Harrison's Reports (1946)

204 "13 Rue Madeleine" with James Cagney, Richard Conte and Annabella (20th Century-Fox, January; time. 95 min.) A gripping spy melodrama, revolving around a handpicked group of American agents, specially trained to handle espionage activities in connection with the D-Day invasion of Europe. The fact that James Cagney heads the cast should help considerably to overcome whatever opposition the public may still have towards pictures of this type. Once in the theatre, however, there is no doubt that those who will see it will enjoy it, for it is a hard-hitting, fast-moving and intriguing story, filled with suspense and thrills from start to finish. The first part of the picture is somewhat similar to "The House on 92nd Street" in that it utilizes the "March of Time" documentary technique in its introduction of the characters and of the theme, as well as in its depiction of the rigid training methods undergone by the agents; it is most effective. As leader of the agents, Cagney is cast in a twofisted, daring role, the sort that is sure to please his many fans. Richard Conte, as a Nazi spy and Cagncy's adversary, is extremely good. It is a serious melodramatic tale, void of romantic interest and with but slight touches of comedy: — Included in a group of men and women recruited as secret agents are Annabella, a Frenchwoman, widowed by the war; Richard Conte, an American who spoke fluent French; and Frank Latimore, a high school French teacher. Cagney, assigned to train the group, is informed by Walter Abel, his superior officer, that one of them was a Nazi spy, whose identity was unknown. During the course of intensive training, Cagney spots Conte as the Nazi, and when the group goes to England he misleads him into believing that the Allied invasion would go through Holland. To make the story more convincing, Cagney orders Conte to Holland, obstensibly to pave the way for the invasion, and instructs Annabella and Latimore to accompany him but to proceed from Holland to France without him to locate and bring back to England a collaborator who had designed the Nazi rocket-launching sites. Cante, aware that he had been found out, manages to kill Latimore as he bails out over Holland. Annabella, however, gets away and radios the news of Latimore's death to Cagney. The latter decides to meet her in Fiance himself. There, after many narrow brushes with the Gestapo, they manage, with the help of the underground, to locate the collaborator and return him to England. Cagney, however, is captured by Conte, and Annabella is shot down just as she radios this news to Abel. At 13 rue Madelaine, Gestapo headquarters, Cagney, despite torturous treatment, refuses to reveal where the invasion will take place. Meanwhile Abel, acting on Annabella's final message, arranges for the precision bombing of Gestapo Headquarters to make sure that Cagney would not weaken and reveal the secret. As the Allied planes start dropping their bombs, Cagney, by this time a physical wreck, laughs derisively in Conte's face even though he, too, was about to die. John Monks, Jr., and Sy Bartlett wrote the original screen play, Louis de Rochemont produced it, and Henry Hathaway directed it. The cast includes Melville Cooper, Sam Jaffe and others. Unobjectionable morally. "Don Ricardo Returns" with Fred Coby and Isabelita (PRC, November 5; time, 63 min.) Produced on a modest budget, this is a mildly entertaining melodrama, the sort that may get by on the lower half of a mid-week double-bill in secondary theatres. The story, which is set in the old Spanish settlement days in California, is very ordinary, and since one guesses in advance just what twist the plot will take it becomes tiresome. Moreover, the dialogue is trite and the acting uninspired. Another drawback is the fact that the players mean nothing at the boxoffice. Most of the excitement occurs in the closing scenes during a sword duel, but it is not enough to lift the picture out of its unimaginative rut: — Having been shanghaied two years previously, Fred Coby, a young Spanish nobleman, returns secretly to his lands and discovers that his kidnapping had been arranged by Anthony Warde, his cousin, who sought to have him declared legally dead so that he could assume possession of his vast ranch. Coby learns also that Warde wanted to marry Isabelita, his faithful sweetheart, but that she declined his proposals because of her firm belief that he (Coby) was still alive. Realizing that Warde and his henchmen would kill him if they knew of his presence, Coby disguises himself as a peon and secures employment on the estate to await an opportunity for revenge. He makes known his presence to Isabelita, and with her aid practices swordsmanship to improve his skill; he planned to challenge his cousin to a duel as 60on as he secured documentary evidence of his perfidy. He secures this proof in due time and, revealing himself to Warde, challenges him to a duel to the death. Warde accepts, and after a close contest Coby gains the upper hand. Just as he is about to administer the coup de grace, the village priest stays his hand. Warde is imprisoned for his crimes, and Coby and Isabelita prepare to enjoy the future they had so long awaited. Jack De Witt and Renault Duncan wrote the screen play from a story by Johnston McCulley. J. S. Burkctt produced it, and T. O. Morse directed it. Unobjectionable morally. "The Locket" with Larraine Day, Brian Aherne and Robert Mitchum (RKO, no release date set; time, 86 mm.) A well-made, expertly acted melodrama, one that can be classified as the psychological type. Employing the flashback technique, which includes flashbacks within flashbacks, it emerges as an interesting character study of a beautiful young woman, who, because of an unfortunate incident in childhood, goes through life obsessed with a desire to steal. How this fixation affects her life, as well as the lives of four men who fall in love with her, unfolds in a manner that holds one's interest tightly. Larraine Day, as the heroine, turns in a fascinating characterization; she cloaks her wrongdoings with such sweetness and innocence that those who love her find it difficult to accept her strange acts. The ending, in which she loses her complete sanity, is tragic: — On the day of his marriage to Larraine Day, Gene Raymond is visited by Brian Aherne, a psychiatrist, who astonishes the young man by stating that he had been married to Larraine for five years, that she was a hopeless thief and liar, and that she had already ruined the lives of three men. Aherne explains that, shortly after his marriage to Larraine, he had been visited by Robert Mitchum, an artist, who had been engaged to her. Mitchum had caught her with a stolen bracelet, and Larraine had explained that, as a child, she had been accused falsely of stealing a locket and that the episode had left her with an uncontrollable urge to steal. She had promised never to steal again, but shortly afterwards she had murdered her wealthy employer (Ricardo Cortez) and had stolen a valuable diamond. Ricardo's valet had been convicted of the crime, and Mitchum had pleaded with Aherne to induce Larraine to clear the innocent man. Larraine had denied Mitchum's accusations, and Aherne had believed her. The innocent man had been executed, and Mitchum, distraught, had committed suicide by leaping from Aherne's office window. Several years later, Aherne himself had caught Larraine with a hoard of jewels stolen from their friends. He had divorced her, and his only thought now was to prevent Raymond from making the same mistake he did. Dubious, Raymond summons Larraine. She greets Aherne cordially, but convinces Raymond that the man was suffering from delusions. Raymond decides to proceed with the wedding. As Larraine starts the march to the altar, she receives as a gift from Raymond's mother a locket. Larraine recognizes it as the one she had been accused of stealing as a child, and realizes that his mother had been her childhood oppressor. The shock causes her complete mental collapse, and the story closes with her confinement in an institution. Sheridan Gibney wrote the screenplay, Bert Granet produced it, and John Brahm directed it. The cast includes Sharyn Moffett. Fay Helm, Katherine Emry, Reginald Denny, Helene Thimig and others. Adult entertainment.