Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1959)

]VK)\^IES continued Maine, she’s trying to make a living by selling lobsters. For this, she needs good train service — and she can’t get it, because the railroad’s owned by Ernie Kovacs. He does a hilarious caricature of the big boss who tramples all over everybody: his employees, commuters, the general public. Jack Lemmon, one of our smartest light comedians, is shy instead of brash this time, as a hick-town lawyer who is Doris’ steady hut can’t get up the nerve to propose. Then along comes a rival — handsome, blond Steve Forrest, as a newspaperman who helps Doris (below, right, with Jack Lemmon) get her case into print and on TV. For a while, it looks as if her fellow townsmen will give her about as much support as Gary Cooper got in “High Noon.” It’s a nice, friendly movie, rippling along with quiet chuckles. family The Black Orchid PARAMOUNT VW What do you expect of a picture with a sexy-sinister title like that and two stars like fiery Anthony Quinn and voluptuous Sophia Loren (below, center) ? Well, that isn’t what you get. It’s a pleasant surprise, a warm and sympathetic family story, like a look inside your neighbor’s house. The gentle courtship of Anthony and Sophia, widower and widow. Italian-Americans, runs into complications. She has a young son (Jimmie Baird) who is a delinquent; Tony has a daughter who is bitterly jealous of Sophia. Ina Balin, a refreshing new face, makes you understand this girl, even though you get as exasperated with her as her young fiance (Mark Richman ) does. FAMILY Up Periscope warners; warner V'V'V' What a crew this sub has! In this brisk World War II thriller, we come aboard with debonair James Garner (below left with Alan Hale), a frogman who is to be ferried to a near-suicidal mission on a Jap-held island. It isn’t a happy undersea ship, he finds; skipper Edmond O'Brien puts the safety of his craft and its full personnel ahead of individual lives. Lanky Carleton Carpenter and good-looking William Leslie are second and third in command, and if you look hard you’ll see Edd Byrnes in a ridiculously small role. (Somebody goofed ! ) There isn’t much time for romance; Jim lovingly recalls a brief interlude with Andra Martin. family T em pest PARAMOUNT; TECH NIRAMA, TECHNICOLOR VW Scenes of sweeping, powerful spectacle give this historical drama its chief excitement. It concerns 18th Century Russians, but that's about the only nationality that doesn’t get into the act. A French-Italian company shot it in Yugoslavia with a cast from all over the place, including Hollywood. In the reign of Catherine the Great (Viveca Lindfors), a revolt is being organized by a rough, tough, red-bearded peasant (Van Heflin). When violence breaks out at a lonely post on the steppe, it involves two loyal young lovers, Army officer Geoffrey Horne and Silvana Mangano. his commander's daughter. Van and Geoff, who cuts a dashing figure in uniform, give the story moments of humanity, in spite of some terribly stiff dialogue. family No Name on the Bullet u.I; CINEMASCOPE, EASTMAN COLOR V'v'V' As “Maverick” proves on TV, a sense of humor is a big help in a western, and Audie Murphy’s latest has a script with a neat ironic slant. It isn’t a whodunit: the question here is: Who’s gonna get it? Audie’s a professional killer; when he rides into town, everybody knows somebody’s number is up. But whose? About the only party with a clear conscience is doc Charles Drake, who can't keep the nervous citizens from shooting each other — or themselves. With his baby lace and modest size, Audie is still a frightening desperado. family The Unvanquished ( Aparajito ) HARRISON V'V'V' Sequel to India’s well-regarded film “Panther Panchali,” this has the same mixture of poetic beauty and grubby realism, exotic backgrounds and familiar emotions. With his young parents, the delightful small boy Apu has moved from their hungry home village to Benares, on the sacred Ganges River. He darts through the tenement and the city streets with lively curiosity. And he finds another world to explore after his father’s death, when his mother’s work as a servant takes them far into the Bengal countryside. Even as a ten-year-old, he’s eager for learning. As a teenager, he goes alone to Calcutta to continue his education, taking a job on the side. His mother won’t hold him back — but she resents his ambition. Their changing relationship is treated profoundly and tenderly. adult These Thousand Hills 2Hth; CINEMASCOPE. DE LUXE COLOR VV When a western slows down to concentrate on character instead of action, the characters had better be interesting. Several talented young players put up a good fight here, but the script is too obvious. While cowhand Don Murray goes after money and respectability, he edges away from old friends. Dance-hall “hostess” Lee Remick lends him money to start ranching, then gets brushed off after he meets Patricia Owens, who’s very much the lady. Stuart Whitman can’t stand Don’s snobbery, and when these ex-partners meet again the outcome is tragic. adult Never Steal Anything Small t.l; CINEMASCOPE, EASTMAN COLOR V'V If this peculiar movie measured up to James Cagney’s star performance, we’d really have something. He’s a joy to watch, with his perfect comedy timing