Variety (Sep 1948)

F1I3I BEVIBWS Wrdnesflay, September 22, 194* noad House (SONGS) ZOth Fox release ot Edward Chodorov pioiluclion Stam Ida Luplno. Cornel V ildc, ( Llcrte Holm, ttichard Widmark Directed bv Jean Negulesco,; Scrcenpliiy, Chodorov, story, Marcarct Giuen and OsiMr Saul, songs. Johnny Mercer and Harold Ai len, Ivionel Newman and Dorcas Coihran camera, Joseph La Sbelle, edi toi Jainos B Clark, music. Cyril Mock rid>;e. Tiiideshown N. Y. .Sept. RumiinK time. M MINS. 20. '48. pomely enough but no great shakes as an actress. Rand Brooks heads the supporting cast. George Archainbaud has directed with more skUl than Is Indicated, the major fault, of couise, Ivini; in the screenplay Wear. Xily Pole Susie ■ Jetty-. Avthur ■Mike- . r.lietv-- ■ Sheiift Judge . Ida Lupmo 1 {. Cornel Wildc . : Celeste Holm 1 Richard Wldwarkt O /. Whitehead ■ Robert harnes...^ .George BeranKcr Ian MacDonald . .Grandon Rhodes , , Xouisiana .Slor.y Loptiili. Eilirti. release of'B^ prdductiotii directed byi Flaherty.; :Story, Robert and PrwiceS Plaherty;: score, yir: gil ,Thomsont' played by members ot;, Phlladelphisi Orchestra. Eugcn* Ofmandy conducting: camera. Richard I.eacoqk; ediT.| tor; Helen Van Dbhgen, Previewed ,N. Y,; Sept; 18, *48:, Running ttme. ;77 lyilNs. Boy ,,.:.. ■ : . ;.. • ■■■ .Joseph Boudreatlit Father. : . .Z'i .... ' Hojiel lie ;Blanc . Mother........... . . Mrs. E. Wenv*n« Driller.;....'.... J..,. . Frank tlardy A tough-skinned meller with ro-, Boiierman c t cuedry j^irhtic filUng, "Road House is slated for nice returns at the wick- ets Film barely misses entry into Robert Flaherty's latest pictiire, If, ill... uo.w ....o.,-., Louisiana Story,! IS a documen- the bo heavyweight class due to a!taiy-type stoiy told almost puiely screenplay which is tight at both . in camera teims It has a slender, ends but sags over a long center | appealing story, moments of agon- Stretch. Strong cast and snappy ex- pioitation possibilities, however, will help the pic's staying power Framed within a realistically in- timate roadhouse setting, yarn re- constiucts the triangle with an ar- restingly psychotic twist supplied by Richard Widmark. For most of the way, direiCtor Jean. Negulesco hurdles the script's over-length and ■ internal weakiiesses by buildr ing up conflict out of character f,ludie= of the principals But the film fmally bogs down in a lack of incident until a chmactic shot- in-the-arm revives interest. ■ At the center of the story, turn- ing m one of the best perform- ances of her career is Ida Lupino, plavmg • a lowdown blues .warbler who finds herself m the middle be- tween Widmark and Comet Wilde. Widmark, the roadhouse operator, ■ has a powerful yen for the singer but she prefers his / general man- ager, • Wilde.: When Widmark disr covers that his gal and his pal have been iholding hands behind his back, he frames Wilde on. a- rob- bery rap; Plenty of: footage is consumed getting up to this point but interest perks with the unfolding of Wid- mark's insane scheme to get Wilde paroled into his custory in order to squeeze him on the psychological torture rack. The windup is an ef- fectively violent sequence in which Wikle slugs Widmark to a fare- thee-well and then attempts to make a . getaway with his gal through the north woods to Canada with gun-toting Widmark on their trail. The. foX'rand-hounds motif is tensely played until Miss Lupino puts a couple of slugs into. Wid- mark mself-dtefense. Miss Lupino's standout'perform- ance IS highlighted by her.firstrate hcindling of a bi'ace of blues num' bers, including "One for My Baby,' "The Right Time" and "Again," all three being solid tunes^ Her gravel- toned voice lacks range but has the more essential quality of .style, ■ along the lines of a femme Hoagy Carmichael. Widmark registers po- tently with one of his standard . nasty portrayals but he's m dan- ger of being typed, or stereotyped. . Wilde also