The Exhibitor (1955)

MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR November 2, 1955 fail to understand her. On a windswept plateau, Allen and Dean, each in a hot rod, are to drive at full speed toward the edge with the first to leap from his car declared chicken. Dean leaps from the car, but Allen is trapped and killed as the car plunges over the cliff. The kids scatter, with Dean, Mineo, and Wood leaving together. Dean tells his parents what happened and against their wishes decides to go to the juvenile officer who befriended him. The other kids, fearful Dean will talk, beat Mineo who refuses to tell where Dean lives and runs from his house crazed and armed with a gim. Dean, Wood, and Mineo flee to an abandoned mansion near the planetarium where they find peace for a short time. But two of the juveniles seeking Dean find Mineo alone in the mansion and chase him until he is forced to shoot one. He flees to the planetarium and Dean pursues him. Police fire at the boy as Backus and Dean’s mother and the parents of Wood arrive on the scene with juvenile officers Edward Platt. Dean talks Mineo into giving him the gun and removes the bullets before returning it. They then walk toward the exit, but the searchlights frighten Mineo, who bolts. A police shot drops Mineo as Dean sobs over the body that Mineo’s gun was unloaded. Together, the kids and their parents leave the scene understanding one another a bit better with hope for the future. X-Ray: This drama of teen-age prob¬ lems in a chaotic time when energetic youngsters , can find no wholesome outlet for their energies is superior movie fare in every department. The acting, par¬ ticularly that of James Dean, whose premising carder was cut short by his un¬ timely death, is tops, and direction by Nicholas Ray is taut and moody, filled with interesting camera angles and closeups and taking particular advantage of the Cinemascope medium. The timely theme and uncompromising attitude lends the film reality and keeps audience inter-st riveted on the screen, but it is the .uperior acting that carries the day. On Lhe debit side, although not likely to affect the theatre gross adversely, is the fact that too much appears to be blamed on the parents, and the problem of delin¬ quency is given rather a cursory exami¬ nation. The screen play is by Stewart Stern, from a story by Ray. Tip On Bidding: Higher rates. Ad Lines: “Teen-Age Terror Torn From Today’s Headlines And Filled With To¬ morrow’s Hopes”; “James Dean At His Dynamic Best As ‘The Rebel Without A Cause? “Driven By Fears And Desires They Didn’t Understand. . . . Surrounded By An Adult World That Didn’t Under¬ stand Them.” Sincerely Yours dramatic Musical (506) 115m. (Warner Color) Estimate: Fine entry for the femme trade. Cast: Liberace, Joanne Dru, Dorothy Malone, Alex Nicol, William Demarest, Lori Nelson, Lurene Tuttle, Richard Eyer, James Bell, Herbert Hayes, Edward Platt, Guy Williams, Ian Wolfe, Otto Waldis, Barbara Brown. Produced by Henry Blanke; directed by Gordon Douglas. Story: Pianist Liberace is popular, with one ambition, to play in Carnegie Hall. His manager, William Demarest, and sec¬ retary, Joanne Dru, have been of much help to him, with Dru falling in love with him. Herbert Heyes, of Carnegie Hall, offers him a chance to do a concert, and Liberace is elated, going to visit an old music teacher. There he meets Dorothy Malone and they are attracted to each other. His courtship is swift, and he asks her to marry him but she asks him to wait until she can visit her parents. At his concert, she meets Alex Nicol and they get acquainted. Liberace experiences an attack of temporary deafness. His hearing returns and he accepts the bid to Carnegie Hall, but there, before he can go on, he is again deaf, A specialist’s verdict is an operation by which he will either hear perfectly or become totally deaf. He postpones the operation and learns lip reading. He wants to call everything off with Malone but she refuses to back out. Meanwhile, she and Nicol become better acquainted, Liberace spends his time viewing others in the park below his penthouse. He notices a little boy is crippled and needs an operation so he can play like others, and he finances it. He helps a daughter introduce her mother of whom she was ashamed to her in-laws. Dru is at his side encouraging him to work as a composer if not as a pianist. Lip reading helps him discover that Nicol and Malone are in love, and he sends her back to his arms. He decides to go through with the operation at last after Dru re¬ signs. It is successful and at Carnegie Hall all of his friends are present to hear him play once again. Dru, too, has re¬ turned. X-Ray: Liberace’s millions of fans should love him in this entry that has everything in it from a heart-touching story, humor, music both