HOME TOWN STORY

Alan Hale Jr. with the Adorable One

HOME TOWN STORY (1951). Writer/director: Arthur Pierson.

When Blake Washburn (Jeffrey Lynn of The Law of the Tropics) fails in his reelection bid for his senatorial seat, he returns to his home town in Illinois where he is editor of the local paper. He is accused of using the paper to mount a campaign to get himself back into the Senate by attacking the winner, Bob McFarland (Hugh Beaumont of Money Madness). Will Blake allow his political ambition to get the better of him, and will anybody care? Home Town Story is a fairly dull, slight drama that plays more like a TV pilot than a theatrical movie. Lynn is not bad in the lead, and Alan  Hale Jr. [The Cruel Tower] scores as his associate on the newspaper, as do Donald Crisp as McFarland's father and Barbara Brown as Blake's mother, but the movie's chief interest is in the brief appearances by the "Adorable One," Marilyn Monroe, as a secretary. Marjorie Reynolds, Richard Crane, and Byron  Foulger are also in the cast.

Verdict: An early glimpse of the Adorable One, who had presence from the first. **.

WHIPLASH

Unlikely couple: Dane Clark and Alexis Smith

WHIPLASH (1948). Director: Lewis Seiler.

In this chopped suey of a movie, artist Michael Gordon (Dane Clark of Paid to Kill) falls for a woman, Laurie (Alexis Smith of The Constant Nymph), who buys one of his paintings. In spite of the fact that Laurie is completely out of his league in every way possible, Michael tells her he's in love with her after knowing her for six hours. Unfortunately, Laurie has a wheel-chair bound husband, an ex-fighter named Rex (Zachary Scott of Ruthless), who convinces Michael that he could be a sensation in the ring. Then there's Laurie's brother, a doctor (Jeffrey Lynn), whom Rex somehow blames for his condition. Whiplash is less a boxing movie than an unconvincing and utterly unexceptional soap opera-melodrama with superficial characters and equally superficial performances. All of the lead actors have been seen to much better advantage in other pictures, although Lynn is generally creditable. Eve Arden adds some slight fun in her inimitable way as a friend of Michael's who wishes she were something more and S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakall is as cuddly and monotonous as ever. This is another in a long line of obnoxious Dane Clark portrayals. Clark and Smith generate no fireworks and are completely unbelievable as a romantic couple. The only good scene is when Zachary Scott gets what's coming to him. Director Lewis Seiler does nothing to help the actors or the picture.

Verdict: A "romance" with two lovers who seem to come from different planets. **.

UNDERGROUND

UNDERGROUND (1941). Vincent Sherman.

Returning from the German army after losing an arm, Kurt Franken (Jeffrey Lynn) is unaware that his brother Eric (Philip Dorn) is the radio voice of the underground resistance movement that hates the Nazis and everything they stand for. Then Kurt falls for a woman (Kaaren Verne) who is working with his brother, and all Hell breaks loose. The most affecting and best-acted scene has to do with Eric and an associate confronting a man who was released by the Nazis after years of imprisonment and torture as he begs them to understand what he went through and tries to assure them that he didn't betray them. Eric feels that one has to be prepared to give up one's life for the cause, giving added resonance to the wind-up. Martin Kosleck is excellent as the nasty Colonel Heller (sic) who is determined to wipe out the members of the underground at any cost. This may have been a propaganda film, but it still has some power today and must have been very strong stuff in 1941. Some striking scenes and good performances, too. It's all rather minor-league, unfortunately, despite the subject matter, but the ending is poignant.

Verdict: **1/2.

THE LAW OF THE TROPICS

THE LAW OF THE TROPICS (1941). Director: Ray Enright.

Jim Conwoy (Jeffrey Lynn, pictured) works for a rubber company in the Amazon and is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the woman he's to marry. When she changes her mind and never arrives, he winds up married to woman-on-the-run Joan Madison (Constance Bennett), an entertainer in a nightclub, who accompanies him back to his stomping grounds and pretends to be the original fiancee. But a lawman is poking around asking questions... Lynn and Bennett make a good team and give good performances in a very entertaining light romance and drama which has some mild suspense to it as well. Regis Toomey is a married co-worker's of Lynn's, and Craig Stevens plays the boss' obnoxious son. Paul Harvey is the equally obnoxious father, who finds he's no match for Bennett.

Verdict: Minor but snappy. ***.

ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO

ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO (1940). Director: Anatol Litvak. NOTE: Important plot details are discussed in this review. 

In 19th century France, a young woman, Henriette (Bette Davis) becomes governess to the four children of the Duke Theo (Charles Boyer) and Duchess Frances (Barbara O'Neil) de Praslin. Frances is a neurotic woman who lacks the maternal instincts of Henriette, and her condition is worsened by her deepening suspicion that Henriette is trying to usurp her place in the affections of both children and husband. Henriette and Theo do fall in love, but their relationship never becomes intimate. This does not stop Frances from hating her rival with a passion matched only by Theo's hatred of his wife. Rachel Field based the novel upon which the film was based on a true story, making Henriette (to whom she was related) completely innocent, which was probably not true in real life. Casey Robinson's screenplay makes both Duke and Duchess so one-dimensional that it's hard to figure out the true reasons for why their marriage went so wrong and how much Theo contributed to his wife's emotional distress. Theo is supposed to be so noble, but is only -- in essence-- a gigolo who married Frances for her father's money. Frances is made almost entirely hateful so that the audience will be on Theo's side when he commits a frightful act late in the picture. Despite these unsatisfactory aspects, All This and Heaven Too is an entertaining, well-made film for the most part, and moves quickly for nearly two and a half hours. Bette Davis offers one of her loveliest, most subdued portrayals, and wisely doesn't try to compete with an excellent Barbara O'Neil for histrionics. (O'Neil sort of out-Bettes Bette.) Boyer is good, but during his big love scene with Davis he merely seems to be woodenly reciting lines -- where is the passion generated by Davis? Jeffrey Lynn does a nice job as a kind minister who offers Davis salvation -- and romance (and he's younger and better-looking than Boyer, wouldn't you know it? Only in Hollywood!) The movie is drenched in acceptable Max Steiner romantic music, and Ernest Haller's photography is good but not especially striking. There are a host of fine supporting players in the film, and little Richard Nichols nearly steals the show as the adorable youngster, Reynald. If you can watch the scene when the kid lies sick in his bed, near death, without getting a lump in your throat you're way tougher than I am. 

Verdict: Interesting version of historical incidents. ***.