Evening star., 1953-07-23

~ P1ONIOCS I11C JlOt 0GI uCL
strewS Keith's screen with Lind
Jack Palance. These are play
ers with low boiling points and
while they add to the Steami-
ness of South Americas land
Scape, they add nothing to the
screens prestige here.
The one family redeeming
quality of Second Chance" is
that it is technically superior
to some of it's Sd predecessors.
Nor is it harmed by the fact
that Director Rudolph Mate
Spurns such of the depth-pic-
ture gimmicks as shooting fam
ing arrows into the audiences
collective face. To be sure, there
is no sensible reason in this
story to use flaming arrows but
that has not stopped other di-
rectorS.
AS a substitute for such un-
imaginative tricks, Second
Chance" finds its big shock mo-
ment in dangling Mitchum from
stalled cable car a few thou
sand feet above a mountain val
ley. This is not exactly epochal
progress in using the screens
new dimension but it is some
thing. Don't ask what.
X X X
Miss Darnell, who shapes up
well in Sd, as she did in the
mere 2, is harShly pummeled
heroine in Second Chance"
There she is in the tropics, sing
ing in a saloon, while hiding
from members of a crime COM
mission. These public eyes want
her to testify against her lover,
a rackets' boss in the States
who would kill a girl for less
than that.
In her hour of greatest stress,
she meets up with Mitchum, a
right-guy prizefghter who is
In South America trying to for
get that he killed a recent op-
ponent with an atomic right
hook. It is not easy after that,
not for while, but is is easier.
And always just as dull.
There is a tinge of resource
fulness. if not reasonableness,
in the climatic setting of Sec
ond Chance"
This is a mountain-top re-
treat, a kind of llamaless liam
aSsary, which is so beautiful it
makes people sad to think what
sinners they have been. Miss
Darnell and Mitchum, who came
thinking the place an amuse-
ment park. are more remorseful
than the other tourist visitors.
1t is clear that if they ever get
back down that cable-car route,
without being killed by Palance,
they will live pure ever after
ward.
They make it after some pho
Biography that becomes frenzied
trying to be sensational.
BETTER NEWS: It is a long
time from July to January, but
tickets went on sale this week
for the four Sadler's Wells bal
let programs which American
University and Patrick Hayes
will sponsor here next season.
The foremost of ballet groups
will perform at the Capitol
theater. as on it's last appear
ance, January 1914, inclusive,
with matinee on the last day.
The top performers in the
company. including the incom-
parable Margot Fonteyn, will
head the group of 80 on Sad
ler'S Wells next American tour.
In addition to Miss Fonteyn,
soloists will include Beryl Grey,
Violette Elvin. RoWena Jack !
son, Nadia Nerina. Michael |
Somes. John Field, Alexander
Grant and Alex. is Rassine.
The new Swan Lake produc-
ton in four acts will be pre-
Sented in three performances,
the opening and the matinee
and evening of the final day.
Telephone reservations are not
being accepted by the Hayes
bureau but mail and in-person
orders are being filled as re-
ceived.
MIDWEEK MEMOS: Forbid
den Games" the highly hon.
ored French film which last year
won the New York Critics Circle
prize as the best foreign screen
production, will open at the Mac
Arthur Theater on Friday.
1t replaces "A Queen Is
Crowned" which ran six weeks
at the suburban art house.
New York's "Porgy and Bess"
cast, which played three tri-
umphant weeks at the National
last summer will return to WASH
ington-this time to see a play
The company will be given
q special performance on Sun
day of Howard University's pro-
duction of THE Emperor Jones'"
Owen Dodson directed the
O'Neill work. Tennessee
Williams THE Rose Tattoo"
lam INAH