Variety (May 1956)

6 FILM HE VIEWS Great Locomotive Chase (C'SCOPE-COLOR) Disney recreates Yankee rail¬ road raid in Deep South dur¬ ing: Civil War. Spotty enter¬ tainment but okay b.o. pros¬ pects. Hollywood, May 22. Buena Vista release of Lawrence Ed¬ ward Watkin production. Stars Fess Parker, Jeffrey Hunter; features Jeff York, John Lupton, Eddie Firestone, Kenneth Tobey, Don Megowan, Claude Jarman Jr. Directed by Francis Lyon. Screenplay, Watkin; camera (Technicolor), Charles Boyle; editor, Ellsworth Hoag- land; music, Paul Smith; song, "Sons of Old Aunt Dinah,” Watkin, Stan Jones, Smith. Previewed May 18, '50. Running lime, 87 MINS. James J. Andrews.Fess Parker William A. Fuller . Jeffrey Hunter William Campbell . Jeff York William Pittenger . John Lupton Robert Buffum .. Eddie Firestone Anthony Murphy.Kenneth Tobey Marion A. Ross ... Don Megowan Jacob Parrott .Claude Jarman Jr. William Bensinger.Harry Carey Jr. J. A. Wilson . Lennie Geer William Knight.George Robotham Wilson Brown . Stan Jones John Wollam . Marc Hamilton John M. Scott . John Wiley Pete Bracken . Slim Pickens Alex . Morgan Woodward A Switchman . W. S. Bearden Jess McIntyre . Harvey Hester Henry Haney . Douglas Bleckley Walt Disney has gone back into the historical archives for this ac¬ count of a Union railroad raid into the Deep South during the War Between States. In CinemaScope and Technicolor, it varies between good and fair entertainment values, with enough exciting passages to promise okay prospects at the box- office. Thrill high spots are in the chase action when a Confederate con¬ ductor takes after his stolen train, first on foot, then by push car and then by locomotive, in determined pursuit of the disguised Union soldiers led by secret agent James J. Andrews. After the chase is over, and the spies are captured, the film becomes rather anti- climactic. Overall, however, the Buena Vista release which Law¬ rence Edward Watkin wrote and produced, does maintain substan¬ tial period authenticity, thanks to antique rolling stock and well- chosen Georgia locations. Fess Parker, as the Kentuckian Andrews who served the North, • and Jeffrey Hunter, as the true Southerner, William A. Fuller, who frustrated the Union scheme to destroy Confederate railroad supply lines between Atlanta and Chattanooga, turn in convincing portrayals under Francis Lyon’s able direction. John Lupton, too, rates credit for his work as Wil¬ liam Pittenger, member of the raiding party who later authored an account of the actual incident. Lupton also does some bridging narration. ^ Jeff York, Eddie Firestone, Don Megowan, Claude Jarman Jr., Harry Carey Jr., and others enact¬ ing the raiders play their parts well, as do Kenneth; Tobey, rail superintendent who joins Hunter on the chase; Slim Pickens, engi¬ neer, and the sundry other types, some native recruits on the loca¬ tion sites. . , Paul Smith did the scoring and included are such old songs as "Roll, Jordan, Roir and "Tenting Tonight," plus "Sons of Old Aunt Dinah" for which Smith and S.tan Jones did the music and Watkin the lyrics. Charles Boyle’s photog¬ raphy is firstrate, as are the editing .by Ellsworth Hoagland, art direc¬ tion by Carroll Clark, set decora¬ tions by Emile Kuri and Pat De¬ laney, and the other technical con¬ tributions. Brog. j Foreign Intrigue (COLOR) Television title and flavor transferred, beautifully lensed in foreign locales. Okay out¬ look thojugh slow paced and overlong. Hollywood, May 22. United Artists release, Sheldon Rey¬ nolds production, written and directed by Reynolds. Stars Robert Mitchum. Fea¬ tures Genevieve Page, Ingrid Tulean. Frederick O’Brady, Eugene Deckers. John Padovano. Original story treatment, Rey¬ nolds, Harold J. Bloom, Gene Levitt; camera (Eastman Color), Bertil Palm- grem; editor, Lennart WaUen; music, Paul Durand; "Foreign Intrigue Con¬ certo, Charles Norman. Previewed May 18, '56. Running time, 100 MINS. bishop . Robert Mitchum Dominique . Genevieve Page 5 vit . a . Ingrid Tulean Spnng .. Frederick O’Brady §. ando T z . ■••••. .... Gene Deckers Mrs. Lindquist . Inga Tldblad ’Tony ... .. John Padovano -Mannheim .Frederick Schrecker Dr Thibault . George Hubert Bistro Owner . Jim Gerald ® aum ......... Nil Sperber Danemore .Jean Galland Starky . John