‘Picnic’ 1955

William Holden & Kim Novak as the drifter & the beauty queen in 1955's "Picnic."

 

Picnic portrays the lives of quiet—or raucous, in the case of Roz Russell—desperation. Set in a small Kansas town during the 1950s, the story revolves around the effect that a charismatic young drifter has on the repressed townspeople one sizzling Labor Day.

Picnic is the Pulitzer Prize winning play by William Inge, at the height of his acclaim. The domestic drama was a huge Broadway hit that was brought to the screen by its stage director, Joshua Logan. Noteworthy about the stage version were some up-and-coming actors: Ralph Meeker as drifter Hal Carter; Paul Newman in his Broadway debut as rich kid Alan; Janice Rule as beauty queen Madge; and Kim Stanley at age 28, as kid sister Millie! Eileen Heckart portrayed Rosemary, the spinster teacher who spins out of control on Labor Day evening.

William Holden's "boyishness" act as Hal is as awkward as Kim Novak's acting. 

I’m sure Columbia Studios paid William Inge a pretty penny to bring his play to the big screen. Columbia head honcho Harry Cohn was giving Kim Novak a huge build up and decided this property would be perfect to launch her as a leading lady. Therefore, a “name” leading man was needed. Instead of going off the studio lot for a suitable male star to play the sexy young college dropout/drifter—say Brando?—Cohn chose studio homeboy William Holden to play Hal. And Harry didn’t have to pay a pretty penny for Bill, because it was the last film on Holden’s old studio contract. It’s a shame Marlon Brando did Guys and Dolls instead of Picnic. Brando was six years younger than Holden, far more boyishly charismatic.

William Holden was a fine actor, but too careworn & not carefree as Hal in "Picnic.

While Holden was an especially subtle male actor for the era, he was a decade too old for the part. What made this especially noticeable was that while Bill’s bod was still in fine form, Holden’s face was already showing signs of alcoholic dissipation at just 37. When Holden acts like an over-aged teenager, it’s especially awkward as he tries to impress Madge, played by 22-year-old Novak.

William Holden's form was fine, but his close-ups showed hard living in "Picnic."

Still, Bill had charisma, authority, and “rugged” sex appeal, so Holden as the young stud wasn’t a total dud. Hal Carter reminds me of Tennessee William’s later character, Chance Wayne, in Sweet Bird of Youth. They’re golden boys who come to a small town and stir things up, and both want to make off with the lovely ingénue. Both are Peter Pans, star athletes with aspirations of movie stardom, but neither have never amounted to anything. Ironically, Paul Newman was the same age as Holden in Picnic when he played Chance in ’62. While Newman liked his beers, it didn’t show, like the effects of whatever Holden hoisted.

Rosalind Russell lets rip on William Holden's shirt, as passions get heated in "Picnic."

An amused eye roll comes when Columbia cut the line from Picnic’s climactic dance scene: “I feel just like Rita Hayworth!” I guess they were more concerned with shining a spotlight on Columbia’s new love goddess, Kim Novak!

Cliff Robertson as the rich beau that Kim Novak's Madge "should" want, in "Picnic."

Kim as Madge is a contradiction, as often is the case with Novak’s acting. Kim’s shyness and uncertainty works for the character, and she was often cast thusly. I’m sure playing a girl who is valued mainly for her looks hit home for insecure Kim, who was treated like an object by Harry Cohn. Yet, Novak’s studio-trained mannerisms and dazed demeanor reminds me of another actress who often felt uncomfortable in front of the camera, Jennifer Jones, thrust into the spotlight by her Svengali, David O. Selznick. Kim’s Madge is an uneven performance, yet her vulnerability goes a long way, and she and Holden have a strong chemistry. Kudos to whoever decided that Novak temporarily drop her “lavender blonde” look. With her simple makeup and a long reddish brown wig, Kim looks pretty yet realistic as the local beauty queen.

Columbia Studios' blonde bombshell Kim Novak was toned down
for the small town drama "Picnic."

Rosalind Russell as Rosemary, the middle-aged teacher who boards at the Owens’ home, is another mixed blessing from the leads. Eileen Heckart was said to be a wow in the role on Broadway, though she was known to play big, too. While Roz bravely goes glamour-free and plays her age, unlike most of her contemporaries, Russell plays to the rafters far too often. It’s a tricky role, because Rosemary is an over the top character, which can be problematic when played by an actress who is often the same. As often the case with a “big” performance, Roz fares best in the smaller moments, when her Rosemary shares the fear of growing old alone. Russell is obviously a skilled actress and a smart one, but like the other lead actors in this film, she would have benefited from a more experienced film director, and not a theater director whose film work showed a heavy hand.

