Evening star., 1953-09-10

per, "Just what was it this place
Is famous for?"
Joy Cormody, dromo editor Of The
Stor, is on vocotion. His column will
be resumed on his return.
Still, leave the Alamo is what
Mr.. Ford does-and when it is
under Santa Ana's guns at that
as the hero of Un.versal-In-
ternationaPS new Technicolor
adventure. Naturally, he has to
go to some lengths after this to
prove to his fellow Texans that
he is. in truth, a hero.
Actually, his departure from
the shrine of Texas liberty on
the eve of it's fall to the Mexi-
cans is a heroic gesture. He
is one of five ranchers from up
around OK Bow, who draw lots
to see which of them will go
back to take their families to
some refuge from the maraud-
ing Mexicans. He discovers the
ranches burned, the families de-
stroyed, not at Mexican bands
but at those of renegade band
led by Victor Jory.
He is on his way back to join
that Alamo holding action to
give Sam Houston time to round
up an army when he runs into
all his trouble. If anybody had
believed him at this point, how
ever. Scenarists Steve Fisher and
D. D. Beauchamp would have
been sacked. Director Budd
Boetticher, Ford and all those
other actors would have been
standing around with nothing
to do. U-I would have been stuck
without a movie and Keith's
might have had to turn to some
thing in Sd to lure the GUS
toners this week.
X X X X
Nobody involved allows any,
thing like this TO happen, Of
course. Mr.. Ford is friendless,
except for a small Mexican boy
and Julia Adams, who is won
gradually to the truth. Before
he can prove his merit to the
others in The Man From the
Alamo" however, Ford has to
wade through a great deal Of
gunplay and f1sticuff business
and dispose of the chief rene
gade, Jory.
The outdoor action set should
find this all quite palatable. It
is smoothly played, especially by
Ford, who wears an easy credi-
bility in any role, and Jory, who
remains among our more snide
villain types. Miss Adams Is
called upon for no more acting
than any other girl in affairs of
this sort is asked to submit, but
she is pretty one, even with
an occasional smudge on heT
cheek to denote hardsl.ips Of
train life.
Boetticher has done an able
Job of directing the acton Sc
quences, from the opening
storming of the Alamo to the
closing rout of the Texas rene
gades. The scenery is fine, too
as the Technicoior cameras see
1t.
ANOTHER NEW ONE-You~
Sd. stereoScopic, ster )ephonic.
panoramic movie-going vocabu-
larry will have to be stretched to
include another term. This one
Is the Todd 40 Process" It
will be used for TIE filming Of
"Oklahoma!" urder the terms of
a pact signed this week by Rich
ard Rodgers and Oscar Hammer
stein I'd, ano George P. Skouras,
president of Magma Tneater
Corp, which controls Todd 40.
According to word from NeT
York, the off1cia' agreement TO
fllm the great musical was held
up until 10 years and five
months after It's New York open
ing because Rodgers and Ham
merstein wanted to examine all
the new novIe-making proce-
dureS. Their conviction, after
seeing tests of the Todd 40
Process is chat this medium is
without a doubt TIE one best
suited for the welding together
OF stage craft and film technique,
BY means of IT we fee conf
dent that Oklahoma! will have
its dramatic impact transmitted
to the screen as we have alway.
wanted it to be.
There is nothing an abe d.
rector cannot do with this re-
markdble process" Rodgers and
Hammerstein continued. "It af-
fords complete mobility of the
camera so that the story can be
told in motion picture Terms hon
eStly, faithfully and with enter
tainment values never before
realized"
The Todd 40 supporters are
OF the non-polaroid glasses
school in the current techrica,
uproar. The process uses one
camera and one protector. Il
obtains its multidimensional
participant effect by means Of
an outsize 65-mm. film, q di.
rectional 8-channel sound track
and a full-stage curved screen.
X X \ X
THE LOCAL SCENE-Thi!
years Restoration drama reviva
of the Alexandria Little Theatel
will open a two-week run Mon
day night at $3.50 at Gadsby'
Tavern, Cameron and Roya
streets, Alexandria. The play
the eighth the group has done a.