Starck . Gilbert Robin Charwoman . Valentine Camax Charles ......... .... Robert Le Beal ■ Information Desk Clerk Albert Simmons In some aspects "Foreign In¬ trigue" is .overdone, mostly in the deliberate directorial pacing that stretches the plo'ttO'ah'unliebessary 100 minutes and* show’s ihbvem’eitf to a walk at timav, and in tht over¬ emphasis on music. Film has a good score by Paul Durand, which includes a catchy, simple theme that attracts the ear. When the cleffing is kept simple the inherent suspense of the tale is heightened. However, the "Foreign Intrigue Concerto" by Charles Norman and other musical passages are preten¬ tiously used, sometimes competing With dialog and story mood. Title, overseas locales and fla¬ vor are derived by Sheldon Reynolds from his own television series. The locales are much im¬ proved in Eastman Color for thea¬ tre projection. The skullduggery of foreign spying is the same. Not that this is a literal transference from video. But the picture is a full length, and over-long, exploi¬ tation of a tv-built property. An opening, back-dated, blapk- and-white scene sets the note of intrigue for the story which Rey¬ nolds wrote and directed before it moves to the present at Nice and the death of a mysterious man, whose pressagent, Mitchum, had built into a strange, romantic fig¬ ure of wealth. Questions asked by odd characters lead Mitchum to back-track on the man and around that search into truth is built the suspense of the plot. The man is a blackmailer, living off of the hush- money supplied by quislings in countries that Hitler failed to in¬ vade. It’s good spy stuff, and had not Reynolds spun his tale out so long would have been even more intriguing. Mitchum gives a good account of himself in the lead role and there are any number of colorful char¬ acters to hold interest among the others in the cast. Genevieve Page, wife of the dead man, and a pretty deadly femme herself, is at¬ tractively used. Ingrid Tulean, encountered by Mitchum as the trail leads to Stockholm, has an un¬ orthodox beauty as well as acting talent and scores soundly as the girl with whom Mitchum falls in love. Frederick O’Brady clicks as a self-seeking foreign agent, as does Gene ^Deckers, a bonafide government agent. Inga- Tidblad is fine as Miss Tulean’s mother. Fred¬ erick Schrecker and others are good types. The production has been given exceptionally standout lensing by Bertil Palmgrem, with locales in Paris, Stockholm and Nice serving for the various international sites of the plot. Lennart Wallen’s edit¬ ing features those long walking shots and those quick closeup cuts seen quite often on tv dramas, and which are well suited to this story; Other technical aids are good. Pori Alrique (BRITISH-COLOR) Pier Angeli and Phil Carey In British-made melodrama with Moroccan backgrounds; fair b.o. hopes. London, May 15. Columbia release of David E. Rose pro¬ duction. Stars Pier Angeli, Phil Carey, Dennis Price. Directed by Rudolph Mate. Screenplay, Frank Partos and John Cress- well; camera, Wilkie Cooper; editor, Ray¬ mond Poulton; music, Malcolm Arnold. At Odeon Theatre, Marble Arch, London. Running time, 99 MINS. Ynez ...Pier Angeli Rip Reardon . Phil Carey Robert Blackton . Dennis Price Colonel Moussao.Eugene Deckers Nino .. James Hayter Diane Blackton . Rachel Gurney Pedro . Anthony Newley Abdul .. Guido Lorraine Grila ...•;. Denis Shaw Franz Vermes . Christopher Lee Police Driver . Guy Du Monceau By starring Pier Angeli and Phil Carey in his color production of "Port Afrique," David E. Rose has values to help sell the picture in U.S. That’s the biggest aid he has because, as an entertainment, this is lacking in suspense and tension; Little is gained from thei potential exotic atmosphere of the Moroc¬ can background. In most respects, despite Its colorful setting, this is little more than a conventional meller which tries to exploit its background. The story rarely comes to life, the dia¬ log is mainly unspirited, and the acting never reaches accepted standards. The story, taken from novel of the same name by Bernard Victor Dryer, has a contrived appearance in its transition from book to screen. Phil Carey plays an Ameri¬ can airman who jretums to his Moroccan home after war service to find his wife murdered. Al¬ though they know better, the po¬ lice suggest it is a case of suicide, but obstinately, he refuses to ac¬ cept their dictum and pursues his own inquiries. The principal sus¬ pects are a nightclub owner (James Hayter), whorhad been making overtures to the dead woman, and his business partner, Dennis Price, who was anxious to sell their plan- tation. Carey, for his part, suspects Pier Angeli, a nightclub singer,’ Vho had been a hdtfse guest with hife toiffe. 