Rosalind Russell emotes as Rosemary, the desperate school teacher in "Picnic."

Arthur O’Connell is appealing and effortlessly believable as Howard, the store owner across the river, who sees Rosemary, but from a safe distance. Betty Field doesn’t play brassy for a change, as Madge and Millie’s mother. Field’s Flo has been deserted by her husband to raise the two girls the best she can. Betty is totally natural as a woman whose dreams are now for her daughters. Only in a ‘50s movie would Susan Strasberg be cast as the “plain” sister. Susan’s naturalistic as the brainy kid sister (with eyeglasses!). Strasberg’s as emotional as Novak is remote as the pretty sister, Millie’s outburst—“Madge is the pretty one!”—was the “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia” of the ‘50s!

Lovely Susan Strasberg is Millie, Kim Novak's "bookworm" kid sister in "Picnic."

Cliff Robertson does what he can with the role Alan, the rich, weak kid.

In the smaller supporting roles, Nick Adams is cockily amusing as Bomber, the brash neighborhood teen; Verna Felton is most endearing as the neighbor lady who’s the first to befriend Hal; and Reta Shaw is salty as a fellow teacher. The entire supporting cast is strong, but it’s the three leads that are a mixed bag.

The superb supporting cast of "Picnic" bring reality to this slice of life drama.

Others have noted that Inge, just as popular as Tennessee Williams in the ‘50s, with a string of hits, isn’t as well remembered. Well, Williams went through a period where he was considered passé, too. I’ve read that it’s perhaps that Inge’s dialogue wasn’t as poetic and quotable. Still, William Inge did write plays about real people and their problems, often small town people. Come Back, Little Sheba, Bus Stop, Picnic, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs were huge hits. On film, he wrote screenplays for Splendor in the Grass and All Fall Down. Not too shabby!

Playwright William Inge & Director Joshua Logan surely loved this opening title!

Director Joshua Logan had an incredible string of musical, comedy, and dramatic successes on Broadway. That’s probably why Logan was asked to recreate some of those stage hits on film, as well as other blockbuster productions. That said, most films I’ve seen directed by Joshua Logan all seem a bit off-kilter: Picnic, Sayonara, South Pacific, Camelot, and Paint Your Wagon. The man had mad stage credentials, but I don’t think Logan was in film making on a regular basis to learn its intricacies. In Picnic, that’s apparent with the uneven lead performances and the very intrusive music score.

Madge gets out of Dodge at the finale of 1955's "Picnic."

Picnic is one of those movies which are frequently labeled dated. Indeed a product of its time, the drama is a snapshot of the repressed ‘50s. However, how much has really changed in small towns since then? We are obviously less repressed and are able to communicate through the internet and social media. Still, how many people feel stuck and stifled in small towns, with dreams that don’t come true? As someone who lives in rural Upper MI, I see it all the time. In that sense, Picnic is timeless.

My look at Kim Novak, teamed with Sinatra, in The Man with the Golden Arm: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-man-with-golden-arm-1955.html

And here’s my take on Rosalind Russell, in her signature role as Auntie Mame: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2020/12/rozs-signature-role-auntie-mame-1958.html

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The poster of "Picnic" promises more than it delivers--typical of the era!

Best 'BUtterfield 8' Moments from Taylor & O’Hara

Elizabeth Taylor wakes up to MGM's "BUtterfield 8!"

If Elizabeth Taylor wasn’t the star, would 1960’s BUtterfield 8 be worth watching at all? While the sexy soap opera has curiosity value, the movie was made for one reason—MGM wanted to cash in on its star, before Taylor checked out of her long-time studio.

BUtterfield 8 isn’t a great movie—or even a good one, in reality. The slick saga of a sinner has been routinely scorned, with no revisionist reappraisals. Elizabeth Taylor’s performance, though mostly praised upon its release, has since been overshadowed by her sympathy Oscar win, for nearly dying of pneumonia that year. Even the John O’Hara novel gets a knee jerk reaction as trashy, though it’s one of his best books.

A rare happy moment between the happy couple of 'BUtterfield 8.'
Even then, Harvey's Weston Ligget has a pouty moment!

Despite controversy and criticism, BUtterfield 8 is worth watching: as a look at sexual attitudes of the Playboy generation; as how morally two-faced filmmaking was in mid-century Hollywood; and especially, as proof of star power, pulling in audiences with a weak vehicle.

