Variety (March 1959)

m FILM HE VIEWS Tfcp «nd the F«PT(ing from Miss Woodward’s .bitter! flue ^ m-M pr trw honofaptni' /»nn-1 mer» sensitively presented with Yul Brynner, Joanne Wood¬ ward, Margaret Leighton spot¬ lighted. Moving and commer¬ cial. ‘i^annPB-rm orv 311(1 cold ieeper to benefactor con- (C’SCOPE COLOR) cemed with htr integrity and, it’s .. _ .. suggested, a more closer role in her Impressive; provocative Fauu^ future. Pygmalion or in-law uncle ner» sensitively presented with . w jth an incestuous drive? Xul Brynner, Joanne Wood- Wald’s production provides a ward, Margaret Leighton spot- vivid recreation of the southern lighted. Moving and comrner- town; the settings are unusually cial. effective .in communicating at- - mosphere. 20 th-Fox release of JerTy ^JaM Ritt’s direction is fine all the woodvrardf feIture?E^i Waters. Stuart way. His staging reflects genuine Whitman. Margaret Leighton, Franchise j feeling, his Story points are made Start™' am s,re.roifI Via strong suggestion rather than Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr., any crude, graphic illustration. fSra , rD.L;«rote., , ch«“sG“'Skf.! Miss Waters is splendid as the editor, Stuart Gilmore; music, Ate* i servant; Stuart - Whitman com- Sf • wW bS&S Its! PleWy convinces as the carny mins * ; muscle man who actually is a cow- Jason ' . Yui Brynner ; ard; Albert Dekker, Francoise Quentin .* .Joanne Woodard j R 0 say, Stephen Perry, William cS?f« Busch sfuTt w4 m “ I Gunn and Roy Glenn all contribute Diiaey . Ethel Waters j meaningful work. Perry, a Tvegro Ben Compson .i boy who takes care of Warden, HS^aS m ^“ n -.V.V/.V." .T. John* Be j 1 turns in a particularly touching Earl . Albert Dekker | performance. ^“ ster . wunlrn Gunn ! Alex North’s music complements Job .'.'.'.‘.V.V/.V.V.V.V.V/. Roy Glenn the screen action forcefully; the - [ theme could well have a chance on Considerable talents have gotten j its own. Charles G. Clarke's cam- * . 1 . . ,, onrt h-,- era work (De Luxe color and together to make Sound and the j Cine maScope) has gotten the fed Fury” a work of cinematic stature.; Q f the Mississippi location and It is a mature, provocative "and sen- I otherwise adds to the dramatic sitively-executed study of the deea- ’ effectiveness. Stuart Gilmore’s dent remnants of an erstwhile emi- | editing provides consistently even nent family of a small southern ! continuity and other technical town. | credits are all top-notch. Gene. The characters of the William | “ Faulkner allegorical novel may oe looked upon alternately with re¬ vulsion and compassion. They are a lost generation whose heritage is only the family name. They repre¬ sent skid-row morality. The audi¬ ence is given to decide, and in the course of so doing is exposed to Tank Commandos So-so dynamics but exploitable war meller coupled with same company’s “Operation Dames.” Hollywood, Feb. 26. some picture-making that at times American International Pictures release . j Jf j T’m ■ of a James h. Nicholson-Samuel Z. Arkoff must be considered masterful. Tile production . stars Robert Barron, Maggie honesty Of the approach, the SUS- Lawrence, Wally Campo; introduces tninpri intprest and the hieh-lev**I ' Donato Faretta. Produced, directed and tarnea interest ana tne nign rev i, written by Burt Xopper . came ra. John Of the JeiTy Wald production in , Xicholaus Jr.; music, Ronald Stein; edi- every department doubtless Will tor, Asa Clark. Previewed Feb. 23, -59. be appreciated. ! f™* 0 * V M,NS ’ w ' , « „ . , _ . . : Lieutenant Blaine.Robert Barron Screenplay by Irving Ravetch. Je an .Maggie Lawrence and Harriet Frank Jr., the direc-! Lazzotti . Wally Campo tion by Martin Ritt and the per- ! £K y .V.V.'.V.V.V.V.'.V. LeoV° Ne^angt formances form the major pari of ’ Todd . Jack sowards Faulkner touches of literary qua - ■ u a :ian Girl. Maria Monay ily distinguishes tale from t’le Tessie . Carmen D’Antomo brute-force depictions of southern ; ;;.v.v;.V.V.V.V;:: Ru^PraStt (and other) elements suffering irom ; Italian Prisoner . Freddy Roberto malnutrition of the soul. What it ; Bartender . Jerry Lear sajs has meaning, perhaps C.USiVi., Streetwalker .. Joan Connors but somehow there. G.L Sgt.Larry Shuttleworth i Very serious consideration of all *kzi sgt.' "'.'.'.V.’