Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1957)

12 Motion Picture Daily Monday, July 8, 1$ Motion Picture Daily Feature Reviews The Unearthly AB-PT — Republic Blood and thunder advocates should find in "The Unearthly" 73 minutes of unadulterated horror. The protagonist of this second AB-PT production is a modern Ponce de Leon by the name of Professor Charles Conway. The professor (John Carradine) and his able assistant, Dr. Sharon Gilchrist (Marilyn Buferd) madly press the search for the Fountain of Youth. Dr. Conway's associate, Dr. Loren Wright (Roy Gordon), lures unsuspecting patients to the former's "rest home," located a few miles from civilization. Once in the good Dr. Conway's clutches, however, the victims are, one bv one, turned into monsters or are "done in." These poor folks just represent "mistakes" the professor has made in his lab techniques. The plot thickens when an alluring patient named Grace Thomas (Allison Hayes) enters the mansion. In no time at all, it looks like her number is up, too. But just when life seems darkest, a handsome young patient called Mark Houston reveals himself to be none other than police Captain Rogers. This chap (Guy Prescott) ruins all of the professor's plans by calling for reinforcements. In the end romance blooms as Grace wanders off on the arm of her prince, Captain Rogers. Running time, 73 minutes. General classification. Release, in June. Norman Morris Outlaw's Son Bel-Air — United Artists Hollywood, Tuly 7 The "like father like son" adage is nut to test, and is both proved and disproved, in this Western melodrama filmed on expansive scale by Bel-Air Productions and directed with skill and care bv Leslev Selander. With names as meaningful as Dane Clark, Lori Nelson and Ellen Drew for billing use, the picture measures up well to exploitation promise. It contains violence, romance and narrative novelty in appropriate proportions and figures to please its target public nrofitably. The screenplav by Richard Alan Simmons, from Clifton Adams' book, "Gamblinsr Man," spans ten years in the life of an outlaw's son, who is played in the 12-vear-old phase of the story by Joseph Stafford, and by Ben Cooper as of age 22. Dane Clark plavs the outlaw father in both phases of the story, and most of the other principals carry through also. The two phases of the narrative, divided adroitly to show the time-lapse, combine to add to rather than detract from the power of the script. The picture opens with Clark, a professional outlaw, returning to the town where his son, abandoned by him in infancy, has been cared for by his aunt, who hasn't told him of his father's identity. As days go by, with Clark teaching the boy how to shoot, ride and so on, the town gossips and the boy, fighting back against taunts of classmates, precipitates a situation in which the boy's aunt, devoted to the child, falsely identifies Clark as a bankrobber and killer, forcing him to flee into hiding. Ten years later the boy, who has become a Wells Fargo Stage guard, vaccilates between staying honest and turning crook, deciding finally in favor of the latter and agreeing to take part in a stage robbery. A swift series of complications that follow on this decision lead to his promise, given to his dying father, to live an honorable life. Production by Howard W. Koch is fully equal to the difficult job of maintaining complete coherence in a story full of unexpected turnings. Aubrey Schenck is executive producer. Running time, 88 minutes. General classification. Release, not set. William R. Weaver Decision Against Time Ealing Films — M&M A very credible film, produced by Michael Balcon, well known for his good works, and starring Jack Hawkins, who is popular in England, and with good reason, for he turns in a fine performance. It is a story of a test-pilot for a commercial airplane builder, who stakes his life— literally —on the sale of an air freight plane which must be sold to the stubborn customer, to save the company's plant— and the pilot's job. In this suspenseful story, he takes a capacity load into the air, to prove the capability of his plane, for a delegation of skeptical buyers, and promptly, the port engine is on fire, and he is in real trouble. The rest bail out, but Hawkins sees his future plans wrecked if the plane is lost, so he resolves to bring it in. He tells the control tower he will "blow out" the fire— which he does, by putting his heavily loaded plane into a dive. Then, he cruises for 45 minutes over his home field, to lighten the load of gas, while crowds gather to see the crash. An interfering clerk telephones his wife, saying that her husband is attempting suicide, and she hurries to the field to see him finally land safely—but the after effect of the careless clerk's gossipy talk is a family quarrel, which has to be setded, in spite of his