MGM played up the connection between O'Hara's Gloria Wandrous & Hollywood's Elizabeth Taylor to sell the movie.

The back story to BUtterfield 8: Elizabeth had shot to superstardom with WB’s Giant in 1956, but was still working off a measly contract with MGM. When Taylor married showman Mike Todd, they forced Metro to agree that 1958’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof would be her last film for them. Todd famously died in a plane crash that year—and guess what? The gentleman’s agreement between Mike and Metro went poof! MGM let Taylor make Suddenly, Last Summer as a freelancer, but when she started negotiations for Cleopatra, Metro reminded Taylor that she owed them one more film for $125,000—not quite the million she was angling for Cleo. When Elizabeth asked MGM head of production Sol Siegel if this was anyway to end an 18 year relationship, he famously replied, ‘Fortunately, or unfortunately, Miss Taylor, sentiment went out of this business a long time ago.’ That quote illustrates why Taylor became such a tough customer to studios, as an independent star.

Elizabeth Taylor's message to MGM, when forced to make 'BUtterfield 8,' or to sit off-screen
for two years?

Another reason MGM was so hot to get another movie out of Taylor is because she had become a bigger star than ever, with the legendary Liz-Eddie-Debbie scandal. I once read that MGM offered Elizabeth three scripts in a row for that last film role—all prostitutes. If you look at Metro’s miniscule 1961film releases during this time, it’s not hard to figure out the other two flicks: Ada was a southern hooker who ends up a politician’s wife. This epic would surely have come back to haunt Elizabeth when she later became a Republican senator’s wife! Susan Hayward, 15 years older than Taylor, played the tough hooker. The other, demurely titled Go Naked in the World, went to Gina Lollobrigida as a hooker who falls for prodigal son Tony Franciosa, only to find out blustering Greek tycoon Ernest Borgnine was one of her best customers! For those who think BUtterfield 8 was bad, just imagine Elizabeth stuck in one of these clunkers.

John O' Hara's second novel captures an era.

What’s a pity was that BUtterfield 8 is based on one of John O’Hara’s most praised novels. Set in early ‘30s New York City, post-stock market crash era, looks at the last days of a notorious party girl, Gloria Wandrous. And if you think Gloria’s name is a bit much, she was based on Starr Faithfull, who died young, under mysterious circumstances. The story is surprisingly sympathetic toward the heroine and is a sharp snapshot of an era.

Gloria Wandrous from the BUtterfield 8 novel and her real-life inspiration Starr Faithful are routinely described as a call girl, prostitute, or nymphomaniac. There is no evidence that Starr Faithful was a prostitute; nor is Gloria Wandrous described as a call girl in the novel. Starr and Gloria were both promiscuous, stemming from issues of molestation as a child. I’m no sex therapist, but female promiscuity isn’t the same as nymphomania, is it? The movie is ambiguous over Gloria’s morals and how she makes a living. She fusses over “taking money” for a torn dress. Her character is unashamedly sexual, so she must be a nympho, right?

Taylor & Harvey laugh with director Daniel Mann. It's been said ET didn't like Mann,
but I've lots of happy shots like these. 

However, the script Elizabeth received was modernized and turned into a voyeuristic soap opera that capitalized on her own personal scandal. Taylor’s defiance at being forced to perform in BUtterfield 8 actually worked for the role of wild child Gloria. Long-time MGM producer Pandro S. Berman made Elizabeth a star in National Velvet 15 years prior.  Berman knew that despite her threats, Taylor’s professionalism had been drummed into her head starting at age 10 by Metro and Sara, her stage mother. Berman told ET: “Play this and you’ll win the Oscar.”

I recall watching the Oscars back in ’77, when Berman was given the honorary Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, they ran clips from the producer’s long career. When snippets of BUtterfield 8 with Taylor were shown, there was a ripple of laughter from the audience—that’s how legendary the feud between the producer and his star had become. Ironically, the big winner of the night was Network’s Paddy Chayefsky, a friend of Elizabeth’s who did some rewrites for BUtterfield 8 as a favor. When Taylor presented the revisions to Berman, he tossed them in a waste paper basket without even looking. According to the producer, Taylor flew off the sofa, ready to claw his eyes out. Personally, I think Pandro saw their prior collaboration, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a few too many times!

Elizabeth Taylor as a bad brunette & Dina Merrill as a pure blonde at odds over bad boy Laurence Harvey.

