Harrison's Reports (1958)

112 HARRISON'S REPORTS July 12, 1958 In view of the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the fixing of admission prices is illegal, Ricketson's suggestion that the decree be amended to permit the distributors to control admission rates is fanciful. What Ricketson apparently fails to re' alize is that ours is a government of laws, not of men, of organizations or of resolutions. "The Fly" with Herbert Marshall, Vincent Price, Patricia Owens and Al Hedison (20th Century'Fox, July; time, 94 min.) A first-rate science-fiction-horror melodrama, hand' somely produced and finely photographed in CinemaScope and DeLuxe color. Based on a widelyread short story by George Langelaan, a top writer in the science-fiction field, the action grips one's attention from the opening to the closing scenes, and is filled with suspenseful, spine-chilling situations that will keep movie-goers on the edge of their seats. Intelligent use has been made of the flashback technique in building up the suspense, and the manner in which a young, sympathetic scientist accidentally turns himself into a hideous creature with the enlarged head of an ordinary house fly is both intriguing and terrifying. The ending, which depicts a house fly with a human head caught in a spider's web, is both novel and surprising. The special effects are excellent. It is a superior picture of its type, far better than most science'fiction films that have been flooding the mar' ket, and, if properly exploited, should do very well at the box-office. The story opens with Patricia Owens, a distraught young woman, killing Al Hedison, her scientisthusband, by means of a giant factory press that crushes him to death. She notifies Vincent Price, her wealthy brother-in-law, of her deed and he in turn summons Herbert Marshall, head of the Montreal police. Aside from admitting that she had killed her husband and claiming that it was not murder, Patricia refuses to discuss the matter, but she becomes hysterical every time she sees a house fly. She is put under the care of a police nurse, and, when matters reach a point where Marshall prepares to arrest her, Price induces her to talk. She reveals that her husband, with whom she was extremely happy, had created in his home laboratory a fantastic atom machine that was able to break up all matter and transfer it to another location in the laboratory, fully intact. She had witnessed a number of the amazing experiments. One day, however, he had tried the experiment on himself, unaware that a common house fly had flown into the machine with him. As a result, he had emerged from the experiment with the ghastly head and claw of a fly. To correct the condition, he needed the fly, which now had his human head, but Patricia had been unable to locate it, despite a desperate search. Realizing that he was losing his senses and that he can only bring harm to his family and humanity, he had destroyed the machine and had compelled Patricia to crush him to death in the giant press. Marshall, who, too, had head her story, calls it completely fantastic and, despite Price's protests, makes arrangements to have her taken to an insti' tution for the criminally insane. Just as the ambulance arrives, Charles Herbert, Patricia's little son, calls the attention of Marshall and Price to a fly caught in a spider's web. They are shocked no end to see the fly, with a tiny human head, squealing for help as the spider devours it. The trembling Marshall kills the spider with a rock and hurriedly arranges for Patricia to be given her freedom. It was produced and directed by Kurt Neumann irom a screenplay by James Clavell. Too frightening for small children. "The Littlest Hobo" with Buddy Hart and Wendy Stuart (Allied Artists, July 6; time, 77 min.) The family trade in general and little children in particular should enjoy this program picture very much, for even though its real stars are a German shepherd dog and a little lamb, the story has undeniable human qualities and appeal. The human appeal stems from the fact that the dog and the lamb are responsible for restoring to health a winsome, paralyzed little girl who could not walk and who was confined to a wheel chair. It should give much pleasure to tender-hearted picture-goers. The scenes with the animals have been handled in skillful fashion, and there is plentiful action and considerable comedy as the camera follows the adventures of the dog and the lamb around different areas of a large city when both become the objects of a wide police search. It should fit in well on the lower half of a double bill and is a natural for Saturday matinees. The background music is exceptionally good: — London, a vagabond German shepherd dog, res' cues Fleecie, a lamb, from a slaughter house, to which he had been brought by Buddy Hart, his heartbroken little master, who had been compelled to sell him. The dog and lamb immediately become the objects of a wide police hunt. They eventually show up on the lawn near the mansion of Governor Caryle Mitchell, who was discussing with William Marks, a doctor, the paralytic condition of little Wendy Stuart, the governor's daughter, who was confined to a wheelchair. The doctor informs Mitchell that only the child's powerful desire to do so can make her walk again. When both leave, the dog leads the lamb to Wendy and she instantly embraces the animal as a new pet. With mock ferocity, the dog grabs the lamb from the child and pounces upon it as if intending to kill it. Frightened, Wendy rises from her wheelchair and runs a few steps toward the animals before she falls screaming. Her cries attract her father, who knows what moved her to take several steps. The animals are frightened away, but the governor orders the lamb found. It is located at the slaughter house, but the governor arrives in time to spare its life and restore it to his daughter. Meanwhile the dog finds little Buddy and leads him to the mansion. Buddy sees the pleasure that Wendy finds in the lamb and leaves the animal with her. As he goes home, the dog accompanies him. He does not remain long, however, for the call of the open road proves too strong for him to stay put in any one place. It was produced by Hugh M. Hooker and directed by Charles R. Rondeau from a screenplay by Dor' rell McGowan. Family.