Evening star., 1949-03-04

picture 5 stars are TWO people DO
high fidelity sizzlers, but their
gifts do not keep The Bribe" from
being rather low-grade entertain
ment.
Whatever of attention is aroused
by the film will be directed toward
Charles Laughton'S performance
as fat, sweaty weasel who plays
pay-off man in this over-ripe t1c-
ton. No actor is Laughton's equal
in giving the works to this kind
of a role and his obvious JOY in
messing up this one is an emotion
1t will be wise to share.
If the picture has retrieving
feature, Laughton is it, though
probably not in the way Director
Robert 2. Leonard may have had
in mind.
An island off the northwest
coast Of South America-the sup
ply is inexhaustible-is the setting
of THE Bribe." Here Actor Tay-
lor comes as Federal agent bent
on tracking down a gang getting
rich selling war surplus aircraft
engines to the wrong people. Here.
the first person he meets is Miss
Gardner. clad in sinking black,
bare midriff gown. properly en-
ticing costume for a night club
singer.
AS if Miss Gardner and her cos
tune were not enough to give a
bored tropical tourist ideas. the
ballad she sings fairly bowls hlm
out of his chair. Situation
Wanted" is the songs title, but
the Job the girl is applying for is
special. What she wants is to be-
come the object of a right mans
love. and she barely gets to her
dressing room before Taylor en-
ters his bid.
On the surface. the arrangement
should take about three minutes
of negotiation, but there never
would have been a movie industry
II this common sense were prac-
ticed.
Instead. all kinds of compllca-
tions develop. In her dressing
room. Miss Gardner turns sud-
denly icy. informs Taylor that she
is married, and confirms it by in
Producing her husband in the
euise of John Kodiak. Normally,
Kodiak would be no mean rival,
but in his case. Taylor's prospects
are not altogether obliterated.
They look good for the end OF
the picture for several reasons.
One of these is that Kodiak is an
alcoholic who might fall out OF a
fishing boat or be hit by the next
taxi that passes. Another IS that
he is suffering from a serious car
diac condition. The third strike
on him. if needed, might well turn
out to be that he is the tool OF
the gang Taylor is after, meaning
that if he survives otherwise. ne
might end up with a long jail
term.
Whatever happens, 1t is always
a cinch that Taylor is going to get
Miss Gardner.
The slow-burn type of courtship
occupies most Of the film foot
age of The Bribe." With a girl
like Miss Gardner around to brood
upon, Agent Taylor is not so much
q public servant that he devotes
his full time to his job. He is
downright leisurely about tracking
down the war surplus crooks, and
when he does have an impulse to
start doing what the taxpayers
nay him to do, he wonders if she
Is not really what he is after.
Ultimately, he puts duty before
love to give the picture one OF the
maddest climaxes Hollywood has
dreamed up in months.
1t would be folly to undertake
TO describe this indescribable Sc
quence beyond saying that the
final gun duel between the hero
and villain takes place in the exact
middle of a fiesta fireworks dis
play. For one reason or another
1t turns out to be slapstick
comedy, which probably only goes
to show what a grip Latin Ameri-
can festivals get upon their par
ticipants,
Except for Laughton. who works
ADJUSTMENTS