What’s amazing is how the MGM script throws Elizabeth’s tabloid notoriety in her face under the guise of Gloria getting flack. In the novel, the other characters do not insult Gloria for her supposed lack of morals. And in the text version, Gloria knows she is deeply troubled, but she’s not teary and ashamed, like Taylor’s Wandrous in the last half of the film.

Like so many movies from the first half of the ‘60s, BUtterfield 8 has one foot stuck in the fuddy-duddy ‘50s while trying to swing with the ‘60s. The film feels contradictory because it’s hypocritical. First, BUtterfield 8 salivates over Gloria’s “sinning” and later slams her for it, by humiliating and punishing her. Once Gloria falls in love, she’s in misery. The screenwriters are forced by the censors to fall back on the old cliché: once a whore, always a whore.

No sale! This was how MGM was selling ET post Liz-Eddie-Debbie scandal.

As for Taylor’s “sympathy” Oscar, won after having almost died six weeks prior to the ceremony— obviously the star won out of sentiment. What’s been forgotten: Elizabeth was nominated for playing Gloria Wandrous before she was near death. And that BUtterfield 8 was MGM’s biggest grossing movie of 1960. The Academy, especially then, liked nominating box office hits. Also, Elizabeth got mostly good personal reviews—and it was widely known that Taylor was forced to play her part. This was Taylor’s fourth consecutive Oscar nomination, after career-changing Giant: Raintree County; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Suddenly, Last Summer; and now BUtterfield 8. Maybe Shirley MacLaine should have won for The Apartment, but Taylor’s win wasn’t a total head scratcher. Robert Osborne compared Taylor’s win to when Bette Davis won a consolation Oscar for 1935’s Dangerous—anyone remember that classic?—when Davis was famously overlooked for her career-defining Of Human Bondage. Davis put over Dangerous, much like Taylor enlivens BUtterfield 8.

Shaky Elizabeth Taylor accepted her Oscar only six weeks after nearly dying.

A testimony to Taylor’s drawing power was that—despite people who wrote to fan mags, columnists, and MGM, swearing they’d never see an Elizabeth Taylor picture again—moviegoers flocked to her films. It didn’t matter whether it was artistic fare like Taylor’s Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, or Shakespeare adaptations, or sudsy cinema that played off her personal life, like BUtterfield 8, The VIPS, or The Sandpiper. In that sense, the public was just as hypocritical as MGM.

I’ve always heard that the movie version of BUtterfield 8was totally different from O’Hara’s novel. Frankly, in an era when the studios bought novels for their premise only or a Broadway musical for a couple of hit songs, I was surprised that even the framework of the novel made onscreen. Aside from the updated era, the movie’s attitude is what’s so different from the novel. It’s too bad the 1935 book feels more mature and three-dimensional than the 1960 film.

The dense atmosphere of the novel is lost in the film update, yet BUtterfield 8 offers a glossy snapshot of sex in the Playboy era. Participants play like they’re swingers, but there’s lots of ‘50s Hollywood guilt attached, especially for the woman. Gloria’s married lover Weston Liggett comes off like a sourpuss version of Mad Men’s Don Draper, jealous, judgmental, and berating Gloria for her behavior, which is the same as his—except she’s not judging. BUtterfield 8 now seems ironic, since this was how Elizabeth Taylor was judged at the time. Everyone in the movie takes potshots at Gloria/Elizabeth, with the cast voicing what a segment of the audience was probably thinking about the star. Taylor was routinely referred to as a home wrecker, but Eddie Fisher, who left his wife and children, was just viewed as helpless.

'Peyton Place' stars Mildred Dunnock & Betty Field spend most of their time in 'BUtterfield 8' gossiping about Gloria.

As for the acting, Elizabeth is especially zingy as the unrepentant party girl. When the script has Gloria go from lust to love, the movie becomes a sappy soap opera. Taylor tries to inject pathos into the part, but she must contend with the scriptwriters making Gloria character traits change on a dime. BUtterfield 8 has a terrific supporting cast, but they’re all archetypes or stereotypes: Dina Merrill as Emily Liggett, a nicer Betty Draper; Susan Oliver as Norma, the jealous girlfriend; Mildred Dunnock as Gloria’s mother in denial; Betty Field as Mrs. Wandrous’ snarky best friend; and Kay Medford as “Happy,” the one hour motel owner.

Laurence Harvey as married cad Weston Liggett, played with charm that made Larry the ideal 'Manchurian Candidate.'

