Photoplay (Jul-Dec 1952)

V'/V Outstanding v'V' Good ^ Fair BRIEF REVIEWS A — For adults F — For the whole family For fuller reviews, see Photoplay Shadow Stage for months indicated. See page 22 for this month’s reviews. ^ (F) ABOUT FACE — Warners, Technicolor: Uninspired musical remake of “Brother Rat” with Gordon MacRae, Eddie Bracken and Dick Wesson as the three cadets who spend their time involved in the usual military school nonsense. With Phyllis Kirk, Aileen Stanley Jr., Virginia Gibson. (June) I/V/ (F) BELLES ON THEIR TOES— 20th Century-Fox, Technicolor: The further adventures of the “Cheaper by the Dozen” family with Myrna Loy and her brood of chicks going through humorous and sentimental situations to keep their home intact after the death of Papa. With Jeanne Crain, Jeffrey Hunter, Barbara Bates, Debra Paget, Bob Arthur, Hoagy Carmichael, Edward Arnold. (June) ^Yz (F) BRIGAND , THE — Columbia, Technicolor: An old-fashioned swashbuckler with Tony Dexter doubling as a frivolous king and his commoner cousin who subs for him when he’s wounded. Jody Lawrance and Gale Robbins supply romance, Anthony Quinn, the villainy. (July) J4^ (F)' BRONCO BUSTER — U-I, Technicolor: This tale about a young rider (Scott Brady) who becomes nasty and big-headed with success is almost one continuous rodeo show with a triangle involving Scott, John Lund and Joyce Holden tossed in to give the horses respite. (June) ^J4 (F) CAPTIVE CITY, THE — U.A. : A suspenseful drama in which small-town newspaperman John Forsythe is faced with the problem of exposing, at the risk of his life, a gambling syndicate’s branch in his community. With Joan Camden. (June) l/V (F) CARBINE WILLIAMS— M-G-M: A biographical drama in which James Stewart plays a convicted murderer who. while serving his sentence, invents the U.S. Carbine rifle. With Jean Hagen, Wendell Corey. (July) l/V' (A) CARRIE — Paramount: Laurence Olivier gives up his wife, family and honor and sinks to tragic depths for the love of Jennifer Jones, in a haunting picturization of the Theodore Dreiser novel. With Eddie Albert, Miriam Hopkins. (July) ^54 (F) CARSON CITY — Warners, Warnercolor: Another workin’-on-the-railroad fable — this time with Randy Scott overcoming obstacles laid in his path by dastardly Raymond Massey to get the choo-ehoo going between Virginia City and Carson City. With Lucille Norman. (July) ^1/ (A) CLASH BY NIGHT — RKO : Barbara Stanwyck returns to the small fishing town of her birth, marries simple fisherman Paul Douglas, and becomes romantically involved with ne’er-do-well Robert Ryan, in this intense adult drama. With Marilyn Monroe, Keith Andes. (August) (F) DEADLINE U.S. A. — 20th CenturyFox: Newspaper editor Humphrey Bogart struggles to expose the head of a crime syndicate and save his paper from being dissolved. With Kim Hunter, Ethel Barrymore. A walloping drama. (June) \SYz (F) DENVER AND RIO GRANDE, THE— Paramount, Technicolor: Unscrupulous Sterling Hayden and staunch Edmond O’Brien, working for rival companies, fight tooth and nail to get a railroad built on property franchised by both. A routine dime-novel kind of story. With Laura Elliott. (July) \ZVz (F) DIPLOMATIC COURIER — 20th CenturyFox: Courier Tyrone Power becomes involved in a tug-of-war between Russians and Americans working in Trieste, in this fast-moving modern spy story. With Pat Neal, Hildegarde Neff. (July) (F) ENCORE — Paramount: Another trio of Somerset Maugham short stories unrelated in theme — dealing with a lazy playboy (Nigel Patrick), an , old maid (Kay Walsh) and a high diver (Glynis Johns) — but all delightful. With Terence Morgan, Roland Culver. (June) (F) FIGHTER, THE — U.A. : Mexican prizefighter, Richard Conte, slugs his way to victory in the ring in the U.S. to get money for guns for his revolutionary friends across the border. A confusing dramatization of the Jack London story. (July) l/V (F) FLESH AND FURY— U-l : Tony Curtis, a deaf-mute fighter, incited by mercenary Jan Sterling to become champ, almost forfeits his career and Mona Freeman when he regains his hearing. An off-beat and absorbing behind-the-scenes fight yarn. (June) (F) FRANCIS GOES TO WEST POINT— U-I : That loquacious mule is with us again — this time preventing sabotage in a war plant, winning I owner Donald O’Connor a West Point appointment, ; and himself, a position as mascot. A real riot. With Lori Nelson. (August) \/Yz (F) GIRL IN WHITE, THE — M-G-M: June Allyson plays the first woman doctor ever to be attached