Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1948)

SHOWMEN'S REVIEWS REISSUE REVIEWS ADVANCE SYNOPSES SHORT SUBJECTS CHART THE RELEASE CHART This department deals with new' product from the point of view of the exhibitor who is to purvey it to his own public. That Wonderful Urge Twentieth Century ■ Fox — Romantic Comedy Twelve years ago Twentieth Century-Fox produced "Love Is News," a gay and rollicking romantic comedy starring Tyrone Power. This week the company screened for the press the same story with the same star, but this time its title is "That Wonderful Urge." In its voyage down through the years it shows no sign of wear, for it is still a swift-moving, gay comedy of a metropolitan newspaper man who uses his prolific pen to drag a beautiful heiress through some muck-raking journalism. Punctuated with dialogue and situations which keep the story galloping along, the story revolves around Gene Tierney, the heiress, who turns the journalistic tables on Power by announcing to the press that they are married and that she has given him a $1,000,000 dowry. As a result he loses his job; is held up to public ridicule by competitive newspapers ; and spends the rest of the picture attempting to disprove the marital hoax. In the end they marry. As a romantic comedy the story ideally lends itself to situations in which the audience will find considerable pleasure. The screenplay by Jay Dratler is top-flight and filled with subtle humor that may well pass over the heads of some without notice. Nevertheless, there is also an abundance of the obvious type of comedy which has been polished and carefully spaced by Robert B. Sinclair, the director. Lending capable support are Reginald Gardiner, as Miss Tierney's gigolo; Arleen Whalen, a girl reporter, and Lucile Watson, the aunt. Rounding out the cast is Gene Lockhart, Lloyd Gough, Porter Hall and Chill Wills. Production by Fred Kohlmar is of the best. Reviewed at the Twentieth Century-Fox projection room in New York. Reviewer' s Rating: Very Good. — George H. Spires. Release date, January, 1949. Running time, 82 minutes. PCA No. 13106. Adult audience classification. Thomas Jefferson Tyler Tyrone Power Sara Gene Tierney Andre Reginald Gardiner Jessica Arleen Whelan Lucille Watson, Gene Lockhart, Lloyd Gough, Porter Hall, Richard Gaines, Taylor Holmes, Chill Wills, Hope Emerson, Frank Ferguson Yellow Sky 20th-Fox — Top-Cast Action Western With a fine cast, producer-writer Lamar Trotti here presents the newest attempt in the current endeavor to find a new and different approach to the conventional Western. At times he succeeds admirably. At other times the pace is slowed to a walk and dialogue, even though well written, must carry the picture. To the exploitation-wise showmen, the Gregory Peck-Anne Baxter-Richard Widmark com bination can spell nothing but good news. Peck makes a fine hero and he will disappoint neither the western fans, who will find him satisfactory as the tough but lovable leader of a small group of outlaws, nor those who have come to admire him for his acting. Widmark, as usual, does a very effective "meanie" and Miss Baxter, hard as nails in the part of an Indian-raised girl living with her grandfather in Yellow Sky, a ghost town at the edge of the desert, does well. The cast has been kept small, with every performer doing a top job and fitting neatly. From time to time action flares violently and guns bark among the rocks, but mostly the film is concerned with injecting a tenser note by exploring personalities and their relationships one to another. The long opening sequences concern a bank robbery and the flight of the gang across a long stretch of desert. Here, as throughout the picture, Joe MacDonald's photography is invaluable in establishing mood. William A. Wellman directed with an eye toward the unusual. Peck and his gang arrive half dead at a ghost town where they find Miss Baxter and old James Barton. All the men fall in love with Anne in their own fashion, but this is mostly forgotten when they discover that the man and the girl are gold prospectors and that a hoard of the precious metal exists. Peck makes a deal, promising Barton half the gold. When it comes to paying off, the men insist on taking the whole loot, leaving Barton and Anne nothing. Peck, in love with Miss Baxter, resists and, driven by greed, the gang splits up and start to fight among themselves. Finally, in a gunhappy climax, Peck eliminates most of the men and is severely wounded himself. Anne nurses him back to health and he pays back what he had taken from the bank. Seen at the 20th-Fox projection room in Nezv York. Reviewer's Rating: Good. — Fred Hift. Release date, December, 1948. Running time, 98 minutes. PCA No. 13224. General audience classification. Stretch Gregory Peck Mike Anne Baxter Dude Richard Widmark Robert Arthur, John Russell, Henry Morgan, James Barton, Charles Kemper, Robert Adler, Harry Carter The Kissing Bandit M-G-M — Colorful Musical Individually, the ingredients that have gone into "The Kissing Bandit" are of such quality that one could expect a lavish and highly entertaining musical comedy production. There is some excellent photography of the rugged California country in Technicolor ; beautiful costuming and expensive sets ; a cast of players well known to the film-going public, and the name of Joe Pasternak as the producer. Somehow the ingredients have failed to jell into solid entertainment. Perhaps this is partly the fault of a weak screenplay, and partly because Frank Sinatra's forte is singing and not acting. Intended as a cross between satire and whimsy, the story concerns California in the 1830's and the adventures of a city pip-squeak who arrives to take over the leadership of a bandit gang once led by his late father. Romance comes into the picture in the person of Kathryn Grayson as the governor's daughter, with whom the bandit leader falls in love. Their romantic ups-and-downs are punctuated by a song-duel on the part of the couple, with Miss Grayson's charm and melodious voice emerging the victor over the crooning of Sinatra. However, the picture can boast several highlights. There is a good supporting cast headed by J. Carrol Naish as the bandit lieutenant, and two dance numbers beautifully and dramatically photographed. One is a spirited Spanish dance number by Sono Osato done to the beat of a cracking bull whip, while the other, created by Robert Alton, is the fiery "Dance of Fury," performed against an exciting musical background by Ann Miller, Ricardo Montalban and Cyd Charisse — the trio's sole appearance. Laslo Benedek directed from an original screenplay by Isobel Lennart and John Briard Harding. George Stoll directed the music by Nacio Herb Brown. Reviewed at the Capitol theatre on Broadway, Nciv York, where a mid-afternoon audience applauded the dance routines. Reviewer 's Rating : Good. — G. H. S. Release date, January, 1949. Running time, 99 minutes. PCA No. 12671. General audience classification. Ricardo Frank Sinatra Teresa Kathryn Grayson Chico J. Carrol Naish Isabella Mildred Natwick Mikhail Rasumny, Billy Gilbert, Sono Osato, Clinton Sundberg, Carleton G. Young, Edna Skinner, Vincete Gomez, Ricard Montalban, Ann Miller, Cyd Charisse Grand Canyon Trail Republic — Roy Rogers Western Here are plenty of the action, gunplay and chases that make for a good Western, and for good measure, "Grand Canyon Trail" is in Trucolor. Roy Rogers sings, fights and shoots with his usual ability, and is ably assisted by the Riders of the Purple Sage and Andy Devine. The story concerns a silver mine in which Andy and the boys have invested, and which is supposedly played out. Jane Frazee plays the mine owner's secretary, and in her attempts to straighten things out, she pretends to be his daughter. By mistake she thinks that Roy is against her, and constantly crosses up his attempts to help. Eventually they find that there is gold in the mine and that Bill Regan, the mining engineer, is a crook who is trying to gain control of the mine. Rough and tumble fights abound, Rogers con (Continucd on next page) PRODUCT DIGEST SECTION, NOVEMBER 27, 194? 4397