Go Out To A Movie

 

 

Gunfight at the OK Corral (PARAMOUNT; VISTAVISION, TECHNICOLOR)

A fine, handsome Western in the heroic tradition casts Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas as mighty men out of the history and legend of frontier days. Burt is Wyatt Earp, the Dodge City marshal who in this tale does a bit of roving to smash an outlaw gang. Supposedly at odds with the law, Kirk is gambler Doc Holliday, the one-time dentist who came West for his health, but gets into too many bouts with the bottle and with gunfighters. Not much time is left for romance, represented by Rhonda Fleming, as a lady gambler who attracts Burt, and Jo Van Fleet. as Kirk’s tough but devoted girl. There’s a strong supporting cast. and sharply dramatic photography points up every suspenseful situation. Family

 

12 Angry Men (U.I.)

Though tension builds steadily throughout this unusual drama, its intelligent and penetrating approach provides material for thought, as well as lively entertainment. The action takes place in a New York jury room where twelve very miscellaneous citizens are arguing question of life or death, for a boy charged with murdering his father. On the first vote, only Henry Fonda up holds a “not guilty” verdict. Subtly, patiently, he work on his fellow jurors. Among them: Jack Warden, a rough neck who just wants to get out of there in time for the ball game; E. G. Marshall, a coldly logical sort; Ed Begley whose outlook is distorted by prejudice; Lee J. Cobb influenced by a bitter personal problem. Family

Boy on a Dolphin (20TH; CINEMASCOPE, DE LUXE COLOR)

Rarely seen on film here, never before with such sensuous camerawork, the ancient vistas of Greece add enchantment to the melodrama of an Alan Ladd adventure film. As a native girl who dives for sponges, Sophia Loren finds beneath the sea a fabulously valuable statue of a boy riding a dolphin. Dedicated to his profession of archeology. Alan knows that the relic rightfully belongs to the Greek government. But Sophia. her greedy boy-friend (Jorge Mistral) and a drunken English doctor (Laurence Naismith) want to dispose of it more profitably. As a wealthy and unprincipled collector. Clifton Webb is ready with the cash. Alan is convincingly heroic; Clifton has his usual air of superhuman composure; but Sophia sometimes seems to he doing a take-off on Italian actresses. Family

The Tall T (COLUMBIA, TECHNICOLOR)

Here’s a first-rate Randolph Scott Western that pays more attention to human character titan horse operas usually do. Trying to start his own ranch after years as a cowhand. Scott just happens to become one of a group held captive by three desperadoes. As the leader, Richard Boone is a veteran, ruthless outlaw, who still has enough elements of decency left that he despises his young henchmen. portrayed by Skip Homeier and Henry Silva, as hapless juvenile delinquents of the frontier. Scott’s fellow captives include Maureen O’Sullivan and John Hubbard, as a fortune hunter she has married to escape an old maid’s fate. In general outline, the plot is familiar, but the people and their reactions have a feeling of conviction. Family

Abandon Ship! (COLUMBIA)

Centered on a dramatically compelling situation. this close-up of castaways at sea puts star Tyrone Power in a terrible dilemma. The actual event that inspired the story took place more than a hundred years ago. Here it’s brought up to date, picturing the few survivors of a wrecked cruise ship clustered in and around a hopelessly overloaded boat. As officer in command. Ty eventually faces his decision. Should he try to save all his charges, at the risk of losing all of them? Or should he better the chances of some by casting into the sea the ill, the injured, the weak. the old? Officer Lloyd Nolan, mortally hurt, urges the second decision. Ship’s nurse Mai Zetterling, who loves Ty, and Moira Lister, as a socialite short on morals but long on courage, back him up. Though the idea is arresting, it takes on a certain dreariness in the telling. Family

 

This Could Be the Night (M-G-M; CINEMASCOPE)

Fresh and funny, siy and romantic, this comedy matches prim, winsome Jean Simmons with a Runyonesque crew of lowlifes—who are mostly pretty good guys and dolls. To add to her school teaching salary, Jean takes an evening job as secretary to night-club owner Paul Douglas. Overcome by the fact that she’s a “college broad” and a “greenhorn,” he is determined to shield her. Young newcomer Anthony Franciosa cuts a striking figure as Paul’s partner, a wolf who finds he has higher ideas about Jean. Promptly, he shies away, wary of the “tender trap.” The other nightclub people are equally picturesque. Julie Wilson is the voluptuous and knowing singer. Promising new Neile Adams is a sassy, sexy dancer on the job; off it, she’s a shy, bespectacled girl whose chief yearning is to be a good cook. Joan Blondell seems to be the typical stage mother. And bus-boy Rafael Campos has a strange reason for wanting Jean to coach him in algebra. Neatly dialogued, engagingly acted, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable movie from start to finish. Adult