impresses favorably in a rough-and-tumble he-man role. : In a spare-wheel part. Celeste Holm plays with her customary wit but she's never permitted to estab- lish herself firmly in the pic. Production is smartly dressed With modest, but neat backgrounds fully suitable to the yarn Tech- nical credits are topnotch with sharp camera work, smooth editing and a good background score help- ing to tie the film together v: Herm. ■:. izing suspense, vivid ..a.tmospheie and superlative photography It Miniatare Reviews "Road House" (Songs) (20th). Sturdy cast, buildseup uneven romantic meller into • good b.Oi fare, "Sinister Journey" (UA). William Boyd in another Hop- along Cassidy western, okay for second slot of duals. "Louisana Story" (Lopert) Robert Flaherty documentary pictorially impressive enter- tainment, should do good busi- ness for such type film. "Jungle Patrol" (20th). Ex- cellent budget feature wih Pa- cific war background No names but can be ballyhooed "The Golden Eye" (Mono). Ligntweight Charlie Chan, filler for twin bills. . "Son of God's Country" (Rep) Standard oater for Sat- urday matinee grinds. should get excellent reviews and. It I ^^^.^ ^^jj ^ though actually skillfully exploited, should do ^^^^^^ intensify suspense. It's profltable business. I an offstage, legit effect that lends fashion. That land-grab plot is in again—there's a railroad coming through and the villain is trying to grab up all the ranches. Only vari- ation IS dating the action right alter the war between the states so the heavy can blame the trouble on settlers from tlie south. Director R. G Springsteen keeps the oater formula running off at a .standard pace and the cast responds in the same manner As noted. Hale gives the impression of little: enthusiasm for his heroics Pamela Blake is an okay western femme lead: Paul Hurst, Jim Nolan, the heavy, and others are acceptable. There's one tune, the traditional "Railioad Corral," crooned by Hale Lensing and other produc- tion credits; are adequate to de- mands made by Melville Tucker's supervision. -Broff.'.; The Merrv Chase (ITALIAN) Superfilm release of Minerva produc- tion, stars Rossano Brazzi. . Directed by Giorgio Blanchi. Camera. Massimo Ter* ziino. At'Golden, NT. V..: starting Sept. 17, :48. Running Ume, 74 MINS. PaoU Andrea. Filmed entirely in the ba>ou i^^^^jj perfectly to the plot as well country of Louisiana, the P»«-ture ^ ,^ „ m,^y cm^o and his parents, who live by hunt- ing and lishing in the alligator-in- fested swamps and streams, and of the-oil-dnllmg crew that brings its huge derrick to sink a well. That's about all there is to the plot, but it suffices for an entertaining and generally moving film. There probably aren't more than 100 lines of dialog in the entire picture—long sequences being told by the camera, with eloquent sound effects and Virgil Thomson's ex- pressive music as background. There are no real heroes or villains (unless the terrifying alligators could be considered the latter). The simple Cajun family is friendly, and the oil-drilling crew IS pleasant and likable. There are exciting incidents as the youngster paddles his tmy boat through the lonely swamps with his pet racoon and IS almost killed by the savage 'gator, until he finally captures and slays it irt a Bpine-^chiUing struggle. On the other hand, the scenes around the floating derrick, as the crew drills for oil, caps a blowup of subter- ranean gas and ultimately gets the well installed, are graphic and en- grossmg. The performances, ^apparently by the actual people themselves, seem unself-conscious and convincing. Whether any of the players would be effective under studio conditions may be another matter, but m these circumstances, they re all persuasive.. The playing o£ the Philadelphia Orchestra musicians, under Eugene Qrmandy s direc^ tlon, adds considerably. Possibly the picture could be cut a bit more, including some seeming