Harrison's Reports (1955)

January 1, 1955 HARRISON'S REPORTS 3 signed to Europe to pay for additional troops in support of Maximillian. It does not take either Cooper or Lancaster long to discover the concealed gold, and each makes independent plans to gain possession of it. Denise, too, entertains a similar idea, and so does Romero. Meanwhile a group of Juaristas, commanded by Ankrum, had learned of the gold shipment, and they lay plans to hijack it. From that point on everyone concerned becomes involved in a series of doublecrosses as each tries to outsmart the other, and after many gun duels and battles Romero manages to get the gold to the Maximillian garrison at Vera Cruz, where he places Denise under arrest for her efforts to steal the gold. Having been outfoxed, Cooper and Lancaster, for a price, agree to join the Juaristas in an attack on the garrison. Meanwhile Cooper falls in love with Sarita, one of the Juaristas, who convinces him that the gold rightfully belongs to the people of Mexico. In the bloody battle that follows, the rebel forces overcome the garrison, and Lancaster, taking advantage of the contusion, attempts to steal the gold for himself. Cooper blocks his path and kills him in a final duel, thus saving the gold for the rebels. It was produced by James Hill, and directed by Robert Aldrich, from a screenplay by Roland Kibbee and James R. Webb, based on a story by Borden Chase. Adults. "The Americano" with Glenn Ford, Frank Lovejoy and Cesar Romero (RKO, January; time, 85 mm.) Good western fare, set against interesting Brazilian backgrounds, is otfered in this melodrama. Photographed in Technicolor, its story about a Texas cowboy who gets himself involved in a bloody feud between a cruel Brazilian cattle baron and his smaller neighbors is basically a formula plot, but its South American locale and jungle backgrounds give it a novel twist and added appeal. It should easily satisfy the action fans, for the story has more than a modicum of suspense and is replete with taut and exciting situations. Glenn Ford does his usual good work as a quiet but fearless cowboy who becomes involved in the range war, despite his unwillingness to be drawn into it. Frank Lovejoy, too, is effective as the smooth but villainous cattle baron. Ursula Thiess, as a woman rancher who wins Ford's heart, provides the romantic interest. A rather distasteful sequence is a sexy primitive dance executed by Abbe Lane, who plays the sweetheart of Cesar Romero, a colorful, Robin Hood type of bandit; the manner in which she twists, turns and jiggles borders on the vulgar. The color photography is first rate: — Arriving in Brazil to deliver several prize Brahma bulls to a South American rancher who had agreed to pay him $25,000, Ford meets up with Romero and learns that the rancher had been murdered mysteriously, and that Lovejoy, his partner, had taken over the business. Ford hires Romero to guide him and the bulls through the jungle in order to reach the ranch. En route Ford is waylaid by Ursula and several of her men while Romero disappears. She explains that she owns an adjoining ranch and had been feuding with Lovejoy. Ford is permitted to continue unmolested when he explains that his sole mission was to deliver the bulls, collect his money and return to Texas. At the ranch, Ford is received warmly by Lovejoy, who seems shocked to learn of his partner's murder and who expresses the belief that Romero is responsible. Ford collects his money, declines an offer to remain on the ranch, and is given a guide to take him back through the jungle. While camping for the night, the guide is killed by unseen attackers while Ford is knocked unconscious and his money belt stolen. He makes his way back to the ranch, where Lovejoy blames the attack on Romero and induces him to join a manhunt for the bandit. In the events that follow, Romero captures Ford, takes him to his hideout and, with the aid of Ursula, convinces him that Lovejoy himself was behind all the crimes, which were part of his overall scheme to force the small landowners out of the area. Prompted by a romantic interest in Ursula and by a desire to even matters with Lovejoy, Ford joins forces with the small landowners and after numerous happenings succeeds in obtaining a confession from Lovejoy 's foreman that his employer was behind the murders and other skull-duggery. Accompanied by the local police, Ford and Romero go to the ranch to capture Lovejoy. He refuses to surrender and starts a gun battle that ends when he is shot down by Ford. It was produced by Robert Stillman, and directed by William Castle, from a screenplay by Guy Trosper, based on a story by Leslie T. White. Adults. "Target Earth" with Richard Denning (Allied Artists, Js[ovem.ber 7; time, 75 min.) An ordinary science-fiction melodrama that should be relegated to the lower half of a double bill when nothing better is available. Except for its possible appeal to children who enjoy "space patrol" doings, there is hardly any entertainment values in it, for the story is unimaginative and the characters unbelievable; many persons, in fact, will laugh at what they do. There is some suspense in the beginning, caused by the spectator's curiosity to know what happened to account for the desertion of the city. But once this becomes known, the action falls flat. The photography is good: — When an army of robots, supposedly from the planet Venus, is about to invade the Earth, defense authorities order evacuation of the city. Kathleen Crowley and Richard Denning miss the order and are left behind. They meet in the deserted streets and as they try to find out what happened they come upon Virginia Grey and Richard Reeves celebrating with champagne at a hotel. The four are joined by Robert Roark, a psychopathic killer, who makes hostages of them. Meanwhile Government scientists are seeking means by which they may destroy the mechanism that actuates the movements of the robots. The killer plans to escape with Kathleen alone and tries to use the others as decoys. When he meets with resistance, he shoots and kills Virginia and wounds Denning. Reeves, however, chokes the killer to death. Kathleen, Denning and Reeves then flee to the hotel roof; they are pursued by robots, one of whom kills Reeves. As Kathleen and Denning are about to meet a similar fate, the robots become incapacitated as the result of a weird, wailing sound from an electronic counterweapon, developed in the nick of time by the scientists. Herman Cohen produced it, and Sherman A, Rose directed it, from a screenplay by William Raynor, based on the story "The Deadly City," by Paul W. Fairman. Harmless for the family.