The Exhibitor (1959)

February 11, 1959 MOTION PICTURE EXHIBITOR 4559 success, especially when she brushes off the wolfish attentions of agent Robert Alda. Moore also has her problems when she finds her daughter trying to pass as white. Turner eventually gets a tryout for a play by Dan O’Herlihy, and she is a hit, after which star¬ dom is a natural step. When Gavin proposes marriage, she turns him down in favor of a career. With fame and fortune, happiness is still an elusive thing. Moore, happy as Turner’s housekeeper, still has problems with a grown-up Susan Kohner, who more than ever poses as a white girl. Turner’s daughter, Sandra Dee, goes through an exclusive finish¬ ing school and feels neglected because her mother’s acting assignments keep them sep¬ arated. Gavin, now a successful advertising executive, and Turner meet again, but her career still comes first. Kohner runs away to establish herself as a white girl in a chorus line. Moore becomes ill. Turner becomes con¬ vinced that she and Gavin should wed, which hurts Dee, who has fallen for Gavin. Moore makes a final trip to see Kohner, after which she comes home to die. A repentant Kohner shows up at the funeral sorry about having hurt her mother, and the event brings the others close together. X-Ray: A powerful drama that proves a real emotional experience is to be found here. Adults, particularly women, will be deeply touched as the problems of the char¬ acters unfold. Parents will feel compassion for their counterparts on screen as well as for the youngsters and their situations. The story is an absorbing one. The presentation is enhanced by colorful sets and surround¬ ings as well as by the costumes of the char¬ acters, all of which are effectively transferred to the screen by Eastman Color. The cast is outstanding. Direction is very good as is the production as a whole. Mahalia Jackson, noted gospel singer, is seen at the conclu¬ sion singing “Trouble of the World.” Other tunes to be heard are “Imitation of Life*’ and “Empty Arms.” The screenplay is by Eleanor Griffin and Allan Scott, based on the novel by Fannie Hurst. This story was first brought to the screen a quarter of a century ago. While it has been modernized a bit, it remains the same effective, heart¬ warming drama. Tip On Bidding: Higher rates. Ad Lines: “The Thrilling Drama All Adults Are Talking About”; “The Picture That’s An Emotional Experience.” WARNERS Rio Bravo (813) western 141m. Warners (Technicolor) Estimate: Super western is highly enter¬ taining. Cast: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, John Russell, Pedro GonzalesGonzales, Estelita Rodriguez, Claude Akins, Malcolm Atterbury, Harry Carey, Jr., Bob Steele. Produced and directed by Howard Hawks. Story: Sheriff John Wayne finds himself in a touchy situation after he arrests Claude Akins for murder. The latter’s brother, John Russell, powerful rancher, bottles up en¬ trances to the town and is determined to get his brother out before a U.S. Marshal can arrive. He hires professional gunmen to try and get Akins out. Assisting Wayne is old crippled Walter Brennan and Dean Mar¬ tin, former deputy, who was handy with a gun before he took to drink. One of the passengers forced to stop over is Angie Dickinson, who spends quite a bit of time gambling. A wagon train carrying explosives, headed by Ward Bond, and guarded by Ricky Nelson, a youth fast with two guns, arrives and remains in town. Bond is shot in the back by some of Russell’s men when he offers Wayne aid, and the killer is taken care of by Martin. Wayne wonders about a hand¬ bill out on Dickinson, who explains she was married to a gambler and didn’t know he cheated until he was caught and shot. She helps Wayne get some needed rest by stand¬ ing guard all night, and they seem to be falling in love. Several other attempts by Russell are thwarted, with Martin proving he can stay away from whiskey and still has some ability with a gun. Nelson, too, sides with Wayne after saving his life. Rus¬ sell captures Martin and offers to trade him for Akins. The showdown has Wayne and his men outsmarting Russell. Wayne and Dickinson can now discuss a future together. X-Ray: Lots of thrills, good action se¬ quences, humor, some unorthodox romance, and drama, as well as a bit of exploitable music with Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson put this in the better western category. The cast is good not only in name value but in performance as well, and some of the action is rough, tough and exciting. Results should be impressive from a boxoffice viewpoint. The story could have been tightened with a bit of judicious editing which would have resulted in still a better film. The settings and Technicolor are fine. One thing the long running time does is to properly set the characters and situations so that audiences can get into the proper receptive mood and stay there. The screenplay is by Jules Furthman and Leigh Brackett, based on a short story by B. H. McCampbell. Tips On Bidding: Higher rates. Ad Lines: “Flaming Guns Almost Tore Rio Bravo Apart”; “Action And More Action As Sheriff John Wayne And A Most Unusual Set Of Deputies Swear To Keep The Peace.” Up Periscope (809) Melodrama 111m. Warners (WarnerScope) (Technicolor) Estimate: Lengthy submarine yarn of average interest. Cast: James Garner, Edmond O’Brien, Andra Martin, Alan Hale, Carleton