Harrison's Reports (1962)

March 3, 1962 HARRISON'S REPORTS 31 "World In My Pocket" with Rod Steiger, Nadja Tiiler, Peter Van Eyck (M-G-M, February; 93 mins.) GOOD. Suspense is the key in this tale that was filmed abroad about a daring robbery of a payroll estimated at over a million dollars and of the abduction of the armored car and the guards carrying it. There's suspense at the start as the various thieves test each other. It's present during the hold-up when developments start to stray from the prepared plan. It's present as the thieves try to get at the spoils in a massive steel-walled safe while trying not to attract attention. Their failure is due to a lack of the right breaks and lucky circumstances. Naturally, they get what's coming to them. The cast is most efficient in making the on-screen proceedings look realistic. The direction and production values are good. Rod Steiger is perhaps the best known of the cast as far as American audiences are concerned. He's well supported by the others in this international group. tfThe film should do well as part of the program. Photography is of standard quality. Rod Steiger asks his associates if they are interested in a robbery which could net them a million dollars. That's the figure to be found in a regular U. S. Army payroll transfer abroad. When they vote to take it on, they decide to test the originator of the plan, Nadja Tiller, in a hold-up to get operating capital. This comes off without too much trouble and they proceed with plans which involve the hold-up of an armored car. But it gets out of control by a phoney car accident. Things go wrong and they are forced to shoot the guards after which they load the car into a trailer. Steiger gets wounded by one of the guards. When Ian Bannen tries to get into the truck, one of the notquite-dead guards fatally wounds him. There's friction between Steiger and Peter Van Eyck when the latter makes a play for Miss Tiller while Jean Servais tries to open the safe. When suspicion is aroused at a trailer camp, they move on to the mountains where Servais is fatally bitten by a snake. The police close in killing Van Eyck when he resists. Steiger and Miss Tiller are forced to surrender. The untouched payroll is recovered intact. Produced by Alexander Grueter ; directed by Alvin Rakoff from a screenplay by Frank Harvey based on a novel by James Hadley Chase. General patronage. "The Couch" with Grant Williams, Shirley Knight, Onslow Stevens (Warner Bros., March; 100 mins.) FAIR. The cameras follow a psychotic killer with delusions of grandeur in this chilling tale of murder and suspense. The actual acts of murder are shown in all their shocking horror and gory detail. A cast of non-too-popular names makes this screenplay by the author of "Psycho," Robert Bloch, come alive as a twisted mental patient plans a series of unrelated killings to culminate in the death of his court-appointed psychiatrist. There's a love affair between the niece of the doctor and the mental patient as well. The pace is well-maintained culminating in a thrilling wrap-up climax. Grant Williams is particularly effective as the mentally-crazed killer. The direction and production values are good, but the film shapes up as a non-too-strong entry for the program. In spots it's quite talky. It needs tightening. Also some slight shortening could have improved the end result even more. Photography, capable. Young Grant Williams phones homicide Lt. Simon Scott to tell him he is going to kill someone at 7 P. M. This he does. The victim is an old man in a crowd. The killer uses an ice-pick. He hurries to keep an appointment with his court-appointed psychiatrist, Onslow Stevens and places the ice pick back in the doctor's bar before his receptionist and niece, Shirley Knight, appears. On the couch, it is revealed that he had family troubles, hated his father, who resented the attachment between himself and his sister. It is also revealed that he was sent to jail for rape. He is paroled on the condition that he gets continuous psychiatric treatment. Williams also dates Miss Knight, who is unaware of his background. He succeeds in getting her to fall in love with him. The next night after another warning, he kills again at the same time. Again he's in Steven's office for an appointment. The next evening, knowing that Stevens is to attend a football game, he meets him in the crowd and stabs him after which he leaves to keep a date with Miss Knight. It turns out that Stevens is not dead. An emergency operation at a hospital puts him back on the road to recovery. Williams tries again to kill him posing as a doctor but Stevens is able to dissuade him and he breaks down as the police close in. Produced and directed by Owen Crump; screenplay by Robert Bloch based on a story by Blake Edwards and Crump. Adults. Law-Makers Aim Bills at Films The law-makers of the nation are busy in their respective capitols, setting up legislation against obscenity and other violations of morality. Under close scrutiny, right now, by these monitors of public morals are books, magazines, radio and television. Strangely enough, newspapers are on the list. It is the aim of these legislators to protect the minor, - people under 18. The motion picture has not yet been mentioned along with these other media of communication in most of these bills. But, the films are not without close watch by both the legally constituted and self-appointed guardians of the morals of movie-goers of all ages. In a New Jersey town, the other day, the police commissioner requested the manager of a Fabian theatre to withdraw an allegedly objectionable film, - a French import which came from its hard-ticket run in New York. As we went to press, the film was allowed to continue its run. A New York Assemblyman, after clarifying amendments to anti -obscenity legislation put the finishing touches to a bill dealing with films for children. The bill would require the Motion Picture Division of the State Education Department to make known, via published lists, films that would be suitable for children. A similar bill was introduced last year. It failed to get by the Legislature. Throughout the country, law-makers are framing an assortment of bills aimed at the films.