Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1948)

The S t a ^ e A reliable guide to recent pictures. One check means good; two checks, very good; three checks, outstanding It’s a Wonderful Life (Liberty-RKO) Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed in film of heart-warming and hilarious moods Van Heflin, Robert Walker and Joan Welles in tuneful tale of a man’s life Kim Hunter and David Niven in a most unique Teehnieolor flight into fantasy IN this picture of many moods, it’s driven home that it isn’t worldly goods which enrich a man, but the friends he makes in life. It’s another heaven-and-earth affair that has a little of everything: Romance, comedy, tragedy, fantasy, satire. For earnest and impulsive James Stewart life is a mixture of all these things. Eager to leave his home town for faroff places, Jimmy’s carefully laid plans go awry repeatedly. He finally tears up his travel folders and resigns himself to running the building and loan company on which so many of the townfolk depend; otherwise, it would fall into the grasning hands of banker Lionel Barrymore whom everyone despises. His consolation prize is pretty Donna Reed who skimps along on next to nothing, turns a drafty old barn into a livable home and brings four — count LEO the Lion may roar with pride over this stunning songfest, inspired by the popular melodies of Composer Jerome Kern. Elaborate sets and exquisite costumes, dipped in Technicolor, furnish the framework for a story that doesn’t get in the way of the tunes, as frequently happens in musical biographies. In portraying Kern, Robert Walker has his most important role to date, aging attractively as the years and the shows pile up in quick succession. A galaxy of entertainers, straight out of Hollywood’s Who’s Who, include Van Heflin who excels as Kern’s close friend and collaborator. Lucille Bremer, as a gal determined to carve out a stage career for herself, has lots to do and does it well; by way of reward, lucky Lucille gets to be Van Johnson’s ’em! — fine youngsters into the world, remaining sweet and sunny through it all. The climax comes when Jimmy’s befuddled uncle, Thomas Mitchell, misplaces the company funds. With disgrace in the offing and Barrymore at his throat, Jimmy goes to pieces. It’s then that a heavenly messenger is sent to straighten out his tangled affairs and prove how wrong he is in wishing he’d never been born. As Clarence, the Angel, S.C. (second class until he earns his wings), Henry Travers is hilariously funny. Barrymore is as blackhearted a knave as the screen has seen in years. On a par with those previous CapraStewart pictures: “You Can’t Take It With You” and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” this leaves a good taste in the mouth! Your Reviewer Says: Welcome back, Jimmy. partner in an amusing night club interlude. Dorothy Patrick is the English girl who becomes Mrs. Kern after a whirlwind courtship, and Judy Garland plays the part of Marilyn Miller, one-time musical comedy star. June Allyson doesn’t intrude into the story at all, appearing advantageously, if briefly, in the title number. Kathryn Grayson and Tony Martin sing a dreamy duet together. Dinah Shore and Lena Horne share equally in interpreting the Kern songs which culminate in his smash hit, “Show Boat.” The dessert course of this rich feast has that show-stopper, Frank Sinatra, clad in dazzling white against a spun-sugar setting, giving out with “Old Man River.” Your Reviewer Says: Not to be missed. ^ Stairway to Heaven (Universal-International) EALITY and fantasy are woven into a unique pattern in this Technicolor tale of an RAF flier with an indomitable will to live. As the poetical pilot who hovers between life and death, after jumping from his burning plane over the English Channel, David Niven lends plausibility to an odd situation. What makes it so odd is that his adventures take him (and the audience) into two worlds — one real, the other imaginary. Part of his real world and the reason why he wants to stay in it is Kim Hunter who handles her role of WAC wireless operator sympathetically. Also of that world is the doctor, splendidly depicted by Roger Livesey, who fights desperately to preserve the life and sanity of his patient, after diagnosing the trouble as a brain concussion. The young airman suffers repeated hallucinations in which he disputes his right to remain on earth with a “trial” finally arranged to decide if he’s to board that stairway to heaven. As the celestial prosecutor who pits his wits against the doctor’s, Raymond Massey is a crafty adversary of sardonic mien. Although this tug of war twixt heaven and earth, over possession of the pilot, makes for a provocative picture with some stirring scenes brilliantly performed, it may be too fanciful for the average taste. Heaven, incidentally, not only looks startlingly like Grand Central Station, with its steady stream of arrivals, but it’s run just as efficiently. Your Reviewer Says: Flight into fantasy. ( Continued on page 6) ^ Till the Clouds Roll By (M-G-M) For Best Pictures of the Month and Best Performances See Page 119 For Complete Casts of Current Pictures See Page 135 For Brief Reviews of Current Pictures See Page 132