Word: scriptful
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...Communists last week decided to test their muscles. For the experiment they chose Rome itself. The action consisted of a taut parade of 30,000 Communist partisans, followed by a general strike-all painstakingly stage-set as a pageant of Communist power. But the action drifted away from the script; toward the end there were touches of Mardi gras and, finally, Italian Communism's worst humiliation...
...years, with their burlesque dance antics, the Hartmans have been bright spots in various night spots. But it has taken a full evening's workout, in Angel, to reveal their full stature as clowns. When the script is on their side, as in a lampoon of one of those Mr.-&-Mrs.-at-Breakfast radio programs, the Hartmans can be extremely funny. Grace's flat voice and frozen facial muscles are a perfect foil for her husband's oafish ardors and accomplished gaucherie...
...Hollywood investigation: "I am not a Communist . . . I am not sympathetic . . . I see now that my trip was illadvised, foolish and impetuous . . . I acted impetuously and foolishly on the spur of the moment, like I am sure many other American citizens do at many times." Then he put the script down and explained: "We went in green. They beat our brains...
...script (which he is said to have written) has a charming, blank-verse hauteur that just possibly may be a bit asinine-but the direction saves the day by insisting on a witty, natural reading. Fairbanks has also inflicted an extreme lilt on the rhythm of the film-a lilt that would be annoying if it were not necessary to keep the lame plot marching along...
...praise and blame for a daring effort belong to Dudley Nichols. O'Neill, an old friend, would not permit the film to be made unless Nichols produced, directed and wrote the script. All credit for risking $2,250,000 in the venture belongs to RKO, which may have some trouble getting its money back. As one critic put it: "Average moviegoers are going to talk back to this picture...