Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin (1947)

'THE BISHOP S WIFE' FANTASY HAS CHARM AND A STRONG CAST Rates • • • on name draw generally; less in action housesr RKO Radio 105 minutes Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven, Monty Woolley, James Gleason, Gladys Cooper, Elsa Lanchester, Sara Haden, Karolyn Grimes, Tito Vuolo, Regis Toomey, Sara Edwards, Margaret McWade, Ann O'Neal, Ben Erway, Erville Alderson, Bobby Anderson, Teddy Infuhr, Eugene Borden, Almira Sessions, Claire DuBrey, Florence Auer, Margaret Wells, Kitty O'Neill, Isabel Jewell, David Leonard, Dorothy Vaughan, Edgar Dearing. Directed by Henry Koster. Add to the cycle of heavenly-visitor films "The Bishop's Wife," Samuel Goldwyn's picture version of the Robert Nathan novel, brightly scripted by Robert E. Sherwood and Leonardo Bercovici, and expertly directed by the ever-dependable Henry Koster. Their talents, coupled with those of the stellar cast, unfortunately cannot overcome the trivialities of the gossamer-thin plot. As a result the picture, despite its powerful array of marquee names, will not appeal to a large segment of the movie going public, since the average filmgoer is no fanatic for fantasy, no matter how charming it be. The film will attain its best reception — and receipts — in class houses wherein novelist Nathan's charming whimsy will be appreciated. Returns will be mild in action spots. Under Koster's deft diiection, stars and supporting players manage to impart a maximum of humor and feeling into the story. Best performances are those of Gary Grant, David Niven and Monty Woolley. Production quality is marked, Gregg Toland's photography superior, and singing by the Mitchell Boychoir one of the picture's highlights. EXPLOITATION: Go to town on the topnotch cast and its superb performances. Stress the renown of Robert Nathans widely-read novel. Play up the magnificent singing by the nationally-famous Mitchell Boychoir. For catchline, follow this idea: "He Claimed He Was an Angel — But He raised the Devil with 'The Bishop's Wife'!" Bishop David Niven and his wife, Loretta Young, are less happy than when he was a struggling cleric in the slums. She misses the friends of their humbler days, parti cularly Prof. Monty Woolley. Niven, trying desperately to raise funds for a cathedral, has little time for his wife or his sermons. Following a difficult session with wealthy parishioner Gladys Cooper, on whose contribution the new edifice depends, Niven prays for aid. Cary Grant appears, says he's an angel sent in reply to Niven's prayer. At first incredulous, Niven eventually is convinced what Grant says is true. But as he sees Grant begin to work his charm on the entire household — particularly Loretta — his gratitude turns to resentment and jealousy. The cathedral remains unbuilt, but Grant performs more personal miracles. He enables Woolley to finish a book he's been trying all hi.s life to write; he brings joy and romance into Loretta's restricted life, and transforms arrogant, selfish Gladys into a gracious, generous woman. By Christmas Eve something happens even Grant has not expected — he and Loretta fall in love. But she is a loyal wife, and Niven now means to fight to hold her. His work done. Grant leaves, telling the others, once he has gone, they'll never remember he has been there. 'ROAD TO RIO' HOPE-CROSBY-LAMOUR HOOPLA IN THE OLD GROOVE Rates • generally; less in action houses Paramoiuit 100 minutes Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Gale Sondergaard, Frank Faylen, Frank Vitale, Frank Puglia, Nestor Paiva, Robert Barrat, The Wiere Brothers, The Stone Barton Puppeteers, The Carioca Boys, Jerry Colonna, The Andrews Sisters. Directed by Norman Z. McLeod. Varying not a whit from their previous excursions into Never-Never Land, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, graced for the last time with Dotty Lamour's visuallure, explode once again into a riotous rocket of laughs, gags and songs that's sure to reach the higher box-office brackets. Where the earlier "Road" shows did the business (and wnerc didn't they?), "Rio" looks poised for ?. repeat performance — ■ subject only to the laws ol' diminishing returns. As in the preceding Puck's Tours, the best of the gags are those tossed off in their unique chit-chat manner employed by the redoubtable team. Or, for instance, when an off-scene scream is heard, only Hope could crack, "That's the Warner Brothers. They're jealous!" The zany proceedings run true to formula. Onco again. Bob is the fall guy for Bing's schemes and weakness for harassed ladies, which land them in Brazil. The trip offers an opportunity to introduce some pleasantenough tunes by Johnny Burke and James Van Heusen, best of which is