Harrison's Reports (1949)

May 14, 1949 HARRISON'S REPORTS 79 will lose, kidnaps Teddy Infuhr, his younger brother. By a ruse, Huntz Hall finds the hideout and, after helping Teddy to escape, takes his place. Encouraged by Teddy's presence at the ringside, Darro starts to win. Talbot, to stop him, conceals a small iron bar in the champion's glove. Meanwhile Hall, learning about the glove plant, breaks out of the hideout and gets to the ring in time to switch the iron bar. Darro knocks out the champion, while the police apprehend Talbot. It was produced by Jan Grippo and directed by Reginald LeBorg from an original screen play by Edmond Seward, Gerald Schnitzer and Bert Lawrence. Suitable for the family. "The Judge Steps Out" with Alexander Knox and Ann Sothern (RKO, no rel. date set; time, 91 min.) A good romantic comedy-drama. Revolving around a mild-mannered, middle-aged judge who becomes involved in a strange but pleasant romantic adventure when he leaves home in rebellion against his socially ambitious wife and spendthrift daughter, the story is an ingratiating blend of romance, comedy and human interest, told in a way that should please all types of audiences. Alexander Knox, as the judge, gives a very skillful performance; he makes the characterization so completely natural and highly sympathetic that one fully understands and appreciates his dilemma. The story has good dialogue and a number of unusual twists: — Knox, a conventional Bostonian judge, tolerates his wife (Frieda Inescort) and their daughter (Martha Hyer) , who marries into a wealthy family. He travels to Washington at the insistence of his wife to investigate a lucrative post with a big trust company and, en route, falls ill. He visits a small-town doctor (Whitford Kane) who suggests that he get away from his family. He accepts an invitation to spend several days with the doctor on a fishing holiday, and forgets to notify his wife of his whereabouts. Preparing to return home, he learns that the newspapers had been headlining his disappearance. Stung when he hurries home and discovers that his wife is apparently unconcerned over his fate, Knox decides to take the advice of the doctor. He sets out on a cross-country odyssey under an assumed name and really enjoys himself for the first time in life. His wanderings take him to California, where he accepts employment as a cook in a wayside restaurant operated by Ann Sothern, a young widow, with whom he falls in love. His efforts to help her adopt Sharyn Moffet, a ten-yearold orphan, brings them closer together, even though he is unsuccessful. He decides to return to Boston, obtain a divorce, and come back to marry Ann. In Boston, he learns that he is now a grandfather, and finds that his wife had become more mellow and sympathetic. She even agrees to the divorce. Meanwhile his experiences with Sharyn's adoption had given him a new viewpoint, and he remains in Boston to appeal his own decision in a somewhat similar case. He wins the appeal and sets a precedent that enables Ann to adopt Sharyn. Having found his family more warm and human, and having been offered an appointment to the State Supreme Court, Knox is unable to decide whether to remain in Boston or return to Ann. His problem is solved by Ann herself, who makes a hurried trip to Boston and tenderly convinces him that, at his age, he would be more happy with his family and his work. It was produced by Michael Kraike and directed by Boris Ingster, who wrote the story and collaborated on the screen play with Mr. Knox. The cast includes Florence Bates, H. B. Warner, Ian Wolfe and others. Unobjectionable morally. "The Lady Gambles" with Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Preston and Stephen McNally (Univ.'Int'l, May; time, 98 min.) Well produced and acted, but a jumbled, slowmoving story keeps it from being more than just fairly interesting. The story may best be described as a psychological study of a young woman who becomes so addicted to gambling that it breaks up her marriage and brings about her complete moral disintegration. Gambling, in this case, is depicted as a disease, to which the heroine turns as an outlet for her emotional upset, caused by a guilt complex instilled in her by a domineering spinster sister, but the reasons for her mental instability are presented so hazily that one loses interest in her problem. Barbara Stanwyck, as the heroine, gives a very capable performance, as do Preston Foster, as her understanding husband, and Stephen McNally, as a professional gambler. As a matter of fact, it is the good acting and the realistic gambling sets rather than the story that holds one's attention : — Told through a series of flashbacks, the story shows how Barbara, vacationing in Las Vegas with her husband, Robert Preston, a newspaperman, is bitten by the gambling bug when she makes the acquaintance of Stephen McNally, a gambling casino operator. Without her husband's knowledge, she loses all their cash at the gaming tables, but wins back her losses and more after she pawns her expensive camera. Barbara and Foster are joined in Las Vegas by Edith Barrett, her spinster sister, who clung to Barbara and resented her marriage to Foster. When Barbara keeps inventing excuses to get away from him to gamble, Foster takes her to Mexico to cure her of the habit. He spends his time writing a book, and Barbara, away from the gaming tables and from her sister, is extremely happy. But when Foster leaves on an overnight business trip, Barbara meets several gambling acquaintances from Las Vegas and is persuaded to accompany them to a gambling joint nearby. She breaks open a strong box containing Foster's life savings of $1,400 and loses it at the tables. Foster, upon his return, leaves her. Dejected, Barbara goes to Las Vegas, where McNally gives her a job as a "front" for the horse-race gambling syndicate. But her uncontrollable urge to gamble ruins the syndicate's plans to make a "killing" on a particular race, and compels McNally to get rid of her. She descends to working as a hostess in cheap bars, picking up men to gain a few dollars with which to gamble. Eventually, she is slugged into unconsciousness when caught with loaded dice in a back alley crap game. Learning that she is in a hospital, Foster goes there and pleads with the police doctor ( John Hoyt) to help her, giving him the details of her background. Hoyt sends for her sister who, upon arriving, becomes hysterical and blames Foster for Barbara's condition. Unnoticed, Barbara climbs out on a window ledge to kill herself. The doctor cleverly breaks through her mental fog, dissuades her from jumping, and paves the way for her to resume her married life with Foster without further interference from her sister. It was produced by Michael Kraike and directed by Michael Gordon from a screen play by Roy Huggins, based on a story by Lewis Meltzer and Oscar Saul. Adult fare.