to a public hospital. Her work as an ambu|| lance surgeon and her fight against bigotry and | prejudice make for an interesting biographical drama. Co-starring Arthur Kennedy. Gary Merrill. (June) ^ (F) GLORY ALLEY— M-G-M: Ralph Meeker, Leslie Caron, Kurt Kasznar are the principals in this confusing drama about a boxing cad who becomes a war hero and later returns to justify his previous behavior to the girl he loves and to her father. With Gilbert Roland. (August) (F) HAS ANYBODY SEEN MY GAL— U-I, Technicolor: The roaring twenties is the background for this gay romp about a family’s reaction to millionaire Charles Coburn’s anonymous showers of wealth. With Piper Laurie. Rock Hudson, Gigi Perreau, Lynn Bari, William Reynolds. (August) (F) HIGH NOOAr — U.A.: Gary Cooper, on the morning of his marriage to Grace Kelly, learns a man he sent to jail five years previously is returning to kill him. Unable to obtain help from the townspeople, Gary faces the killer and three henchmen alone in this adult and unbearably suspenseful Western. With Lloyd Bridges, Thomas Mitchell, Katv Jurado. (June) ^*4 (F) JUST ACROSS THE STREET — U-I: An amusing little comedy with complications occurring when Ann Sheridan is mistaken for a society girl by plumber John Lund. With Robert Keith, Cecil Kellaway. (August) \/Vz (F) KANGAROO — 20th Century-Fox, Technicolor: Rogue Peter Lawford pretending to be the long lost son of Finlay Currie, falls in love with Currie’s daughter, Maureen O’Hara, and ultimately reforms to bring sweetness and light to this Australian-made hoss-opera. (August) ^ (F) LION AND THE HORSE, THE— Warners, Warnercolor: A beautiful and touching Western concerning Steve Cochran’s love for a fiery stallion, climaxed by a fierce battle between the stallion and an escaped rodeo lion. (June) \/\/Vz (F) LOVELY TO LOOK AT — M-G-M, Technicolor: A lavish musical remake of the Jerome Kern musical classic “Roberta,” in which Red Skelton inherits a dress shop and goes to Paris with pals Gower Champion and Howard Keel. There they meet co-owners Kathryn Grayson and Marge Champion and all unite to get the shop out of hock. With Ann Miller, Zsa Zsa Gabor. (August) (F) LYDIA BAILEY — 20th Century-Fox, Technicolor: Dale Robertson arrives in Haiti of 1802 to secure Anne Francis’ signature on a document and becomes involved in a native uprising and jungle perils as he leads Anne to safety. A fast moving adventure romance. With Charles Korvin, William Marshall. (August) ZzV' (F) MACAO — RKO: Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell and William Bendix meet on a ship to Macao and all the shenanigans add up to a merely routinemystery. With Gloria Grahame. (June) ^ (F) MARA MARU — Warners: An average adventure story with Errol Flynn as a salvage diver who becomes involved in intrigue and murder when he goes after an unusual treasure which went down with his ship during World War II. With Ruth Roman, Richard Webb, Raymond Burr. (June) ^’SYz (F) MY SON JOHN — Paramount: Helen Hayes returns to the screen after a seventeen-year absence in the heartbreaking role of a woman who has to face the realization that her beloved son, Robert Walker, is a traitor to his country. A bold if somewhat talky anti-Communist propaganda piece. (June) (F) NARROW MARGIN, THE — RKO : Excellent suspense-filled story of events that take place aboard a crack train as detective Charles McGraw tries safely to escort gangster’s widow, Marie Windsor, to a grand jurv trial in California. (July) (F) NO ROOM FOR THE GROOM — U-I : All sorts of nonsensical business prevents Tony Curtis and Piper Laurie from getting together after they marry in this aimless little comedy. (August) \/y (F) OUTCASTS OF POKER FLAT— 2 0th Century-Fox: Exciting events occur when, after being driven out of a pioneer town. Anne Baxter, Dale Robertson, Miriam Hopkins seek refuge in a mountain cabin. A harsh drama. With Cameron Mitchell, Craig Hill, Barbara Bates. (July) ^ Yz (F) PARK ROW — U.A. : The newspaper era of the 1880’s is the background for this absorbing behind-the-scenes story, in which Gene Evans plays an idealistic publisher whose innovations in journalism keep him from being ruined by his attractive but hard-hitting rival, Mary Welch. (July) )/\SV* (F) PAT AND MIKE— M-G-M: Professional sports become a laughing matter when promoter Spencer Tracy sets out to make a star athlete of gym teacher Katharine Hepburn. With Aldo Ray and such sport stars as Babe Didrikson, Gussie Moran, Don Budge. (August) ^ (F) RED BALL EXPRESS — U-I : The real story of the work done by the LLS. Transportation Corps during World War II to keep the supply trucks rolling is lost in quarrels between Jeff Chandler and Alex Nicol and a couple of romances. (June) i/ (F) SAN FRANCISCO STORY, THE— Warners: A routine tale set in 1850 with Joel McCrea as a miner who tries to bring law and order into the corrupt seacoast town despite complications by Yvonne De Carlo and Sidney Blackmer. (June) (F) SCARAMO U CHE — M-G-M. Technicolor: Stewart Granger plays an adventurer of pre-French Revolution times, who. motivated by’ revenge, sets out to kill nobleman Mel Ferrer. Janet Leigh and Eleanor Parker spar for Stewart’s affections in this lavish historical romance. (August) (F) SCARLET ANGEL — U-I:. Technicolor: Threadbare story laid in post-Civil War era of how scheming Yvonne DeCarlo gives up her plan to fleece a wealthy^ Nob Hill family in order to win poor but huskv Rock Hudson. (August) • (F) SHE’S WORKING HER WAY THROUGH COLLEGE — Warners, Technicolor: This musical version of “The Male Animal” stars Virginia Mayo as an ex-burlesque queen who goes after some higher education and becomes involved with college f musicals, football players and jealous co-eds. Co-starred are Gene Nelson, Ronald Reagan, Pat Wymore, Phyllis Thaxter, Don DeFbre. (July) (F) SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN— M-G-M. Technicolor: This super-happy musical pokes fun at the roaring twenties. Gene Kelly and Jean Hagen play a famed silent screen team who try to re-adjust themselves to the new-fangled talkies with hilarious results. Debbie Reynolds is the girl recruited to dub for Jean, and Donald O’Connor is great as Kelly’s life-long pal. (June) l/V'i/S .(F) SKIRTS AHOY!— M-G-M, Technicolor: A rousing musical with nautical trimmings starring Esther Williams, Joan Evans and Vivian Blaine as WAVEs who set forth to get their men: Barry Sullivan, Keefe Braesselle. Dean Miller. (July) (F) STORY OF ROBIN HOOD, THE — Disney-RKO, Technicolor: The legend of Sherwood Forest comes to life again with more emphasis on history than sword-play’ and the result is a delightful human adventure. Richard Todd plays the outlaw. With Toan Rice, Elton Hayes. (August) i/ (F) TALK ABOUT A STRANGER— M-G-M: Billy Gray, son of orange ranchers Nancy Davis and George Murphy, almost causes his parents’ ruin when, suspecting unfriendly neighbor Kurt Kasznar of killing his dog, he sets out to seek revenge. A minor but unobjectionable drama. (Tune) ^*4 (F) THREE FOR BEDROOM C— Warners, Natural Color: Gloria Swanson, a glamorous Hollywood star, meets and falls for chemistry professor, James Warren, after usurping his train accommodations in this sometimes gay but mostly’ forced farce. With Janine Perreau. (July) ^*4 (F) WAIT TILL THE SUN SHINES, NELLIE — 20th Century-Fox, Technicolor: Laughter, music and sentiment blend in this story of fifty years in the life of small-town barber David Wayne. With Jean Peters, Helene Stanley, Hugh Marlowe. (Julv) (F) WALK EAST ON BEACON— Columbia: This exciting semi-documentary picture shows the authentic methods used by the FBI to track down Communist plotters bent on stealing a top secret. With George Murphy, Virginia Gilmore. (June) (F) WHITE CORRIDORS— U-l : This Britisn-made drama goes behind hospital doors as it chronicles a scientist’s attempts to perfect a rare drug. With Googie Withers, James Donald, Godfreys Tearle. (August) (A) WILD HEART, THE— Selznick-RKO, Technicolor: Jennifer Jones marries Welsh pastor, Cyrril Cusack; leaves him for sadistic David Farrar but eventually returns to her home and doom, in this artistically beautiful but gloomy period piece. With Emond Knight. Sybil Thorndike. (August) \y\/Yz (F) WINNING TEAM, THE — Warners: Doris Day and Ronald Reagan help this tale of baseball hero Grover Cleveland Alexander, who rose to fame as a pitcher, fell to bottom and then came back with a bang. With Frank Lovejoy. ( Tuly) 1/ (A) WITHOUT WARNING — U.A. : Adam Williams, a young gardener, who has a penchant for picking up and stabbing blondes to death. finallyr gets his due as he’s about to slash pretty Meg Randall. Grim film fare. (June) (F) WORLD IN HIS ARMS, THE — U-I, Technicolor: An exciting, if somewhat far-fetched adventure story’ concerning the events that take place when Ann Blyth, a Russian countess, tries to per P suade boat captain Gregory Peck to help her flee from San Francisco to Alaska. With Anthony Quinn, Andrea King. (August) 21