repeat shots, to shorten the running time for dual bookings. Besides being excellent enterT tainment, "Louisiana Story ' should be invaluable public relations; ma- terial for Standard Oil of N, which contributed the necessary $200,000 production' coin to Flaher^ ty. The firm has no rights and no identification in the film, but stands to get across the idea that oil companies are beneficently public-spirited, their employees honest, industrious and: amiable, and their operations productive and innocuous. Hobe. fliers, stationed at a temporary air strip near Port Moresby and charged with intercepting the Japs until a permanent strip can be com- pleted. Boys have rung up a score Of nearly 100 enemy planes witli- out the loss of life. Tension con-, tinually mounts as the boys wonder when death will abandon its holi- day and start decimating their ranks Francis ^wann's script, adapted by Robertson.' Wlritei sets up the moods for careful development by Joe Newman's direction. Mood isn't • always stern. There's humor m the by-play between the fliers as they await their fate and the cast IS uniformly outstanding m dc livering performances that register strongly Kristine Miller brightens her role as USO entertainer visiting the lonely outpost and sings "Forever and Always" capably. The eight fliers ' are tellingly portrayed by Arthur Franz, Ross Ford, Tom Noonan, Gene Reynolds, Richard Jaeckel, Mickey Knox, Harry Lau- ter and Bill Murphy, each giving his part a feeling of reality. G. Pat Collins IS good as the sergeant: Camera work by < Mack Stengler IS expert in displaying ]ungle back- ground and editing holds film to crisp-71 minutes. Brog, . Clara Calamai 'i..Nin<> Besottl .Rossano Brazzi . Paola Borboni . .Lauro' Gazzolo (In Italian, English Titles) This Italian-made comedy is in- finitely better than many imports being unveiled m the U S cur- rently. Picture IS rich, farce, with yards of verbiage, some of it lost on any audience not understanding Italian. However, the adroit acting IS not And for Italo patrons it is hearty laugh material Consequent- ly, the film looks a solid bet for Italian-language spots and many artv theatres The Idea of a canine romance, somewhat similar to the one used so effectively in "Emperor Waltz," IS projectedv but with unlike re- sults. Also the mating of the two Pekinese dogs is . carried out with almost hammer-and-tong emphasis in this vehicle. Too, director.: Gi- orgio Blanchi made It mostly a framework on which to build the love aff.iir between a pretty mar^ ried w'om.in and an embassy assist- ant. This rather torrid affair never gets pajt the kissing stage The switch from farce to seriousness m the closing passages is a bit be-- wildering as Rossano Brazzi, the embassy aide, .stalks off to ■ his newly achieved, consular post. But that seems a lesser flaw. The lighter moments are carried off ;vvith fine skill; a.s pointed, out, undoubtedly much funnier m the original Italian than the English titles Touting Brazzi asi "a new Valen- deals with Casanova's flight from Venice to Paris to seek his fortune, and tells it in a disjointed, musical- comedy vein, with Casanova burst' ing into song whenever things look Not only is amour overexposed, but so is the camera work, with all the outdoor shots too bright and pale for good camera work*. Sub- titles suffer in the same way, often being illegible against indistinct , bacl^rounds. Songs are pleasant and Gallic, and are sung agreeably by Guetary Jean Tissier s per- formance as a Dutch banker,,and Aime Clariond as Don Luis, are good, and a quintet of French good-lookers swoon about Casanova charmingly. Some duelling, in- trigue and horse-nding give the pic a bit of action, but for the most part it plods along. Bron. Lars Hard (SWEDISH) Stockholm, Sept 7 Sandrew.Bnuman Film producUon and release. Stars George Fant. Adolf Jahr; features ia*a> Wldhorg. Eva Dahlbeck, Ulla Smtdje, Nlne-Chrlatine Jonsson. Hugo Bjorne. Directed by.: Hampe. Faustman. Screenplay :by^ J«n .Fridocsrd. based on- his novel; Camera. Edlund; musfc. Er-i land von Kokb. At Royal,. Stoekbolm. Running time, 17 MINS. Lars Hard, Hit Father . , His mother . Inga:. i....... MaJ Eva Sundwall The Driver.. His Wife Martha ... . . . George Fant :.;. .: Adoir Jahr .. Elsa Widborg . . Eva DahlberK Ulla .Smidje . Nine^Christine- Jonsson . : . HpgO' Bjorne.v ..'