The Naked Eye (FILM REPRESENTATIONS)

The countless photography addicts will find plenty of fascinating material in this easy-to-look-at documentary. Though it starts with a history of the development of the camera, it is not at all a technical study. It moves on, from Daguerre to Matthew Brady to the great photographers of today, showing the varied and dramatic uses of the camera. The latter part of the movie is devoted to the life of Edward Weston, pictured through his work. But the makers of the film have tackled too big a job, trying to cover an entire art in seventy-one minutes, and the results are sometimes patchy. Adult

The Little Hut (M-G-M; EASTMAN COLOR)

Credit the good looks of Ava Gardner and Stewart Granger and the deft comedy talent of David Niven for most of the entertainment values in this mild farce. Promising more spice than it delivers, it makes those desert-island cartoons come to life. A yacht wreck lands the three on their tropical paradise. Before this, we’ve seen them back in London: Stewart as a big-shot, all-business industrialist; Ava, as the neglected wife; David, as the “friend” who escorts her during her husband’s frequent absences. Now Stewart happily and efficiently turns Robinson Crusoe, to fit out their island with various niceties of civilization. Sulking in his lonely hut, David presently comes up with the astonishing suggestion that under the circumstances Ava ought to share her favors between the two men. To complicate the ensuing arguments. a third man appears. Adult

Dragoon Wells Massacre (A.A.)

Another satisfying Western follows a hopeful trend by trying to get some complexity into its characters. Its plot is that old reliable, used in many good movies—putting a chance-met group into a situation of deadly danger. Led by cavalry officer Dennis O’Keefe, these people are trying to reach a fort before Apaches wipe them out. Mona Freeman, a spoiled Easterner, has rejected Dennis to seek a more comfortable life with Casey Adams. Trevor Bardette, a grizzled marshal with an amusing weakness for gambling. has two prisoners: Barry Sullivan, a debonair adventurer, and Jack Elam, a sinister-looking but pathetic outlaw, whose life has been ruined by his ugliness. The group also includes gallant Katy Jurado and brutish Sebastian Cabot, who has been selling guns and liquor to the Indians. Family

 

The Vintage (M-G-M; CINEMASCOPE; METROCOLOR)

As three stars with both appeal and talent, John Kerr. Pier Angeli and Mel Ferrer have a fitting vehicle in this rich story of workers in Southern France’s vineyards. A location trip there gives the picture conviction, as well as beauty. John and Mel play brothers who have fled Italy because John killed a man there, in understandable rage. They’re taken on as grape-pickers at the vineyard owned by Leif Erickson, gruff and single-minded in his devotion to his fields. As his wife, Michele Morgan senses immediately that the more youthful of the strangers has a secret tragedy, and John falls in love with her. For Mel, the harvest of the grapes brings a slowly ripening romance with Pier, Michele’s sister. Their problems are worked out against the annual drama of the vintage season, climax of the year for people of the vineyards. The whole picture is a winning, unusual blend of emotion, earthiness and dreamy remoteness. Family

The Bachelor Party (U.A.)

Doing a sharp change of pace from his “Bus Stop” role, Don Murray still turns in a first-rate performance in a drably realistic story of New York life. The picture centers on the final fling of the title, organized by office bachelor Jack Warden for young Phillip Abbott. As the men drift from joint to joint, alcohol loosens their tongues, and their individual worries are revealed. Don, as we’ve already learned, sees himself at a dead end, a bookkeeper forever, because wife Patricia Smith has told him that she expects a baby. The timid groom is afraid of marriage. Middle-aged E. G. Marshall, a family man, has just found that he has a fatal illness. Even the bachelor isn’t happy with his aimless existence. all these people are bored with their lives, and as the night drags on it’s easy to agree with them. However, the dialogue is convincing, if too repetitious, and the acting is uniformly fine, including Carolyn Jones, as a gabbling, love-hungry Greenwich Villager. Adult

The Counterfeit Plan (WARNERS)

An English-made crime movie, with two American stars, builds up thrills as it examines the techniques and hazards of the counterfeiters’ trade. Escaped killer Zachary Scott heads for the country home of Mervyn Johns, expert engraver who committed legal forgeries for the secret service during the war. In the past, he hadn’t been so scrupulous, but now he’s determined to stay straight. Zachary’s arrival, with gunmen at hand, forcibly changes his plans. When Peggie Castle, as Johns’ daughter, comes for a visit, she finds her father a captive, helping the crooks at their money-making plant in his cellar. As her sweetheart, Robert Arden also gets embroiled in the straightaway melodrama and thrills. Family

Tarzan and the Lost Safari (TECHNICOLOR)

