Harrison's Reports (1948)

70 HARRISON'S REPORTS May 1, 1948 "The Dude Goes West" with Eddie Albert, Gale Storm and James Gleason (Allied Artists, May 30; time, 87 mm.) This picture will undoubtedly turn out to be a "sleeper," for it keeps one chuckling all the way through and, at times, roaring with laughter. The comedy is caused by "wacky" situations as well as by the excellent work of Eddie Albert. As the dude, in western country, where he went to set up a gun repairing shop, he is inimitable. Though he takes the part of an innocent, and at times simple, fellow, he wins the spectator's friendship. For this reason the comedy is more hearty. The audience is pleasurably surprised when the simple Albert outdraws and outshoots the bad men of the region, to such an extent that one of the worst of the bad men is compelcd to acknowledge his superiority. There are, in addition, some thrilling situations, and a good romance between Albert and Gale Storm. Miss Storm, too, docs good work. The story is told in flashback as Albert, through pictures in the family album, tells his grandchildren of his experiences in the West, including those that led to his marriage to their grandmother: — Immediately after the massacre of Custard's command at Little Big Horn in 1876, Albert leaves his gunshop on the Bowery and heads for Arsenic City, Nevada. On the train he meets Gale, who, too, was headed for Arsenic City, where her father had been murdered by outlaws after discovering a gold mine. Gale had in her possession a map showing the location of the mine. Gilbert Roland, a tough gunfighter, tries to steal the map but is foiled by Albert. Through a misunderstanding, however, Gale believes that Albert is a crook. Having learned in Carson City that it would be several weeks before they could board a stage for Arsenic City, each buys a horse and wagon and heads for their destination separately. James Gleason, a prospector, accompanies Albert on the trip but parts company with him in the desert. Shortly afterwards, Albert comes upon Barton MacLanc, a wounded desperado, whom he befriends, only to be slugged and robbed of his horse and wagon. Continuing on foot, Albert comes upon Gale and compels her to give him a ride. Both are captured by Indians, but Albert's knowledge of their sign language saves their lives and makes the Indians their friends. He leads the Indians to believe that Gale was his "squaw." Learning that Gale had the map to her father's mine, Albert memorizes it, then burns it. His action convinces Gale he was one of the outlaws. At Arsenic City, Binnie Barnes, owner of the town's gambling palace, orders Roland to steal the map from Gale. Albert's life is endangered as he tries to foil the plan, but the Indians come to his rescue, take him to the mine, and begin working it for Gale's benefit. He then arranges with the Indians to abduct Gale and bring her to the mine, where he shows her the gold he had dug out for her. Loading the gold on a wagon, they start for the city. Binnie's outlaws intercept them only to be intercepted themselves by MacLane, who comes to Albert's aid. MacLane, though willing to spare their lives, insists upon taking the gold. At this point the redskins come to their rescue. Satisfied that Albert was not an outlaw, Gale decides to marry him. Frank and Maurice King produced it and Kurt Neumann directed it from an original screen play by Richard Sale and Mary Loos. Excellent for the entire family. "Heart of Virginia" with Janet Martin, Robert Lowery and Frankie Darro (Republic, April 25; time. 60 min.) A run-of-the-mill horse-racing melodrama. While it will probably get by on the lower half of a mid-week double bill, there's not much to it, for nothing novel is presented in the story, which is poorly directed, and the performances are ordinary. The players, however, are not to blame, for there is little that they could do within the limited possibilities of the trite script, which barely holds one's interest since the outcome is so obvious. It has a fair share of horse-racing, but even this fails to reach any appreciable pitch of excitement. A little more action and a little less talk might have helped matters: — Seeking to win an all-important race for his hard-pressed employer (Paul Hurst), Frankie Darro, a crack jockey, forces his way through a pack of horses and inadvertently causes a fellow jockey to be thrown and killed. He broods over the accident and loses his nerve. As a result, Hurst goes broke. Furious, he discharges Darro. Other owners refuse to hire Darro, and he ends up working as a garage mechanic. Several years later, Janet Martin, Hurst's daughter, decides to race a filly her father had given her as a gift and, against her father's will, arranges for Darro to train and ride the horse. He mistakes her action for love but, just before the big race, he learns that she had become engaged to Robert Lowery, a wealthy rival owner, who had graciously allowed Janet and her father to utilize his stable facilities. His morale shattered, Darro gets drunk. Meanwhile, through a series of misunderstandings, Janet is led to believe that Lowery wanted to marry her in order to share the ownership of her prize horse. She breaks the engagement. To prove his love, Lowery, in spite of the fact that his own horse was entered, sobers up Darro and persuades him to do his utmost to win the race for Janet. Inspired by Lowery, Darro pulls himself together and rides Janet's horse to victory. Having regained his own confidence, and having put Janet and her father back into the prestige racing class, Darro reconciles himself to Janet's love for Lowery. Sidney Picker produced it and R. G. Springsteen directed it from an original screen play by Jerry Sackheim. The cast includes Sam McDaniel and others. Suitable for the family. "I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes" with Don Castle, Elyse Knox and Regis Toomey (Monogram, May 23; time, 70 mm.) A passable murder-mystery melodrama; it should get by as a supporting feature wherever audiences are not too fussy about incredible plots. The main trouble with the picture lies in the loosely written screen play, which depends too heavily on unbelievable coincidents. As a result it lacks emotional intensity, and the suspense is reduced to a minimum. The murderer's identity is not disclosed until the finish, but picture-wise patrons will have no trouble identifying him long before the final reel. The players carry off their assignments in capable fashion, despite the failings of the script. On the credit side of the film is the attractive title. A good part of the photography is in a low-key, but it is of a superior quality: — Don Castle and Elyse Knox are a down-and-out married dance team. While Castle seeks engagements, Elyse works as an instructress in a dance academy, where she meets Regis Toomey, a lonely detective. Unable to sleep one night because of two howling cats, Castle throws his only pair of shoes out the window to quiet them. He goes down to the backyard of his cheap rooming house to retrieve the shoes but is unable to find them. On the following morning, however, he finds the shoes in front of his door. Later, a wealthy recluse is found murdered in a nearby shack. That same day, Castle finds $2,000 in old $20 bills. Meanwhile detectives, led by Toomey, investigate the murder and find footprints bearing the imprint of steel plates like those worn on a tap-dancer's shoes. The footprints are traced to Castle, and this clue, coupled with his new-found riches, serve to bring about his conviction as the killer on circumstantial evidence. Elyse tries desperately to prove her husband's innocence and enlists Toomey's aid. Toomey tries to pin the crime on Robert Lowell, a former boarder in the rooming house, who appears guilty until cleared by an airtight alibi. On the eve of the execution, Toomey drops a clue that causes Elyse to become suspicious of him. She plays upon his vanity and willingly accompanies him to his extravagantly furnished apartment, where he reveals that he had outfitted it for her and admits his long love for her. She tricks him into a confession of the crime just as the police, whom she had notified of her suspicions, arrive on the scene. Toomey is arrested and Castle set free. Walter Mirisch produced it and William Nigh directed it from a screen play by Steve Fisher, based on the novel by Cornell Woolrich. Adult entertainment.