'The denouement, which Wednesday, May 23. lo^ reveals the real killer, packs little surprises or conviction. For the most part, the yarn is revealed in pedestrian style, the action being confined to a 'couple of incidents within the Casbah. Otherwise, there is no excitement or suspense. The backgrounds have a genuine look, but are hardly strong enough to sustain the main story line. The characterizations, too, lack the color and conviction to hypo the atmosphere while the total effect is disappointing. Miss Angeli infuses a dramatic allure into her role and sings as well as she can act. Her song num¬ bers make a romantic and dra¬ matic impact. Carey is handicapped by a heavyhanded script, but he puts plenty of determination and sincerity into his role. Dennis Price is too obviously the suave heavy while Rachel Gurney is too clearly guilty. Eugene Deckers never con¬ vinces as the subtle police chief, but James Hayter is unfailingly pol¬ ished as the tough nitery operator. Denis Shaw impresses as the lat¬ ter’s gorilla-like bodyguard. Ru¬ dolph Mate’s direction appears to have a negative influence; other technical standards are average. — Myro. Murder On Approval So-so London-Iocaled mystery meller. Hollywood, May 15. RKO release <Jf Robert S. Baker, Monty Berman production. Stars Tom Conway, Delphi Lawrence, Brian Worth, Michael Balfour; features CampbeU Cotts, John Horsley. Directed by Bernard Knowles. Screenplay, Kenneth R. Hayles; camera, Monty Berman; editor. Jack Slade. Pre¬ viewed May 11, '56. Running time, 70 MINS. Tom "Duke” Martin.Tom Conway Jean Larsen . Delphi Lawrence Geoffrey Blake . Brian Worth. Barney .. Michael Balfour Coburn .. Campbell Cotts Ihspector Taylor .. John Horsley Gordon! . Ronan O’Casey Everleigh . Launce Maraschal Lord Valchrlst . Colin Tapley Henry Warburg . Alan Gifford Lady Hawksley . Grace Arnold First Man ... John Collicos Yamina . Mayura Sergeant Urant . John Watson Second Man.Reg Morris Woman Cleaner . Marianne Stone Manager . Derrick Whittingham Garage Attendant.Frank Pemberton Fingerprinter . Neil Wilson Hawksley Maid . Olive Kirby Receptionist . Rosamund Waring Air Stewardess . Margaret Rowe Girl at Airport .Maureen Connell This London-Iocaled mystery meller is only so-so as entertain¬ ment and will just get by in lower¬ case programmer bookings. With possible exception of Tom Conway, the British cast is unfamiliar, so there’s no help there for playdates. Kenneth R. Hayles’ plot and dia¬ log aren’t credible in telling the story of a super private investiga¬ tor sent to London to find out whether a rare and expensive stamp bought by a collector is a phony. In between getting himself involved in a couple of murders and picking up unlikely clues, Con¬ way, as a. sleuth, finds time to act kittenish with all the girls that cross his path, even Delphi Lawrence, who’s in on the stamp racket with Brian Worth, worth¬ less nephew of the late, titled own¬ er of the original rarity. Bernard Knowles’ direction is poorly paced and seldom builds to any thrills. His comedy' handling is inept, too, but the script lines are no “help in the chuckle depart¬ ment to him or to Michael Balfour, doing an ex-crook friend who helps Conway clear up the case. None of the cast can do much with the stereotype characters. Production by Robert S. Baker and Monty Ber¬ man has only fair budget values and technical assists are stock. The Killing Suspenseful melo for good showing in action market. Hollywood, May 18. United Artists release of a James B. Harris production. Stars Sterling Hay¬ den; costars Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards; features Jay C. Fltppen, Marie Windsor, Ted DeCorsia. Directed by Stanley Ku¬ brick; screenplay, Kubrick, from Lionel White novel, "Clean Break”; camera, Lucien Ballard; editor, Betty Steinberg. Previewed May 16, ’66. Running time, •4 MINS. Johnny Clay . Sterling Hayden Fay .. Coleen Gray Val Cannon. Vince Edwards Marvin Unger .. Jay C. Flippen Sherry Peatty . Marie Windsor Randy Kennan . Ted DeCorsia George Peatty . Elisha Cook Mike O'Reilly . Joe Sawyer Nikki Aran* . Tim Carey Leo .. Jay Adler Tiny .