Harrison's Reports (1950)

November 4, 1950 HARRISON'S REPORTS 175 "Mrs, O'Malley and Mr. Malone" with James Whitmore and Marjorig^Mam (MGM, December; time,/o9 min.)j A good program murder mystery melodrama, with the accent on comedy. The fact that the story is a hodgepodge of nonsense does not matter much, for the action is fast, the dialogue breezy, and the situations, although far-fetched, quite comical. A major part of the action takes place on a train, and most of the laughter is provoked by the mixups that occur when Marjorie Main and James Whitmore become innocently involved in two murders and are compelled to keep switching the bodies from one compartment to another lest they be charged with the crimes. Normally, situations that deal with murders and with dead bodies are distasteful, but not so in this film because it is all treated in a comedy vein. The direction is good, and the performances sprightly: — Principal characters in the "screwball" story are Marjorie Main, a forthright middle-aged backwoods widow, who had just won a $50,000 radio quiz program and a trip to New York; James Whitmore, a completely unethical criminal attorney, a raffish young man who had an eye for the ladies and who spent more money than he earned; Douglas Fowley, an ex-convict, from whom Whitmore sought to collect $10,000 for securing his parole; Fred Clark, a Chicago detective, who was searching for $100,000 stolen by Fowley and never recovered; Ann Dvorak, Fowley's ex-wife, who wanted her back alimony; Don Porter, Fowley's former partner, who wanted his cut of the stolen money; and Dorothy Malone, Porter's girl-friend, a designing blonde. All find themselves on a train bound for New York when Fowley, who had disappeared, had been seen buying a railroad ticket for the big city. Marjorie and Whitmore, finding themselves in adjoining compartments, soon strike up a friendship. Unknown to all, Dorothy, doublecrossing Porter, was traveling with Fowley, who had escaped detection by wearing a sailor's uniform. The excitement starts when Fowley and Dorothy are murdered mysteriously and their bodies placed in Marjorie's compartment. Marjorie and Whitmore have a hectic time switching the bodies from one compartment to another each time Clark drops in for a chat, but he eventually catches them with the bodies as well as the $100,000 and places them under arrest for the murders. By the time they arrive in New York, Whitmore deduces that Porter is the murderer and spots him as he tries to make a getaway disguised as a sailor. Although still handcuffed to Marjorie, Whitmore breaks away from Clark and, after a wild chase through the crowded station, pursued by police and followed by a welcoming band for Marjorie, corners Porter. When Porter starts to confess, Whitmore stops him and offers to defend him for a fee. It was produced by William H. Wright and directed by Norman Taurog from a screenplay by William Bowers, based on a story by Craig Rice and Stuart Palmer. Best suited for mature audiences. "The Sun Sets at Dawn" with Sally Parr and Philip Shawn (Eagle-Lion, November; time, 72 win.) A cheerless slow-moving melodrama, revolving around the eleventh hour reprieve of an innocent young man awaiting electrocution for a murder. It is a dreary, depressing yarn and, although a certain amount of suspense is maintained because a faulty electric chair conveniently delays the execution, its plot development is unconvincing and its slow and mechanical unraveling adds up to a generally listless dramatic show. Moreover, its lack of players who mean anything at the box-office will mitigate against its being used as more than a supporting feature in secondary theatres. The direction and acting are no more than adequate, and the production values modest: — The story takes place on the day set for the electrocution of Philip Shawn for the murder of a political boss. Although the young man protests his innocence, the only ones who believe him are Walter Reed, the prison priest, Sally Parr, his sweetheart, and Howard St. John, the Warden. A group of reporters, waiting to cover the execution, discuss the case at a combination diner and post office nearby the prison, .and all agree that the only person who ever committed a killing in like fashion was Lee Fredericks, a gangster presumed to be dead at the time the politician was murdered. Taken to the prison to witness the execution, the reporters are shocked when Shawn, strapped to the chair, is miracu< lously spared through a fault in the mechanism. Meanwhile a stranger stops off at the diner, where a trusty, sent there to pick up the prison mail, recognizes him as Fredericks, even though his facial features had been changed by plastic surgery. The trusty, to settle an old score, exposes the gangster, who is taken into custody after a furious gun battle. Confronted by the warden, Frederick admits his identity and, out of sympathy for the distraught Sally, confesses that he had killed the politician, who had been blackmailing him. His confession comes just as Shawn is being strapped to the chair for a second time. Thinking fast, the warden pulls the main switch, saving Shawn's life in the nick of time. The story was written and directed by Paul H. Sloane, who co-produced it with Helen H. Rathvon. Adult fare. "Three Husbands" with Emlyn Williams, Eve Arden and Howard da Silva (United Artists, 7s[ov. 17; time, 78 mm.) A pretty good program sex comedy, best suited for the sophisticated trade. Similar to "A Letter to Three Wives" in reverse, the story deals with the consternation that is caused among three sets of married couples when a deceased mutual friend, a playboy bachelor, prankishly leaves a note to each husband, making him believe that he had had an affair with his wife. Although the picture is by no means as good as "A Letter to Three Wives,'.' it does have some very good comedy situations and bright dialogue. The strife that is stirred up among the couples is cause for considerable laughter, particularly when the husbands, through flashbacks, review past incidents that give them reason to be' lieve that their wives had been unfaithful. The direction is competent, the acting zestful, and the production values good: — The day after the sudden death of Emlyn Williams, a wealthy British bachelor living in San Francisco, Jonathan Hale, his attorney, gives to Shepperd Strudwick, Robert Karnes and Howard da Silva, Williams' three best friends, letters informing them that he had carried on an affair with each of their wives. Strudwick and Karnes react to the shocking news with indignation and determine to seek divorces, but da Silva, a rough and ready sporting type of fellow, regards the letter as a monumental jest. But as the three men review past associations of themselves and their wives with the gay Williams, each finds reason to believe that his wife had been unfaithful. Strudwick, married to Ruth Warrick, believes that the affair started while he himself was carrying on romantically with Louise Erickson, a voluptuous artist, and Williams was presumably accompany ing Ruth to musicals; nevertheless he calls her a Jezebel. Karnes, married to Vanessa Brown, a Nurse, practically puts her out of their home when he recalls her aid to Williams during his illness and suspects that she had been visiting him secretly while presumably on other cases. Da Silva, goaded by Eve Arden, his wife, into thinking that Williams did have a romantic attachment for her, recollects numerous gay incidents that seem to bear out her remarks. On the following day, Williams' attorney summons the three couples to his office for a reading of the will, at which time Williams enjoys his last posthumous jest by dividing his estate among the three girls. But a final disclosure in the tongue-in-cheek document reveals that his "affairs" with the wives had been a gag to stimulate in the husbands a re< examination of their attitudes toward their wives. Each goes crawling back to his wife and is forgiven. It was produced by I. G. Goldsmith and directed by Irving Reis from a story by Vera Caspary, who wrote the screen play in collaboration with Edward Eliscu. The cast includes Billic Burke, James Darwcll and others. Adult fare.