Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1948)

SHADOW STAGE (Continued from page 4) Toast to Oberon, ^ Temptation (UniversalInternational) THERE’S a curious contest on to see which one of the screen’s leading ladies can play the world’s most wicked woman. Among recent perpetrators of murderous misdeeds are Bette Davis (“Deception”) , Olivia de Havilland (“The Dark Mirror”) and Hedy Lamarr (“The Strange Woman”) . Now along comes Merle Oberon in this turbulent drama of illicit love, looking very exotic in her form-fitting gowns, and acting even more so. Merle’s a beautiful -but broke divorcee of shoddy repute. Seeking respectability and security, she makes a play for George Brent, wealthy archeologist. His doctor-friend, Paul Lukas, has misgivings but is unable to prevent the marriage. While in Egypt, where Brent fools around with a lot of musty mummies, Merle takes up with Charles Korvin, a consummate liar and cheat who sees in Merle a kindred spirit. Hopelessly infatuated, she lets Charles talk her into poisoning her husband, only to discover she really loves the guy. Merle is thoroughly convincing as a sorry schemer who plays with fire and pays the price. Brent’s role of the too trusting husband is colorless and undistinguished; Lukas looks properly mournful as a man who knows his friend is being duped; Charles Korvin plays with a sure touch the rascally Egyptian. Lenore Ulric — quite a temptress herself in Dad’s day — is fine as Merle’s faithful French maid, justifiably appalled at her mistress’s carryings-on. With its forbidden-fruit theme, this is dimenovel stuff definitely on the sombre side. Your Reviewer Says: Not for the kiddies. The Strange Woman (Hunt Stromberg-UA) If O mistake about it: Hedy Lamarr is a i* “baddie” — albeit a bewitching one — in this melodrama inspired by a Ben Ames Williams novel, with Bangor, Maine, of 1820 as its background. Daughter of a drunken father (Dennis Hoey) and a wanton mother, she’s determined to better herself. She marries the town’s wealthy and aging merchant (Gene Lockhart) and, while posing as a good, devoted wife, secretly leads on his weak, cowardly son (Louis Hayward) . Then George Sanders, boss of her husband’s lumber camp, comes along and, for the first time, Hedy knows the meaning of love. Although George is engaged to be married to her best friend (Hillary Brooke) , that’s a trifling obstacle to such a ruthless woman. Hedy presents a devastating portrait of a tantalizing and completely treacherous creature who meets her just deserts in the end. There’s a splendid supporting cast; indeed, the acting is decidedly superior to the story. George Sanders, however, doesn’t appear too comfortable as “Temptation” by stars Charles Korvin and Merle involved in movie of intrigue and murder scheming yet another victim of Hedy’s wiles. Perhaps he’s so used to pushing his women around that it’s a distinct novelty to have one dominate him. Your Reviewer Says: Strange indeed! V' My Darling Clementine (20th Century-Fox) PRODUCED on a big scale, this colorful cops-and-robbers yarn is crammed to burstin’ with gun-totin’, hard-drinkin’, fast-ridin’, hot-tempered folk. It’s back in the bad old days of Tombstone, Arizona, when gambling, cattle-rustling and carousing were rampant. Henry Fonda gives a forthright performance of the slowtalking but quick-acting marshal who .knows how to settle a grudge. When he and his brothers (Tim Holt and Ward Bond) find their kid brother killed and their herd of cattle stolen, the feud is on between them and rascally old Walter Brennan and his four rascally sons. Victor Mature plays with a flourish a reckless gambler who knows his days are numbered. As his Spanish sweetheart, Linda Darnell sneers and jeers her way through the film (on her it’s becoming). In contrast to Linda’s flamboyant style, Cathy Downs’s wishy-washy role of the demure Clementine, who comes to Tombstone to save Victor from himself, offers scant opportunity to display any acting prowess. “My Darling Clementine” marks the return of director John Ford and actors Henry Fonda, Victor Mature and Tim Holt from service in the armed forces. Among them, they’ve given us a rowdy, picturesque film but it’s by no means of the same high calibre as those earlier Ford-Fonda productions: “Drums Along the Mohawk,” “Grapes of Wrath” and “Young Mr. Lincoln.” Your Reviewer Says: Western. Better than average Nocturne (RKO) || P to a certain point, this murder mystery U is easy enough to take. Then, in an attempt to pad it with a lot of false clues, it goes haywire. George Raft plays a sleuth as stubborn as he’s snoopy. When a popular song writer, with a reputation as a Casanova, is found fatally shot in his Hollywood home, having apparently met his Maker while composing a little thing called “Nocturne,” Raft is convinced it’s murder, not suicide as contended by the higher-ups on the force. Even when he loses his job because of his strange persistence, he keeps on trying to crack open the case, narrowing his search down to an actress (Lynn Bari) and her pretty sister (Virginia Huston) . Even if she isn’t the cooperating type, Lynn’s a right smart looker and talker and Georgie is quite taken with her. However, he’s not a man to neglect his duty so he goes on trying to establish her guilt. A couple of other people pop up as likely suspects, among them a hard-boiled blonde (Myrna Dell) and a night club pianist (Joseph Pevney). Before the killer is finally unmasked there are two murders, one suicide and a near-gassing; also a nasty knock-down-drag-out fight between the dapper detective and a huge hoodlum (Bernard Hoffman) who somehow gets entangled in the whole mess. All this violence, dressed up in fancy double talk, fails to make up for a woeful lack of logic. Your Reviewer Says: For jigsaw puzzle addicts. k' The Chase (Nebenzal-UA) HOW a nice boy like Robert Cummings can get mixed up with a bad bunch is shown in this crime -packed picture based on Cornell Woolrich’s novel, “The Black Path of Fear.” In true story-book style, Bob sets out to rescue the beautiful princess (Michele Morgan) from the tower except that, for its own good reasons, Hollywood has transformed her into the terror-stricken wife of gangster Steve Cochran, and she’s locked up in a Miami mansion. Considering what an ogre her husband is, that Peter Lorre is his bodyguard, it’s no wonder she’s bent on getting away. There’s a dream episode — nightmare is more the word for it! — but we won’t give the show away by revealing where reality ends and make-believe begins. It’s enough to warn you that this is liable to give you a nightmare if you’re susceptible to that sort of thing. As the target of all the rough and tumble business, Robert Cummings does a neat job. (He’d be so much more attractive, however, minus that five o’clock shadow.) Michele Morgan looks unhappy enough to awaken the chivalrous instincts of any red-blooded gent. Steve Cochran will give you goose pimoles as the menace while the nonchalant Peter Lorre knocks off people with his habitual air of boredom. Your Reviewer Says: A thriller-chiller. (Continued on page 8)