MOTHER DIDN'T TELL ME

Dorothy McGuire and William Lundigan

MOTHER DIDN'T TELL ME (1950). Written and directed by Claude Binyon. 

Jane Morgan (Dorothy McGuire), who writes commercial jingles, sets her cap for the very handsome Dr. William Wright (William Lundigan) when she goes to him for a weird cough. Fortunately Bill is equally attracted to Jane, and it isn't long before they start dating. Jane refuses to believe that she will become a typical lonely doctor's wife, even when Bill's mother  (Jessie Royce Landis) tries to warn her off. But even if Jane can deal with Bill's frequent absences due to the demands of his patients, she may find stiffer competition from Bill's attractive new associate, Helen (Joyce MacKenzie of Destination Murder). 

Leif Erickson and June Havoc

Two very charming and adept lead performances are what put over this engaging comedy-drama (with an emphasis on comedy). The sensitive and talented McGuire proves that she is no slouch when it comes to comic roles and her co-star Lundigan proves he is more than just a good-lookin' fella. These two performers help gloss over some odd moments in the script. On the train during their honeymoon, the conductor tells Bill that a woman passenger is unconscious and may have had a heart attack. Instead of showing the slightest concern, Jane is only annoyed. "I can't ignore an unconscious woman," Bill says. "But you can ignore a conscious one?" his wife responds. If it weren't for McGuire's sympathetic playing, Jane would be completely unlikable. In fact, after this exchange you begin to think that the mother-in-law has the right idea. 

Gary Merrill and June Havoc are another  doctor and his wife, friends of Bill's, and Leif Erickson [Arabian Nights] really makes an amusing impression as a headshrinker who really knows how to pitch the woo to the ladies. Then there are those adorable twins! Lundigan made Pinky the previous year. Claude Binyon also wrote and directed The Saxon Charm. 

Verdict: Two imperfect people in an imperfect but engaging romance. ***. 

TARZAN AND THE SHE-DEVIL

Tom Conway, Monique van Vooren, Raymond Burr

TARZAN AND THE SHE-DEVIL (1953). Director: Kurt Neumann.

Three characters named Vargo (Raymond Burr), Fidel (Tom Conway) and Lyra (Monique van Vooren) -- who I believe is never referred to as a "she-devil" in the film -- conspire to round up a herd of elephants for their ivory. Since they are entering dangerous territory and the beasts may be difficult to handle, the trio decide to get Tarzan's (Lex Barker) help by kidnapping Jane (Joyce Mackenzie). When the villains think Jane has been killed in a fire, a despondent Tarzan barely has the strength to fight back when he is made captive. Tarzan and the She-Devil certainly has an interesting cast: Barker makes a fine Tarzan; Mackenzie [Destination Murder] is more than adequate as his mate; Burr [Pitfall] is very good in a villainous role; and Tom Conway [A Night of Adventure] saunters through with as little energy as possible. A big problem with the film is that while van Vooren is pretty (she somewhat resembles Hedy Lamarr), and is an adequate in her role, she lacks that certain something that would really make her a "she-devil." If only Mari Blanchard or Marie Windsor had been cast in the part! There's a fairly exciting elephant stampede at the end in which the bad guys get a fitting comeuppance. Still, this is not one of the better Tarzan movies. This was Lex Barker's last appearance as Tarzan. All of the natives in the movie are white!

Verdict: Jane never even gives Lyra a whack in the face! **.

DESTINATION MURDER

Stanley Clements and Myrna Dell

DESTINATION MURDER (1950). Director: Edward L. Cahn.

Jackie Wales (Stanley Clements) is hired by club owner and mob boss Armitage (Albert Dekker) to murder a man named Mansfield. His daughter Laura (Joyce Mackenzie) witnesses the hit, recognizes the shooter, and tries to get more on him for the police by working at Armitage's club as a cigarette girl. Meanwhile Wales thinks nothing of dating the daughter of the man he murdered in cold blood. Wales and Armitage's girlfriend, Alice (Myrna Dell), who actually has a hankering for the club manager Stretch Norton (Hurd Hatfield), have cooked up a very dangerous blackmail scheme. Destination Murder is a snappy and happily unpredictable B crime thriller that just misses being really special. There are good performances by Clements, Hatfield and Dekker [Middle of the Night]; John Dehner as a suspect and potential victim; James Flavin as the Inspector on the case; and especially Myrna Dell [The Lost Tribe] as the calculating and hard-hearted Alice. Dekker takes a belt to Clements' face at one point, and there are other interesting sequences. Hatfield of The Picture of Dorian Gray is quite effective as a gangster type.

Verdict: Absorbing crime thriller with some good and unexpected twists. *** out of 4.