Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1947)

'HER HUSBAND'S AFFAIRS' INSULT TO AUDIENCE'S INTELLIGENCE Rates • • on star value Columbia 85 minutes Lucille Ball, Franchot Tone, Edward Everett Horton, Mikhail Rasumny, Gene Lockhart, Nana Bryant, Jonathan Hale, Paul Stanton, Mabel Paige, Frank Mayo, Pierre Watkin, Carl Leviness, Dick Gordon, Douglas Wood, Jack Rice, Clancy Cooper, Charles C. Wilson, Selmer Jackson, Arthur Spac?. Directed by S. Sylvan Simon. Sased on a premise that might have been considered funny in the days of silent tworeel comedies, "Her Husband's Affairs" is stretched out interminably over 85 minutes of some pretty rank boredom. Exhibitors v.'lio find themselves burdened with this Columbia picture had better hide it away as their second feature with the shortest posaibie engagement. Grosses will reflect the film's hum.or content — definitely negative. Supposedly a travesty on the advertising profession, this Lucille Ball-Franchot Tone starrer was evidently rushed through production as Columbia's reposte to M-G-M's "The Hucksters." The two pictures are as far apart as Gower Street and Culver City. It is difficult for one to believe that the talented Ben Hecht had anything to do with this script and yet it is listed in his name along with that of Charles Lederer. Mr. Hecht must have done his stint after a t-leepless night. S. Sylvan Simon's direction is as uninspired as the script. Miss Ball and Tone do their best with thankless roles, and Mikhail Rasumny contributes an amusing portrayal of a hare-brained invenTor; concerning the other performances, the less said, the better. EXPLOITATION: Exhibitors may find it advantageous to bill this as a com-anicn piece to "The Hucksters." The title of the film has a sexy connotation, but for an exhibitor to stress this aspect would b3 to m.islead his patrons and to invite the:r resentment. Play up the names of Lucille B?ll, Franchot Tone and scripter Ben Hecht. Tieups with barbershops, drugstores, book dealers, rental libraries, beauticians, department and furniture stores are indicated. Advertising agency account executive Franchot Tone wishes to take his wife Lucille Ball on their delayed honeymoon, but fir?t has to land the Douglas Wood hat account for his boss Edward Everett Horton. Lucille helps him land the account by tricking Mayor Harry Cheshire into endorsing Wood's hats. The honeymoon is again postponed when Tone's protege, Mikhail Rasumny, inventive screwball, discovers a miracle hair-remover. Horton interests shaving cream magnate Gene Lockhart in Off-Again but thsir monster campaign backfires when the supposed depilatory turns out to be an overnight hairgrower. Lucille saves the day by persuading Lockhart to advertise the product as On-Again, a baldness cure. Unfortunately Governor Jonathan Hale, one of Lockharfs human guinea pigs, finds the application of Rstsumny's cream — a by-product of an embalming plastic — has turned his scalp to glass. He calls out the militia, demands the arrest of Tone and Rasumny. Racumnv disappears and Tone is ar' ested on su"picion of murder. Instead of defending iiim.self. Tone uses his trial to publicize a further use of Rasumny's invention. Lucille saves Tone from execution by proving him to be a mental case. At end, Rasumny reappears, enabling Lucille and Tone finally to go on their honeymoon. 'THE TRESPASSER' EXCITING MELODRAMA PROGRAMMER Rates • • — as second feature in actio Republic 71 minutes Dale Evans, Wai'ren Douglas, Janet Martin, Douglas Fowley, Adele Mara, Gregory Gay, Grant Withters, William Bakewell, Vince Barnett, Francis Pierlot, Joy Barlo\ve„ Fred Graham, Dale Van Sickel, Betty Alexander, Joseph Crehan. Directed by Georrije Blair. This better-than-average programmer has plenty of action, suspense, romance and comedy to warrant its acceptance by audiiences in action and family houses. However, its lack of marquee names will relegate it to the lower slot in most situations. Republic has given top billing to Dale Evans, formerly leading lady in westerns, but most of the film's femme footage goes to Janet Martin as a newly-hired reporterturned-detective intent on solvina: the mur n and family spots der of the paper's literary editor by a gang of first-edition forgers. Jerry Gruskin's screenplav and George Blair's direction help in maintaining the film's speedy tempo. Production quality is