a tangy South American number delivered by Bing and The Andrews Sisters. Once they arrive in Rio, the going gets too frantic for song, except as incidental stuff. If anything, the pace in the latest of these "Road" pictures is even more frenzied than before, running a gamut of gags and slapstick that rarely pauses for breath. Whenever director Norman Z. McLeod manages to get some comparative sanity into the film, the boys break it up. As a couple of musicians doubling in song-and-dance with a carnival, Bing and Bob burn the place down when the latter is conned into doing a high-wire bicycle act. When they stow away aboard a steamer bound for Brazil, some sort of a "plot" is timidly inserted wherein the two fugitives attempt to unhitch Dotty Lamour from the hypnotic infiuence of evil Gale Sondergaard, who for some obscure reason wants Dotty to marry someone named "Sherman." Of course, they do and Dotty doesn't, ending up with Hope for another of those gag finishes. Rung in with varying effect are assorted items, ranging from downright annoyance by a trio of musical clowns. The Wiere Brothers, to a hilarious running gag showing Jerry Colonna leading the S. A. equivalent of the U. S. Cavalry to the rescue — which they never quite make. All in all, there is so much tossed in, some of it is bound to strike the funnybone. EXPLOITATION: Ballyhoo this as the funniest of all "Road" hits. Gag lobby display could be a burst ladies' corset with appropriate copy: "She Laughed Too Much at 'Road To Rio'!" Feature Colonna and The Andrews Sisters, as well as the three stars. 'NIGHT SONG' TEAR-JERKER MARKED BY DISTINGUISHED MUSIC Rates • • + on name draw RKO Radio 102 minutes Dana Andrews, Merle Oberon, Ethel Barrymore, Hoagy Carmichael, Artur Rubinstein, Eugene Ormandy, Jacqueline Wliite, Donald Curtis, Walter Reed, Jane Jones. Directed by John Cromwell. Despite a contrived, unbelievable plot. "Night Song" contains the elements to attract fairly good grosses in most situations, other than action spots. It will appeal to two kinds of audiences: music lovers who will overlook its hokum for the sake of hearing Artur Rubinstein and the N. Y. Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra play, and hokum lovers who will tolerate the highbrow music for the sake of enjoying a good cry. Co-stars Dana Andrews, Merle Oberon and Ethel Barrymore give performance.'; worthy of a better vehicle than this DeWitt Bodeen adaptation of Dick Irving Hyland's story about a girl who feigns blindness in order to win the love of a sightless compo.ser. Commendable support is vouchsafed the star trio by the ever dependable Hoagy Carmichael and brilliant pianist Artur Rubinstein. Preposterous as the story premise is, under John Cromwell's adroit direction of the talented cast the picture becomes, after a slow start, moderately engrossing and at times, thanks to its musical interludes, keenly enjoyable. Production quality, music, recording and photography arc all excellent. EXPLOITATION: Bear down on the strong cast, the magnificent piano playing of Rubinstein and the thrilling accompaniment rendered by the N. Y. Philharmonic, one of the world's greatest symphony orchestras. Let patrons know Hoagy Carmichael has plenty to do, an even better role than he enacted in "Casablanca" or any of his subsequent films. Arrange tieups with music dealers and women's stores. Catchlinea might reflect this idea: "She Feigned Blindness to Win Her Sightless Lover." Wealthy San Francisco socialite Merle Oberon, snubbed by sightless pianist-composer Dana Andrews whom she finds wasting his talents in a dance band, persuades his pal Hoagy Carmichael to introduce her to him under an assumed name. Pretending to be blind and poor, she takes piano lessons from Andrews and urges him. to work on his concerto. As a further inducement she offers, under her own name, a $5,000 prize for the best composition by an American. Andrews' opus wins, he goes East, spends the money on an operation. His sight restored in N. Y., Andrews meets and falls in love with the glamorous Merle, unaware she is the "poor blind girl." Andrews' triumph comes when his concerto is played in Carnegie Hall by Rubinstein, accompanied by the N. Y. Philharmonic, Eugene Ormandy conducting. The music brings Andrews a flood of m.emories of the "blind" girl and the part she played in getting him to write it. Leaving Carmichael to apologize to Merle for his abrupt departure, he impulsively entrains for San Francisco to make amends to his longneglected "blind" benefactress. Delighted at the outcome of Andrews' struggle, Merle hops a plane to the Coast, gets there in time to give him the surprise of his life when he arrives at her apartment to ask her to marry him. They wed. St FILM BULLETIN