Maclean’s Movies

CLYDE GILMOUR

BACK TO GOD’S COUNTRY: A stalwart young sea-captain (Rock Hudson) and his horrified wife (Marcia Henderson) suffer all sorts of hellishness in northern Canada at the hands of a lecherous villain ( Steve Cochran ) in Hollywood’s third filming of the James Oliver Curwood novel. I've seen duller movies, but not many.

BREAKDOWN: Stilted dialogue and a plot loaded with complexities are handicaps in an otherwise interesting little melodrama. It’s about a boxer (William Bishop), his neurotic manager (Wally Cassel) and the girl (Ann Richards) who comes between them.

HERE COME THE GIRLS: A backstage farce starring Bob Hope as a chorus boy who suddenly finds his name in lights — and doesn’t realize he’s just being used as a decoy to trap a jealous slasher. Arlene Dahl, Rosemary Clooney and Tony Martin are also on hand. Funny in spots but not one of Hope’s merrier efforts.

HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE: Three shapely gold diggers

(Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall) rent a swank apartment as a beachhead for an invasion of New York’s most solvent bachelors. A rather rambling but entertaining comedy, effectively filmed in the wide-screen CinemaScope process.

IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO YOU: The makers of Born Yesterday have come up with another fresh and funny show. Judy Holliday appears as a not-so-dumb blonde who plasters her name on Manhattan signboards and becomes an overnight celebrity. Along the way the high-powered hucksters are given a dandy ribbing.

MOGAMBO: An amusing romantic comedy with an African jungle setting. A hairy-chested hunter (Clark Gable) and a breezy temptress named Honey Bear ( Ava Gardner) almost make the veldt melt during intermissions on a gorilla safari. Enjoyable hokum which never takes itself too seriously.

THE MOONLIGHTER: An extremely corny western (in 3-D) with Fred MacMurray as a bank robber and Barbara Stanwyck as a fiery gungirl who can’t decide whether she adores him or abhors him.

TORCH SONG: Joan Crawford, at forty-five, amply proves that Marlene Dietrich is not the only Hollywood old-timer with gorgeous gams. It’s a show-business musical, draggy in spots but generally diverting, and featuring Michael Wilding as a blind pianist who defies the lady’s tantrums.

Gilmour Rates

The Actress: Comedy. Excellent.

The All-American: Campus drama. Fair. All I Desire: Drama. Fair.

The Band Wagon: Musical. Excellent. Blowing Wild: Oil drama. Poor. Blueprint for Murder: Mystery. Good. Botany Bay: Sea drama. Fair.

Both Sides of the Law: British drama of women police. Fair.

Captain’s Paradise: Comedy. Excellent. Conquest of Everest: Actuality drama of mountain climbers. Excellent.

The Cruel Sea: Navy drama. Excellent. Dangerous Crossing: Mystery. Fair. Devil’s Canyon: 3-D in jail. Fair.

Flight Nurse: War drama. Poor.

Folly to Be Wise: Comedy. Fair.

From Here to Eternity: Army-camp

drama. Excellent.

Genevieve: British comedy. Good.

Half a Hero: Domestic comedy. Good. Inferno: 3-D desert drama. Fair. Innocents in Paris: Comedy. Good.

Island in the Sky: Drama. Good.

The Juggler: Drama. Excellent.

Julius Caesar: Shakespeare. Excellent. Latin Lovers: Romantic comedy. Fair.

Lili: Musical fantasy. Excellent.

Lion Is in the Streets: Drama. Fair.

Little Boy Lost: Drama. Good.

Malta Story: Air-war drama. Good. Man From the Alamo: Western. Fair. Remains to Be Seen: Comedy. Fair. Return to Paradise: South Sea comedydrama. Good.

Ride, Vaquero!: Western. Poor.

The Robe: CinemaScope epic. Good. Roman Holiday: Comedy. Excellent. Shane: Western. Excellent.

Story of Gilbert and Sullivan: Musical biography. Good.

Vice Squad: Police drama. Good.

Vicki: Murder melodrama. Fair.

Walking My Baby Back Home: Comedy and music. Poor.

Wings of the Hawk: 3-D western. Fair.