Harrison's Reports (1950)

94 June 17, 1950 "Broken Arrow" with James Stewart, Jeff Chandler and Debra Paget (2Ul.ii (Jenturyl'vx, August, time, 93 mm.) Photographed in Technicolor, this is a line historical western, expertly written, directed and acted. It is a picture that should satisiy all types oi patrons, western ians or not, lor, in addition to the exciting action in the conflict between the Apache Indians and the pioneering whites in the Arizona territory in 167U, it oilers a poweriuily dramatic story in the sincere Joint etlorts ot a tearless irontiersrnan and an equally tearless Apache chief to bring about a state oi peace uuu unuiasidiiUiiig between their peoples, despite the machinations oi treacherous renegades on both sides. James Stewart, as the irontiersrnan, and Jell Chandler, as the Apache chiel, are excellent in their sympathetic characters zations. Ihere is much human appeal in Stewarts tender romance with, and marriage to, an Indian maiden, played by Debra faget, an appealing newcomer. Her death, when sne is shot by renegade whites lrom ambush, is most tragic. Credit is due the makers oi this iiim lor their understanding portrayal ol the Indian side ol American history, and lor their lairness in depicting good and evil on both sides. Although the story is told in terms oi entertainment, it oilers considerable lood lor thought on the importance of learning to live together in harmony : — Led by Cochise, their leader, the Apache Indians wage constant war on the white men, who had once made peace with them but had broken their word. Stewart, a iar 'Sighted irontiersrnan, who realized that the white men had not dealt lairly with the Apaches, boldly decides to visit Cochise lor a peace talk, rie learns to speak the Apache dialect and through smoke signals, makes known his wish to conier with Cochise. The Apache leader permits him into the encampment and, alter a brief talk, senses that Stewart is a man to be trusted. Still suspicious but susceptible to the idea of peace, Cochise, as a token demonstration of his good faith, guarantees sate passage for the U. S. Mail riders through the territory. When Stewart tells the white men of this, they refuse to believe him, but they change their atti' tude when the mail riders go through unmolested. Cochise, however, continues battling the other whites, even wiping out an American military detachment. President Grant, eager for a fair peace with the Apaches, sends Basil Ruysdael, a general, to Arizona. Stewart arranges a peace conference, which results in the acceptance of a truce by all the Apache tribes except those led by Geronimo. Meanwhile Stewart falls in love with Debra and wins Cochise's consent to marry her and stay at the encampment. Dissatisfied with the truce, a group of hate-ridden whites, led by Will Geer, trick Stewart, Debra and Cochise into an ambush. Cochise escapes, but Debra is killed and Stewart wounded. Stewart, in his grief and wrath, wants to avenge Debra's death by an allout war against the whites, but Cochise quiets him down, pointing out that the attack was the work, not of the military, but of renegade whites who, like Geronimo and his renegades, had violated the peace. It was produced by Julian Blaustein and directed by Delmer Daves irorn a screen play by Michael Blankfort, based on Elliott Arnold's novel, "Blood Brother." Excellent for the family. "Panic in the Streets" with Richard Widmark, Paul Douglas and Barbara Bel Geddes (20th Century-Fox, September; time, 93 min.) By virtue of a tightly-woven screen play, excellent direction and competent acting, this melodrama emerges as a taut, absorbing thriller that should make its mark at the boxoffice. It is a chase story, revolving around a police hunt for several murderers who were unknowingly contaminated with bubonic plague, and who had to be captured lest they spread the disease. The melodramatic action is kept at a feverish pace, and the suspense is maintained from start to finish as the police, aided by a U. S. Public Health officer, carry on the hunt in secrecy so as not to frighten the populace. Of the many exciting and suspenseful scenes, the most effective ones occur towards the finish, where the criminals are trapped in a huge dock warehouse and are either apprehended or killed. Much of the picture's effectiveness is owed to the documentary-like treatment and the actual New Orleans backgrounds, as well as the unusually good camera work: — Having lost money in a poker game to Louis Charles, newly arrived in New Orleans illegally, Jack Pulanz, Zero Mostel and Guy Thomajian rob and kill him. When the body is found an autopsy