Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1953)

BRIEF REVIEWS For fuller reviews, see photoplay for months indicated, photoplay Applauds for this mouth, page 4. This month’s full reviews, page 10 A — Adults F — Familv ABOVE AND BEYOND— M G-M : Grippins saga of the first A-bombing. Family woes of Bob Taylor, Eleanor Parker seem trivial. (A) February ALL ASHORE -Columbia, Technicolor: Pleasant, tuneful tale of three sailors’ shore leave. Mickey Rooney, Dick Haymes, Ray McDonald. (F) April ANDROCLES AND THE LION— RKO: Wordy, sometimes witty tribute to persecuted early Christians (Jean Simmons, Alan Young). (A) February ANGEL FACE — RKO: Mild suspense drama involves Bob Mitchum in innocent-looking Jean Simmons’ scheme for murder. (A) March APRIL IN PARIS — Warners, Technicolor: Featherweight but fun. Songs and dances by chorine Doris Day, diplomat Ray Bolger. (F) February BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, THE— M-G-M: Fascinating close-up of Hollywood. Kirk Douglas is a ruthless producer; Lana Turner, an actress; Dick Powell, a writer. (A) February BLACKBEARD THE PIRATE— RKO, Technicolor: Muddled thriller. Robert Newton’s hammy; Keith Andes, Linda Darnell, handsome. (F) March CINERAMA— Cinerama Productions, color: No story, but plenty of excitement. Amazing new technique using a huge curved screen is now showing in New York and Detroit. (F) January CITY BENEATH THE SEA— U-l, Technicolor: Sprawling adventure-romance. Bob Ryan, Anthony Quinn i)lay deep-sea divers. (F) April CLOWN, THE — M-G-M: Red Skelton lays on the pathos too thick as a has-been comic with a small son and a rich ex-wife (Jane Greer). (F) April COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA— Wallis, Paramount: Intimate, grueling drama of marriage and the desires of youth. Shirley Booth’s splendid; Burt Lancaster, Terry Moore score. (A) January CONFIDENTIALLY CONNIE— M-G-M: Gay little comedy. Prof Van Johnson and wife Janet Leigh cope with living costs (especially meat) ; rancher Louis Calhern intervenes. (F) April FACE TO FACE — RKO: Two-story film. James Mason stars in a dreary sea tale; Robert Preston, Marjorie Steele, Minor Watson, in an excellent, unusual comedy Western. (F) January FORBIDDEN GAMES — Times Film: Powerful tragicomedy of war’s effect on children (amazingly portrayed by Brigitte Fossey, George Poujouly). French dialogue, English titles. (A) March FOL'R POSTER, THE — Kramer, Columbia: Funny, touching, too-talky history of a marriage. Lilli Palmer and Rex Harrison, sole players, are fine; cartoon interludes are brilliant. (A) February GIRLS IN THE NIGHT-U-I: Stilted story of youth in the slums, with attractive newcomers Patricia Hardy, Glen Roberts. (A) April HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN Goldwyn, RKO; Technicolor: Magical musical. Danny Kaye is the story-spinning cobbler; exquisite Jeanmaire is Farley Granger’s ballerina wife. ( F) March 1 LOVE MELVIN — M-G-M, Technicolor; Airy, youthful, tune-film with lovable co-stars. Donald O’Connor makes a cover girl of Debbie Reynolds, movie-struck chorine. (F) April IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, THERank, U-I; Technicolor: Michael Redgrave, Michael Denison, Edith Evans sparkle in the dialogue-dominated Oscar Wilde farce about uppercrust romance and deception. (A) March JAZZ SINGER, THE— Warners, Technicolor; Lush, heart-tugging musical with Danny Thomas as a cantor’s son who loves show business and Peggy Lee. (F) April JEOPARDY — M-G-M: Taut, artificial suspense drama. Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan are a holidaying couple in grim danger. (F) April KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL— U. A.: Slick, tricky thriller about an armored-car robbery. With John Payne, Coleen Gray. (F) February LAST OF THE COMANCHES— Columbia, Technicolor; Vigorous, tightly constructed Western in which cavalryman Broderick Crawford leads a chance-met group in its stand against desert thirst and hostile Indians. (F) February LIMELIGHT — U. A.: Highly personal, slow, affecting story of a has-been comedian (Charlie Chaplin) and a young ballerina (Claire Bloom). Fine slapstick; pensive tragedy. (F) February LITTLE WORLD OF DON CAMILLO, THE— 1. F. E.: Rollicking, inspiring French film with English titles. Fernandel’s a fighting village priest; Gino Cervi, the red mayor. (A) March MAN BEHIND THE GUN, THE— Warners, Technicolor: Well-made horse opera of early California, starring Randolph Scott. (F) March MEET ME AT THE FAIR— U-I, Technicolor: Harmless, nostalgic comedy-with-music about a medicine-show man (Dan Dailey). (F) February MEMBER OF THE WEDDING, THE— Kramer, Columbia: Shapeless but often touching story of a troubled adolescent (Julie Harris), with magnificent acting by Ethel Waters. (A) April MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER, THE— U-I, Technicolor: Handsome, fitfully exciting tale of old New Orleans. Honest gambler Ty Power loves aristocratic Piper Laurie. (F) March MOULIN ROUGE— U. A., Technicolor: Subtle color and rich Parisian atmosphere overshadow Jose Ferrer’s portrayal of Toulouse-Lautrec, the tragic, deformed painter. (A) March MY COUSIN RACHEL— 20th Century-Fox: An elegantly mounted but indecisive mystery presents Olivia de Havilland as either murderess or innocent suspect, with newcomer Richard Burton scoring as her accuser and suitor. (A) March NAKED SPUR, THE— M-G-M, Technicolor; Big, rugged Western with beautiful scenery. Outlaw Robert Ryan (with companion Janet Leigh) is captured by James Stewart. (F) April NEVER WAVE AT A WAC— RKO: The Army makes a human being of snooty Rosalind Russell, with an assist from ex-husband Paul Douglas. Marie Wilson adds more laughs. (F) March NIAGARA — 20th Century-Fox, Technicolor: Entertaining melange of murder, Marilyn Monroe, magnificent settings. Joseph Cotten her betrayed husband; Jean Peters scores. (A) April NO TIME FOR FLOWERS— RKO: A neatly scripted comedy of captive Czechoslovakia focuses on Viveca Lindfors and Paul Christian, as young Reds slowly reformed by love. (F) March PETER PAN — Disney, RKO, Technicolor: En . chanting cartoon feature based on the beloved i Barrie fantasy of eternal childhood. Peter, Wendy, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook come alive to the tune / of many sprightly songs. (F) February ' REDHEAD FROM WYOMING, THE— U-I, Tech .i nicolor: Pleasant Western wherein William Bishop >1 dupes Maureen O’Hara into helping him plot a s range war. Alex Nicol plays sheriff. (F) March i ROAD TO BALI — Paramount, Technicolor: i Further adventures of Crosby, Hope and Lamour 4 — a casual, comical, musical improvisation on the i South Seas theme. (F) February g ROGUE’S MARCH — M-G-M: Disarmingly old !« fashioned melodrama about the British in India. I Peter Lawford’s the disgraced hero. (F) April i SHE’S BACK ON BROADWAY— Warners. War j nerColor: Slight but bright backstage tale. Trying | a comeback, has-been movie star Virginia Mayo 1 feuds with ex-lover Steve Cochran. (F) April 1 STAR, THE — 20th Century-Fox: Uneven but sub | stantial story of a movie actress ( Bette Davis) ( who can’t face failure. (A) April i STARS ARE SINGING, THE— Paramount, Tech | nicolor: Warm, charmingly informal musical, f with Rosemary Clooney as a singer who helps I refugee-singer Anna Maria Alberghetti. (F) April i STOOGE, THE — Wallis, Paramount: Likable vignette of show business. Dean Martin plays a swellheaded star; Jerry Lewis, his humble partner. With Polly Bergen, Marion Marshall. (F) March STOP, YOU’RE KILLING ME— Warners, WarnerColor: Cheerful gang comedy. Broderick Craw i ford as a beer baron gone straight, Claire Trevor as his loving wife. (F) March TAXI — 20th Century-Fox: Amusing though flimsily plotted. Dan Dailey, obliging New York backie, helps just-off-the-boat colleen Constance Smith in search for missing husband. (F) April TROPIC ZONE — Paramount, Technicolor: Ronald Reagan saves Rhonda Fleming’s banana plantation in a Central American Western. ( F) February *