Harrison's Reports (1950)

March 11, 1950 HARRISON'S REPORTS 39 "Please Believe Me" with Deborah Kerr, Robert Walker, Mark Stevens and Peter Lawford (MGM, May; time, 86 min.) This romantic comecly-farce has its humorous moments, but on the whole it is only mildly entertaining. Revolving around a pretty English girl who comes to the United States to claim what she mistakenly believes is a fortune, the story is a rather flimsy affair that misses fire despite the struggles of the cast to breathe life and laughter into it. Most of the comedy stems from her romantic entanglements with three men — one a fortune-hunter, another a wealthy, irresponsible playboy, and the third the playboy's lawyer, who believes that the heroine has designs on his client. For the most part, however, the comedy fails to register because it is forced. Moreover, the picture suffers from situations that are dragged out to a point where they become tiresome. The superficial treatment, the meagerness of the writing, and the lack of ingenuity in the direction keep it from being the sprightly entertainment it was meant to be: — Unaware that a 50,000-acre ranch willed to her by an American friend was worth less than ten cents an acre, Deborah Kerr boards a boat for the United States believing she is wealthy. En route, she becomes the objective of Robert Walker, who was seeking to marry an heiress in order to pay up a debt to J. Carrol Naish, a gambler. Naish was financing Walker's quest, and had hired James Whitmore to pose as his valet and check his expenditures. Walker's campaign hits a snag when Peter Lawford, a wealthy playboy, makes a play for Deborah. But Lawford, too, finds himself stymied when Mark Stevens, his lawyer, tries to protect him from a possible adventuress and falls in love with Deborah himself. Stevens' faith in her is shattered when Whitmore, to rid Walker of opposition, implies that Deborah and Walker had hatched a plot to mulct Lawford of his money. Learning that Stevens mistrusts her, Deborah becomes furious and deliberately plays up to Lawford when they land in New York. Meanwhile Walker manages to introduce her to Naish, who agrees to advance him additional funds. By this time convinced that Deborah is honest, Stevens becomes suspicious again when he learns that her ranch was worthless. He offers to marry her anyway, but she walks out on him. Now aware of her own financial position, as well as of Walker's, Deborah cooks up a scheme whereby she legitimately tricks Lawford into buying a rug from her for many times its value, but she tears up the check at the last moment because of her inherent honesty. The climax has all three men proposing to her, with Stevens emerging the winner. It was produced by Val Lewton and directed by Norman Taurog from a story and screen play by Nathaniel Curtis. Harmless for the family. "The Great Plane Robbery" with Tom Conway and Margaret Hamilton (United Artwts, Mar. 10; time, 61 min.) A mediocre program melodrama. It will provide a minimum of entertainment for even the most undiscriminating movie-goers, for the story is synthetic, implausible and routine throughout. Even the direction and acting are undistinguished. Practically all the action takes place aboard a plane and, except for a fight between the villain and the pilot, it offers little excitement. As a matter of fact, even though the picture runs for only one hour it has been padded considerably to give it that length. There is some comedy, but it is silly and inept: — Told by the flashback method, the story opens with a huge airliner, piloted by Tom Conway, preparing to take off from New York to Los Angeles. Included among the passengers are Marcel Journet, a diamond merchant; Steve Brodic and David Bruce, two slick-looking characters; and Margaret Hamilton, a typical busybody. The plane goes as far as Kansas City without incident, but when it departs after a short stopover the stewardesses find one of the passengers murdered in the wardrobe compartment. Before they can report their discovery, however, Bruce and Brodie draw guns and systematically rob the passengers, taking also Journet's jewel case. They destroy the plane's radio equipment and then parachute through the plane's escape hatch. Journet begins a tirade about holding the airline responsible for his loss, but, when Margaret discloses that the crooks had taken an empty jewel case from him, he draws a gun and admits that he had masterminded the whole affair. He reveals that the passenger found murdered was an insurance detective assigned to protect his jewels, and that he had hired Bruce and Brodie to stage the fake hold-up. By putting the plane into a fast bank, Conway throws Journet off balance and engages him in a desperate fight with the plane out of control. He finally subdues Journet, brings the plane under control, and has his co-pilot rig up a makeshift radio to contact the Los Angeles airport. The plane is met by the police, who take Journet into custody. It was produced by Sam Baerwitz, who wrote the screen play in collaboration with Richard G. Hubler, based on a story by Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene. Edward L. Cahn directed it. Unobjectionable morally. "The Reformer and the Redhead" with June Ally son and Dick Powell (MGM, May; time, 90 min.) A pretty good romantic comedy. Revolving around a crusading young lawyer who beats and exposes a crooked political machine, the story is basically familiar, but good comedy situations, bright dialogue, and a charming and amusing romance make it an entertainment that should be enjoyed by most audiences. Dick Powell is effective as the lawyer, and June Allyson is just right as the pert, vivacious redhead who wins his heart. Considerable laughter is provoked by the encounters Powell has with a tame lion and other animals who wander about June's home. The sequence where he meets a vicious lion escaped from the zoo and thinks the beast to be June's pet will have the audience howling. David Wayne, as Powell's cynical law partner, and Marvin Kaplan, as their unhappy law clerk, add much to the amusing proceedings: — Returning from a big game expedition to oversee the coming election for Mayor, Ray Collins, political boss of a small California city, is persuaded by his aides to back Powell, a progressive young lawyer who had been brought up in the city's orphanage. Powell, a little slick himself, asks for time to consider the candidacy so as not to appear too eager. Meanwhile Collins sees to it that Cecil Kellaway, superintendent of the zoo, is discharged for opposing his donations of mounted hunt trophies; Kellaway disapproved of killing wild life. Collins' action riles June, his daughter, who gets into a scrap with Collins' niece and lands in jail. Released on bail, she takes her case to Powell, who becomes sympathetic when she accuses Collins of crooked politics to oust her father. He goes to see Kellaway at his ranch and, after a trying time with June's pet lion, obtains a clue about Collins' crooked leadership. He goes out of town to check on Collins and, during his absence, June enlists the aid of the orphanage kids and starts a campaign to elect Powell without Collins' backing. He returns with criminal evidence against Collins but suppresses it in a secret deal with Collins for his support. Robert Keith, a newspaperman friend, learns of the deal and so informs June. Disillusioned, she returns the engagement ring Powell had given her. Her attitude makes Powell see the light and, in a courageous radio address, he denounces Collins after admitting the deal with him. His conscience clear, Powell drives to the ranch to meet June. En route, he comes across an escaped lion whom he mistakenly believes is June's pet. He prods the snarling beast into his car and then faints dead away when Kellaway comes on the scene and reveals the truth. While Kellaway gets the beast into a cage, Powell revives sufficiently to take June in his arms. It was produced and directed by Norman Panama and Mclvin Frank from their own screenplay, based on a story by Robert Carson. Suitable for the family.