.V.V.V Norberto Kcrmer the components is a requisite to; - . . ' American International Pictures, 5 theoi^ that double-billing of 0 v S ,P ar if add U P an im P Q rtant - simile g£nre is more potent than whole Opmions may vary, but no dualing % pair of opposites, has ftMPht Ynh* an fh,fnrfanJ^ 3 nf InT 1 COme U P with a C 0 U P le of War films, ‘-Tank Commandos” and KSSHEfr Nev«p Steal Anything • 'Small ^<C’SCOPE—COLOR) Labor racketeering on' the waterfront spiced-with music and comedy efforts. A peculiar hodgepodge with mild b.o. po- teniiaL Stars James Cagney and Shirley Jones. Universal release of Aaron Rosenberg production. Stars James Cagney, Shirley Jones, Robert Smith and Cara Williams. Feaiturgs Nehemiah Persoff, .Royal Dano and Anthony Caruso. Directed by Charles Lederer.. Story and screenplay, Leder-?r. based on the play, “DevU’s Hornpipe,” by MaxweU Anderson and Rouben Mamou- lian. Camera (Eastman-C’Scope), Harold Lipstein; editor, RusseU Schoengartb; music, Allie Wrubel; lyrics. Anderson. At Capitol Theatre, N.Y., Feb. 11, 59. Running time, V4 MINS. Jake Maclllaney . James Cagney Linda Cabot .;. Shirley Jones Dan Cabot .. Roger Smith Finnipeg. Cara Williams PinelU . Nchemich Persoff Words Cannon . Royal Dano Lt. Tevis ... Anthony Caruso Merritt .. Horace McMahon Ginger ...... ... Virginia Vincent Sleep-Out Charlie . Jack Albertson Lennle ... Robe“t J. Wilke Hymie . Herbie Faye Ed .. Eilly M. Qreene Ward . John Duke Osborne . Jack Orrison Doctor.Roland Winters Model. Ingrid Goude Fats Ranney. Sanford Seeear | Thomas .Ed “Skipoer" McNally . Deputy Warden.Gregg Barton ! If you accept the theme of Uni-; versal’s “Never Steal Anything Small,” honesty is NOT the best policy, especially not in union poli¬ tics on the New York waterfront. But no matter how much Charles! Lederer’s story and screenplay, j based on an unproduced legit musi- ! cal, “Devil’s Hornpipe,” by Max- j well Anderson and Rouben Mamou- j lian, attempts to make Jake Mac- j Wednesday, March 4, 1959 .standpoint, Lederer’s direction is standard and adds little to the overall effect. Harold Lipstein’s cinematography is excellent and catches some fine scenes of the Manhattan skyline. Holt. Operation Dames Paired with “Tank Com¬ mandos” in an exploitable package. Hollywood, Feb. 26. American Interna tionr.l Pictures release of a Camera Eye Production. Stars Eve Meyer, Chuck Henderson, Don Devlin. Produced by Stanley Kallis. Directed by Louis Clyde Steumen. Screenplay by Ed Lakso, from a story by Stanley Kallis; camera, Edward R. Martin; editor, Louis Clyde Stoumen; music, Richard Marko¬ witz. Previewed . Feb. 23, *59. Running time, 74 MINS. Lorry Evering . .. Eve Meyer Sgt. Valido . Chuck Henderson Tony . Don Devlin Hal . Ed Craig Roberta. Cindy Girard Marsha .. Barbara Skyler Billy . Chuck Van Haren Dinny . Andrew Munro Benny . Byron Morrow Marge . Alice Allyn George . Ed Lakso J?.lE! sultantly an abu: ‘-i "Operation Dames" as its newest 1 dance of dollars. ' package. ‘Tank Qommandos ” i The family name is Compson and . written, produced and directed by it is significant that the nature of. Burt Topper, is the more animated the relationships among membes • of the two features, though it sel- need to be parenthetically under-; dom builds enough energy to lift lined by 20th-Fox in its press mate- ]t above routine action fare. Still, rial for reviewers. For without th:S there’s enough to exploit in this given explanation, mainly as per- package, and the low budgeters tabling to the role played by /X ul should return a profit from the Brynner, the whos who is be\v*l- exploitation market. looked° De tha ‘ eaDn0t ^ ° VCr '; w h's potential. He hasj ^ created a poignant scene or two, : The .Compsons are two brothers. a sensuous one arid a suspenseful j one a weak alcoholic and the other onei but the vivid tone isn’t con- 1<llot *J olin . ® eal and Jai-ec ; sistent. He has, however, taken 1 \Varden), and a sister (Margaret ; f u n advantage of the batlle-de-: Leighton) who has a long history: s ' iro y e d Italian settings which are; cf promiscuity. Their father, before remarkably picturesque arid in- ! his own death and following the teresting for a low-budget film. . death of his wife, had taken on a I — . cf ._ r +o11c . a ! second mate and a stepson. Yul! . The story tells nothm 0 new a Brynner. Latter in turn has taken de ° lolltl ° n s £ uad must destroy an on the Compson name and rules ai p° d ^^ at 5f ^ c n ff.L gl Thf ' master over a decrepit estate and ; ^ erman tanks free passage. The his wretched second-hand relatives. : , only f - per ^°P, knowing the exact: Subject to- his control also is locationtof the bridge is an Italian Joanne Woodward, cast as Miss ; boy ,, 'Y 110, ^ lth i ?