discloses that the man had been suffering from bubonic plague. The police notify Richard Widmark, a doctor with the U. S. Public Health Service, who orders the body burned immediately and 6ees to it that all persons known to have had contact with it are inoculated. He then arranges a conference with the heads of the city government and points out to them the importance of catching the slayers quickly lest they unknowingly spread the disease. Widmark insists that the reason for the hunt be kept secret even from the newspapers lest people flee the city and endanger the entire nation. Paul Douglas, captain of the homicide squad, is assigned to the case. He rounds up all questionable characters, but this procedure comes to nothing. Widmark, dismayed by the lack of results, takes a hand in the investigation himself, much to Douglas' annoyance. He succeeds in tracking down a fisherman who had smuggled the dead man into the country, and learns that he had been an Armenian. With this meager information, Widmark and Douglas begin a canvass of the city's Armenian restaurants, and their intensive search uncovers clues that help them to identify the three thugs, one of whom had become deathly ill with the plague. The other two become panicky and flee to the docks to escape in an outgoing freighter,. but alert work by Widmark and Douglas brings about their capture. The public's safety assured, Widmark returns home to Barbara Bel Geddes, his admiring wife, for a well-earned rest. It was produced by Sol C. Siegel and directed by Elia Kazan lrom a screen play by Richard Murphy, based on a story by Edna and Edward Anhalt. Unobjectionable morally. "The Great Jewel Robber" with David Brian and Marjorie Reynolds (Warner Bros., July 15; time, 91 min.) A fairly interesting crook melodrama, supposedly biographical ot the criminal career of Gerard Dennis, the widely publicized thief, who is now serving a prison term of eighteen years. Dennis, effectively portrayed by David Brian, is shown as a suave crook who used many women as dupes to further his schemes. Although it is supposed to be based on fact, the story follows a conventional line for pictures of this type, and offers little that is unusual, but it manages to hold one's interest fairly well since it moves along at a fast and somewhat exciting pace. The story opens with Dennis being turned over to the Canadian police by the irate father of Claudia Barrett, who objected to the attention he was paying to her. He breaks out of prison and, on a promise ot marriage, bluffs Claudia into handing him her money and jewels. He then makes his way to Buffalo with the aid of Perdita Chandler, who introduces him to a crime set-up. But his experiences there end disastrously when he tries a doublecross and is sent to the hospital with a broken jaw. There, Marjorie Reynolds, his nurse, falls in love with him. He marries her upon his recovery and goes to New Rochelle where, based on information she had given him, he robs wealthy homes. While living with Marjorie, who believed that he had reformed, Dennis takes up with Alice Talton, a sexy iur model, when he tries to dispose of some stolen gems in New York. Marjorie, discovering his infidelity, informs the police of his whereabouts, but he manages to escape the trap set for him, after giving Marjorie a beating. He goes to Los Angeles, where he wins the love of Jacqueline De Witt, a wealthy widow, and uses her hospitality to rob her wealthy friends. In due time, however, the police catch up with him and return him to New Rochelle, where he again makes a daring escape, but he is nabbed within a few hours and sent to prison. It was produced by Bryan Foy and directed by Peter Godfrey from a screen play by Borden Chase. Adult fare. "Johnny One-Eye" with Pat O'Brien, Wayne Morris and Dolores Moran (United Artists, May 5; time, 78 min.) This crime melodrama has its moments of excitement, but it is weak in entertainment values and will have to depend on Pat O'Brien's name. Adapted from Damon Runyon's story of the same name, the plot is a confused mixture of crooked politics, underworld intrigue, and personal revenge between rival racketeers, with a touch of sentimentalism introduced by having one of the racketeers show compassion for a mistreated dog and sacrificing his life to save a little girl from harm at the end. The action fails to hold a tight grip on one's interest, first, because of the slow-paced direction, and secondly, because of the arty approach, which serves only to make some of the characters appear ludicrous. Moreover, it is demoralizing, for it attempts to win sympathy for worthless characters: —