Jeanne Eagels

It's early 20th century. Kansas City teen waitress Jeanne Eagels (Kim Novak) spends her last dollar to join the circus. She's desperate and pushes owner Sal Satori (Jeff Chandler) to give her jobs at any level. Her eyes are set on Broadway. Eventually, her name is in the lights but she has to step on others to get there. Her career declines with alcohol and drug abuse.

It's a biopic of silent star and early talkie actress Jeanne Eagels. It's a star vehicle for Novak. The material is melodramatic and she makes a meal of it. It would be more compelling to do less over-the-top melodrama. It does show that she is capable of wilder performances but she may have gone too far. It may be a backhanded compliment but this shows that Novak can actually act. Also, the movie can do more with her drug abuse problem. She also need to change her looks more. Her older looks are fine but her early looks need work. This is a functional biopic.

I saw this film only once, when I was a kid, but I still remember it, and I loved it. I have been hoping to see it again someday and am disappointed that it is not available even on video. Not only was Kim Novak, she of the lavender blonde hair, gorgeous, she was really just right for this movie. The story was interesting too. Yes, I know, TRUTH is hardly the most valued element in screen biopics, but since I knew nothing about Jeanne Eagels then (and, indeed, know little now--let's face it, there isn't a whole lot of information about her available) it was fascinating to see a story about an actress in the 1920s. Yes, somebody should do a more realistic remake, but put this one out too. Whether the story is factual or not, seeing Kim in the role is a reward in itself. I really can't think of an actress today who could match Kim's performance--she might be more like the real Jeanne Eagels, but Kim Novak's Jeanne shouldn't be lost. Put out the DVD-- you've got one customer for sure. Here's hoping.

"Jeanne Eagels" can almost be considered a "lost" film, since it is so rarely seen nowadays. That seems a shame. Yes, it suffers from standard "biopic" problems (cliched script, superficiality, etc.), but it is an interesting curiosity piece. Kim Novak, fresh onto the acting scene, actually acquits herself quite well in the role. There is an air of the troubled woman about her from the beginning, and the way she keeps adopting different personas shows Jeanne's desperate search for an identity. Contrary to the other reviewer here, I think that the drunk scenes are quite effective, without ever being pretty or played for comedic purposes. She succeeds in making Jeanne unlikable at times, which is a brave choice for the era. Unfortunately, the script and direction aren't the best, and some of Novak's more interesting choices contrast with other scenes that just don't come off as well. It's definitely worth a look though. I would argue that Novak's style is more "modern" than many other actresses of the era. Whether she always succeeds or not, she clearly looks for the reality of each scene, and is less interested in acting and more interested in "being." There are moments when I think she comes close to "being" Jeanne Eagels, making this forgotten film worth a second look.

Young waitress from Kansas City in the early 1920s hitches up with a traveling carnival with the fervent, starry-eyed hope of breaking into show business; once in New York City, she gets herself a drama coach and lands a plum part in a Broadway show after the original actress falls ill. Fabrication of real-life Broadway and silent movie starlet Jeanne Eagels is useless as a biography but rather entertaining as a backstage melodrama. Kim Novak is uneven in the lead, mercurial and brittle (and occasionally quite amusing when lapsing into a haughty European accent once she finds fame and fortune), however the part is a pretty good fit for Kim and she fills the bill. Jeff Chandler (as a fictitious lifelong beau) and Agnes Moorehead (as the drama coach who suddenly morphs into Jeanne's best friend and nursemaid) are both solid, as is Charles Drake as an ex-football player who marries Jeanne apparently for her money (yet seems to love her and puts up with her). Drake also played a role in "Valley of the Dolls", which mirrors this film in several ways (there's even one character called "Neely" and another named "O'Hara"!). Producer-director George Sidney takes great care in setting up this story, which is snappy and brash and looks fantastic in black-and-white. Not everyone will go for the picture's mix of hard-shelled pathos, booze-soaked blackouts and rags-to-riches clichés, yet the film manages to capture the excitement of stage life quite vividly. **1/2 from ****

OK....so this is not a classic film depicting the life of Jeanne Eagels however it has it's moments. First of all Kim Novak was a hot property at the time and she is gorgeous and oh so camp as Miss Eagels. Also captured in the film is the flavor of the era and the costumes are dazzling especially the one Novak wears as Princess Dardanella at a carnival where she gets busted by the police. The ultimate is when she prances on stage as Sadie Thompson in "Rain" to the tune of "Wabash Blues"....its actually a treat. Miss Novak is supported by a good cast including Jeff Chandler, Agnes Moorehead, Charles Drake, Murray Hamilton and especially Virginia Grey as has-been Elsie Desmond (one of Miss Grey's personal favorite roles).