... .Toraten Bergstrom- .. . But Holm AnnerMarle Uddenberg One of the better films of the new season, "Lars Hard'.' looms: as a successful entry in Scandinavia and has' appeal for international film^oers ^as-well. Fact, that the picture was adapted from a popular, novel by the author, Jan Fridegard, should aid the film's piospects. Yam is-set m a period.ot Swed^ ish history when farm worker* were paid a pittance and looked down on generally. George Fantv ^ one of them, is falsely charged with having fathered the child of a Eirl he scarcely knew, and serves . time in jail. On his release, he. discovers that everyone considers .; him an outcast. Much of the sub- .sequent footage is devoted to the means he takes to rehabilitate; himself. Fant does a bang-up portrayal of the wronged laborer. while supporting cast is proficient under Hampe Faustman s direc- tion. > Wniq. The Golden Kye ' Monogram release, of James S. Burkelt production. Features Roland Wmters, Vic. tor Sen Young; Directed by William Beau- dine. Screenplay; .W. Scott Darlingk suR- | tino" IS not far-fetched, Since the Rested by.character created by Earl Dcri- i hanrfsni-np ar'tnr ran ai>t has mflnv Biggers camera, William Sickner At New I nanasome acior can act, nas many York; N. Y.. week of Sept. 14; '48. Run-1 of the. American silent; screen ning time 6» MINS, , star's maiinerisms and is extreme^ Ma"ntn"''M^i'ci',nd I ly .vivid m the love scenes The . victor Sen Younu I principal osculatory clinch is a B^"^"; I scorcher; and seiemjngly trimmed .Sinister .lourney l;nited Artists release of Lewig j. Rach- inil production. Stars WlUlam Boyd. Di' rei'ted by George Archainbaud. Screen- play, J. Benton Cheney, Bennett Cohen and .'Vnde Lamb, based on characters crested by; Clarence E. Mulford. At Ne-* York, N. Y.v week of Sept. 14; '43. Run- ning time,. 5t::MINI. Mopalonii Gassldy:.'..William Boyd tiililorma Carlson. .... ji; .. Andy Clyde Lurlty .liiiliins .,....;. iV.. .Rand Brookr Mrs, C.arvin .. :. ..... Elaine - Riley JLec Oar\ in :, .John Kellogg Charlie Chan Birmingham . :rommy Chan Lt. Ruark .. Bartlelt fcvelyn ■ Driscoll. ;;.. . Manning .....; :'reresa . . Mrs:. SriscoU .Evelyn Brent l .Lois Austin'! Jlopalong eassidy series contin- ues to follow the same pat formula of these westerns in "Sinster Jour- nt'^ ' And William Boyd contmuci lo rule the range as the hero who al\\a\s has time to right a wiong Tins picture is for western fans m twin setups, being one of those lesser oat operas which generate bu.smess largely in smaller houses. ■ Boyd, who has hardly been out : of the saddle.smce he first created the: screen Hopalong character for Paramount years ago, has a more . involved story than customary in "Journey." Squabble - between an oldtime western railroad pre.\y and the voung lad who elopes with his ■ daughter is taken, advantage of by the usual villian, with the innocent youth framed on a murder charge. Bo\d again m.ikcs the UpiL.il Hopalong character dii^k b u I. doesn't have as mat?y ■Ktioniiil sequence*, as usual Andv Clvtlo furni.shes some-comedy relief. .lolin Kellogg makes an atcopt.iblc wronged youth, while.Elaine Uile.v. Jungle Palrol Hollywood Sept 17 20th-Fox release of Frank Sellzcr pro- duction. Features Kri.stine Miller, Arthur Franz. Directed by Joe Newman. Screen- play, Francis Swann; adaptation, Robert- son White: based on play by William Bowers: Camera. Mack Stengler; editor. Bert Jordan; song.' Al Rinker, Floyd H«d- dlestbn. -Tradesho-. i