Harrison's Reports (1949)

74 HARRISON'S REPORTS May 7, 1949 "Home of the Brave" with Douglas Dick, Steve Brodie, Lloyd Bridges, Frank Lovejoy and James Edwards (United Artists, no rel. date set; time, 88 min.) Excellent! It is a powerful drama dealing with the sub' ject of Negro discrimination, brilliantly directed and expertly performed by a very capable although relatively unknown cast. Stanley Kramer, the producer, Mark Robson, the director, and Carl Foreman, the screen play writer, — the same trio responsible for "Champion" — deserve unstint' ing praise, not only for their excellent handling of a very delicate subject, but also for their courage in making it. It is a picture with a message, but this message is put over, not through preachment, but through the mental shock suffered by a sensitive Negro soldier who, feeling deeply the persecution he had suffered throughout his lifetime because of his color, finds himself a victim of bigotry even while on a dangerous reconnaissance mission with four white soldiers. His mental suffering hits the spectator with such dramatic impact that few will be able to suppress the tears. Since the theme is that of Negro discrimination, its reception in certain sections of the country, particularly the South, is doubtful. Elsewhere, however, it should prove to be an outstanding box-office attraction, for it is the sort of picture that will cause considerable word-of-mouth advertising, and will be the subject of many editorial comments. As said, the cast is unknown, but their vivid portrayals bring to the surface all the hatred of man unto man in such a clear-cut fashion that it will be long remembered by every one who sees it, and will leave them with a sense of guilt that they, too, may be prejudiced and intolerant, no matter how unintentional. Briefly, the story revolves around James Edwards, a Negro GI battle casualty, paralyzed from the waist down from the shock of his experiences on a Jap-held South Pacific atoll while on an intelligence and reconnaissance mission with four white soldiers. Jeff Corey, an army doctor seeking to get at the root of Edward's incapacity, learns his suppressed story through suggestion and narcosynthesis. In flashback, it is shown that Edwards had volunteered to go on the dangerous mission with Douglas Dick, a major who sensed deeply the fact that he was younger than the men he commanded; Frank Lovejoy, a well-meaning sergeant; Lloyd Bridges, a corporal, with whom Edwards had been school chums; and Steve Broidie, another corporal, a shallow individual who made no effort to hide his contempt for Negroes, and who used Edwards as a "whipping boy," baiting him consistently, despite the objections of the others. The action for the most part takes place on the atoll and centers around the experiences of the five men as they try to keep safe from sniping Japs, and around the bigotry of the white soldiers towards Edwards, both intentional and unintentional. How the doctor lifts the successive veils of hate and persecution from Edwards' past, reassures him that he is no different from other men, and compels him to walk, make up the rest of the highly exciting and dramatic story. It is not an expensive production, but the low cost does not take away one iota from its effectiveness. The story is based on the play by Arthur Laurentz, which had anti-semitism as its central theme. It is a picture that should be seen by all. "Africa Screams" with Abbott & Costello (United Artists, May 27; time, 79 min.) This latest Abbott and Costello comedy should go over well with those who enjoy their brand of slapstick humor, particularly the youngsters, who will find much in it to howl about. The story, which has its locale in the African jungle, is, of course, completely nonsensical, but it serves well as a basis for the many amusing predicaments the boys get themselves into as they are beset by lions, alligators, hungry cannibals, and even a giant ape. As in the previous A 6? C comedies, most of the laughs pivot around the rotund Costello, whose mishaps are at times hilarious, but he is given good support by comedians Shemp Howard and Joe Besser. Among the others who take part in the action are former heavyweight fighters Max and Buddy Baer, as well as Clyde Beatty, the famous lion trainer, and Frank Buck, of bring'em-back-alive fame. There are several dull moments here and there, but on the whole the pace is fast. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, book salesmen in a department store, meet Hillary Brooke, an apparently wealthy society woman interested in big game, who offers to pay $1,000 for a map that had been published in an out-of-print book about Africa. When Costello claims to remember the map, Abbott takes charge of the deal and brings about complications that force the boys to join Hillary on a safari to Africa for the supposed purpose of capturing a huge ape. Once in Africa, the boys learn that Hillary and her party were actually seeking to locate a Ubangi tribe reportedly in possession of an immense fortune in uncut diamonds. Meanwhile, to Abbott's dismay, he learns that the only map Costello had in mind was an ordinary road map. Too late to turn back or reveal this information, the boys are forced to bluff their way through a series of mishaps, beset by many wild animals, cannibals, and even an ape who takes a great liking to Costello. From all the complications that ensue, Costello emerges from the jungle with the diamonds and returns to New York with the ape, who becomes his partner in the ownership of a tall office building, while Abbott, who had tried to get the diamonds for himself, winds up as the operator of their private elevator. It was produced by Edward Nassour and directed by Charles Barton from a screen play by Earl Baldwin. Suitable for the entire family. "The Younger Brothers" with Wayne Morris and Janis Paige (Warner Bros., May 28; time, 77 min.) Although the photography is in Technicolor, and it has a cast of better-than-average names, this Western melodrama is no more than just fair, offering little that would appeal to other than the avid Western-picture fans. Its best reception should be in theatres that specialize in Western fare; in other situations it probably will serve best as a supporting feature. The story, which is a highly fictional account of a period in the lives of the notorious Missouri outlaw brothers, depicts them as men desirous of leading an honest life. Placing notorious bandits on the right side of the law is indeed a fresh twist, but even so the story is only mildly interesting, for it is rambling and never quite credible and several of the central characterizations are grossly exaggerated. Not much can be said for either the direction or the acting. The photography, however, is very good: — Desirous of going straight, the Younger brothers (Wayne Morris, Robert Hutton, Bruce Bennett and James Brown) wait out the final two weeks of their parole in the state of Minnesota so that they may obtain pardons and return to a life of farming in their native state of Missouri. Janis Paige, leader of a gang of bandits, tries unsuccessfully to induce the brothers to join her gang. Embittered, she schemes to force them to break their parole. Fred Clark, a former Pinkerton agent who had lost his job for failing to trap the brothers, schemes against them, too, hoping to obtain evidence that would keep them from being granted pardons. Janis makes two of the brothers her prisoners and compels them to go along with her gang to rob a bank. The other brothers, aware of her intentions, steal guns and enter the bank in time to give battle to Janis' gang, separate them from the stolen money, and return it to the bank. Clark, however, distorts the facts and, after arousing the populace, forms a posse to capture the brothers. But they manage to escape and, later, despite Clark's efforts to influence the parole board, win pardons. Returning to Missouri, the brothers are attacked by Clark and several henchmen, who had decided to take the law into their own hands. The brothers, however, gain the upper hand, leaving Clark and his men roped and tied to a tree while they continue on to Missouri. It was produced by Saul Elkins and directed by Edwin L. Marin from a screen play by Edna Anhalt, based on a story by Morton Grant. Unobjectionable morally.