Harrison's Reports (1950)

22 HARRISON'S REPORTS February 11, 1950 "Three Came Home" with Claudette Colbert, Patric Knowles and Sessue Hayakawa (20th Century-Fox, no rel. date set; time, 106 win.) Based on Agnes Newton Keith's widely-read autobiographical book, "Three Came Home" is a stirring factual drama of the harrowing experiences undergone by herself, her husband and child, as well as 24 other wives, 45 white men and 11 children, as prisoners of the Japanese during the occupation of British North Borneo in the recent con' flict. It is not, of course, a cheerful entertainment, but it has been presented so skillfully and with such conviction and realism that it grips one's attention throughout and keeps one gulping because of its emotional impact. Covering the period from 1940 to the end of the war, the story is a heart-rending depiction of the anxiety, misery and grief suffered by the white colonists stationed in Sandakan as they awaited the Japanese occupation after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and later as they were evacuated to prison camps, with the men and women and children im' prisoned separately. One feels keenly the heart-breaking partings between the men and their loved ones, each fearful of the fate in store for the other. Particularly realistic are the scenes of the prison camps in which the women and children, deathly ill most of the time, live in filth, hunger and degradation throughout their years of imprisonment. Several of the Japanese captors are shown as stern but humane, but a number of them are depicted as fiends, utterly heartless in their brutal treatment of the women. The bestial cruelties they subject the women to from time to time are enough to make one's blood curdle. Most of the action is so grim that the few light touches of comedy here and there come as a welcome relief. The closing scenes, where the imprisoned husbands and wives are reunited after being liberated by American and Australian troops, will bring tears to the eyes of even the most hardened spectator. Every one in the competent cast performs excellently under the inspired direction of Jean Nugelesco. Claudette Colbert, as Mrs. Keith, the American wife of a British official, endows the role with understanding, sympathy and courage, turning in one of the finest performances of her career. Particularly noteworthy is the outstanding work of Sessue Hayakawa, as a stern but humane Japanese colonel. All in all, it is a powerful dramatic story, one that will impress itself indelibly on all who will see it. Nunnally Johnson wrote the screen play and produced it. Best suited for mature audiences because of the grim subject matter. "Unmasked" with Raymond Burr, Barbara Fuller and Robert Rockwell (Republic. January 30; time, 60 min.) Just a minor program picture. It is a crime melodrama, one that would not be missed if it had never been made, for the contrived story is neither realistic nor convincing, and the treatment is totally lacking in originality. It has all the earmarks of "quickie," and it is doubtful if even the undiscriminating audiences will take an interest in the proceedings, for it offers little that is exciting. The direction and acting are no more than adequate: — Raymond Burr, publisher of a scandal sheet, tricks gullible women into investing in his venture. Hillary Brooke, his latest conquest, who was married to Paul Harvey, once a top-flight producer, looks forward to divorcing her husband with expectations of marrying Burr. Harvey quarrels with Hillary and takes away the jewels he had given to her lest they find their way into Burr's hands. Burr, learning of Harvey's action, murders Hillary to destroy evidence of how much money he owed her, then cleverly pins suspicion for the crime on Harvey. Fearing that he will be charged with the murder, the aging producer goes into hiding. He falls prey to Norman Budd, a small-time crook who was secretly in the pay of Burr, and gives him the jewels to raise enough money to secure the services of a good lawyer. Meanwhile Barbara Fuller, Harvey's daughter by a previous marriage, starts a search for her father with the aid of detective Robert Rockwell. Unable to stand the pressure when the police locate him, Harvey commits suicide. Budd, having possession of the jewels, offers to sell them to John Eldredge, a gangster, who agrees to buy them if Budd would help in a prison break planned for Eldredge's younger brother. Burr, learning of the planned break from Budd, informs the district attorney so as to appear like a good citizen. Forewarned, the prison officials kill Eldredge's brother when he attempts to break out. Eldredge, discovering the source of the leak, kills Budd and plots to get Burr. He kidnaps Barbara and, using her as bait, lures Burr to a seashore hideout. There, Eldredge plans to kill them both, thus avenging his brother's death and at the same time ridding himself of the only persons who knew that he had the jewels. But Rockwell, who had been trailing Barbara, arrives on the scene and, after a bitter fight in which Eldredge and Burr are killed, rescues Barbara. It was produced by Stephen Auer and directed by George Blair from a screen play by Albert DeMond and Norman S. Hall, based on a story by Manuel Seff and Paul Yawitz. Adult fare. "Young Man with a Horn" with Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall and Doris Day (Warner Bros., no rel. date set; time, 112 min.) Centering around the rise and downfall of an outstanding trumpet player, "Young Man with a Horn" is a compelling drama, best suited for adult audiences. Kirk Douglas, whose first acting chore this is since his role as the prizefighter in "Champion," comes through with another fine performance as the jazz musician who lives only for his trumpet playing until an unfortunate marriage leads him into alcoholism. Much of the story's strong emotional punch is derived from his sensitive, pathetic portrayal. An outstanding feature of the film is the excellent trumpet playing of popular songs that is heard throughout the proceedings. This music is the work of Harry James, who is not seen on the screen, but Douglas' lip movements and fingering of the instrument is a perfect job of synchronization. Excellent work is turned in by Doris Day, as a sympathetic singer who gives Douglas his fir6t break; Juano Hernandez, as a kindly Negro musician who teaches Douglas how to play the trumpet; and Hoagy Carmichael, as a piano player who becomes Douglas' pal. Lauren Bacall, as the sophisticated neurotic Douglas marries, overacts the part badly: — As a youngster, Douglas is attracted to the music played by a colored band headed by Hernandez, who recognizes that the boy has talent and teaches him to play the trumpet. He separates from Hernandez at the age of twenty to take a job with a dance orchestra on the road. He becomes friendly with Hoagy Carmichael, the pianist, and Doris Day, the vocalist, who falls in love with him but realizes that his music was uppermost in his mind. Douglas loses his job when he insists upon playing the music as he feels it and not as it is written. After months of playing in cheap saloons, he goes to New York. There he finds Doris, now a headliner, who takes him to a small cafe where Hernandez and his band were playing. Hernandez, aging fast and no longer a great trumpeter, invites Douglas to play with the band. His brilliant playing is heard by Jerome Cowan, a famous band leader, who gives him a contract. Douglas soon becomes a star attraction, but he religiously goes to the small cafe every night to play with Hernandez and boost his fading morale. Doris introduces him to Lauren Bacall, a magnetic but neurotic girl, and before long their meeting develops into a frantic love affair, ending with their marriage. They live happily for the first few months until Lauren, tiring of Douglas, becomes restless. She leaves him after a violent quarrel. He takes to drink after the breakup, neglects his friends, and forsakes his music. Penniless and ill, he eventually lands in an alcoholic ward, where he is found by Hoagy and Doris. They nurse him back to health and get him to start life anew with his beloved trumpet. It was produced by Jerry Wald and directed by Michael Curtiz from a screen play by Carl Foreman and Edmund H. North, based on the novel by Dorothy Baker. Adult fare.