Sept.: 15,, "48. Run- ning time, 71 ^IN£. Jean :: . -.. . Kristine Miller Mace ^ .........V.....;..... Arthur Franz Skipper Ross I'ord Ham . - - ......;. . Tom Noonan Minor ....... Gene Reynolds Dick Richard Jaeckel Louie.......................Mickey Knox Derby . . . Harry Lauter lohnnv Bill Murphy Hanley G Pat CoUms "Jungle Patrol" is a budget fea- ture, but packs a lot more dramatic wallop than many of its big M-others. Starting with a good plot, all: concerned have gone on from there to .shape it as recommended drama. Cast carries no marquee brilliance, but IS made up; of young players who give a serious, reali.stic touch, to this account of an. incident in New Guinea during the Pacific War There are plenty of ballj-hoo pos- sibilities that may give the film a chance outside of its normal sup- porting classification. Picture is third of the Frank Seltzer produce lions for 20th-Fox release and cei- tainly the best of the trio. Adapted from a play bv William Boweivs, 'Seltzer has be.eri, able • to cut pioduttiun comeis .md iiidkc the film- more graph ic , bv concen-^ trating:eanicra on the voung oliar- actci studies and only implying guieling offstaKe air .iction Skv The G ol d en Eye,"., another Charlie Chan meller, is hardly up to. the-'Standard of the series. Rol- and Winters IS not particularly exciting or realistic as the new Charlie Chan. But the plot and-di- rection also appear to/be at iault. Film IS of quickie calibre, strictly for padding out the dualers. : Chan's operations this: time take him to a dude ranch and a gold mine in Arizona. Plot is of a sup-: posedly mined-out shaft that sud- denly becomes active. The secret ultimately is revealed of: how the ore was actually smuggled from Mexico, then .sold to the U. S. at an exorbitant price. Winters is too listless as Chan although he's not helped much by the yam.-Victor Sen Young is ac- ceptable, as the detective's ambi- tious .son. .Mantan' Moreland, as Wanda^^civav 1 by censors. He is now under con- ,.-Ralph Dumv I tract to David O. Selzniok. Clara Forrest Tavioi Qalamal IS remarkably good as the wedded beauty \*lib nearly strays from the -straight-and- narrow. She does excellent work despite being such a: tall leading woman.; Nino Resottl 1 s highly satisfactory ^ is' thie':jfusSy, innocent little husbahd. - - : . ■ Heading the suport, Paola ' Bor- boni. as the wife's mother-in-law, and Lauro Gazzolo. the fatheif-in- law, can-y on a. deft running Word battle centering on their guessing about the handsome •. Cohsular of- ficial's intentions in the home. Di- rector Blanchi does a nice ,iob, with other technical work of the production up. to prerwar Italian standards. Wear. Pelota De Trapo (Ragged Football) (ARGENTINE) Buenos Aires, Aug. 28. : SIFA production and reica.se. ; Directed by Leopoldo Forres Rios. Stars Armando Bo. Santiago Arrieta, Orestes Caviglla.'; Carmen Valdes, Graciela^ecube; leaturea Floren. Delbene; Maria Luisa Robledo. Mario Medrano, SemlUltai Rodolfo Zenner; Mabel Doran; GtiiUermo Stabile. - Musical score, Pedro- Rubbione arid Alberto Gnec-, co; camera,. Alvaro Barrciro; script' by .' Ricardo Loren-zo and Jerry Gomez. At- the Metropolitan, Buenos Aires, Aug. 10, Running time, 110. MIMS. '48. ■ :.,I.,w.v.e»: ni :.'C^ati«nfliva' ■■■',-'' ■ . (jSONGS. — *KENC») Vog: Fllrii; release of Sirlus iprbductibn.; Stars Georiieii!(iuetai'y,.'X>irected by Jean Boyer. Adapted: by Mare: C. SaUvaion; camera^ Charles Sbin; miisic, Rene Syl- ■ i ii. . —-', I viano: lyrics. Vandair and Rou/aud: Eng- the chauffeur, provides a few. hU- I lish titles, George Slocombe. At Alnbas- morous moments but .milks each situation too long. Tim Ryan does well, as a police lieutenant. : Williatti;. Beaudine's: direction, is passable^ Weor. - sador. N. Y„ Sept. 17, '48. Running time. 101 MINS, Jean Casanova de - Seingalt ; Georges Guetary Son of C*<Mi'8 Onnti-y Hollywood, Sept 17 Republic release of - - Melville Tucker, production. - Stars Monte' Hale; features Pamela- Blake, Paul Hurst,'Jim Nolan. Di- recteu b.y ' K. : G. Spring.steen. . 