Evening star., 1953-06-11

Moreover, having decided th
direct, Miss Lupino has done a
dramatic most out of it. Its
appeal will be limited to those
who like their movies taut and
tingling but a girl as smart as
Miss Lupino undoubtedly had
this in mind when she made
1.-THE Hitchhiker."
AS its title more than implies,
the picture is a dire warning
to motorists who henceforth will
ignore all ride thumberS not in
stantly recognizable as Charles
Coburn and/or Marilyn Monroe.
It is a tightly written script,
which she co-wrote with Collier
Young, from which Miss Lupino
works in the film at Keith'S. It
relates with remorseless realism
the tale of two California vaca-
TONERS who pick up a stranded
motorist on the highway.
Once in the back seat Of the
Samaritans' car, the hitchhiker
pulls a gun and takes command.
He introduces himself as a fee
ing felon who has just killed
several other generous motorists.
He would like, he says, to be
taken deep into Mexico. His
unsuspecting benefactors have
no choice but to go along with
his yearning for foreign travel.
The trip is sheer nightmare for
Frank Lovejoy and Edmond
O'Brien, a pair of strong, men
who have no choice but to quail
before the gun and the guile
of their passenger, William Tai
man. It is pretty much a night
mare also to the spectator in
his process Of discovering that
desperate gunmen are as cum
ming as they are dangerous.
Although they are always
within a few feet of their cap
tor. Lovejoy and O'Brien are
powerless to make the slightest
move toward overpowering him
or making their escape. He is
the master of every situation of
which a dozen ticklish ones give
the film high pitch of suspense.
Behind a camera, Miss Lu-
pino operates with as much in
telligence and intensity as she
ever did before one as an ac-
tress. The bleak and menacing
landscape representing back
roads Mexico is one she turns
into one of her films most dra-
matte aspects. Incidentally, it,
is pretty much the same one
that moviegoers saw in
Jeopardy" which may suggest
that Hollywood regards Mexico
as the loneliest looking land this
side Of Antarctica.
The exclusively male cast of
1.-THE Hitchhiker" has done its
gallant best for it's feminine
director. It almost, completely
succeeds in sustaining the ex-
citement of THE Hitchhiker" for
the full IS minutes of the film.
Only almost, however. for it is
improbable that any cast could
conceal the fact that there is a
repetitious quality in the day.
TODAY contact of motorists and
their kidnapers.
+ y II \
VACATION MEMOS: Wash
ington bureaucratS could take
lessons in bluntness from one
this correspondent and his wife
encountered on the beach at
Minot, Mass. The bureau
crat in question came into their
lives as they were inspecting a
large, fatally stricken fish
washed up on the sand. {.
what kind of fish is that?" this
ignoramus asked. -. Me. I don't
know the names of them" the
bureaucrat replied Il just
bury them to keep the beach
clean"
Speaking of Minot, still free
of summer residents, it has be-
come a haven for several top
performers of South Pacific, :"
now playing in Boston. u.
George Britton, who succeeded
Ezio Pima in the musical hit. IS
the major enthusiast for eScap-
ing BoSton'S summer tempera-
ture. He went to New York
over the week end to collect the
two young Brittons to give them
a beach vacation. North At
lantic days, Britton and his
fellow suburbanites say, are the
perfect balance for South
Pacific" nights.
BULLETIN BOARD: There
will be two opening nights of
Olney Theater's 1858 season. q.
The first one will be a benefit
on Tuesday sponsored by the
Wheaton, Md. Chamber of Com
merce. The public'S first
view of the opening production,
Shaw's Man and Superman,
directed by Basil Langton, will
follow on Wednesday night. .
SHANE" its most popular stand
ard process film since "The
Greatest Show on Earth" will
remain a third week at the War;
ner, starting today. And
at the Ambassador as well. .
Bill McNaughton, former Mont
gomery Blair student and ath-
lete. has just made something Of
sweep in the University Of
Missouri's one-act play contest.
He won first and second
prizes with two contributions.
-. Mclean. Va, summer theater
49,