•. Joseph Turkei Kola Kwarlan...Maurice Oboukhoff This story of a $2,000,000 race track holdup and steps leading up to the robbery is sturdy fare for' the action market, wher6 it can be exploited for better than aver¬ age returns. Occasionally told in a documentary style, which at first tends to be somewhat confusing, it soon settles into a tense and suspenseful . vein which carries through to an unexpected and ironic windup. Hard-hitting ‘ an(d‘ colorful performances point up story values.’It’s first production 1 New York Sound Track Broadway wisecrack reason behind Soviet Union’s decision tn bilize 1,500,000 men. Mike Todd needs ’em for extras on "War ^ Peace." dr Discussing the state of business and his feeling that Hollvwn^ should know more about its audience, one industry exec crank,? "We’ve played it by ear for so long, and now we find that maybe tone-deaf." we l . # It’s getting to be a habit with the Warners. Last week, the coniDamr opened another of its foreign releases—the dubbed version of th German "As Long As You Are Near Me’’ with Maria Schell—firstrnn at the Brooklyn Paramount. Result: Ne review* in the Times Tribum! and Post. Last time Warners launched an import there it* was th British "The Dambusters” and there were anguished echoes in th!! British trade . . . Harry Brandt to Europe June 12 on vacation Son Richard takes the same r6ute in August, but on business . * Rash of Marilyn Monroe features should delight 20th-Fox which has her coming up in "Bus Stop." None of the stories about La Monroe add much to what’s already known about her, but she sounds more com! plicated in each one. In Milton Shulman’s World-Tele yarn on ths actress last Friday (18), he quotes Billy Wilder with remarkable can dor. Said the director of "The Seven Year Itch”: "She has never made a good picture, including mine, yet she is this phenomenal success.” Ilya Lopert and Richard Davis have acquired the French 35 minute short, "The Red Balloon,” which was rated one of the best pix shown at the Cannes film fest. Purchase price is reported at (a high) $50 000 Albert Lamorisse directed. Deal is unusual since subjects of this length are rated tough to sell. However, both Davis and Lopert own art houses . . . Paul Graetz, whose French product goes via Columbia is in New York . . . Columbia interested in acquiring the Finnish “The Unknown Soldier" for the U. S. Pic has an anti-Red slant. Col origi¬ nally wanted to buy the story alone, but the Finns nixed the pitch. Robert Cummings in Joplin, Mo., to do the hero-returns-to-hometown act last week . . . London delegation headed by Nat Cohen, to recent Variety Clubs convention at Waldorf was frankly shocked by the slack¬ ness of enthusiasm . . . more reaction to the Manhattan Tent which gets little support in the home city of film biz . . . although money is a problem for the London hosting of 1958, British taxes being more brutal even than ours, the Londoners are sanguine that they’ll be able to say "this-is-the-way-to-organize-a-gettogether" after their innings. Winsome Pictures Corp. has been authorized to conduct a motion picture business in New York, with Norman Levine, as one of the direc¬ tors. ^ State Senator Fred G. Morit, was filing attorney . . . Movietone Studios Inc. has changed its name to Twentieth-Century- Fox Inc, Papers to this effect have been filed with the Secretary of State in Albany by Norman B. Steinberg. Jeanne Crain will play opposite Stewart Granger in "The Whole Truth,” to be produced in England . . . George Burns will do all the offstage narration for "The Solid Gold Cadillac, which Fred Allen did for the Broadway version .. . Hal Kanter, producer and head writer of George Gobel tv show, will direct comic’s RKO starrer, "I Married a Woman. ... Joe Pincus, 20th-Fox’s Eastern talent chief, now masterminding pre¬ liminary details of the company’s projected talent school . . . The Hal Wallis screentest for rock ’n’ roller Elvis