Harrison's Reports (1949)

January 8, 1949 HARRISON'S REPORTS "This Was a Woman" (20th CenturyFox, ]anuary, 102 mm.) Just a fair British-made drama. The story is more or less a character study of a venomous woman who, under the guise of a devoted wife and mother, makes life miserable for all who surround her. She hounds her docile husband; corrupts the youthful innocence of her young maid, whom she goads into flirting with her new son-in-law, thus enabling her to break up her daughter's marriage to him; and finally poisons her kindly and inoffensive husband because of her mistaken belief that his close friend was in love with her. In the end, her son exposes her crime and delivers her to the law. Not only is it an unpleasant entertainment, but it is slow-moving and over-long, and completely lacking in subtlety. Sonia Dresdel, as the neurotic matron with an insatiable desire to control the destinies of her husband and children, plays the role in so obvious a fashion that it is never believable. As a matter of fact, it is difficult to understand why those around her, seemingly intelligent people, could not see through her maliciousness. It is doubtful it the picture will mean much at the box-office in this country, not only because it offers nothing unusual, but also because not one of the all-British cast is known to American audiences. It was produced by Marcel Hellman and directed by Tim Whelan from a screen play by Val Valentine, based on the successful London stage play by Joan Norgan. Adult entertainment. "Wake of the Red Witch" with John Wayne and Gail Russell (Republic, March 1; time, 106 min.) A very good big-scale sea story, robust in action and strong in romantic interest. It should prove to be a good box-office attraction, first, because it has merit and is based on a best-selling novel, and secondly, because a good sea adventure melodrama has not been produced in several years and the picture-patrons are ripe for this type of entertainment. The story, which takes place in 1860, revolves around the rivalry of two ruthless men, one a sea captain and the other a shipowner, not only for great wealth but also for the hand of the heroine. Part of the action is pretty brutal, yet it is an absorbing picture, for the story is interesting, the settings realistic, and the direction and performances very good. John Wayne, as the ruthless captain, displays despicable traits by his cruel treatment of the crew and by his unscrupulousness. Yet his fearlessness in time of danger and his tender love for the heroine win him some measure of sympathy. Luther Adler, as the smooth but black-hearted shipowner, turns in a top performance. There are thrills aplenty in the different sequences, one in particular being where Wayne engages an octopus in an undersea fight to death. Another thrilling sequence takes place at the finish, where Wayne, attempting to retrieve the sunken treasure, loses his life when the air-hose on his diving suit is accidentally cut. A good part of story is told in flashbacks : — In league with Gig Young and Paul Fix, members of his crew, John Wayne deliberately sinks his ship, the Red Witch, planning to recover its gold cargo at a later date. A Maritime Commission investigation of the sinking is halted without explanation at the request of Luther Adler, the ship's owner. At a waterfront saloon, Wayne and his partners learn of an uncharted South Sea Island lagoon where pearls could be found in abundance, and they decide to sail there until such time as they could recover the gold from the Red Witch. Arriving at the lagoon, the three men find themselves greeted by Adler and realize that he had arranged for them to hear about the pearls in order to capture them. They find themselves trapped in the lagoon by a sea gate. Adler invites them to dinner in his mansion, but only Young accepts because of his attraction to Adele Mara, Adler's beautiful niece. At dinner, Young, who knew Wayne for only a short time, learns from Adler the strange story of greed and passion that had motivated the rivalry between him and Wayne. Seven years previously, Adler had rescued Wayne from shark-infested waters, and they had joined forces in a scheme to steal from the natives of a tiny Polynesian island a fabulous fortune in pearls. At the island, both Adler and Wayne had fallen in love with Gail Russell, the niece of Henry Daniell, the French Commissioner. Wayne, by wresting a casket of pearls from an octopus that guarded its hiding place in a cave under the sea, had been given the pearls by the natives, who looked upon him as a white god. Wayne had accidentally killed Gail's unscrupulous uncle during a quarrel, and Gail, hor' rified, had agreed to marry Adler, although still in love with Wayne. As a result, a bitter enmity had grown up between the two men. Gail, after a miserable life with Adler, had died of a tropical disease. His story finished, Adler tries to persuade Young to reveal where the Red Witch sank, but Young refuses, remaining loyal to Wayne. Adler blocks Wayne's attempt to escape but is unable to make him reveal the Red Witch's location. Desperate, he comes to an agreement with Wayne to split the gold if he will salvage it. Wayne loses his life when the Red Witch shifts on her ocean-bed, cutting the air-hose on his diving suit. It ends with Wayne's spirit joining Gail's in the next world. Edmund Grainger produced it, and Edward Ludwig directed it, from a screen play by Harry Brown and Kenneth Garnet, based on the novel by Garland Roark. The cast includes Grant Withers, Dennis Hooey, Jeff Corey and others. Unobjectionable morally. "Rusty Leads the Way" with John Litel, Ted Donaldson and Sharyn Moffett (Columbia, October 21; time, 58 mm.) A very good program picture, suitable for any double bill. The story is different — a girl of thirteen, blind for several years because of an injury, is made, through the kindness of a boy of her age, to gain faith in herself and become self-reliant. There are many situations that will drew tears as a result of Ted Donaldson's kindness towards the little girl and of his efforts to restore her confidence. The closing scenes, where the "seeing eye" dog is shown breaking away from the representatives of the institute and running several miles to rejoin his little master, kissing her all over, will bring a gulp to many a patron's throat. Ted Donaldson practically makes the picture by bis ability to handle the young boy's characterization sympathetically. But Sharyn Moffett, too, is effective as the afflicted girl: — While playing with his dog, Rusty, in the yard of a long vacant house, Ted hears piano playing. He approaches an open window and utters a greeting. A young girl about bis age comes to the window and closes it. Resenting the repulse, Ted, rings the doorbell. The girl, Sharyn, invites him into the house, and he soon realizes that she is blind. Sharyn informs Ted that her widowed mother works all day, and that she is lonesome. The Board of Education resolves to send Sharyn to a State school for the blind, but Sharyn is unwilling to leave her mother. Ted's father, John Litel, being a city attorney, is about to enforce the board's ruling, but Ted pleads with him to prevent the execution of the order by giving Sharyn a chance to obtain a "seeing eye" dog so that she will be enabled to attend a regular school in town. Litel arranges to send Sharyn to a "seeing eye" dog institute to learn how to handle such a dog. The first time that Sharyn is allowed to go out with her dog, Trosper, the animal, seeing Ted's dog, Rusty, in the distance, runs to play with him and leaves Sharyn stranded. Sharyn takes this as a sign that Trosper did not love her, and that she would never be able to handle a "seeing eye" dog. She cries disconsolately, despite Ted's efforts to console her. Unable to convince Sharyn otherwise, the institute's representatives decide to take Trosper back to the institute. On the way, Trosper jumps out of the car and runs back to rejoin Sharyn. En route, his leash becomes entangled and he barks for aid. Rusty, hearing the barking, rushes to Trosper's aid and disentangles the leash. The two dogs then rush to Sharyn and Ted. When Trosper kisses her affectionately, Sharyn realizes that he loved her and becomes content to let him be her eyes. It was produced by Robert Cohn and directed by Will Jason from a screen play by Arthur Ross, based on a story by Nedrick Young. Good family entertainment.