Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-09

He nurtured 1t and 1t ultir
Theater's new attraction. q
Technicolor- CinemaScope fllm
titled Count Three and Pray"
Van Heflin and jeanne Wood
ward play the leading roles with
verve and Director George Sher-
man has given the narrative
crisp pace. The picture is not an
undiluted Joy, perhaps. for 1t
threatens now and then to get
completely out Of hand. But 1t
Is warm hearted and most of
the time is thoroughly satisfying
The central figure Of Mr..
Meadows story is a young
Southerner with q lust for life
who has gone off to fight on the
wrong side in the War Between
the States. During this bloody
encounter he hears the call and
returns to his home to battle
the hatred engendered by his
blue pants while rebuilding the
burned out church and its de-
ceased pastors congregation.
\ y
The vicissitudes placed in Luke
Fargo's path are more varied
than a man of religion might
expect to face. Occasionally they
get downright melodramatic.
First. of course. is the fact
that virtually everybody in the
neighborhood hates Luke for
having borne arms in defense of
the Union against Confederacy.
The one who hates him most is
the towns storekeeper, who also
seems to hate churchgoing gen.
orally.
One who doesn't hate him is a
belle of the local aristocracy,
who filings herself wantonly at
him at every opportunity and
begs him to take her away from
all this. Another old friend who
does Luke's cause little good is
the woman who runs what the
movies euphemistically call a
saloon. She considers him her
most beloved old customer. which
Is not how a pastor is supposed
to be regarded in his community.
The most serious crisis de-
velops out of the would-be
preachers association with a
waif of a war orphan who has es-
tablished squatter's rights in the
parsonage. He thinks she is only
IA or is and allows her to stay
on after he comes back from the
wars. This carelessly naive ap-
praisal of his house guest ought
to demonstrate to the townsfolk
how far Luke has gone on the
road to reform, but it does moth
ing Of the sort.
A great deal of the warmth of
"Count Three and Pray" is put
there by Mr.. Hef1in. He is an
actor of both intelligence and ir-
sight. He gives genuine dimen-
sion to his portrait of puzzled
young man who keeps finding
himself forced to desecrate the
Sabbath by fighting and gam
bling. in order to do Gods work
Another definite asset of the
movie is Miss Woodward's por-
trayal of the war waif who has
learned how to survice. She is
both untidy and highly comic
and she also is a completely be-
quilting canine. 1t is an impress
i've movie debut that Miss Wood
ward is making here.
Also on hand. playing the i'm
poverished Southern lass living
by the only not-so-legal tender
left her is Allison Hayes. who
was Mary Jane when voted Miss
Washington a few years back.
It is not a big role but it calls
for competence and assurance
and Miss Hayes displays both.
She also is a handsome woman
In Technicolor and Cinema
Scope size.
Count Three and Pray" has
It's lapses into the outlandish,
but you'll find it most cheer
Ing movie experience.
4 4
AFTER DARK - Another
handsome lass, even without
benefit Of CinemaScope and
Technicolor. is Jane Morgan.
The New England girl who had
to go to Paris to become the
toast of the town is back after
an absence of several years. this
time in the SaZerac Room at
the Old New Orleans. She is a
most accomplished entertainer