fatigue, as the follow-up of his feat in the air. All members of the cast are good, and everybody gets proper credit. Elizabeth Sellars is appealing as the troubled wife, Jeremy Bodkin and Gerard Lohan are the children, as likable as any we've seen in a family picture. Running time, 87 minutes. General classification. Release, in July. Walter Brooks The Black Tent Rank Film Dist. of Amer. — VistaYision An interesting, if not particularly exciting story about life among the Bedouin in the African desert is unfolded leisurely in this Rank import. The backgrounds, in color and VistaVision, are lovely and the atmosphere and customs of the desert tribe seem authentic. But the picture takes some time before making its point. The majority of the footage is told in flashback as Donald Sinden journeys to Africa when a promissory note, signed by his allegedly dead brother, is brought to the British Embassy. He tries, to unravel the mystery at the black tents of the Bedouin by questioning the ruler, Andre Morel, who handed in the note, but the latter is unfriendly and asks Sinden to leave. Before departing, however, he notices a fair-skinned boy in the camp and his native mother who, although unwilling to talk, gives Sinden a diary. Away from the black tents, the story of the diary is depicted. It seems the brother, Anthony Steel, is badly wounded during the African campaign of World War II and is nursed back to health by Morell's daughter. Their relationship turns into love and eventually marriage. But their happiness is short-lived as Steel learns the British are holding their own and he feels he must return. He leaves his English estate to his un born child and there the diary eni Sinden dashes back to the ni who tells him that afterwards he a members of his tribe helped the s dier ambush an enemy convoy 1 Steel was killed saving his life. S den says the child is entitled to all his fathers' estate, but the boy, t< to decide for himself, chooses the 1 he knows best and loves. The picture was produced by \\ liam MacQuitty, directed by Bri Desmond Hurst, and written by Rol Maugham and Bryan Forbes. Running time, 93 minutes. Gene classification. Release, in June. Jay Rem Town on Trial Columbia Hollywood, Jul) A proficient British cast pleasani headed by the American Barbs Bates plays out with spirit and in i] pressive detail a murder mystery il likely to be solved by audiences II fore its screenwriters, Robert West by and Ken Hughes intend them solve it. And by that time, due narrative devices skillfully employ by producer Maxwell Setton and rector John Guillermin, audience tention has been shifted from I question of the slayer's identity to t suspenseful uncertainty of his ph}j cal fate. In this final phase of the long, co| plex story, the killer has climbed1 church spire and is threatening leap to his death before the pol1 officer ascending the spire can real him. Names of marquee meaning on ti side, additionally to Miss Bates', i those of Charles Coburn, whc recognition is universal, and Jo> Mills, who has become well a favorably known on this side of t water. The story, which has a number ' factors in it that suggest adult cla< fication, starts with the murder strangulation of a young woman many loves who turns out, when autopsy is performed, to be t< months pregnant by a married m; Coburn plays a doctor known to principals in the cast, and Miss Ba portrays his daughter, who is also nurse. Mills is the Scotland Yu officer who takes over investigation the case, checking out all the de girl's known intimates and coming with a variety of interesting but i conclusive information. Finding t town resentful of his inquiries, sends out a questionnaire to the cj izenry, asking pointed questions, q this nets him no useful data. Eve tually a second girl is murdered, ai the detective establishes beyoi doubt the identity of the killer, Wj then flees to the church spire as abo noted. Running time, 96 minutes. AiM classification. Release, not set. W.I.1 Theatre Admission Prices in Large Cities Reach All-Time High in First '57 Quarter From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, July 7— Large city admission prices hit an all-time high in the first quarter of this year, according to the Bureau of Labor statistics. The bureau each quarter collects figures from 18 large cities and adjusts them to reflect trends in the 34 largest cities. The bureau said that in the first quarter adult admission prices rose to 131.1, with the 1947-49 average computed as 100. This compared with 129.1 at the end of 1956. The children's price index rose from 113.9 to 116.5, and the combined adult-child index rose from 126.8 to 129.0. Previous peaks were hit in the second and third quarters of 1955. Prices then went up and down for about a year, and started climbing again late last year, according to the BLS figures.