'Original scrcenpln.v, Paul Gangelin; added dialog. Bob Williams:- camera, John AlacBurnle: editor, Harry Keller. Previewed Sept. 15. '48.. Running.time, to MINS. Don Luis ..... Dutch' Merchant 1 Genevieve. -: ; .. .. , Clotilde -! Goraline: ........., } I'lenriette.,....; . ConSuela........ rEsprit .Aime Clariond : Jean 'Tissier :'..He.lene Dassonville ;..;.. Noelle Norman .Jacqueline .(iauthier ... .(iusele :C;;isa(lesus Claudcite F,ilro .;........■.'...«. . ..Dinan Monte Hale ; Cathy.. Thornton ; Eh Walker Bill Sanger , . .,. Frank Thornton. Bigelow .. ; . . . -rom Ford .. .; .'i * John rhornton.. Hagen......... .. . Monte. Hale .;.'. ... .Pamela Blake '.'..'...;.. .Paul Hurst .;.;./..... .Jim Nolan. .... .:. ... ,lay Kirbv .. Steve Darrell .Francis McDonald ..'. . .Jason -Robards Fred Grahdm : fin French ■ rhe - Loves likely to raise the blood-pressure even in the art houses. L'amour, I'amour can be pretty dull when piled on tou:iours with a trowel, and in this costume -pic from 17th century France it is pretty ho-hum indeed. Produced' m France la.st year,: filin is: a succession of romantic affairs between the - legendary Produced by. an -independent- studio, which has relatively no fi- nancial resources, with what was probably the most mode.st budget of the year, this picture. is estali- lishmg an unprecedented record : for a local production, not only at the boxoffice, but from critics and public. Already in its third week : at the Metropolitan, "Pelota de . Trapo" has. beaten the record set by "To Live in Peace" at the same theatre last year, grossing $11,- 616 70 (U. S ) in the tirbt week. Human; unpretentious, the story goes straight to the hearts of the football-mad Argentine people: The producers have pui: heart into it instead of opulence. It s undoubt- edly the most human ot all Argen- tine pix to.date. Although actors of the calibre of Armando Bo and Santiago Arrieta: give a very good account of themselves in the cast,: the acting honors are: carried away by ]uve football enthusiasts, all newcom .rs to the screen, chosen by director Torres Rios for the ju- venile parts. Andres Poggio, as Toscanito, especially draws atten- tion Story, tells the tale of a \oung- ste... born on the wrong side of the: tracks, who.se one great .joy in life is his "team'' of soccer players, who meet for their games on an empty There's nothing unusual about j Casanova and a ho.st of assorted English Titles) of-Casanova ' isn t lot, with only a rag football to prac- tice with; The boy : dreams of be- coming a great : football herb,: ac- claimed by millions of fans at the Sunday matches;;which .fill Argen- tina's stadiums, who go to acclaim what has become the country's fa- vorite, sport." • Picture has :littie '.iii.terest ; for. U. S;. fans, but has taken local- ones by storm, despite lack of the bally- hoo which has accompanied so hgh(.s between Nips vand Yanks, as is the gdl who Ullh for him Shes he,ud ovei Opeinlions Radio, packs "Son of God s .Country.' Stereo-1 leinniesi. 'Ihe feirimes are very tvped westem faic, it boasts the altirftlive dnd Georges Guetary,,many of the deluxe punfuction^ of usual amouni of incredible cliches musical comedy star who plays luajoi Aigcniine studios this ^e,ll, in action and dialog Howevet it Casano\a is an engaging laseal i with such disappointing icsults won't tax the kiddies, so will get by i But he hardly projects the fascina- I While this picture is creating rec- tis Satuid.iy matinee matciial . tiou Casanova must have held for lords ih its Buenos Aires firstrun Monte Hale is the hero who goes juomcn, v\hile the plot isn't much 'it's expected to do even bettoi once about his derringdo m too listless , help in substantiating it. Story, it goes out into the sticks. iVid.