- ori % ex P°sp re ' Leighton’s youthful, illegitimate ■■ c ?, uld have . g(Ve P ^ 1S film a more daughter. A Negro servant family,; alluung point of view, headed by Ethel Waters, completes t Action, though it’s riot always the hast of residents. ; focused, is extensive in the .Tames This indeed is an offbeat lot, 1 Nicholson-Samuel Z Arkoff pro- the Compsons. Miss Woodward 1 auction, this, after all, is one of gives firm conviction to the part o r j V? e P rim e demands made by au- the girl who cries out desneratelv ■ dl , e ° c I a wh ° ^ ava turned the ex- for the love and affection she can’t 'Potation field mto a lucrative find in her own home and, some- : harvest. , what giddily, takes up with a crude ; Robert Barron, as the squad’s : mechanic (lecherous, bare-chested ■ leader, is perfectly hard as the I type) who’s in town with a travel- \ lieutenant, soft as the friend in a ing carnival. i fine performance, and Wally Miss Leighton is remarkably! ? aI PP 0 A is equally good as an realistic as the washed-out hag! Italian-American buffer between who had abandoned her daughter j y 1 ® GJ- S and the residents. Donato at childbirth and now has returned t Farretta is excellent as the young for refuge fr t om a world (of men' j ^ J w . lth , B°o d performances no longer holding out hands to her.! J urned “ ^ Maggie Lawrence, Beal as the gin hound and War- -^eo V. Netranga, Jack Sowards, den as the helpless mute are fit- Anthony Rich, Larry Hudson and ting characters sketched into th's ‘Pretty Maria Monay. family portrait; and their presence John Nicholaus Jr.’s photog- gives consistency to the study of raphy is exceptional for this field, ethical and mental degeneracy. with Dan Haller’s art direction, Brynner is every inch the house- Ronald Stein’s music. Asa Clark’s hold tyrant. He’s a fierce domi- editing and A1 Overton’s sound neering personality, bent on keep- all capable. It mightjbe noted that, ing the family together so that the in the review print, (Anthony Rich name he has adopted will not lose popped up big as lijfe to join his all its social value. Brynner has comrades after dyithg at length subtlely shaded the character with in the previous sceife. maximum skill, eventually emerg-j 1 Ron. Because of th'e Universal Pictures’ ban of Variety and ‘ Daily Variety on news and remews, this belated review of “Never Steal Anything Small” is published for the record . If the same conditions prevail, U pictures in future will be similarly caught and reviewed at their public firstrun en¬ gagements, "as with this one currently at the Capitol on Broadway. Illaney, the waterfront labor boss portrayed by James Cagney, a charming, if unscrupulous, Robin Hood, the fact remains that Mac¬ lllaney is a crook and a hoodlum. The taste in such a hero, a man. who’ll use any ' unprincipled method, even stealing another; man’s wife, to gain his own ends, is to be questioned. Film attempts to soften the reaction, by spicing the proceedings with musical in¬ terludes and attempting to present the mobsters as good-natured j Damon Runyon characters, but i these half-hearted efforts fail to justify the overall premise. More¬ over, Maclllaney’s feeble attempt to explain his motivations fall flat. The result is a peculiar hodge¬ podge, being neither musical, com¬ edy nor drama. It’ll hardly satisfy- the demands of present-day film- goers and appears destined for a fast, unheralded playoff. The character Cagney is called 1 oh to jjlay is a breeze for the vet¬ eran performer, for he’s done it so many times before. He’s the tough hood who employs the bread and circus technique to win the rank- and-file longshoremen to his side. He, however, does not omit the necessary strong arm tactics when it meets his purpose. And, when the occasion arises, there’s Cagney turning song-and-dance man. Shirley Jones is a shade’ too sac¬ charine as the young lawyer’s wife who catches Cagney's eye. As the young lawyer, corrupted