Presley involved a dramatic scene. No guitar! . . . George Weltner, Paramount’s global sales chief, has been elected to the MPAA board, replacing the late Austiu Keough, Publicist Paul Benson is beating the path for producer-writer-direc¬ tor Sheldon Reynolds who is on a UA publicity junket to the north¬ west while Reynolds’ Paris associate,. Nicole Moliniare, does ditto to the southwest and west, on behalf of their first feature, "Foreign In¬ trigue," from the' video series of the same name. Tour will consume four weeks, with the usual press and broadcasting interviews. Miss Moliniare, longtime associate of Reynolds, producer-author-director- creator of the tv "Intrigue," will do stories on a French femme’s im¬ pressions of the U. S. hinterland. Karl Malden has signed a new non-exclusive contract with Warner Bros. He’s doing "The Piersall Story" for Paramount ... Producer Sol C. Siegel arrived in New York Monday (21) with a preview print of Metro's "High Society." The Bing Crosby-Grace Kelly-Frank Sina¬ tra musical remake of "The Philadelphia Story" was sneaked last night (Tues.) at Loew’s Lexington ... Stanley Kramer skedded to wind up principal photography on "Pride and the Passion” Aug. 27, then editing, dubbing and scoring through to the end of the year, and delivery of a print to United Artists for release next spring. Talk is the budget might hit $4,000,000, much of It in Spanish pesetas . . . RKO Industries Corp., new corporate parent of RKO Theatres, is set to undergo another name change—to List In¬ dustries Corp. A. A. List is the chairman and controlling stockholder .. . Wall Streeters keeping a close watch on the picture business, trying to figure who’s cooking up what deal and how the stock will be affected. Roxy Theatres Inc. has declared quarterly cash dividend of 37 X / 2 C. a share on outstanding preferred stock. Divvy is payable June 1 to stockholders of record May 25. of the new team of James B. Harris and Stanley Kubrick. Sterling Hayden, an ex-con, masterminds the plan which includes five men. Kubrick’s di¬ rection of his own script is tight and fast-paced, a quality Lucien Ballard’s top photography matches to lend particular fluidity of move¬ ment, and Harris makes wise use of his budget for first-rate produc¬ tion results. Excellent stock foot¬ age augments outfit’s own filming of racetrack scenes. Characters involved in the crime include Elisha Cook, a colorless little’ cashier at the track who is hopelessly in love with his glamor¬ ous, trampish wife, Marie Windsor; Ted DeCorsia, a racketeering cop; Jay C. Flippen, a reformed drunk; and Joe Sawyer, track bartender. Each has his own job to do in the scheme that Hayden has evolved, and action follows each to the mo¬ ment when Hayden dons a rubber mask and enters the track office to grab off the loot while a riot he has arranged is occupying the cops. As he’s making a later get¬ away at the airport, a large suit¬ case carrying the .coin falls off a baggage truck and the bills fly to the wind in the propeller wash of an arriving plane.. . Hayden-socks over, a restrained .characterization, and Cook is a particular' standout as a man prodded by his wife’s demands for lli^Ury. Mss’ Windsor;- m this role. also is particularly good, who digs the plan out of her husband and reveals it to her boyfriend, Vince Edwards, a small time hood who tries to cut himself into the deal. Both Edwards and Coleen Gray, costarred, are in only briefly, but satisfactorily. Flippen is up to his usual topgrade, and DeCorsia ana Sawyer meet demands of their respective roles. Maurice Obouk¬ hoff, a wrestler whom Hayden hires to start the riot, stages a briiismg battle with the cops. . Technical credits are surenre right down the line, Betty Stein¬ berg giving film firm editing. wnu. HOWARD HAWKS SUES Claims Warners Snafued His ‘Africa* Feature Deal Hollywood, May 22. Howard Hawks has filed 12 damages suit against Warner l'os. ovepy contract for a f ea ^ ur ® gged ‘^Africa,” which was to hav arred Gary Cooper. Complaint ates studio promised to financ inture and agreed to provW )Oper’s services, but didn t rm actor Cooper, who. had scrip •proval, declined his ' services. Hawks asks $ 1 , 000,000 profit loss, 36,000 ’ 'salary, $43,742 preppmg :pe'nsfcs 4hdUrr'ed.