Harrison's Reports (1950)

142 HARRISON'S REPORTS September 9, 1950 "The Sleeping City" with Richard Conte and Coleen Gray (Unw.-Int'l, September; time, 84 min.) Given a semi-documentary treatment and shot on actual locations in and around New York City's Bellevue Hospital, this is an interesting murder mystery melodrama. It does not, however, match the superior quality of "Naked City," as the trade paper ads would have you believe. The story, which revolves around a detective who poses as a doctor to unravel the murder of an interne, and who discovers an illicit traffic in narcotics in the process, is somewhat short on excitement, and one guesses the murderer's identity long before the finish, yet there is enough intrigue and suspense to grip one's attention throughout. The authentic hospital scenes and the realistic depiction of an interne's life and routine give the picture a fascinating quality. The direction and acting are good, as is the low'key photography: — When efforts to solve the hospital murder of Hugh Reilly, an interne, prove fruitless, police inspector John Alexander assigns Richard Conte, of his confidential squad, to the case. Conte, having had some medical experience in the Army, poses as an interne and is assigned to the emergency ward, where Reilly had served, and there meets Coleen Gray, the ward nurse, who had been Reilly's sweetheart. When Alex Nicol, a moody interne, commits suicide because his meagre wages did not permit him to marry Peggy Dow, a student nurse, Conte learns that both Nicol and Reilly had been heavily in debt to Richard Taber, an elderly hospital elevator operator, who induced the internes to place horse race bets with him on credit. Suspicious, Conte starts to place bets with Taber and soon runs up a bill of several hundred ^pilars. Before long Taber confronts him with a demand for immediate payment, claiming that his (Taber's) bookie will resort to violence. Conte pleads that he hasn't got the money, and Taber suggests that he pay off the debt in morphine, which he could obtain with the cooperation of his ward nurse by signing a prescription for an emergency patient. Through clever detective work, Conte soon establishes that Coleen and Taber were working hand-in-hand, blackmailing the internes to carry on an illegal traffic in dope. In the end, he brings about Coleen's arrest and, to save his own life, kills Taber in a blazing gun duel. It was produced by Leonard Goldstein and directed by George Sherman from a story and screenplay by Jo Eisinger. Adult fare. "Rookie Fireman" with Bill Williams, Barton MacLane and Marjorie Williams (Columbia, October; time, 63 min.) A minor low-budget melodrama that will just about make the grade as a supporting feature on a mid-week double bill in secondary situations. It barely holds one's attention, for the story is hackneyed and the characterizations stereotyped. Moreover, it is sorely lacking in fast action and excitement, for most of the proceedings are confined to the four walls of a firehouse with a minimum of footage devoted to firefighting. Not much can be said for either the direction or the acting, but in fairness to the players it should be said that the cliche-ridden script didn't give them much of a chance : — Richard Quine, an unwordly young man, and Bill Williams, a rough young merchant seaman, join a metropolitan fire department as trainees. Williams looked upon the fireman job merely as a meal-ticket until a dock strike is over. Shortly after both are assigned to an engine house, Cliff Clark, their kindly captain, is killed in a fire, and his place is taken by Barton MacLane, a stern, career fireman. Trouble brews immediately because MacLane had once been engaged to Marjorie Reynolds, wife of John Ridgely, one of the firemen under his command. Ridgely, insanely jealous, rightly suspected that his wife still preferred MacLane, but he was unaware that the affection was one-sided and that MacLane had been urging Marjorie to preserve her marriage. Meanwhile Williams, resentful of MacLane's rigid discipline, becomes antagonistic towards him and plans to resign. Trouble really starts when Richard Benedict, a crooked fireman, cheats Williams in a forbidden game of cards and MacLane catches them in a fight. He censures Williams and discharges Benedict. Angered at MacLane, Benedict telephones Ridgely when he sees the captain with Marjorie. Actually, MacLane had met Marjorie to tell her that he will promote Ridgely if she will promise to stick to him. Ridgely, believing the worst, attempts to murder MacLane with an axe when both enter a burning building on the following day, but both are trapped by falling debris before he can swing. Williams, having witnessed the incident, rescues both men and is told by MacLane to forget what he had seen. The near tragedy brings about a complete understanding between Marjorie and Ridgely because of MacLane's forgiving nature. Williams, too, finds new respect for MacLane and, rather than return to sea, he decides to make firefighting a career, and to settle down with Gloria Henry, a pretty waitress, as his wife. It was produced by Milton Feldman and directed by Seymour Friedman from a screenplay by Jerry Sackheim, based on a story by Harry Fried. Harmless for the family. "I Killed Geronimo" with James Ellison and Virginia Herrick (Eagle Lion Classics, Sept.; time, 63 min.) Despite the bad direction, "I Killed Geronimo" should go over well in theatres where fast action melodramas are liked, for the story is substantial and the action holds the spectator in tense suspense. The picture is by no means a "cheapy"; some of the scenes are big and impressive, and the attacking Indian groups are of formidable size, such as is found in big productions. It is too bad that the story was not handled by a director more experienced in this type of melodrama. The acting of James Ellison and Virginia Herrick is good, but that of the other characters is somewhat stilted and "hammy." The photography is not bad : — When Geronimo (played by Chief Thunder Cloud), the dreaded Apache chief, leaves the reservation with his braves and starts plundering and killing white settlers, Army intelligence in Washington assigns James Ellison, a captain, to stop the flow of guns to the Indians. Ellison, posing as an outlaw, joins the gang of Ted Adams, a trader suspected of supplying guns to the Indians. When Adams loads three wagons with guns and ammunition for the Apache chief, Ellison passes the information to Myron Healy, another intelligence agent, but is overheard by Wesley Hudman, one of the gang. Ellison overpowers Hudman and arranges for his arrest, then rejoins the gang while Healy leaves to inform the Army about the shipment. En route to the rendezvous with Geronimo, the gang comes upon a burned out ranch and capture Virginia Herrick, who had tried to shoot them. She is bound and hidden in a wagon when Army troops, on reconaissance, arrive on the scene. Finding nothing suspicious, the troops permit the gang to proceed, but later, as a result of a clue dropped by Ellison, the troops capture the gang and the wagons, rescuing Virginia. Ellison secretly arranges for the Army to allow Adams and himself to escape so as to keep the rendezvous with Geronimo. Meanwhile Hudman had escaped and had reported to Geronimo. Upon meeting Ellison, the wily Apache chief allows him to arrange a peace talk with the Army, then uses the occasion to launch a savage attack on the troops to recover the guns and ammunition. In the events that follow, Geronimo kills Adams for his failure and engages Ellison in a hand-to-hand battle, which ends in the death of the Indian chief when he falls upon his own knife. Having brought peace to the West, Ellison claims Virginia as his bride. It was produced by Jack Schwarz and directed by John Hoffman from a story and screenplay by Sam Neuman and Nat Tanchuck. Children should enjoy it immensely.