Evening star., 1955-11-05

Once, these want every one
idealistic and then fame, glory
leaving them merely rich. glamor
to be. Out of the burning ardor
Hollywood's victims can get into
this piteous recital of what-hap-
pened-to-me has come some Of
the colony's best pictures, "A
Star Is Born" the most popular
specimen. Add now another.
ssThe Big knife, |" which arrived
yesterday at Loew's Capitol. and
q dramatic piece Of soul-sculp-
ture 1t is. too.
This is the Clifford Odets' ver-
sion, adapted from his stage play.
and it sizzles and shouts his pain
with all the virtuosity at the
command Of an enthusiastic cast.
Members Of the group include
Jack Palance, Ida Lupino. Rod
Steiger and Shelley Winters. all
Of them at the pinnacle Of their
capacity for self-pity.
Beyond cavil, it all adds up Il
quite q show. But It is not so
convincing, however. that the
spectator is not left without q
Few questions as to why the VIC
TINS stayed to take 1t.
eThe Big Knife the story Of
an actor trapped in q million
dollar contract and . lot Of
vapid movies, is full OF scabrous
characters. Some, Of course. are
less scabrous than the others.
Palance's actor. for instance. All
he has ever done is kill someone
in 9 drunken motor mishap, let
another man take the rap for
this crime, drink like q demon
and sleep around bedrooms other
than his own and his Wife's.
AS compared with the ego
maniacaI producer who stoops
to enslaving actors and Is willing
to kin obtrusive bit players when
they annoy him, Palance's chap
IS the essence Of virtue. The
Big knife deals with q great
many others whose degrees Of
depravity vary between these
two extremes
$500
Although it is dramatically
much more forceful than the
stage play which starred the late
John Garfield, ''The Big Knife"
dares to follow the pattern Of
the latter. This is to say. it Isl
photographed in q single setting
the house and parklike garden
with its swimming pool. the actor
wishes he could call home.
Here In the few hours the
action covers. is fought out the
fero's determination not to sign
the new contract that win keep
him the vassal he is. II Is q
seething conflict in which the
hero's single full-time ally is his
masseur, while <his wife finds
herself alternately torn between
her memory Of love and her dis
gust for what her first-loye has
become.
Arrayed against these Is the
demented tyrant Of q producer
his utterly depraved aide de
camp, the fioozy-tempered wife
Of q sniveling press agent, and
q bit player who only wishes
she could find herself back in
the stars arms for little while.
These make it clear that Palance
Is not only outmanned but also
outwomaned.
yet, the fact remains helmight
have won had the other side not
had the threat Of exposing him
as the real killer IN that earlier
drunken trafilc spree.
'..The Big Knife" |" like Sunset
Boulevard and several other ex-
hibits, Ii acted with unbridied
enthusiasm. II Palance Is not
notably moving LII his last fever
ish search for his soul, he Is an
impressive figure i1onetheless. So
are Steiger as the insanely vain
and arnoral producer. and Wen
deil Corey as his conscienceless
stocge.
Miss Lupino's bitterly disiIlu-
stoned wife Is another dramatic
specimen. A pair Of unforget-
table ones beyond these major
characters are the wantOn wife
OF the press agent played BY
Jean Hagen and the beWiidered
blond tramp impersonated By,
Miss Winters.
with their checks for The Big
Knife" In their pockets. director
Robert Aldrich,s players might
well feel their accounts with Hol-
lywood settled. Al least tenn
pOrarily.
SATURDAY SUMMARY: The
tokn's glamour level gets d nip
next week with the arrival of
Hildegarde at the Statler on
Monday night. T. And two days
later win come Samuel Goldwyn.
jr, accompanied BY Karen
Sharpe, his youthful featured
player III Man with q Gun. = Il.
The picture IS the junior Gold
wynss first production. Buddy
johnson and his band, Chuck
Berry, the Nutmegs and q slew
Of Others are giving the Howard
Theater stage the seasons hottest
e1au
d