ON THE LOOSE

Joan Evans

ON THE LOOSE (1951). Director: Charles Lederer.

Jill Bradley (Joan Evans) is a small-town 16-year-old girl who has distracted parents (Lynn Bari and Melvyn Douglas) and a seemingly devoted boyfriend named Larry (Robert Arthur of Naked Youth). When Larry brings Jill to his house when his parents are gone, he passes out on the sofa and is found hungover the next morning. Larry is forced to break up with the "fast" Jill, who dates lots of guys to get over her heartbreak and winds up with a "reputation," nearly leading to tragedy. On the Loose is a time capsule of a movie, looking back at 1950's attitudes towards dating and premarital sex, as well as at timeless troubled marriages, and on that level is quite effective. Joan Evans [Roseanna McCoy] gives a very good performance as the confused and unhappy young woman, and the rest of the cast are also on target, with Melvyn Douglas [Hud] delivering some fine moments when he does his best to bond with his daughter in the second half of the film. Hugh O'Brian makes an impression as a kind-hearted doctor, and Tristram Coffin plays a judge, who shows up after some melodramatic developments in a bar. The ending is unrealistically happy but nevertheless touching.

Verdict: Teen angst well-played. ***. 

FINGERS AT THE WINDOW

Laraine Day and Lew Ayres

FINGERS AT THE WINDOW (1942). Director: Charles Lederer.

In Chicago a series of seemingly unrelated individuals are slaughtered by an ax, and each time the killer is a different person. Actor Oliver Duffy (Lew Ayres) sees Edwina Brown (Laraine Day) being followed one night and comes to her rescue, determining that someone is definitely out to get her. Edwina, who doesn't seem very bright, scarcely seems to understand that someone wants to behead her. As the police focus in on Oliver himself as the killer, he tries to pin down the true architect behind the gruesome murders. If there is one major problem with Fingers at the Window, which has a splendid premise, it's the dopey character of Edwina, who seems half-demented throughout most of the movie. We are also clued in as to the identity of the mastermind very early on, although it must be said that for once he is given a motive that makes absolutely perfect sense. The conclusion is also suspenseful. Ayres [Johnny Belinda] and Day [And One Was Beautiful] are too "cutesy" by far, and the picture is stolen by an excellent Basil Rathbone [The Black Sleep] as Dr. Santelle.

Verdict: Creepy idea sort of frittered away but it has its good points and a great Rathbone. **1/2.

IT STARTED WITH A KISS

IT STARTED WITH A KISS (1959). Director: George Marshall.

"A girl who refuses to accept presents usually winds up with nothing."

Maggie Putnam (Debbie Reynolds) falls in love with and marries Sgt. Joe Fitzpatrick (Glenn Ford) practically overnight, but finds it hard adjusting to Army life -- and its restrictions, even on wives -- while he's stationed in Madrid. She decides that she and her husband must live together chastely until they really get to know each other. Yeah, right. This contrived and tedious film (of underlying vulgarity) -- scripted by Charles Lederer -- never gets off the ground. There's an attempt to add some spice by getting Reynolds involved with a handsome bullfighter (Gustavo Rojo), but all that really happens is he gets smeared with her lipstick in a wine cellar and the sergeant goes mildly berserk. Eva Gabor, Fred Clark and others are trapped in this essentially unfunny misfire. Rojo appeared mostly in Spanish productions but was also in Valley of Gwangi in 1969.

Verdict: Nothing you can't miss. *1/2.