolishment of the League. With the League's existence at stake, Tierney offers to track down MacLane. He learns from underworld characters that MacLane had headed for Fresno, where he had embarked on a series of vicious crimes. Tierney follows him there and is in turn followed by Richard Powers, a detective, who believed that he was trying to join MacLane in a life of crime. Powers locates MacLane and Barrett but they shoot him and make a getaway. The police suspect Tierney of the crime, thus compelling him to hide out and making his task all the more difficult. Tierney eventually learns that the two desperadoes were hiding out in a deserted gun' club. He goes there and, after killing Barrett in self-defense, subdues MacLane and hands him over to the police, thus vindicating the League. Lawrence Kimble, Arthur A. Ross, and Howard J. Green wrote the original screen play, Martin Mooney produced it, and Gordon M. Douglas directed it. The cast includes Marian Carr, Joe Devlin and others. Adult entertainment.