Among the handsomest of matinee idols in the 1930s and '40s, Tyrone Power served as a dependable utility player of a leading man - one who could often surprise with his sensitivity and depth. He functioned at 20th Century Fox studio in the same way Robert Taylor did at MGM - reliably bringing in the crowds, year after year, yet also becoming more subtle and interesting as the wrinkles set in. Although starring in a fair share of great movies (my fave: 1947's circus noir Nightmare Alley), the three less-than-stellar films included in this Fox Cinema Archives package indicate assignments more typical of what he'd do at Fox. Despite whatever flaws they've got, the three made-to-order DVDs showcase the square-jawed actor's versatility in zippy comedy (1936's Love Is News), taut thriller (1952's Diplomatic Courier), and gritty combat (1950's American Guerrilla in the Philippines).

Diplomatic Courier (1952; 97 minutes)
Briskly directed, densely plotted international intrigue in a Hitchcock vein, Diplomatic Courier has Power in brooding post-war mode as a U.S. government courier taking on a case as a favor to an old friend. Power's Mike Wells is sent on assignment to undertake a secret mission in Salzburg. Upon arrival, Wells observes that his Navy buddy Sam Carew (James Millican) avoids him. He follows Carew and the two thugs accompanying him onto a train. Carew eventually turns up dead, the corpse tossed off en route in a tunnel. Instead of a simple assignment involving relayed messages, Wells finds himself drawn into a sticky Cold War web of deceit involving an icy Czech woman (Hildegarde Knef), the head of the Soviet Secret Police (Stefan Schnabel), microfilm hidden in a watch, a Bette Davis impersonator, and a host of shifty double agents. Although the Soviets are determined to stop him, Wells has a few allies in Karl Malden and Stephen McNally's military officers and Patricia Neal as the flirty widow of a State Department agent. The unpretentious, kinda fun Diplomatic Courier moves along pleasantly with efficient direction by the stalwart Henry Hathaway (Niagara; True Grit). In the end, however, the thrills become only serviceable, with an overstuffed story that bogs down in unnecessary detours, extraneous characters, and plot holes aplenty. Nothing here is more frustrating than this movie's whiplash-inducing, unconvincing relationship between Power's Wells and the Knef character, a femme fatale who turns out more honest than Power initially believes. A German singer and actress, Knef didn't get enough good roles in the U.S. - at the very least, she's worth checking out.

Love Is News (1937; 77 minutes)
Power exudes pretty-boy vigor as a news reporter who unwillingly becomes fake-engaged to beautiful heiress Loretta Young in Love Is News, a lively yet derivative screwball comedy. In contrast to the many breezy newspaper-set comedies it apes, Love Is News depicts its battles (in love and business) with a nasty, cutthroat streak. It opens with Power's ace reporter Steve Leyton fuming over the promotion of a rival, Martin J. Canavan (a scenery-chewing Don Ameche), to city editor at the New York Daily Express. Going on Martin's tip, Steve manages to elbow his way past rival reporters to the arriving plane of a tin-can heiress, Tony Gateson (Young), arriving in the U.S. after breaking up with her fatuous French fiancee, Count Andre de Guyon (George Sanders). After Steve deceives Tony by posing as a police escort, becoming the first reporter to break the story of her canceled engagement, Tony takes revenge by announcing to the other reporters her own engagement - to Steve! The usual hijinks ensue - Steve attempts to convince Martin that Tony's story is fabricated, leading to Steve chasing Tony in her speeding convertible through the countryside, where the bickering duo get arrested and jailed by a corn pone small-town judge (Slim Summerville, one of the few authentic-feeling actors in this opus), and inevitably they fall in l-u-v love. Director Tay Garnett moves things along, maintaining a speedy pace in the same fashion as better movies like It Happened One Night and Libeled Lady. The light touch this admittedly cute story needed is missing, however. Despite the energy and attractiveness of the lead actors, it feels like a carbon copy of a typical screwball comedy - too false to make much of an impression.

American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950; 105 minutes)
American Guerrilla in the Philippines was among the least distinctive films directed by Fritz Lang, a lead-paced drama following Power as an army officer stranded in the jungle-choked region during World War II. As with Bataan (Robert Taylor, 1943) and Back to Bataan (John Wayne, 1945), the story deals with America's efforts to stem Japanese invaders after their 1942 occupation of the Philippines. Sounds like a exciting, sweaty action-adventure, right? Well, at least they got the sweaty part right… Despite the distinctive on-location photography, Lang's direction plods like a straightforward travelogue, while Power's disinterested acting doesn't fare much better. The story itself is pretty intriguing, with Power and fellow officer Tom Ewell (survivors of a devastating bomb attack on their naval ship) encouraging the residents in a tiny Filipino village to form their own, aggressive defense against encroaching Japanese forces. There's also a perfunctory romantic subplot involving Power and milquetoast Micheline Presle as the French wife of a wealthy Filipino military officer (Juan Torena). A climactic shootout at a church delivers some long-promised tension to what is otherwise a routine time-filler.

The DVDs:

This Fox Cinema Archives release comes as three separate made-to-order DVDs packaged in a single-width keep case. Inside, a hinged partition keeps the three discs separate. All films are also available as standalone m.o.d. releases.

Video

Presented in their original 4:3 full-frame aspect ratios, the transfers use prints of varying age and quality. For some reason, the 1930s-era Cinema Archives releases tend to fare the best, and this is no exception with the appealingly varied lighting and textures on Love Is News. Also shot in black and white, Diplomatic Courier's picture is slightly more aged, and sharpened-up to a degree that the film grain has an obvious shimmer effect (especially in the first and last reels). American Guerrilla's color photography appears too heavily keyed toward the yellow side of the spectrum, but the print itself looks fine with hardly any spots or signs of damage.

Audio

All three discs come with the films' single mono track, sporting the expected limited dynamics with occasional pops, clicks, distortion and hiss. Except for a wobbly, static-filled stretch during American Guerrilla's opening credits sequence, the prints have decent sound quality. Love Is News appears to be the best-preserved, sound-wise. As usual with the Cinema Archives m.o.d.'s, no subtitles are provided.

Extras

No extras. Each disc sports a simple, static menu with the films' poster artwork. Chapter stops are included every ten minutes, not between scenes.

Final Thoughts

The Fox Cinema Archives three-packs are a relatively affordable, space-saving way to stock up on a favorite actor's movies. The Tyrone Power set, containing Diplomatic Courier, Love Is News and American Guerrilla in the Philippines, highlights Power's solid versatility and his apparent willingness to take on anything, no matter how bland. Taken together, they're pretty run-of-the-mill vehicles for the handsome, durable actor. Rent It.

Matt Hinrichs is a designer, artist, film critic and jack-of-all-trades in Phoenix, Arizona. Since 2000, he has been blogging at Scrubbles.net. 4 Color Cowboy is his repository of Western-kitsch imagery, while other films he's experienced are logged at Letterboxd. He also welcomes friends on Twitter @4colorcowboy.