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Reviews
The Good Humor Man (1950)
"See Captain Marvel Take Over!" read the Good Humor-sponsored publicity for this movie.
I wholeheartedly endorse the previous reviewer's comments (q.v.), having seen "The Good Humor Man" at about the same time and at the same age. One interesting aspect has to do with the Captain Marvel "product placement." (The kids, customers of Carson's character who help him in the denouement, are members of the CM fan club). Shortly after the film was released, the Captain Marvel comics and other products disappeared when the copyright holders finally succumbed to a suit brought by DC Comics alleging too many resemblances between Captain M and that sissy Superman! That may be the reason that no video of this movie seems to be available through normal commercial sources.
Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)
A swashbuckling poet helps a friend win the affection of a woman they both love.
No student of acting who has not studied Ferrer's performance as Cyrano can be considered truly prepared. Okay, that's a bit pedantic, but he really does wring out the last scintilla from his chops in the course of the film, to the degree that his grotesque nasal prosthesis actually begins to appear attractive by reel two.
The reasons he did not become a "bankable" leading man are probably many. Though his face had a brooding sensitivity that many found attractive, his physiognomy was scarcely "classical" in its appeal. On occasion, his voice, particularly under the care of a mediocre sound editor, tended toward the adenoidal in tone. Finally,one suspects that his early appearance in forgettable musicals and program-fillers taught him to be extremely selective in the properties to which he was attached.
As a wise old bit player once remarked, "You can work good or you can work plenty, but you can't do both." (Full disclosure: I made that quote up, but it should have been said if it wasn't).
Because You're Mine (1952)
Lanza weight fluctuation and the costumer's solution
Lanza's character is inducted into the Army and undergoes basic training, during a season in which the summer uniform was prescribed. Normal summer "Class A" uniform for a private would have been a long-sleeved cotton khaki shirt with tie (tucked in between second and third buttons of shirt) and matching trousers, heavily starched (but no jacket or blouse). As an option, purchased at their own cost and only authorized for off-duty purposes, enlisted men could purchase an officer's summer Class A uniform, comprising shirt and tie in a tropical worsted material, topped with a jacket. Perhaps ten senior NCOs ever did this, of course. They and Lanza's character: the jacket hides a multitude of sins (and fat rolls), so Lanza's buck private is the best dressed enlisted man in the lower 48 during most of his military scenes. And he often looks as if he could play two NFL line positions simultaneously!