classical and popular, colorful settings, competent act¬ ing, and better direction and production. Almost every scene has Liberace in it and for this his femme admirers will be eternally grateful, which undoubtedly should be reflected boxofficewise. The story, a little on the familiar side, holds interest, and there is a variety of moods and situations. Liberace emerges as an actor as well as a showman. The screen play is by Irving Wallace. A variety of popular and classical music is heard. Tip On Bidding: Higher rates. Ad Lines: “It’s Liberace Time . . . And Time To Have A Wonderful Time At The Theatre With The Popular Pianist”; “A Heart-Warming Story About A Man Who Loved People And The Piano”; “Women Will Want To See This Heart-Warming Drama With Liberace Again And Again.” MISCELLANEOUS Apache Woman Western 83m. (American Releasing) (Pathe Color) Estimate: Action programmer for the lower half. Cast: Lloyd Bridges, Joan Taylor, Lance Fuller, Morgan Jones, Paul Birch, Lou Place, Paul Dubov, Jonathan Haze, Gene Marlowe, Dick Miller, Chester Conklin, Jean Howell. Produced and directed by Roger Corman. Story: At the turn of the century, a peace treaty has placed the Apaches on a reservation. Although the treaty should have ended animosity, a series of myster¬ ious crimes are blamed on the Apaches. Lloyd Bridges, a government agent, is sent to investigate. He breaks up a fight between a half-breed girl and a young hothead. The girl, Joan Taylor, and her brother, Lance Fuller, are placed in the situation of being tom between two civi¬ lizations, the Indian’s and the white man’s. They are distrusted by the red men and their Indian blood makes them suspect to the townsfolks. Bridges learns that the villains are outlaw Indians headed by Fuller. The townspeople are up in arms and a raid on the reservation is being organized. Bridges manages to forestall the raid until he can convince Taylor that her brother is evil. Taylor’s love for the government investigator is stronger than her loyalty to her brother, and she aids Bridges in tracking down Fuller. At the edge of a cliff. Bridges comes face to face with the murderous Fuller. In the en¬ suing battle. Fuller is hurled to his death. Peace restored. Bridges is free to romance Taylor. X-Ray: This entry is dominated by ac¬ tion, primarily supplied by the heroics of Bridges. The story is not too original and the performances and direction are standard, with Joan Taylor impressing. Production is satisfactory and in keeping with the quality of the film. The story and screen play was written by Lou Rusoff. It should be okay as lower half filler. Ad Lines: “Call Her Half Breed . . . And All Hell Breaks Loose”; “Bom Of Sin And Savagery . . . The Flaming Story Of Blazing Guns And Half Breed Vio¬ lence”; “Naked Violence , . . With A Gun Or Knife She Was A Match For Any Man.” The Shorts Parade TWO HEEL Comedy HE TOOK A POWDER. Columbia— AllStar Comedies. 17m. Wally Vernon mar¬ ries a domineering woman. Eddie Quillan convinces Vernon that a hobo’s life is better than one of marital bliss. The two bums take to the road and find trouble when a farmer catches them stealing food. Quillan goes to Vernon’s house in order to convince his wife that she should not divorce hubby. Vernon arrives and mis¬ interprets the situation and a battle de¬ velops. When things are finally patched up, the wife again tries to boss Vernon. He takes another powder, diving through a closed window. FAIR. (8412). HOT ICE. Columbia — Three Stooge Comedies. IGV^m. The Stooges, fresh out of detective school, are on the trail of a stolen diamond. Shemp swipes the gem from a band of crooks and accidently swallows it. The crooks start to cut Shemp open in order to get the diamond, when they are interrupted by a gorilla. The animal disposes of the bandits and then goes after Shemp, who manages to elude the beast. When Shemp again swallows the gem, the other Stooges at¬ tack him with chisels and saws. FAIR. (8402) . Color Novelty FESTIVAL DAYS. Warners — Color Specials. 17m. This short depicts a group of varied and colorful festivals held an¬ nually in continental Europe. Munich’s October fest commemorates a royal wed¬ ding. The 16 day event plays host to mil¬ lions, who drink a special beer prepared for the occasion. Rothenburg, German Bavaria, plays host to the Master Drink, a celebration that includes a march and a picnic get together. In Dinkelsbuehl, a commerative celebration features the sing¬ ing and dancing by children. Grotesque costumes and masks highlight a festival annually held in Hungary. Venice’s Regata Storica features gondolas, a religious cere¬ mony, and a unique team race. Siena, Italy, displays costumes, flags, and armor on festival day. An exciting horse race climaxes this celebration. EXCELLENT. (2009). I ( j .rj X ■ 4056 Servisectlon 4