Handsome and imposingly muscular as the jungle hero, Gordon Scott has a tough proposition on his hands in this colorful adventure yarn. A private plane has crashed, and its passengers, though uninjured, are lost. Scott offers to guide them to safety, but some of his charges aren’t too cooperative. Pilot Peter Arne, a sulky sort, grows jealous over wife Betta St. John’s admiration of Scott. (For this item in the series, mate Jane is conveniently omitted.) Wealthy George Coulouris and current girlfriend Yolande Donlan aren’t exactly the jungle-hardened sort. But elderly gossip columnist Wilfrid Hyde White is a surprisingly good sport. Worse complications arise when ivory hunter Robert Beatty also offers to guide the safari. His motives are sinister, but he can’t fool Tarzan Scott. Background scenes shot in Africa are full of colorful and spectacular animal life. Family

The Deadly Mantis (U-I)

In science-fiction horror films, prehistoric creatures returned to life are rivaled by familiar creatures grown to monstrous size—the ant, the tarantula. The menace of this lively piece is both. Entombed ages ago in Arctic ice, it is defrosted when a glacier unloads. Though it’s about the size of the most modern jet bomber, it is only that large relative to the grasshopper, a preying mantis. But its powerful jaws and claws tear planes, buildings and people apart. Army officer Craig Stevens, scientist William Hopper and the scientist’s pretty assistant, Alix Talton, are among those investigating the mysterious killer. The first point of attack is the Dew Line, our northernmost radar installations, and actual newsreel shots lend a chilling illusion of authenticity to all the wild goings-on. So do later shots of jet pilots in a scramble and in action. Just one note in passing: Today’s relatively small mantis is our pal; his favorite dish is Japanese beetles. Family

 

Untamed Youth (WARNERS)

Don Burnett makes an impression as an attractive newcomer. Mamie Van Doren does a vigorous rock ’n’ roll number. And that’s about all you can say for this odd melodrama. With sister Lori Nelson, Mamie is sentenced to pick cotton on a sort of prison farm run by brutal John Russell, secret husband of Lurene Tuttle, who is the local judge. As Lurene’s son, Don comes along to see what is happening to the young “prisoners.” Supposedly, they’re being overworked as well as mistreated—but all hands turn out to rock ’n’ roll every evening! Adult

Last of the Badmen (A.A.; CINEMASCOPE)

Chicago detective George Montgomery is called upon to combat a new outlaw gimmick that is the most interesting feature of this Western, handicapped by the way it’s presented. George’s predecessor has been the victim of the trick, and now our hero asks to be put through the same routine. With fake posters in circulation, he’s represented as a wanted man, jailed on his arrival in a frontier town. The gang (Douglas Kennedy, Robert Foulk, James Best) promptly springs him. Then he’s forced to take part in their robberies—as the only unmasked member of the gang. So the reward on his head goes up and up, while the outlaws plan eventually to turn in his remains (through an intermediary) and collect. George sticks with it dangerously close to the moment of collection, in the effort to identify the brains behind the scheme. To lend an air of realism, there’s a solemn running commentary in the Dragnet style. This slows the pace, telling you what you can already see on the screen. Family

Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend (WARNERS)

The nice “Friendly Persuasion” influence hits the Westerns in this agreeable Randolph Scott item. With two other former soldiers, Randy returns to Nebraska to find that his brother has been killed by Indians, unable to defend himself because his gun wouldn’t fire. Randy goes after suave James Craig, storekeeper who sold the ammunition. To hide their purpose, he and his pals join a Quaker group and adopt their garb. Quaker lass Angie Dickinson and dance-hall gal Dani Crayne supply romance. Family

 

Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (20TH; CINEMASCOPE, DE LUXE COLOR)

Deborah Kerr and Robert Mitchum have never appeared to better advantage than in this remarkable film, partly a suspenseful incident of the Pacific war, mostly a delicate study of the relationship between two human beings. Bob is a traditionally tough marine, dedicated to his corps. Deborah is a dedicated nun, though she has not yet taken her final vows. The two meet on a deserted island that is eventually captured by Jap forces. Under John Huston’s direction, their struggle to survive is beautifully counter-balanced by the interplay between two utterly different personalities that for this interlude find a common ground. Inevitably, Bob falls in love with his companion, though he treats her with deep respect—except for one drunken lapse. The outcome can be foreseen, but any possible feeling of disappointment is forestalled. Bob’s speech indicates the rough, unlettered man; Deborah’s (with a hint of musical brogue), the cultured woman. There’s the suggestion that they would never have suited each other under normal circumstances. Under these, their situation is touching. Family

 

It is a quote. PHOTOPLAY MAGAZINE JUNE 1957