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Show ttf IBaast "k Spending Money IsntAll k Delay Brings New Lead k Alec a Top Notcher ' By Virginia Vale WELL, it's happened again; a "B," or low-budget, low-budget, picture has turned out to be a lot better than many an "A" or picture on which the studio shoots the works. Every so often somebody some-body does an intelligent bit i of work with a "B," and it j draws audiences like a magnet, mag-net, and people who can take the movies or leave them alone and usually leave them alone exclaim that, if all movies were as good as this one, they'd go frequently. fre-quently. The picture in question is "Five Came Back," an RKO product, produced pro-duced by Robert Sisk. It's probably Mr. Sisk's fault that the picture is so good, though due credit must be given to John Farrow, who directed it, and to the good script and excellent excel-lent cast. For Mr. Sisk had ideas about pictures. He thinks that it is more important to have a good story and a group of actors who really can act than it is to spend lots of money on a picture, achieving spectacular effects. If you remember "The Informer" In-former" and "A Man to Remember," Remem-ber," for which he was responsible, you'll see what he means. He didn't have stars for "Five Who Came Back" the budget wouldn't allow it. So instead he engaged Joseph Calleia, Lucille Ball, Wendy Barrie, C. Aubrey Smith and Chester Morris. The plot, dealing with the forced landing land-ing of an air liner in a jungle and the effect on the passengers, wasn't new but it has been well handled, and the dialogue is exceptionally good. You may recall that "Northwest Passage" ran into difficulties last fall, just as shooting was about to begin. Payette Lake, Idaho, was C 1 ROBERT YOUNG the chosen location, and early snows in the mountains made it impossible for the company to work. The picture finally got started a week or so ago, but the postponement postpone-ment made changes in the cast necessary. nec-essary. So, instead of seeing Robert Rob-ert Taylor in the lead, you'll see Robert Young, and Walter Brennan will replace Wallace Beery. Paramount, making a film based on the life of Victor Herbert, is so set on getting all details right in this picture version of the famous composer's com-poser's career that Herbert's daughter has been signed up as technical advisor. Allan Jones and Mary Martin, who couldn't get anywhere any-where in Hollywood until she went off to New York and made a hit on the stage, are the stars. It looks very much as if autumn would find a new radio star with us. He's Alec Templeton, the blind pianist pi-anist who has made frequent guest appearances on the air, and now has a regular spot on Tuesday evenings. eve-nings. He plays classical music superbly, su-perbly, and does parodies and musical mu-sical sketches which are among the most amusing things in modern broadcasting his recent performance perform-ance of "Three Little Fishes" as a Handel oratorio, with Templeton singing, in a very good voice, had broadcasting circles predicting a big future for him. Conrad Nagel, of stage and screen fame, is master of ceremonies on the program, which is one more thing to be grateful for his diction and voice are good, and he has none of the plushy solemnity which so many announcers seem to think is necessary. ODDS AND ENDS Sammy Kaye and his band are touring again; don I miss them ij they give a concert in your neighborhood . . . Gabriel Meatier Meat-ier always carries an "Emergency" script in his pocket, in case one of his scheduled guests for "We, the People" jails him, so if you hear him launch into a three-minute history of the program you'll know that some-body some-body failed to turn up ... He sure to see the March of Time's "The Movies March On" although it runs for only twenty minutes it's one of the most interesting things seen on the screen this year . . . Ginger Rogers proves, in "Bachelor Mother" that she's one of the screen's top-notch comediennes, silencing for all time the people who have considered her just a good dancing danc-ing partner for Fred Astnire. (Released by Western .'ev.sp-per Unjoo.) |