Films fell below expectations

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33212, 30 April 1973, Page 4

Films fell below expectations

The film on Friday and Saturday nights both held the promise of good viewing, but unfortunately neither amounted to much. And the same could be said for most of the other programmes screened these two evenings.

Friday’s “The Misfits” brought together two of Hollywood’s legendary figures, Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, and although Gable was very masculine and Miss Monroe very feminine the end result was more than a little disappointing.

“The Misfits” was made in 1961. shortly before the death of both its stars. It told of lonely people clubbing together in an endeavour to give meaning to their lives. Some of the dialogue had a good deal of merit, but at other times it served only to suck the life out of the film.

The pace increased mark edly towards the finish with the pursuit and capture of a team of wild horses, which were to be killed for dog food. The moral implications of such employment were well presented, as also was the battle between the men and the horses. A week earlier we had been reintroduced to Charlie Chan and on Saturday another very popular sleuth of the past, Ellery Queen, was back in harness. But for Ellery Queen fans it was hardly a notable reunion. The plot was far from convincing and there was little

to stir the minds of armchair detectives. Peter Lawford was suitably bland in the title role, but for some reason the film failed to achieve the dramatic heights which the hunting down of a multiple murderer demanded.

“Operation Barbarossa,” on Friday night, was a well documented and well presented account of the buildup to the decision by Hitler to invade Russia.

However, it was a pity that the programme was not long enough to show a little of the heroism of the Russians as they first stemmed the German advance and then drove the invaders back, back tc the very bunkers of Berlin. £ $

The new national sports programme, “Billboard” made a promising start on Friday night. In 10 minutes it adequately previewed the major fixtures of the week end and racing followers, in particular, were well catered for. 4s sis 4s

“The Morecambe and Wise Show” and “Never a CrossWord” both ended their cur rent runs on Saturday nigh' and neither is likely to b< greatly missed. Morecambe and Wise has as their guest Dame Fiori Robson, who maintained t dignified appearance as he; hosts buffooned their wax through a couple of flimsj skits. The programme was not without some bright moments, but if M and W are to hold any worth-while appeal it might, be as well if they are taken in small doses.

There is one thing about this show which puzzles us. Who is the well proportioned lady who comes on at the finish and gets all the applause? She could hardly b< the joke writer. “Never a Cross Word’ might be just another, in the long line of English domestic comedies, but it showed again on Saturday that it has some redeeming features. At least there are no precocious children cluttering up the scenery.

For the first time — and mainly in the hope of getting something worth-while on which to build this column—we stayed up on Saturday night and watched “Big Time Wrestling.” The effort, however, went unrewarded. Wrestling fans, no doubt, lap it. up, but on this particular occasion—we are told there have been better nights — it was rather tame fare. We wondered for a while why the man striking the blow almost invariably stamped the canvas with his foot at the same time. Then the penny dropped — do-it-yourself sound effects, of course.—K.J.M.