Carpenter, Frank Gifford, William Leslie, Richard Bakalyan, Erward Byrnes, Sean Garrison, Henry Kulky. Produced by Aubrey Schenck; directed by Gordon Douglas. Story: James Garner, Navy Lieutenant, has his romance with Andra Martin inter¬ rupted by secret orders asking him to re¬ port to Pearl Harbor during World War II. There he learns that Martin was in Naval Intelligence investigating him to determine his fitness for a vital mission. He is ordered aboard a sub commanded by Edmond O’Brien, who operates strictly by the book, the latter policy having contributed to the death of a crew member in the opinion of others aboard. Garner’s job is to sneak ashore on a Jap -controlled island which radios orders to Japanese shipping. Friction develops be¬ tween Garner and O’Brien, with the latter reluctant to risk sub and men to bring Garner in close. The boat survives an air attack, but some damage is suffered which is repaired by Garner under water. It also survives an attack by a Jap destroyer, which it sinks. O’Brien surprises Garner by taking him in close but gives him little time to com¬ plete his mission. Undercover of an explosive fire, he is able to photograph the needed code and return to the boat as O’Brien, short of oxygen, is about to leave, having waited past the allotted time. They return to Pearl Harbor to a hero’s welcome, and Garner finds Martin waiting. X-Ray: This is the type of yarn that used to hit the screen some years ago. It is overlong and overdone, and some of the story tends to stretch the imagination quite a bit although there are some scenes ade¬ quate in suspense and action. Performances are average, as are direction and production. If it were trimmed a bit, it might make up better as part of the show. Garner a prom¬ inent TV personality, might be an additional drawing card. The screenplay is by Richard Landau based on the novel by Robb White. Tip On Biding: Fair program rates. Ad Lines: “A Sub Story Loaded With Suspense And Action”; “His Mission Meant Death For All If One Move Was A Wrong One.” FOREIGN The Cosmic Monsters DCA Melodrama 75m. (English-made) Estimate: Lower half science fiction entry. Cast: Forrest Tucker, Gaby Andre, Martin Benson, Wyndham Goldie, Alec Mango, Hugh Latimer, Geoffrey Chater, Patricia Sinclair. Produced by George Maynard; directed by Gilbert Gunn. Story: Alec Mango, sinister scientist, hires as a computor operator French Gaby Andre, with whom his assistant, Forrest Tucker, promptly falls in love. There is a difference of opinion between government officials over the value of Mango’s work, which changes metals in conjunction with magnetic fields. Mango’s experiments get out of control and strange things begin happening in the village. There are “maniac murders” and rumors of unidentified flying objects, to say nothing of radar disturbances, etc. Mysterious stranger Martin Benson appears on the scene. He seems to understand everything that is going on and warns Tucker that Mango has rup¬ tured the magnetic field of the earth, causing dangerous atmospheric disturbances and that quick-breeding insects may grow to gigantic size. By this time, Mango is completely mad and refuses to stop his experiments. Giant insects attack Andre, who is rescued in the nick of time. Soldiers kill the giant insects as Benson, after a conference with officials, orders a hovering space ship to destroy Mango’s laboratory. After this, Benson boards the space craft and returns to his own planet, while Andre falls into Tucker’s arms. X-Ray: This science fiction hokus pokus is not only complicated and decidedly talky, but some thick English accents make it even harder to follow. The only action takes place in the last several reels when the giant sized insects get going. Some clever photographic tricks in this portion of the film save it for whatever it is worth. Acting is only average, but production, direction, and photography are satisfactory. The original story is by Rene Ray, adapted by Paul Ryder. Ad Lines: “Mutated Monsters Menace Man¬ kind”; “Every Second Your Pulse Pounds They Grow Foot by Incredible Foot.” The Crawling Eye Melodrama DCA (English-made) Estimate: Okay science fiction thriller. Cast: Forrest Tucker, Laurence Payne, Jenifer Jayne, Janet Munro, Warren Mitch¬ ell, Frederick Schiller, Stuart Saunders, An¬ drew Faulds, Colin Douglas. Produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman; directed by Quentin Lawrence. Story: Scientist Forrest Tucker meets Jennifer Payne and Janet Munro, sisters and a mind reading act in vaudeville, while en route to visit doctor Warren Mitchell at his observatory high in the Swiss alps. Munro claims she knows of gruesome catastrophes met by recent mountain climbers. Tucker and Mitchell believe that the cause of everything is a radioactive cloud overhanging the moun¬ tain, and Tucker also believes that Munro is receiving telepathic messages from what¬ ever is concealed in the cloud. After an¬ other mountain climber is killed, guide Andrew Faulds returns to the inn dazed. When he sees Munro, he attacks her, but he is captured by Tucker and others and locked up. He strangles the inn keeper and again tries to attack Munro, but is shot by Tucker. When the dead man’s flesh dissolves, Tucker realizes he has been under a hypnotic spell of the creature of the cloud. The cloud finally breaks up and moves on the hotel ( Continued on page 4560 )