The Exhibitor (1956)

January 9 , 1957 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR they go on to get married with O’Brien’s blessing, while he becomes a big record¬ ing and singing star of rock and roll. X-Ray: This is an ideal vehicle to show off Jayne Mansfield’s talents and attri¬ butes. It’s funny, light in weight but en¬ tertaining, has loads of rock-’n’-roll music, and personal appearances by a number of artists who are prominent in that field. The film also gently but firmly spoofs the rhythmic mumbo jumbo. Pro¬ ducer-director Frank Tashlin is to be complimented on his many cute and amusing touches which make the entry all the more palatable and entertaining. Mansfield is fine in this type of role, with Ewell and O’Brien proving good foils for the well-stacked young lady. It looks as though everyone enjoyed making the film. Add to it CinemaScope and good color, and you’ve got the makings of a hit. The screenplay is by Frank Tashlin and Her¬ bert Baker. Among the tunes heard are “The Girl Can’t Help It,” “Ready Teddy,” “She’s Got It,” “Blue Monday,” “You’ll Never Know I Care,” “Rockin’ Round The Rock Pile,” “Cry Me A River,” “20 Flight Rock,” “Rockin’ Is Our Bizness,” “Cool It Baby,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Cinnamon Singer,” “Spread The Word,” “Be Bop A Lula,” “I Ain’t Gonna Cry No More,” “Tempo’s Tempo,” and “Every Time.” This bears a Legion of Decency “B” rating. Tip On Bidding: Higher bracket. Ad Lines: “This Girl Has Everything”; “She Really Can’t Help It . . . It’s Nat¬ ural”; “What A Build . . . What A Yam . . . What A Film.” UNITED ARTISTS Four Boys And A Gun Melodrama (Security) Estimate: Lower half filler. Cast: Frank Sutton, Tarry Green, James Franciscus, William Hinant, Otto Hulett, Robert Dryden, L: Pat O’Malley, Diana Herbert, Patricia Sloan, Nancy Devlin, Patricia Bosworth, David Burns, Anne Seymour. Produced and directed by Wil¬ liam Berke. Story: Tarry Green, Frank Sutton, James Franciscus, and William Hinant try to hold up the boxoffice of a fight arena. They tangle with the police, and the light switch is pulled. In the confusion, Fran¬ ciscus is wounded in the leg and one of the cops is killed. Franciscus is easily taken and the others are soon rounded up as well. The district attorney gives them a choice of the actual killer going to the electric chair and the other three going to prison or all going for the death penalty. Each has a chance to think back to the events leading up to the hold-up. Green was in love with a girl, but she gave him the gate for her boss, and he lost his job as well. Sutton worked for a bookie and held out some money. Short Hinant just wants to be one of the boys. Franciscus is married, his wife is to have a baby, and despite a bright showing in amateur box¬ ing circles he is deemed unfit to enter the professional ring set-up. They try to get money in various ways, but finally turn to the holdup. At first they try to blame each other for the shooting, but when the chips are down they are determined that all be tried as one, come what may. X-Ray: There is a fair amount of in¬ terest in the proceedings and how they unfold, and of course the juvenile de¬ linquency thing is constantly in the head¬ lines. For the most part, however, it’s just another supporting feature for the pro¬ gram. The direction, production, and acting are okay. The screenplay is by Philip Yordan and Leo Townsend, based on a novel by Willard Wiener. There is a song, “I’ll Never Get Mad Again.” This bears a Legion of Decency “B” rating. Ad Lines: “Four Boys And A Gun Add Up To Big Trouble”; “This Is How Not To Live”; “They Only Had One Answer For Law And Order — A Gun.” WARNERS The Wrong Man (608) D™ Estimate: Highly interesting drama. Cast: Henry Fonda, Vera Miles, An¬ thony Quayle, Harold J. Stone, Charles Cooper, John Heldabrand, Esther Minciotti, Doreen Lang, Laurinda Barrett, Norma Connolly, Nehemiah Persoff, Rich¬ ard Robbins. Directed by Alfred Hitch¬ cock, associate producer, Herbert Cole¬ man. Story: Henry Fonda is a musician at the famed Stork Club. By the time he gets home to his house in Queens, it’s early in the morning. His wife, Vera Miles, is waiting for him complaining of a tooth¬ ache and explaining she has to have the dentist do a lot of work to the tune of $200. The next day, he visits his insur¬ ance office to see if he can borrow against his wife’s policy. At the office, the girls are startled by his appearance and phone police to inform them that the man that held them up twice before has been in. Police wait for him at home and pick him up. They take him on a round of stores that were also robbed and the store¬ keepers identify him as the possible rob¬ ber. Other characteristics cause the police to book him despite protestations of in¬ nocence. His family raises the bail to get him out. They hire attorney Anthony Quayle, who gets them to dig back for an alibi for the various days. Some of the witnesses have died, and Miles begins to think there is no winning and nothing to hope for. She becomes mentally ill and agrees to enter a private institution. The case goes to trial and a mistrial is de¬ clared when one of the jurors shows im¬ patience. Fonda, too, despairs of ever seeing the end, but the real robber, Rich¬ ard Robbins, tries another hold-up and is caught. The remarkable resemblance to Fonda is noted, and when witnesses identify Robbins, Fonda is cleared. Even this news fails to restore Miles to health, but two years later she is discharged as fully recovered. X-Ray: Utilizing a documentary-type technique, Alfred Hitchcock has fashioned himself another suspense drama, this one true to life. Because it has basis in fact it is all the more effective. The subjects and subject matter will grip audiences at the start and hold them throughout the film’s running time until the satisfactory conclusion. It covers a wealth of ma¬ terial in its report, such as what happens to a man from the time he is arrested and accused of a crime. There is drama and moments that touch the heart. The cast is pretty near perfect, Fonda, Miles, and Anthony Quayle particularly outstanding. The direction and production are superior. Mark it down as better dramatic enter¬ tainment with a different kind of sus¬ pense. The screenplay is by Maxwell Anderson and Angus MacPhail, based on a story by Anderson. Tip On Bidding: Higher bracket. Ad Lines: “A Challenge In Suspense”; “A Real-Life Thriller”; “Do You Have A Double?” MISCELLANEOUS Frontier Woman Western 80m. (Top) (Eastman Color) (Vistarama) Estimate: Indian thriller okay for duallers. Cast: Cindy Carson, Lance Fuller, Ann Kelly, James Clayton, Ranee Howard, Geneva Rush, Dan Jones, Pete Cunning¬ ham, Mario Galento, Sam Keller. Pro¬ duced by Lloyd Royal and Tom Garraway; directed by Ron Ormond. Story: Cindy Carson has been raised by Indian Geneva Rush, whose son, James Clayton, secretly loves her, al¬ though she looks upon him as a brother. Ann Kelly, Indian maiden, is in love with Clayton, jealous of Carson. Unscrupulous fur trader Ranee Howard, intent on steal¬ ing Carson’s lands and trapping rights, uses Kelly’s jealousy to gain his ends, and Kelly gets a band of renegade Indians to go on the warpath. They burn settlers’ houses and kill Rush in a raid, but Clay¬ ton remains loyal to Carson. Lance Fuller arrives upon the scene with a memento for Carson from her father who died in Texas, and the latest in firearms. He joins Carson and Clayton on a trip to the set¬ tlement with a load of furs. They are waylaid by the Indians but kill many with Fuller’s gun. Clayton is killed by the Indians. Carson and Kelly engage in a hand to hand fight, but when Carson gets the upper hand, she spares the Indian girl’s life, winning her gratitude. Later at the settlement, one of Howard’s hench¬ men engages in a terrific fight with Ful¬ ler, and when Howard is about to shoot Fuller, Kelly shoots him with an arrow. Carson and Fuller look forward to a future together. X-Ray: This southern-made western opus can boast excellent color photog¬ raphy, a more than satisfactory Vistarama process, a sufficiency of the usual action, a logical variation of “The Squaw Man” theme, almost too much Indian lore, a pleasant enough cast lacking in marquee lustre, and pretty inept direction. Screen¬ play is by Paul Piel. It was shot on the Chunky River in Mississippi, which mas¬ querades as the Tennessee frontier. Ad Lines: “She Was The Daughter Of Davy Crockett”; “The Violent Frontier’s Strangest Triangle”; “White Girl Against Indian Girl In A Strange Story Of The Tennessee Frontier.” The Shorts Parade TWO REEL CinemaScope Color Novelty WONDERS OF NEW ORLEANS. Co¬ lumbia — CinemaScope Travelark. 19m. — EastmanColor. Narrator George Jessel and the vocal talents of Bill Hayes relate the wonders of New Orleans to audiences as they watch the cameras record the high and low spots of the city known the world over. GOOD. Comedy COMMOTION ON THE OCEAN. Co¬ lumbia — Three Stooges Comedies. 16m. The Three Stooges are would-be reporters out to recover some secret stolen docu¬ ments on their way to an enemy country. They follow the spy aboard a vessel and as stowaways have a time trying to eat and stay hidden until they finally recover the missing papers and are heroes. FAIR. (1403) . Documentary ALASKA LIFEBOAT. RKO — Pathe Special. 21m. When the ice melts and permits the passage of a boat, a mercy vessel from the U. S. Public Health Serv¬ ice containing a doctor, nurses, medical supplies, and equipment makes the rounds (Continued on next page) Servisection 3 4275