Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1949)

SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, November 19, 1949 25 The Box'0££Mce Slant Current and Forthcoming Feature Product Reviewed from the Theatreman's Standpoint The Dalton Gang Lippert Prod'ns. Western 58 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) Exciting outdoor action film that will satisfy the most avid of horse-opera adherents. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Good offering for the action houses; in fact, for any house that has a western following. Cast: Don Barry, Robert Lowery, James Millican, Betty Adams, Byron Foulger, J. Farrell MacDonald, Greg McClure, George Lewis, Marshall Reed, Ray Bennett, Lee Roberts, Cliff Taylor, Cactus Mack. Credits: Directed by Ford Beebe. Screenplay by Ford Beebe. Photography, Ernest Miller. Produced by Ron Ormond. Plot: The Dalton brothers, under assumed names because of the big reward offered for their capture, get mixed up with a killing. Don Barry, as the U. S. marshal sent to find the culprit, uncovers their guilt. They ambush him, with intent to kill, but the Indians come to his rescue. Comment: There's lots of action in this tale of the final adventures of the notorious Dalton Gang: enough excitement, suspense, chases and gunplay, plus a band of Indians, to more than satisfy the western followers and all action fans. Performances are firstrate, with Don Barry doing a standout job as the U. S. marshal, very capable with his fists, his gun and his hard-riding. Betty Adams looks attractive in the only feminine role in the cast and J. Farrell MacDonald gives a convincing performance as a judge. Picture moves fast under Ford Beebe's direction. With these requisite elements, "The Dalton Gang" should prove quite satisfactory in any situation. Ron Ormond produced. Holiday Affair RKO Radio Comedy-Drama 85 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) An appealing human interest story, expertly handled in all departments. Certain to delightfully and thoroughly entertain everyone. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: The Robert Mitchum name and the names of the other principals, wherever known, should help attract crowds. General excellence of the picture will then bring word-of-mouth that should push it into the money-making class. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey, Griff Bamett, Esther Dale, Henry O'Neill, Henry Morgan, Larry J. Blake, Helen Brown and Gordon Gebert. Credits: Produced and directed by Don Hartman. Screenplay by Isobel Lennart. Based on the story, "Christmas Gift," by John D. Weaver. Photography, Milton Krasner. Plot: A young widow, who has a young seven-year old son, meets a stranger while doing some comparison shopping at a local department store. Circumstances bring them together several times and they find themselves mutually attracted. In the meantime, she has consented to marry a young lawyer who has been courting her for several years, but she discovers she doesn't love him and goes west with her son to be married to the other man. Comment: Here is an excellent example of how a simple story can become engaging screenfare, if correctly handled in all depart National Reviewing Committees' Audience Classifications RUSTY'S BIRTHDAY (Col.) FAMILY— National Board of Review CLASS A-SEC. 1 — National Legion of Dencency WEAKER SEX (EL) FAMILY — National Board of Review CLASS A-SEC. 1— National Legion of Decency GAY LADY.THE (EL) MATURE— National Board of Review CLASS A-SEC. 2 — National Legion of Decency ments. Starting with a well-contrived screenplay, in which all the characters are human, down-to-earth people, and cast with players whose performances are natural and interesting, "Holiday Affair" has been made into an amusing romantic comedy that is certain to delightfully and thoroughly entertain everyone. Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh and Wendell Corey all give finely-etched delineations, appearing human and arousing a tremendous amount of sympathy for them in their individual situations. But in spite of these excellent players, the most outstanding member of the cast is little Gordon Gebert, who practically steals the picture. As little "Timmy," this child, who makes his screen debut here, acts like a veteran player and seems to take direction like an old trouper. There i.s little doubt but that this should be the beginning of a very busy film career for him. Producer-Director Don Hartman deserves credit for the understanding way in which he handled his players and the effectiveness of the various situations. It is through his efforts that this simple storj has become such an entertaining film. Name draw, though strong, isn't sufficient to bring in justifiable returns, but the general excellence of the picture will create word-of-mouth that should push it into the money-making class. Tlie Merchant of Slaves (Italian Dialog — English Titles) Lux Film Melodrama 90 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Adult) A dashing shiek and a proud beauty are the main supports to the exotic theme. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Exploitable second feature for grinds and foreign houses. Cast: Enzo Fiermonte, Annette Bach, Dino Di Luca. Elena Zareschi, Mara Ciukleva, Augusto Di Giovanni. Credits: Producer, Colosseum Film. S. A. Director. Duilio Coletti. Story, Nicola Manzari and Cesare Vico Ludovici. Photography, Aldo Tonti. Plot: Ali, leader of an Arab tribe which raids Sicily for women to sell on the slave market, , gets the haughtiest maiden on the island with child and then falls in love with her. Her anger turns to love, she frees him from a Sicilian prison, and she and the baby live in disgrace. Ali returns, fends off attack, and sails away with his family. Comment: This should be an exploitable second feature for grinds and foreign houses, for while its spectacle is not mighty, it does have in support of its exotic theme a thoroughly dashing shiek (he at length learns that he is Sicilian by birth — and apparently in heart), played by Enzo Fiermonte, and, in Annette Bach, a convincingly proud and beautiful heroine. Satan's Cradle United Artists Western 60 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) Those two quite different western heroes, the Cisco Kid and Pancho, with action aplenty this time. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Fits happily into the general western category. Cast: Duncan Rcnaldu, Leo Carillo, Ann Savage, Douglas Fowley, Byron Foulger, Claire Carleton, Buck Bailey, George De Normand, Wes Hudman. Credits: Producer, Philip N. Krasne. Director, Ford Beebe. Associate Producer, Duncan Renaldo. Based on the Cisco Kid character created by O. Henry. Original screenplay. Jack Benton. Music, Albert Glasser. Photography, Jack Greenhalgh. Plot: Lil, a woman who sets herself up as the widow of the town's founder and owner, uses her position to help a gang run Silver City crookedly. Cisco and Pancho, after rough encounters with the gang and romantic duelling with Lil, discover that the town founder's death was not accidental and that Lil was never his wife anyway. She finally give& up and the gang is vanquished. Comment: STR reviewers have reported a too leisurely pace and a lack of action — for westerns — in the last two entries in this series. Perhaps the installation of Ford Beebe as director has made the difference, for the pace here, while not too rapid, is satisfactory and action there is aplenty. There's also plot interest, a suspenseful stalking sequence at the climax, and a capable supporting cast, but of course the distinguishing mark of the photoplay is the presence of those two quite different western heroes, O. Henry's brainchildren, the Cisco Kid and Pancho. Dashing, utterly lighthearted and sometimes quite funny they are: Duncan Renaldo as the suave Kid and Leo Carillo as his stocky sidekick. "Satan's Cradle" fits happily into the general western category. Tension MGM Drama 95 mins. AUDIENCE SLANT: (Family) Good direction, superior acting, cohesive and valid scripting have resulted in absorbing entertainment that should please any audience. BOX-OFFICE SLANT: Splendid dramatic offering whose entertainment value certainly merits special exploitation effort on the part of the exhibitor. Word-of-mouth should build it to big grosses. Cast: Richard Basehart. Audrey Totter, Cyd Charisse. Barry Sullivan, Lloyd Gough, Tom D'Andrea, William Conrad, Tito Renaldo. Credits: Directed by Joh]i Berry. Screenplay by Allen Rivkin. Based on onginal story by John Klorer. Photography, Harry Stradling. Produced by Robert Sisk. Plot: When the wife of an introverted pharmacist leaves him for a liquor salesman, the pharmacist plans a murder. To do this safely, he establishes a second identitj^ which he lives only on weekends. This brings him in touch with another girl and turns him from his purpose. Then he is suspected of murder when his ex-wife shoots the liquor salesman and lays the blame on him. How-ever, the wife is caught and he is free to (Continued on Page 28)