Harrison's Reports (1950)

May 27, 1950 HARRISON'S REPORTS 83 "Night and the City" with Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney (20th Century-Fox, June; time, 95 min.) The seamy side of life in London is vividly and effectively depicted in this highly thrilling melodrama, which was produced in England. Although expertly directed and acted, it is not a picture that will appeal to the heart, but those who like their entertainment raw, tough and brutal should get much satisfaction out of it. The principal character, played by Richard Widmark, is an unscrupulous opportun' ist, and the other characters are generally of a low-life grade. Gene Tierney, as his girl-friend, is decent, but her part is relatively minor. The action is fast, and it is packed with so much excitement and suspense that it grips one from the start and never lets up. An outstanding sequence is where a no-holds-barred fight takes place in a wrestling ring between Stanislaus Zbyszko and Mike Mazurki; it is without question one of the most realistic and thrilling fights ever filmed. Zbyszko, incidentally, turns in a very fine performance in a highly sympathetic role. The actual London backgrounds, enhanced by the fine photography, are a definite asset: — Widmark, a tout for a London night-club owned by Francis L. Sullivan, is full of wild schemes, most of which take the last penny of his girl-friend, Gene, a singer in the club. One day Widmark overhears Zbyszko, a famous wrestler just arrived from Athens, upbraid Herbert Lorn, his son, for sponsoring fake wrestling matches in London. Thinking fast, Widmark makes friends with Zbyszko and, by sympathizing with his dislike for modern wrestling, wins his confidence as well as a partnership agreement to sponsor Ken Richmond, a young wrestler trained by Zbyszko. Widmark's secret aim was to wrest control of the wrestling game from Lom by capitalizing on his (Lom's) father's prestige. Through a series of unscrupulous moves Widmark secretly obtains the money needed for the venture from Googie Withers, Sullivan's unfaithful wife. Sullivan, learning of his wife's infidelity, maneuvers Widmark into a spot where, to save the venture, a match between Mike Mazurki, the champion, and Richmond was necessary. Knowing that Zybszko would not permit Richmond to wrestle a man of Mazurki's low calibre, Widmark gets Mazurki drunk and provokes him into taunting Zbyszko. This leads to an impromptu fight in which Zbyszko thrashes Mazurki only to die from the terrific strain on his aged heart. Lom, holding Widmark responsible for his father's death, notifies the underworld to get Widmark. A man-hunt ensues, with Widmark coming to his end when Mazurki catches and strangles him, but before he dies he tries to make it appear as if Gene had revealed his whereabouts so that she might collect the money Lom had offered for his capture. It was produced by Samuel G. Engel and directed by Jules Dassin from a screen play by Jo Eisinger, based on the novel by Gerald Kersh. Adult fare. "Bright Leaf" with Gary Cooper, Lauren Bacall and Patricia Neal (Warner Bros., July 1; time, 110 min.) The first-rate production values given to this adaptation of Foster Fitz-Simon's novel, and its colorful depiction of the growth of the tobacco industry in the late 1890's, make it a striking picture in many respects. On the whole, however, it is no more than a fairly interesting drama that will have to depend on the drawing power of the players. Adult in dialogue and in treatment, the picture is overlong, plotheavy and slow-paced, and its theme of love and revenge somewhat unpleasant. Most of the characterizations, though interesting, are unsympathetic, for they are ruthless and motivated by vengeance. The performances are uniformly good, and there are a number of individual scenes that are outstanding, but there is so much plot and counterplot that, for the most part, the drama fails to come through on the screen with telling emotional impact: — Excitement leaps high in the southern town of Kingsmont when Gary Cooper arrives; he and his tenant-farmer father had been driven out of town some years before by Donald Crisp, the biggest tobacco grower there, and Cooper had vowed to one day take possession of "Bright Leaf," Crisp's fabulous mansion, and to marry Patricia Ncal his daughter, who had been forbidden to see Cooper. He finds an opportunity to buck Crisp when Jeff Corey asks him to finance a cigarette manufacturing