Harrison's Reports (1949)

August 20, 1949 HARRISON'S REPORTS 135 club operated by Bennett. Holden had disappeared for a whole day and had refused to tell her where he had been. Discovering that Holden's disappearance had occurred on the same day as the murder. Morris decides to have a talk with him. Holden, reluctant to talk, insists that he could not recall what had happened to him. Suspicious, Morris, aided by Janis, launches an investigation of his own. This leads him into numerous complications involving a beating from Bennett's henchmen, who also try to dispose of Holden. Morris eventually discovers that Bennett wanted to do away with Holden because a photograph he (Holden) had taken in the night-club showed the racketeer in the background paying a man to murder the star witness. The evidence enables Morris to bring about Bennett's conviction for the murder, resume his position as managing editor, and win Janis as his wife. It was produced by Saul Elkins and directed by Richard Bare from a screen play by Russell Hughes, based on a story by Roy Chanslor. Unobjectionable morally. "My Friend Irma" with Marie Wilson, Diana Lynn and John Lund (Paramount, Oct. 14; time, 103 min.) A laugh-provoking, zany romantic comedy that should go over very well with the rank and file. Like the popular radio program on which it is based, the story centers around Marie Wilson, as "Irma," a good-natured but dizzy blonde whose natural stupidity keeps her friends in a constant state of turmoil. The story is very thin, but it has a generous quota of gags and amusing mixups. The picture also marks the screen debut of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, who should go over in a big way with movie audiences. Martin, a good crooner, has a personality that should cause many a feminine heart to flutter. Lewis is an extremely funny fellow with a brand of clowning that will give rise to much hilarious laughter. All in all, it is a bright, swift-moving entertainment, one that is decidedly easy to enjoy: — The story depicts Marie Wilson and Diana Lynn as secretaries who share an apartment together. Diane, an ambitious girl, hopes to marry her employer, Don DeFore, a millionaire who had grown fond of her, while Marie looks forward to marrying John Lund, a sharp unemployed character, who was constantly promoting get-rich-quick schemes. Trouble begins when Lund, stopping at an orange juice stand, overhears Dean Martin, a juice salesman, singing to himself. He persuades Martin to give up his job so that he might launch him on a singing career. Martin agrees to let Lund manage him but insists that his partner, Jerry Lewis, be included in the act. From then on the story becomes a series of mixups involving a struggle between Martin and DeFore for Diana's love, while Lund tries to promote DeFore's backing of a Broadway show starring the boys. Complications ensue when Marie, to solve Diana' love problem, visits DeFore's mother and tells her that Diana was after her son's wealth, and that she should break up the romance. This leads to a fight between Martin and DeFore, with Lund breaking his engagement to Marie because her interference had ruined his scheme. Marie decides to commit suicide, but a zany ending, in which she wins a $50,000 radio give-away contest, solves the romantic problems of all, with DeFore left out in the cold. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and directed by George Marshall from a screen play by Cy Howard and Parke Levy, based on Mr. Howard's radio show. Suitable for the family. "Brimstone" with Rod Cameron, Walter Brennan and Adrian Booth (Republic, Aug. 1?; time, 90 min.) A pretty good large-scale western, photographed in Trucolor. Although it has a commonplace cattlemen-versushomesteaders plot, it should find favor with the avid cowboy fans, for it is swift-moving and abounds with chases, gunfights and all the other sure-fire ingredients that are needed to keep the excitement at a high pitch. Briefly, the story depicts Walter Brennan as an embittered former cattle baron, who had become bankrupt with the coming of the homesteaders. Bent on vengeance, he and his two older sons (Jack Lamcrt and Jim Davis) organize a bandit gang and begin looting the bank and stage coaches, attacking homesteaders, and rustling cattle, secretly splitting the loot with Forrest Tucker, the sheriff, for protection. Rod Cameron, a U. S. Marshal, disguises himself as a black-hooded night rider and hijacks the loot from Brennan and his gang. Suspecting that Tucker was in league with Brennan, Cameron, by turning over part of the loot to Tucker, tricks him into appointing him as a deputy. Several attempts are made on Cameron's life but he manages to escape unhurt. When James Brown, Brennan's youngest son, an essentially decent fellow, holds up a stage coach to get enough money to marry Adrian Booth, a nice girl, he is caught and arrested by Brennan. The information he obtains from Brown enables Cameron to discover the truth about the gang's operations, and in a showdown fight Brennan and his older sons meet their respective ends from his smoking guns. Brown, having saved Cameron's life during the gun battle, gets off with a light prison sentence and marries Adrian. Cameron is capable as the two-fisted Marshal, as is Brennan as the vindictive old villain. The direction is good, and the photography, for the most part, effective. Joseph Kane produced and directed it from a screen play by Thames Williamson, based on a story by Norman S. Hall. Unobjectionable morally. ABRAM F. MYERS' ANALYSIS (Continued from bac\ page) "WHEN WILL IT END "Judge Hand's opinion specifies that the parties shall submit a proposed amended decree and findings on or before September 20, 1949. So far as the injunctions are concerned, they are clearly outlined in the opinion and should cause no difficulty. Judge Hand specifies that the terms and procedure as to divorcement shall be those set forth in the Government's proposed decree. Turning to that document, we find it provides that within one year 'each of the major defendants4 shall submit a plan for the ultimate separation of its distribution and production business from all theatreowning or operating corporations in which it owns stock.' Thereafter the Government shall have six months in which to file objections and to propose amended or alternative plans. 'Such plans shall, in any event, provide for completion of such separation within five years from the entry of this judgment.' "In addition to this general divorcement, the Court has the problem of divesting from the circuits (which after five years will be wholly independent) those theatre which are the 'fruits' of the unlawful conspiracy as well as the breaking up of local monopolies. Judge Hand also approved the Government's proposal in this regard which calls upon the defendants to submit a detailed plan within one year. However, the Court held that the evidence now before it is insufficient on which to base a ruling as to which theatres shall be divested, and so the parties will either have to reach an agreement on this or the Government will have to offer additional evidence. Judge Hand added, hopefully: 'We may perhaps indulge in the hope that the parties may be able to agree as to the disposition of any such interests. . . "While it would seem that the die is cast, the processes of divorcement and divestiture may conceivably consume a number of years. However, the decree scheduled for presentation on September 20 will fix definitely the terms of the injunctions and specify the time limits and procedure with respect to the loose ends and, to all intents and purposes, will be a final decree within the meaning of Section 5 of the Clayton Act (15 U.S.C.A. Sec. 16). The trade papers continue to hint at further consent decrees and it is possible that the Government and the defendants may reach an accord as to the theatres to be divested as illegal fruits or parts of local monopolies. But testimony has been received as to all issues, including those left open by the Supreme Court, and findings and adjudications of guilt are in order. There is no possibility of a consent decree which could not be used as evidence in a private suit because entered before any testimony had been received. "In view of all that has taken place the entry of the usual form of consent decree containing protestations of innocence and without adjudications would be contrary to law and would stultify the Government attorneys who consented to it and the court that approved it." 'These were the adverse findings in connection with the Government's claims as to a theatre monopoly and the need for divorcement. The Court concluded that those findings would now have to be set aside. 'Up to this point this bulletin has dealt with provisions applicable to the five theatre-owning defendants. The provisions discussed under this and succeeding headings apply to all the eight major companies. 'This has reference to what Judge Hand described as the minor defendants' argument "that they should be allowed to retain their old customers irrespective of discrimination." (Italics added.) •This was prepared prior to the entry of the RKO and Paramount consent decrees.