and framed by Cagney, Roger Smith gives a standard portrayal of an unpretentious Ivy Leaguer out of his league. And Cara Williams is the familiarly tough, heart-of-gold mobster’s moll. Nehemiah Persoff covers well-worn territory in his depiction of the national boss of the longshoremen’s union. Ditto the various sidekicks and rivals of the waterfront labor battle. The musical interludes are mildly diverting. Best among these is Cagney’s duet w-ith Miss Wil¬ liams—“I’m Sorry—I Want a Fer¬ rari.” Miss Jones comes off well in “I Haven’t Got a Thing to Wear” and in a song-an-dance tv commercial, “It Takes Love to Make a Home.” “Never Steal Any¬ thing Small” and “Helping Our Friends” feature Cagney and the crowd on the waterfront. The music was furnished by Allie Wrubel, with Anderson providing the lyrics. The Aaron Rosenberg produc¬ tion, in Eastman color and Cinema- Scope, is Slick from a technical “Operation Dames,” being billed by American International Pictures with “Tank Commandos,” has an interesting premise that doesn : t come off. What does come ’ off, however, is the apparel of one Eve Meyer, a voluptuous femme, seen fully only from the back, who lends a certain exploitable charm to this Camera Eye Production. There’s more operation than dames in this story of a USO troupe caught behind North Ko¬ rean lines in the most recent skir¬ mish. Subtleties of character give way to action, the result being a long march through enemy terri¬ tory that somehow seems to have been filmed before. Camera Eye Productions has made its name in the documentary field, winning an Oscar for “The True Story of the Civil War” two years ago. It might be wise for the talented group to take at least a semi-documentary approach to fea¬ ture filmmaking^ rather than select a property that ranges so far afield. Stanley Kallis produced and penned the story which Ed Lakso screenplayed. Director Louis Clyde Stoumen wasn’t able to come up with consistently good perform¬ ances, but some are notable. Miss Meyer is okay, not nearly so grand as her measurements. Chuck Hen¬ derson, as the group’s leader through rough terrain, is excellent and a likely contender as a suc¬ cessful new face. Don Devlin and Afldrew Munro are very good as a couple of soldiers, with Ed Craig equally fine and okay work from Cindy Girard, Barbara Skyler, Byron Morrow, Alice Allyn and Lakso. Credits—from Edward R. Mar¬ tin’s camera to sound by John Mack,- editing by Stoumen and art direction by Mervyn Barbert—are capably accomplished.^ Richard Markowitz’s interesting musical score, expressive and heavy on per¬ cussion, is a top bonus. So is Lakso’s catchy “Girls, Girls, Girls” sung over titles. Ron. Les reusing (FRENCH) „ Paris, Feb. 24. Mareeau release of AJYM Filins produc¬ tion. With Jean-Claude Brialy, Gerard Blain, Juliette Mayniel, Claude Cerval, Michele Meritz. Written and directed by Claude . Chabrol, with dialog by Paul Gegauff. Camera, Henri Decae; editor, Jacques GsUlard. Preemed in Paris. Run¬ ning time, 110 MINS. Charles . Gerard Blain Paul . Jean-Claude Brialy Florence .Juliette Mayniel Clovis . Claude Cerval Genevieve . Genevieve Chiny Yvonne . t - Michele Meritz Tale of the country cousin trying to make it in the big c?*ty, and destroyed in the process,, gets off¬ beat treatment from promising new and youthful director Claude Chabrol. It develops into a looksee at a certain restless youth. Pic possesses probable exDloitation aspects for offshore spots on its frankness of theme. The country cousin comes to stay with his worldly, decadent cousin. His attempts at love and exams fail while his indolent, debauched cousin gets all. It ends in an ironic bit as the visitor is k : lied by a gun thought to be empty. . Director Chabrol has gone in for a little too much symbolism. The characters sometimes remain murky arid literary rather than real form. But a concisive progres¬ sion, fine technical aspects, and a look at innocence .destroyed by the profane keeps it absorbing despite; the slightly pretentious treatment at times. ; Its wild sunrise parties, the lack of concession in showing mor¬ ality destroyed by directionless living and some pungent love scenes make this a bit different from run-of-mill pix. Mosk. Kake Mine a Million (BRITISH) Unsophisticated skit on tele¬ vision with Arthur