Harrison's Reports (1950)

136 HARRISON'S REPORTS August 26, 1950 "Shakedown" with Howard Duff, Brian Donlevy and Peggy Dow (Univ.-Int'l, Sept.; time, 80 mm.) A fairly interesting but unpleasant crime melodrama, of program grade. The unpleasantness is brought about by the fact that the gangster-like story centers around a "heel," a coldblooded newspaper photographer who rises to the top of his profession by cheating, double-crossing and black' mailing. Moreover, most of the characters are unsympathetic. The action is fairly exciting in a superficial way. Howard Duff is capable as the ruthless photographer; he acts the part with realism. Brian Donlevy, as a suave gangster, and Lawrence Tierney, as his rival, are acceptable in standard characterizations. Peggy Dow, as the sympathetic picture editor who is deceived by Duff, is effective: — Duff, an ambitious but unemployed photographer, man' ages to obtain a trial job on a San Francisco paper through the efforts of Peggy Dow, the photo editor, despite the misgivings of Bruce Bennett, the managing editor. By disrc garding ethics, and by taking advantage of Peggy's affection for him, Duff becomes the paper's top photographer. He becomes friendly with Donlevy, a suave racketeer, who tips him off to a robbery planned by Tierney, a rival gangster, and gives him $1,000 to snap a picture of the crime in order to bring about Tierney's arrest. Duff gets the picture, but instead of giving it to his paper he uses it to blackmail Tierney. Attracted to Ann Vernon, Donlevy's wife, and seeking a clear field for her, Duff informs Tierney of how Donlevy had framed him, then joins him in a scheme whereby Donlevy is killed in a bomb explosion. Duff, "just passing by," gets a sensational picture of the killing, and as a result wins world-wide fame. He quits the paper despite Peggy's pleas, and makes a fortune free-lancing all over the world on special assignments. Meanwhile he continues to pursue Ann, but to no avail. Returning to San Francisco, Duff gets an assignment to photograph a society ball and cooks up a scheme whereby he compels Tierney and his gang to agree to rob the guests of their jewels, giving him half of the loot. Tired of Duff's blackmailing methods, Tierney goes to Ann and proves to her that Duff had been responsible for her husband's death. At the ball, Ann tries to shoot Duff. He escapes, only to be wounded mortally by Tierney, but as he drops Duff presses a camera shutter and gets a perfect picture of his killer. It was produced by Ted Richmond and directed by Joe Pevney from a screen play by Alfred Lewis Levitt and Martin Goldsmith, based on a story by Nat Dallinger and Don Martin. Adult fare. "When You're Smiling" with Jerome Courtland and Frankie Laine (Columbia, Sept. 21; time, 75 min.) Just a routine comedy with music, best suited for the lower-half of a double bill. The picture will appeal chiefly to those who enjoy "swing" music regardless of story values, for it features a number of radio and recording artists, including Frankie Laine, Bob Crosby, the Mills Brothers, The Modernaires, Kay Starr and Billy Daniels. Except for Frankie Laine, who plays a small part in the story, the others are spotted here and there in different song routines, which give the picture its most entertaining moments. The story itself is very ordinary, and what there is in the way of comedy is pretty weak. The production values are modest: Jerome Cowan, owner of a recording company, is constantly in financial straits because of his gambling on horses, and he seeks to marry off Margo Woode, his daughter, to a wealthy man who can be counted on to invest in the firm. As Margo prepares to return home from a Texas dude ranch, she meets Jerome Courtland, a young Texan, who tells her that he has ambitions to be a singer and that he needed a "break." Through information she receives from a ranch hand, Margo gets a false impression that Courtland is a millionaire and, when she arrives home and tells her father about him, Cowan wires the young man to come east immediately for his big opportunity. Cowan, through Courtland, hoped to raise $100,000 he owed to Robert Shayne, a bookmaker, who threatened to take over the recording company as payment. Upon arrival, Courtland, unaware that everyone believed him to be a millionaire, is given a job in the office so that he can be around for Margo to entice him into marriage. Lola Albright, the receptionist, becomes romantically interested in him, and when he tells her of his desires to sing she takes him into the studio to record his voice. Both flee when they hear Cowan approach with Shayne. To pacify Shayne's demands for payment, Cowan tells him of his plan to marry Margo to Courtland for his money. Their conversation is recorded on Courtland's record, which Lola had neglected to take off the turntable. In the complicated events that follow, the record gets into the hands of Collette Lyons, a shrewd agent, who not only recognizes Courtland's superior singing voice but also learns of Cowan's scheme to mulct the young man. Her maneuvers bring out the truth about Cowan's intentions and about Courtland's true financial status. It all ends with Courtland getting a contract to sing while free to pursue his budding romance with Lola. Meanwhile Shayne, now attracted by Margo, tears up her father's notes. It was produced by Jonie Taps and directed by Joseph Santley from a screen play by Karen DeWolf and John R. Roberts. Harmless for the family. "Saddle Tramp" with Joel McCrea and Wanda Hendrix (Univ.-Int'l, September; time, 77 min.) A satisfactory Technicolor western. What it lacks in fast, hard-riding action is more than made up for in the human appeal of the story, which has a carefree cowboy finding himself saddled with the responsibility of providing for four orphaned boys, as well as a comely young miss who had run away from the home of her mean uncle. As written, the screenplay is a bit too pat, but it provides numerous chuckles and manages to hold one's interest throughout. Worked into the proceedings is a cattle rustling plot, which makes for several exciting fist-fights between the hero and the villains. Joel McCrea gives a good account of himself as the genial footloose cowboy, and Wanda Hendrix is appealing as the pretty heroine: — Casually making his way to California, McCrea stops to visit John Ridgley, an old buddy who owned a small ranch in Nevada, whose wife had died recently, leaving him with four young sons. Ridgley borrows McCrea's horse to do a chore and is killed accidentally when the horse throws him. Feeling responsible for his friend's death, McCrea loads the ranch furnishings and the youngsters on a wagon and moves on, intending to provide for them until such a time as he can leave them with the proper authorities. He finds a job at a ranch owned by John Mclntire, an irascible man who hated children, causing McCrea to keep the youngsters hidden in the woods. Each night he steals food and takes it to the children. McCrea's disappearances every night cause friction between him and John Russell, the ranch foreman, who intimates that McCrea may be in the pay of Antonio Moreno, a neighboring rancher, whom Mclntire accused of stealing his cattle. Moreno, in turn, believed the same of Mclntire. Returning to the children's camping site one night, McCrea finds Wanda, who had run away from the home of Ed Begley, her mean uncle. He permits her to stay with the children, and they become deeply attached to each other. In the course of events, McCrea is suspected of cattle rustling by Mclntire, but through information given him by the children he discovers that the cattle was being stolen by Peter Leeds, Moreno's foreman, and Michael Steele, a Mclntire cowpoke, who had covered their activities by pitting the ranch owners against each other. McCrea confronts the two men and is overpowered by them. Wanda learns of McCrea's predicament and, together with the children, rides to the Mclntire ranch for help, arriving in time to prevent a gun battle between Moreno's and Mclntire's forces. The two ranchers join forces and go to McCrea's rescue. It ends with McCrea and Wanda marrying and settling down with a rcadymade family. It was produced by Leonard Goldstein and directed by Hugo Fregonese from a story and screen play by Harold Shumate. Good for the family.