The Exhibitor (1956)

•' . " —V '■•• /. ■ ,V' ■ » •;•'*•'. •*• .Cy:^ MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR May 2, 1956 ing good support from Robertson, and the direction and production are superior. The story and screen play are by Jack Jevne, Lewis Meltzer, and Robert Blees. The song, “Autumn Leaves,” sets the mood and is heard by Nat “King” Cole at the start accompanying the titles. Tip On Bidding: Higher bracket. Ad Lines: “She Didn’t Know Love „ Could Cost So Much”; “She Never Knew What Was Coming Next ... A Kiss Or A Kick”; “She Reached Out For The Loving Warmth Of A Man’s Hands And Found Herself In The Grip Of Fear.” Blackjack Ketchum, Western Desperado (831) 70M Estimate: Western for the lower half. Cast: Howard Duff, Victor Jory, Maggie Mahoney, Angela Stevens, David Orrick, William Tannen, Ken Christy, Martin Garralgga, Robert Roark, Don C. Harvey, Pat O’Malley, Jack Littlefield. Produced by Sam Katzman; directed by Earl Bellamy. Story: Howard Duff, as the hero of the title, arrives in Oxhorn to marry his fiancee, Maggie Mahoney, and to obliter¬ ate his deadly past by living on the right side of the law. Before they can marry, Victor Jory and his gang of professional killers move in on the town with a large herd of cattle to take over scarce grazing land. Duff reluctantly takes up his guns again as leader of the protesting ranchers, but is hoodwinked into leaving town to avenge the murder of a rancher. In his absence, Mahoney’s father is killed when Jory causes a cattle stampede on their ranch to get even with Duff for killing his brother in self defense. Mahoney escapes, however. Jory and cohorts have cornered the local ammunition market and plan to take over the ranchers’ grazing lands by force, having already seized control of the town. Duff discovers where the ammunition is stored, and by night he and small group surprise Jory’s men in their camp, stampede the cattle, and destroy the ammunition. Back in town a gun battle ensues between Duff and J ory and the remnants of his band, with Duff victorious. Duff and Mahoney are married. X-Ray: There’s enough riding, plenty of shooting, and lots of involvement to keep western fans satisfied for the most part should this be slotted in as part of the program. The cast, story, direction, and production are average. Luci Ward and Jack Hatteford wrote the screen play, based on a novel by Louis L’Amour. Tip On Bidding: Program rates. Ad Lines: “A Man Had To Be Fast On The Draw To Remain Alive”; “He Had A Way With A Gun And A Girl”; “He Wanted To Turn Honest . . . But There Were Always A Few Who Thought They Were Faster With A Gun.” Safari Melodrama 91m. (CinemaScope) (Color by Technicolor) (Made in Africa) Estimate: Highly entertaining entry. Cast: Victor Mature, Janet Leigh, John Justin, Roland Culver, Liam Redmond, Earl Cameron, Orlando Martins. Produced by Adrian D. Worker; executive produc¬ ers are Irving Allen and Albert R. Broc¬ coli; directed by Terence Young. Story: When African white hunter Victor Mature finds his family has been massacred by the Mau Mau in his ab¬ sence, he vows to find and kill leader Earl Cameron, a trusted servant in his home, but the authorities thwart his suicidal plan by suspending his license. Influential titled Englishman Roland Cul¬ ver arrives to hunt the black-maned lion and insists on Mature as his guide. Mature agrees and his license is reinstated. In the party as well are Culver’s fiancee, Janet Leigh, and friend John Justin. By the time the safari is a little older, Culver is mentally unbalanced about his forthcom¬ ing kill, Leigh is falling for Mature, and the latter is concerned only with track¬ ing down Cameron, who sets a trap. Mature dodges it, but Cameron escapes. Culver only wounds the sought lion and Mature tries to track it down, which brings friction between them into the open. Mature learns 200 Mau Mau are heading their way to join with Cameron and orders the camp moved, but Culver refuses to leave without another try at the lion. The animal wounds Culver and Mature kills it. The Mau Mau surround the trucks and attack. Help is brought in the nick of time by a native boy who sought out the police. Cameron and most of the others are killed. Leigh and Mature are free to face the future together. X-Ray: Colorful scenes showing ani¬ mals in action along with a variety of the beasts in their native habitat add spice to the story that holds interest on high pretty much throughout. There’s action and intrigue and the addition of the Mau Mau terror, which also makes for entertaining melodrama. Most audi¬ ences should be pleased with the result which is aided by good performances and better direction and production. A little extra selling may mean a little extra in the return department. Color and CinemaScope also prove of value in the overall pattern. The screen play is by Anthony Veiller, based on a story by Robert Buckner. Tip On Bidding: Higher bracket. Ad Lines: “Thrills And Chills Of Dark Africa And The Terrorist Mau Mau Mean Death To All Whites”; “An Action Adven¬ ture Film That Will Be Long Remem¬ bered”; “The Drums Beat Out A Message Of Death.” PARAMOUNT The Man Who Knew Too Much (5520) Melodrama 120m. (VistaVision) (Technicolor) (Made in England and Africa) Estimate: High rating Hitchcock thriller. Cast: James Stewart, Doris Day, Brenda de Banzie, Bernard Miles, Ralph Truman, Daniel Gelin, Mogens Wieth, Alan Mobray, Hilary Brooke, Christopher Olsen, Reggie Nalder, Richard Wattis, Noel Willman, Alix Talton, Carolyn Jones, Yves Brainville, Abdelhaq Chraibi, Betty Baskcomb, Leo Gordon, Patrick Aherne, Louis Mercier, Anthony Warde, Lewis Martin. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock; associate producer, Herbert Coleman. Story: Dr. James Stewart, wife Doris Day, and their seven-year-old son, Chris Olsen, are traveling to French Morocco after a Paris medical convention. In a crowded bus from Casablanca to Mar¬ rakesh, they meet young Frenchman Daniel Gelin. Day is suspicious of Gelin, but Stewart likes him. In a Marrakesh restaurant they meet an English couple, Bernard Miles and Brenda deBanzie. Stewart and his family, along with their English friends, witness a murder of one Arab by another. Before dying, the Arab, really Gelin in disguise, warns Stewart of an assassination to take place in London. He and Day go to the police, while deBanzie takes their son back to the hotel. Before he can tell them any¬ thing, he is informed that his son has been kidnapped and will be killed if he di¬ vulges any information. Realizing that the English couple has probably taken the boy to England, they hurry to London and meet Scotland Yard’s Ralph Truman. Truman knows of the assassination part, but has no idea of who is to be killed or when. Stewart refuses to give him any information and decides to investigate himself. He and Day find Miles and de¬ Banzie living in a chapel. They learn that the intended victim of the assassination is Prime Minister of a not too friendly European country. Overpowering Stew¬ art, the plotters take his son to the unfriendly Embassy. Day goes to the con¬ cert where the assassination is to take place and recognizes the assassin. Stewart goes after him, and the killer dies in a fall. The Prime Minister, only slightly wounded, is grateful, and agrees to invite Stewart and Day to a party in the Em¬ bassy where the boy is being held. DeBanzie has a change of heart and assists in Olsen’s rescue, with Miles being killed in the fracas. X-Ray: Constantly changing back¬ ground settings and a story that is con¬ tinually on the move with suspense and melodrama foremost are to be found in this latest Hitchcock entry that rates as better entertainment of its type. A unique type of hunt and chase spanning several countries keeps the pace going at a rate calculated to hold attention on high. The cast, headed by Stewart and Day, is very good, as is the expert direction and pro¬ duction of Hitchcock. This should please all types of audiences. The screen play is by John Michael Hayes and Angus MacPhail, based on a story by Charles Ben¬ nett and D. B. Wyndham-Lewis. Musical numbers heard include “Storm Cloud Cantata,” “Whatever Will Be,” and “We’ll Love Again.” Some of the settings and streets in North Africa and in England may prove of added interest to many viewers with the Technicolor and VistaVision cameras catching much beauty and excitement. Tip On Bidding: Higher rates. Ad Lines: “Alfred Hitchcock’s Newest Mystery Melodrama”; “A Thrill A Minute In Alfred Hitchcock’s New International Melodrama”; “Hitchcock At His Best; A Cast Of Stars; A Great Mystery Thriller; Technicolor; VistaVision — All Combine For Your Entertainment.” REPUBLIC . Dramatic Magic Fire (5503) Musical 84m. (Trucolor) Estimate: For class and art spots. Cast: Yvonne De Carlo, Rita Gam, Valentina Cortese, Alan Badel, Carlos Thompson, Peter Cushing, Frederick Valk, Gerhard Riedmann, Eric Schumann, Rob¬ ert Freytag, Heinz Klingenberg, Charles Regnier, Fritz Rasp, Kurt Grosskurth, Hans Quest, Jan Hendriks, soloists, or¬ chestra, and choir from Bavarian State Opera. Produced and directed by William Dieterle. Story: In 1834, Alan (Richard Wagner) Badel marries actress Yvonne de Carlo, who tries to be a good wife to him, although not approving of his revolutionary ideas both in music and politics. Badel visits Charles (Meyerbeer) Regnier, reigning musical personality in Paris, who spurns him and his music, but Carlos (Franz Liszt) Thompson recognizes Badel’s genius, rescues him from debtor’s prison, and uses his influence to have Badel’s operas presented. Also, through the friendship of Thompson and his daughter Rita Gam, Badel is given asylum in Switz¬ erland on the estate of wealthy Peter Cushing and his wife, Valentina Cortese. Badel has an affair with Cortese. De Carlo, learning of her husband’s infidelity, ex¬ poses it to Cushing. Badel flees to Venice 4150 Servisection 2