machine. Cooper raises the needed money from Lauren Bacall, an old-time sweetheart and operator of a"refined brothel," making her, Corey, and Jack Carson, a former medicine show man, his partners. The machine proves to be a huge success, and Cooper, through monopolistic methods, drives his competitors, in' eluding Crisp, out of business. Crisp fails in an attempt to kill Cooper, then commits suicide. He pursues Patricia and marries her, to the utter dismay of Lauren, who breaks with him. With "Bright Leaf" in his possession, and Patricia now his wife, Cooper sets out to gain control of the world's tobacco markets and rides roughshod over his own partners in the process. In due time his marriage turns out to be most unhappy, and he discovers that Patricia, to avenge her father's suicide, had provided the Government with information necessary to break his monopoly. Moreover, she had sold stock entrusted to her short, ruining him financially. He evicts her from "Bright Leaf," sets fire to the mansion, and lets it burn to the ground. He then turns to Lauren, but, when she tells him that she had lost all feeling for him, he rides off a dejected man. It was produced by Henry Blanke and directed by Michael Curtiz from a screen play by Ranald MacDougall. Adult fare. "Father Makes Good" with Raymond Walburn and Walter Catlett (Monogram, May 7; time, 61 min.) A mild program comedy, suitable chiefly for small towns. The story is lightweight, for it deals with the "exploits" of a mild-mannered cow. Good direction, however, enables it to provoke mild laughter in some of the situations. At any rate, it does not offend one's feelings even though it might tax one's intelligence. In crowded houses, it should take much better than in houses with empty seats. The photography is clear: — When Raymond Walburn, a resident of a small town, learns from Walter Catlett, the Mayor, that the money collected for taxes on milk is to be spent on a golf course, he becomes so incensed that, to save the tax, he buys a milking cow for his family. This starts a series of complications, for the lowing noise of the cow disturbs the neighborhood. The Mayor, however, is unable to do anything about it, for there was no city ordinance against it. Meanwhile Cary Gray, Walburn's son, aided by George Nokes, the Mayor's son, milks the cow secretly and sells the milk to neighbors to collect enough money to buy a bicycle, which his father had refused to buy him for a birthday present. Meanwhile the Mayor, instead of fighting Walburn, decides to befriend him, hoping to induce him, through kindness, to sell the cow. He approaches Walburn and sells him the idea of delivering the 4th of July celebration address. Early on the morning of the 4th, Walburn thinks it is a good idea to fire the old cannon in the city park, but the cannon ball nearly hits Francis Ford, who had been fishing nearby. Ford goes gunning for Walburn, and the Mayor threatens Walburn with arrest for having broken the law unless, of course, he disposes of the cow. Walburn finds an excuse to sell the cow, making every one happy. Peter Scully produced it, and Jean Yarbrough directed it, from a screen play by D. D. Beauchamp, who based it on his own story, "Journey at Sunrise," published in Good Housekeeping Magazine. Harmless for the family. "Curtain Call at Cactus Creek" with Donald O'Connor and Gale Storm (Univ.'Int'l, June; time, 86 min.) Photographed in Technicolor, "Curtain Call at Cactus Creek" is a lively and amusing mixture of slapstick, burlesque, songs and dances, revolving around the misadventures of a traveling theatrical company in the days of the wild and woolly West. Although it does have its dull moments here and there, the action for the most part is speedy, the characterizations amusing, and the comical mix-ups laugh-provoking. Donald O'Connor, as a one-man stage crew with ambitions to become an actor, is very good, and his innocent entanglements with a band of bank robbers will provoke much hearty laughter. Gale Storm, as his girl-friend, is appealing, and Eve Ardcn, as a fading musical comedy star, and Vincent Price, as a "ham" Shakespearian actor, make the most of their interpretations. The old vaudeville skits and the one-act melodramas put on by the troupe add much to the merriment. All in all, it is the kind of picture that helps one to pass the time quickly and pleasantly. (Ed. Note: The full review with synopsis and credits will be published next week.)