Askey sand Sidney James running a pirate tv station and undermining the non-eommercial national com¬ pany; well-geared for family audience laughter. London, Feb. 24. British Lion release of a John Baxter production. Stars Arthur Askey, Sidney James. Directed by Lance Comfort. Screenplay, Peter Blackmore from story by Jack Francis; camera, Desmond Davisj editor, Peter ritt. At Rialto Theatre, London. Running time, £2 MINS. Arthur Ashton.Arthur Askey : Sid Gibson . Sidney James ! Mar tin RusseU.Dermot Walsh Anxious Husband .Kenneth Connor Director-Gen. of National TV yy Clive Morton- . Chairman of Commercial TV Martin Benson Sally .... SaUy Barnes Director of Commercial TV Lionel Murton Mrs. Burgess . Olga LinJo Diana .. Leigh Madison Jack .- - Bernard Cribbins Police Superintendent. Bruce Seton Sid’s Bodyguard . George Margo Production Supervisor.Tom GiU The Professor ... David Net the Ln Assistant Director-General Richard Caldicott Ballet Dancer . Gillian Lynne Arthur Askey is a popular, genial comedian who has made huge im¬ pact on stage, tv and radio but w'hose film appearances have been conspicuously less successful. How¬ ever, his latest entry, “Make Mine a Million,” should ring the bell with unsophisticated audiences and will prove a useful dualer for U.K. houses. The pic is a light-hearted skit on tele with some shrewd digs at the BBC, -thinly disguised as the Na¬ tional Television •- Co. Askey is a humble makeup man in National tele studio who becomes mixed up with Sidney James, a fast-talking, seedy, unsuccessful peddler of a new detergent, w’hich the public Refuses to buy because it is uot advertised on “the telly.” James persuades Askey to slip an advertisement for the detergent into one of the National programs and Askey is fired. The one com¬ mercial. however, makes the deter¬ gent a sweeping success. The prob¬ lem is how they can keep up the good work. They hit on the idea of starting the first pirate tv station and manage to get pirate adver¬ tisements into such important out¬ side broadcasts as Ascot races and the Edinburgh Festival. Askey fin¬ ishes up as a public hero and finally gets his own program on the National Television. This neat idea could have been treated satirically and, occasionally, satire does creep into the script. But mainly it goes all out for straightforward comedy effect. A good cast brings a cheerful, bois¬ terous good humor to its job.Lanca Comfort has directed briskly and Arthur Grant’s lensing has helped the film to look a rather more ex¬ pensively mounted proposition than it is. Askey and James team up splen¬ didly as the main burden of the entertainment falls on them. But there is some effective support from Olga Lindo, an understanding landlady; Clive Morton, as the pompous director-general of the National TV Co.; Tom Gill, as a mannered production supervisor; and Dermot Walsh, as an adver¬ tiser who cashes in on the Askey- James enterprise. To boost the marquee value, a number of big names make fleet¬ ing guest appearances as them¬ selves. These include Tommy Trinder, Evelyn Laye, Dickie Hen¬ derson, Raymond Glendinning, Dennis Lotis, Patricia BrCdin and Sabrina. Rich. Le Vent Se Leve (The Wind Rises) (FRENCH) Paris, Feb. 24. Terra, release of Groupe De QUatr* production. Stars Curd Jurgens; features Myiene Demongeot, Alain Saury. Daniel Sorano. Directed by Yves Ciampi. Screen¬ play, Jean-Charlcs Tac-chella, H. F. Rev, J. L- Host: camera, Annand Thirard; editor, G. Alepee. At Biarritz, Paris. Run¬ ning time, 95 MINS. £? t £ e l' ine . Myiene Demongeot Michel . Alain Saury Fnehd . Daniel Sorano Lacklustre direction and acting put this tale of a middleaged man’s affair with a young girl on a dubi¬ ous basis. Lagging pacing does not help to imbue this with any feeling for the characters and their problems. The result is a pic'with mainly home market possibilities. Curd Jurgens decides to wreck a ship for the insurance coin at the instigation of his flighty young mistress. But he finally decides against it as both he and the girl come of age and realize they have moral duties to society. The aim is high but the execution is low. Jurgens’ impassive acting and My¬ iene Demongeot’s lack of ease, plus banal dialog, do not help give this the movement and direction it reeds. Technical aspects are only fair, Mosk.