Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1944)

A reliable guide to recent pictures. One check means good; two checks, very good; three checks, outstanding The Song of Bernadette (Twentieth Century-Fox) Inspiring: Jennifer Jones, William Eythe in "The Song Of Bernodefte" At a propitious moment in our warravaged world comes from Hollywood, of all places, a peace on earth, good will to men benediction in the moving and spiritual story of Bernadette, the peasant girl who glimpsed a holy vision in the village of Lourdes. Today the Miracles of Lourdes are known the world over. How these miracles came to be is our story. It begins with the simple tale of a simple village girl out to gather firewood to warm her hovel of a home. While her sister and a friend run on ahead, Bernadette remains behind to glimpse, in a niche beside the refuse dump of the town, the vision of a lovely woman. The story spreads, with most of the townspeople themselves believers of Bernadette’s story. Only the politicians and the Catholic Church itself fail to believe until the miracles begin. Jennifer Jones, as Bernadette, gives a beautifully sincere and completely moving performance. Charles Bickford, the priest who first opposed the child, is outstanding Cleverly cast, too, are Vincent Price as the Imperial Prosecutor, Charles Dingle and Aubrey Mather as local politicians, and Lee J. Cobb as the doctor who maintains an open heart and mind. William Eythe, the boy who loved and believed in Bernadette, has a bright future ahead, judging from his brief performance. Such outstanding players as Gladys Cooper, Edith Barrett, Patricia Morison, John Maxwell Hayes and Jerome Cowan grace this beautiful story by Franz Werfel Your Reviewer Says: “To those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary; to those who do not, no explanation will suffice.” A Guy Named Joe (M-G-M) jP ANTASY, comedy, romance and drama “ travel hand in hand through life and death, through this world and the next, and in the completion of the journey weave the pattern for the year’s most unusual motion picture. As in the case of “Mr. Jordan,” life after death is treated matter of factly, at least in the case of Joe, a fighter pilot who is killed in action, and receives orders as usual from the general in the other world. Joe is to return to earth and aid in the training of young pilots who, without his expert skill and direction, may also lose their lives. Complications arise when Spencer Tracy, who plays Joe, learns Van Johnson, the young pilot in training, is falling in love with Irene Dunne of the Ferry Command, the girl he loved on earth. Jealousy pos sesses Joe to the extent that the pair feel his spiritual antagonism. But when Irene leaps in to complete a mission that would mean death to Van Johnson, Tracy quietly withdraws into his own world, leaving the two mortals to their new-found happiness. There is some slightly dissatisfying quality about the film that keeps it from being the timely great picture it should have been. Tracy is a magnificent Joe, Barry Nelson as his spirit pal and Lionel Barrymore as the spiritual instructor are outstanding. James Gleason, Esther Williams, Henry O’Neill and Ward Bond add so much to this fantasy that every one will surely want to see. Your Reviewer Says: Fantasy with force. Unusual: Irene Dunne and Spencer Tracy in "A Guy Named Joe" Tender Comrade (RKO) Delightful: Robert Ryan and Ginger Rogers in "Tender Comrade" “TENDER COMRADE” is a poignant, ■ merry and at times heartbreaking story of women who work in a defense plant and await their soldier-husbands’ return. There are spots that climb the heights of emotional appeal, but there are many flat surfaces in between. The writer’s ideas of democracy and long speeches on patriotism and hoarding may grow a bit tiresome to Americans who are aware there is a war on. But on the other hand we have some delightfully tender and amusing scenes between Ginger Rogers and her young husband, Robert Ryan. Seldom has marriage of an average young couple been more honestly portrayed. Ryan is one of the finds of the year to our notion. Ruth Hussey steals honors next to Ginger for her portrayal of the hard-boiled mem ber of the four war wives who pool their resources and rent a large house, each paying her share of the expenses. Only don’t believe for a minute there are five-bedroom houses completely furnished in the West Adams district of Los Angeles for rent at a neat ninety dollars. Someone dreamed that one up. Nor do housekeepers, even patriotic ones such as Mady Christians so beautifully portrayed, go about volunteering , their services free. Young war wives may find several scenes hitting too close for comfort. But the mission of “Tender Comrade” seems a “lest we forget” one and it pulls no punches in accomplishing its aim. Your Reviewer Says: A tear for every chuckle. {Continued on page 113) For Best Pictures of the Month and Best Performances See Page 115 For Complete Casts of Current Pictures See Page 120 For Brief Reviews of Current Pictures See Page 16 24