high for a picture of this natutre. The picture's one musical number, "It's Not the First Love," ha^ h't ;;osesibilities. Photograph" is sat'sfartory ;-ave in the clim.actic battle royal where low key lighting renders its difficult to identify who's hitting whom. EXPLOITATION: Play up this as an expose of a little-known racket — the forging of valuable first editions. To each name cn your mailing list send a round-headed pin stuck through a card, reading: "This Pin Uncovered a Daring Forgery Ring and Brought Murder to 'The Trepasser' at the Blank Theatre." Janet Martin, aided by feature editor Douglas Fcwlev, lands a job on the Gazette as aide to Warren Douglas, in charge of the newspaper's morgue. She learns that publisher Francis Pierlot collects rare first cdittions purchased through literary editor \^'illiam Bakewell, brother of Dale Evans, Fowley's fiancee. Accidentally discovering one of Pierlott's firsts to be spurious, she confides her findings to Fowley. He confionts Bakewell with the book. Bakewell admits the book is a forgery, promises to make amends. Instead, he tells Gregory Gay, head of the forgery ring, of Janet and Fowley's suspicions, and subsequently poisons Dale's mind against her fiance by saying Fowley is involved in the gang. That night Gay and his henchmen force Fowley's car off a cliff road and Bakewell, a passenger, is killed. Dale breaks with Fowley. who takes to drink, loses his job and is under police surveillance as a murder suspect. To clear Fowley, restore his job and reconcile him with his ex-fl-^ncee, Jnnet persuades Dale to go with her to Gay's. About to be taken for a ride in Gay's death car, Janet and Dale are saved by the timely arrival of Fowley, Douglas and detectives Grant Withers. 'LURED' MURDER MELODRAMA FAIRLY INTERESTING, BUT OVERLONG Rates • • + generally United Artists 102 minutes George Sanders, Lucille Ball. Charles Coburn, Boris Karloff, Alan Mowbray, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, George Zucco, Joseph Calleia, Tanis Chandler. Directed by Douglas Sirk. While this murder melodrama with "horlor" overtones, manages to hold the spectator's interest, it is too long to prove wholly satisfying entertainment. The wellbalanced cast and attractive title make it .saleable merchandise for all types of theatres. Suitably exploited, it should register satisfactory grosses in most situations. Under Douglas Sirk's direction, all the players turn in expert performances. Lucille Ball does well as an American girl in a London dance hall who volunteers to work for Scotland Yard as bait in the police trap set for a homocidal maniac. Sir Cedric Hardwicke turns in one of the smoothest portrayals of I'.is career as a psvchopathic killer. Charles Coburn does not ring quite true in his role or a Scotland Yard detective inspector, being a bit too vehement and aggressive — American rather than British. Leo Rosten's screenplay unfortunately is over-long and episodic and the picture could be tightened by the elimination of some excess footage. Production quality is good, photgraphy above average, recording satisfactory. EXPLOITATION: Play up the sensational angles of the film with catchlines like: She Courted Death to Trap a Mad Killer ...Live Bait in Scotland Yard's Trap Set for a Maniacal Murderer. . .Death Stalks its Innocent Victims Via the Personal Column. Lucille Ball's best friend and fellow taxidancer, Tanis Chandler, answers an ad in the personal column, then mysteriously dis pppears. At the request of Inspector Charles Coburn, Lucille volunteers as a Scotland Yard operative, her job being to answer suspicious-looking ads in the personal column, since there have been no less than eight disappearances and/or murders stemming from ads of this sort. In each case the Yard has received an impertinent, typed warning of the impending crime. She meets cranks, crackpots and characters, narrowly escapes falling victim to a vice syndicate. She meets and falls in love with George Sanders, co-owner with Sir Cedric Hardwicke of several nightclubs. On the tve of her wedding, she discovers evidence tliat George is the murderer. He is arrested, protesting his innocence, but later confesses. George's confession, however, is a ruse staged by Coburn and Lucille to smoke out the real culprit. It succeeds and, risking her life, Lucille traps the real killer — Hardwicke. JULY 21, 1947 21