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Former Paramount contract player Frances Farmer returned to her former home lot in 1958 to make her last feature film. Despite the comment below, Farmer was *not* lobotomized (see copious documentation throughout IMDb on the Farmer page and elsewhere), and gives the film a bit of stature it wouldn't otherwise have. Interestingly, the ending was changed somewhere along the way. The original pressbook has a plot precis which reveals a more "final" ending for Twig than the film ultimately posits. Driscoll does some great work here in a thankless role, and Connie Stevens gets to scream a lot. Evidently some of the uncredited music is by Henry Mancini, but I've never been able to positively confirm that.

"Frances Farmer Presents" was an Indianapolis ratings powerhouse for six years, 1958-64. Farmer was not merely a "film introducer," she did extensive research for her programs (as evidenced by still extant notes she wrote for certain episodes) and often gave her first-hand impressions of stars and directors who were in that day's feature. Visiting celebrities were a standard feature on Farmer's program, and in still-existing film of her show, she proves what an insightful and gracious interviewer she was. Indianapolis was lucky to have a star of Farmer's stature hosting a show of this nature for so long. In an early 80s television interview, WFBM co-worker Jim Gerrard sums up Frances' character as one of "caring elegance," and that elegance is fully on display in "Frances Farmer Presents."

"Tongues of Angels" epitomizes what live television drama was on a regular basis in the late 50s: perfectly cast, beautifully performed, and excellently produced. A sweet coming-of-age love story about a stutterer (MacArthur) who pretends to be a deaf mute so that he doesn't have to talk, "Tongues of Angels" boasts impressive performances by both Margaret O'Brien and Frances Farmer, both of whom have never been better. O'Brien, in a relatively rare late-teen role, shines as the young girl whose interest in MacArthur helps him to begin to overcome his disability. Farmer is simply perfect in one of only two live 1958 t.v. dramas she did, this time as O'Brien's mother, a down-home, church-going farmer's wife. Farmer fans will also delight to see and hear her playing the piano and singing live with Leon Ames, who plays her husband. The episode features a touching score by Jerry Goldsmith, working Copland territory. Highly recommended for MacArthur, O'Brien and especially Farmer fans.