Harrison's Reports (1948)

30 HARRISON'S REPORTS February 21, 1948 "The Big Clock" with Ray Milland, Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Sullivan (Paramount, March 26; time, 93 min.) A superior thriller. It should prove to be a highly satisfactory box-office attraction, for it is the sort of picture that will benefit from word-of-mouth advertising. It is a novel and absorbing murder melodrama, with many unusual twists that will intrigue and thrill all types of audiences. There is no mystery involved, since the spectator is made aware of the murderer's identity, but the suspense is maintained from the start to finish because of the odd story twist that places the hero in the position of hunter and hunted when he is assigned to find a mysterious stranger who had been visiting with the murdered woman just prior to her death; he himself was that stranger and, because circumstantial evidence weighed heavily against him, he tries desperately to cover up clues unearthed by an efficient staff of reporters under his command lest these clues lead to his identity before he can establish his innocence. The production, acting, and direction are of a superior quality and, clever bits of comedy have been injected to relieve the tension: — Charles Laughton, a ruthless publisher, values highly the services of Ray Milland, brilliant editor of his "Crimeways" magazine, whose ability to track down missing persons was a great circulation builder. Needled by his wife for his failure to take her on a long-delayed honeymoon, Milland sets a definite date for the occasion. But on the day he prepares to leave, Laughton insists that he postpone the holiday to track down another missing person. He refuses and, after a stormy scene, goes to a local cafe, where he meets Rita Johnson, Laughton's unhappy mistress. Both get drunk during their mutual villification of Laughton, and Milland ends up in her apartment. He slips out when Laughton arrives, but the publisher, without recognizing him, sees him hurry away. Insanely jealous, Laughton kills Rita. He becomes panic-stricken and confides in George Macready, his trusted lieutenant. Both decide that they could pin the murder on the stranger who had been with Rita; they instruct Milland to start one of his vast manhunts. Having lied to his wife about his whereabouts that evening, Milland is compelled to accept the assignment, not only to keep the truth from her, but also to protect himself from being saddled with the crime. He keeps smothering the clues brought in by his staff of reporters, while vainly trying to obtain positive proof of Laughton's guilt. The search for the "mystery" man finally centers in Laughton's huge publication building, with Milland barely able to keep himself from being identified. After a series of hair-raising events, he manages to pin the crime on Laughton who, in an attempt to escape, dies in a fall down an elevator shaft. Jonathan Latimer wrote the screen play from a novel by Kenneth Fearing. Richard Maibaum produced it, and John Farrow directed it. The cast includes Elsa Lanchester, Henry Morgan and others. Ault fare. "Adventures of Casanova" with Arturo De Cordova, Lucille Bremer and Turhan Bey (Eagle-Lion, Feb. 7; time, 83 min.) A wildly melodramatic swashbuckler, replete with flashing sword duels, ambushes, chases, gunplay, lusty lovemaking and elaborate costuming. Discriminating patrons will probably find the cliche-ridden situations and the total lack of credibility either annoying or amusing, depending on their mood; but the avid action fans, particularly the juveniles, whose only concern about story values is that there be plenty of excitement, should find it to their liking. In a sense, the picture has everything one expects to find in a rousing western, except that the locale is Sicily in the 18th Century. The characterizations, from the dashing hero to the deep-dyed villain, are grossly exaggerated, and the players enact their respective roles with such a lack of restraint that, at times, their performances border on the ridiculous: — When powerful armies of the Austrian Emperor crush a rebellion of patriotic forces in Sicily, Fritz Lieber, patriarchal leader of the broken insurgents, sends his trusted aide, Turhan Bey, to Malta to summon Arturo de Cordova, a great warrior. De Cirdova assumes leadership of the patriot* and, through guerilla tactics, makes life miserable for Lloyd Corngan, the Governor, who was under pressure from John Sutton, the Emperor's envoy. Lucille Bremer, the Governor's daughter, who was held a prisoner in the palace because of her refusal to marry Sutton, conspires with Noreen Nash, her lady-in-waiting, to escape. Noreen, by posing as Lucille, enlists de Cordova's aid. He rescues them and takes them to the patriots' quarters. In due time de Cordova falls in love with Lucille, and Bey with Noreen. Meanwhile they carry on their daring feats against the Governor'6 troops. Sutton replaces the Governor and, in order to rid himself of de Cordova, challenges him to a duel, planning to capture him with hidden troops. De Cordova accepts the challenge. Bey loses his life trying to aid de Cordova, who is captured and sentenced to hang. But Lucille, by pretending that she had turned against de Cordova, wins Sutton's confidence and manages to arrange her lover's escape. In a rousing finale, de Cordova kills Sutton in a duel, leads a successful revolution, and wins amnesty for all the patriots. Crane Wilbur, Walter Bullock, and Karen DeWolf wrote the screen play from a story by Mr. DeWolf. Leonard S. Picker produced it, and Roberto Gavaldon directed it. "B. F.'s Daughter" with Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin and Charles Coburn (MGM, >io release dale set, time, 108 mm.) This drama has good production values, competent direction, and able performances, but from the entertainment point of view it is only fair. Its tale about a strong-willed heiress whose marriage to a poor but brilliant economist goes on the rocks, when he learns that she had used her wealth to further his career, is rather commonplace, differing only in that it works into the proceedings the attitudes and thinking of old-line capitalists and present-day liberals with regard to economics, politics, and human rights. But all this seems extraneous, for most of what is said is indecisive and has little relation to the main story line. Another drawback is the fact that the story introduces several characters whose parts are not clearly defined. So far as the boxoffice is concerned, the exhibitor will have to depend on the popularity of the stars, as well as of the novel, on which the story is based. Kcenan Wynn, as a radio commentator and mutual friend of the couple, provides some amusing moments. The action takes place in the pre-war days, with Washington and New York as the backgrounds: — Barbara Stanwyck, daughter of Charles Coburn, a leading industrial tycoon, marries Van Heflin, a radical student of political economy, in spite of the fact that his opinions about capitalists, such as her father, were far from flattering. As strong in character as Barbara, Heflin refuses to accept her financial aid and insists that they live on his earnings as a lecturer and writer. Barbara resolves the situation by secretly arranging to give a lecture bureau a cash guarantee to book Heflin for a tour. Unaware of the deal, Hefln makes the tour. He becomes a highly successful lecturer, winning fame as an economist, and an appointment to an important position in the White House. With his earnings he arranges for Barbara to purchase a small home. Instead, she buys a magnificent mansion, financed by her father's money. Heflin insists that she give it up, and their quarrel leads to his learning about how she had financed his career. They separate. Already desperately unhappy, Barbara is saddened further by the death of her father. She rejoins Heflin in Washington. Learning that he had been attentive to a woman in Georgetown, Barbara assumes that she was his mistress. She feels thoroughly ashamed, however, when she discovers that the woman (Barbara Lange) was a blind refugee, in whose rehabilitation Heflin was interested. At this point Barbara becomes concerned over Richard Hart, her former boy-friend, who had been reported killed in the Pacific. Heflin relieves her concern by establshing that Hart was safe. In the end, Barbara and Heflin confess their desperate need for each other and agree to start life anew. Luther Davis wrote the screen play from the novel by John Marquand. Edwin H. Knopf produced it, and Robert Z. Leonard directed it. Unobjectionable morally.