Harrison's Reports (1950)

30 HARRISON'S REPORTS February 25, 1950 "Stage Fright" with Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich and Richard Todd (Warner Bros., April 15; time, 110 min.) Produced in England, this latest Alfred Hitchcock picture is a rambling murder thriller that wavers constantly between comedy that is delightfully funny and melodrama that is rarely more than moderately exciting. The overall result is a spotty entertainment that is too dragged out to keep ones interest constantly alive. The main trouble with the picture lies in the improper development of the involved plot, which is given to wordy situations that slow down the action considerably, and which is not always logical. The performances are competent, the char' acterizations interesting, and there are individual scenes that reach high points in comedy and suspense, but on the whole the picture lacks the touch that makes for sustained fascination : — The story opens with Richard Todd, in a desperate plight, enlisting the aid of Jane Wyman, his girl' friend, a student at a dramatic school. He informs her that the police suspected him of murdering the husband of Marlene Dietrich, a musical comedy star, who had committed the deed herself, but that he had become involved in an effort to help her cover up the crime. Jane, in love with Todd and believing him innocent, offers to hide him out at her father s lodge and, despite the warnings of her father (Alastair Sim) not to become involved herself, decides to do a little investigating to clear Todd of suspicion. She becomes mixed up in all sorts of complications as a result of a chance meeting with Michael Wilding, a Scotland Yard detective assigned to the case. In the events that follow, she makes a deal with Marlene's maid to take over her job, and she soon finds herself in a continuous round of predicaments because of her efforts to keep Marlene from discovering that she knew Todd. To add to her troubles, she falls in love with Wilding, who had no idea of her connection with Todd. In due time, however, her activities become known to Wilding, and she is shocked no end when he proves to her that Todd had really committed the murder himself. Taking advantage of her friendship with Todd, Wilding employs Jane to trap Todd in an empty theatre, where he meets accidental death on the stage after a hectic chase. It was produced and directed by Mr. Hitchcock from a screen play by Whitfield Cook, based on a novel by Selwyn Jepson. Adult fare. "The Vicious Years" with Tommy Cook, Gar Moore and Eduard Franz (Film Classics, March; time, 79 min.) Powerful entertainment. It is a drama with regeneration as the theme— the regeneration of a filthy young hoodlum of fourteen, a blackmailer. There are situations that will make one's eyes swell with tears, such as where the young hoodlum refuses to give away the murderer, the son of the man who had befriended him. Other deeply emotional situations are those in which Eduard Franz's family, with the exception of the son, are kind to the young blackmailer and show a sincere desire to make a man out of him. Tommy Cook is excellent as the youngster who becomes regenerated. His responsiveness to kindness, and the fine traits he displays in the end, are inspiring. He is convincing at all times, as are all the others in the little known but competent cast. The direction is highly skillful. The photography is good: — Tommy, a homeless and rugged hoodlum in a postwar Italian city, sees Gar Wood, son of a noble but impoverished family, murder a man from whom he had borrowed money. He traces Gar to his home, reveals his knowledge of the murder, and demands that he be permitted to live there as his price for silence. Franz, Gar's father, accepts Tommy so as to protect his son. He buys Tommy clothes to make him look respectable. The youngster lives there unwanted and hated by Gar, but Sybil Merntt, Gar's young wife, and Marjone Eaton, Franz's gently demented sister, treat him kindly. Eventually Franz begins to feel fondness for the boy who, hungry for family love, drops his hardness and defiance. Police Lieutenant Anthony Ross, unable to understand what prompted Franz to take a hoodlum into his home, questions him. Franz gives him a reasonable motive and informs him that he planned to adopt Tommy legally. But when Tommy learns that Franz had no intention of adopting him, he becomes embittered and accosts Gar's wife, for which act Gar beats him unmercifully. Deciding to rid himself of Tommy, Gar sets out on a new approach: He feigns regret over the beating he had given him, lulls the boy into a false sense of security, and then proposes that they celebrate their new-found friendship with a trip to the seashore, where he will teach Tommy how to swim. Gar hires a rowboat, and after rowing a distance from shore, punches a hole in the boat and leaves Tommy to drown, while he swims ashore. Gar's report that Tommy had drowned accidentally is dispelled when word comes that he had been rescued by fishermen. Ross, suspecting foul play, questions Tommy, but the lad, bound by his loyalty to Franz refuses to say anything. But Franz, realizing that his son had killed one man and had attempted to murder another, tells Ross the truth. Tommy, feeling that he had caused Franz's household much unhappiness decides to go away, but Franz, now deeply attached to the boy, persuades him to return. It was produced by Anson Bond and directed by Robert Florey from a story and screen play by M Richard Nash. Suitable for the family. "The Kid from Texas" with Audie Murphy, Gale Storm and Albert Dekker (Univ.'Int'l, March; time, 78 min.) Photographed in Technicolor, this is a fairly good Western melodrama. Its appeal, however, will be directed mostly to the avid followers of pictures of this type, for the story, which is another version of the exploits of Billy the Kid, the famed young outlaw, is cut from a stereotyped pattern and offers little that is novel. But the story's deficiencies probably will be overlooked by the Western fans, for the action has more than a fair share of thrills and dangers, with plentiful hard-riding and fierce gun-fighting. Audie Murphy, as "Billy," gives a sensitive portrayal. Ethically, however, the picture is questionable, for it glamorizes an outlaw and makes him out to be appealing and sympathetic : — The story, which takes place in 1880, depicts the ranch country in New Mexico in a state of turmoil, with the leading landowners battling for control of the range. On one side is Dennis Hooey, while the rival forces are led by Albert Dekker and his partner, Shepperd Strudwick. When four of Hooey's henchmen raid the offices of Dekker and Strudwick, both are saved from harm by Audie Murphy, an 18-yearold drifter, who disarms the attackers and routs them. Strudwick takes a liking to Audie and gives him a job on the ranch, despite Dekker 's misgivings. Dekker's dislike for Audie is increased when Gale Storm, his youthful wife, is attracted to the lad. When a' group of Hooey's men raid the ranch and kill Strud