The two men in Gloria’s life are hopeless. Laurence Harvey was a charming party boy off-camera and became instant friends with Elizabeth Taylor. In his heyday, Harvey always played the sneering heel. As Weston Liggett, Harvey looks sleek as the rich ne’er-do-well, but his supercilious disposition becomes borderline psychotic. Why a fiery, fun girl like Gloria would give the film Weston the time of day, much less her phone number, is beyond me. Harvey always seemed to be rehearsing for The Manchurian Candidate! Eddie Fisher, whose character was named Eddie in the novel, is changed to Steve for the film. Either way, Fisher is lethargic and dour, and hard to imagine why Gloria has remained life-long friends with this lackluster pal.

Elizabeth Taylor as Gloria gets some advice from 'Happy' the motel owner, zesty Kay Medford.

As for the film itself, Daniel Mann directs competently if not excitingly. For those who say that BUtterfield 8 is a bore, I’d say that’s half true. The film has some memorable moments, mainly in the first half: the opening near-silent scenes of Gloria’s ‘morning after’; Gloria scrawling ‘No Sale!’ in lipstick on her lover’s mirror; Taylor in a slip, covered only by a mink; Wandrous and Liggett’s sparring in a cocktail lounge, capped by her grinding a stiletto into his instep; Gloria’s repartee with her pal’s fiancée and her mother’s best friend; Gloria and Mrs. Wandrous’ confrontation, capped by Taylor crying, ‘Face it, Mama. I was the slut of all time!;’ Liggett’s nasty showdown with Gloria in the bar over the mink coat; Gloria’s childhood confession to pal Steve; and of course, Gloria’s red sports car crashing over an embankment.

Yes, the film drags once Gloria finds love, but not happiness. The movie’s muddled morals make for confusing character development. Blame MGM and the censors for that.

 BUtterfield 8 may not be great, but not because of Elizabeth Taylor or John O’Hara. Taylor’s herculean efforts and O’Hara’s intriguing heroine makes BUtterfield 8 worth a watch.

Eddie & Elizabeth to Susan Oliver: Did anyone ever tell you that you look like Debbie Reynolds?!

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'Kings Row' More Than Reagan's Personal Best 1942

The welcome sign to Kings Row serves as a warning--the fact that "good" is used FOUR times raises a red flag!

Kings Row, a fondly remembered ‘40s movie, turns 75 this year. Kings Row was a shocking bestseller by Henry Bellamann about the sordid secrets of a Victorian-era small town. The film version was “cleaned” up for 1942 movie audiences, who flocked to Kings Row, reading between the lines where the dirt was scrubbed out. Kings Row later served as a direct inspiration for Peyton Place.

Robert Cummings, Ann Sheridan, and Ronald Reagan lead the large cast.

In all my decades of movie watching, I somehow missed this Warner Brothers epic. I was surprised by several elements of Kings Row—the first was right over the opening credits. Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s famous score apparently “inspired” John Williams’ Star Wars and also Superman. My ears perked right up when I heard Korngold’s musical fanfare. Now, Hollywood’s golden era composers often “borrowed” from classical composers for their scores, so why shouldn’t John Williams? I guess this was the original version of musical sampling.

The second surprise was the cast. This movie cemented Ann Sheridan’s and Ronald Reagan’s pre-WW II popularity. Kings Row’s young stars are indeed front and center, though Ann Sheridan, the one who truly delivers a great performance, doesn’t even appear until half way through the movie. Yet, she gets top billing.

Kings Row was a best-seller based on a real-life small town-- and yes, scandalous!

Another surprise was reading what was left out of the movie—homosexuality, nymphomania, and incest! As it is, sadism, insanity, a murder-suicide, and cancer were all shocking plot points for a ‘40s flick. One way veteran screenwriter Casey Robinson keeps this saga moving is to recap the story’s most memorable events, which take place off-screen.

What I thought most striking about Kings Row was that it’s not just another small town melodrama. It’s genuinely haunting. The camerawork by James Wong Howe is fluid, going from sharply realistic to shadow-filled and sinister, with actors moving into their close-ups for key dramatic points, instead of just posing. Director Sam Wood left the camera setups and angles to cinematographer Howe and set designer William Cameron Menzies. Kings Row often has a dream-like feel to it—at times, nightmarish.

Reagan's big acting moment, brilliantly captured by James Wong Howe.

The party line on Ronald Reagan regarding Kings Row is that it’s his best performance. My response: that’s not saying much. A more accurate take is that Drake McHugh is Ronald Reagan’s best role. In early scenes, as the happy-go-lucky small town playboy, Reagan is just adequate. Like many actors of his era, Reagan relies on shtick, because he has little charisma. Striving for high spirits, there’s hollowness to Reagan’s line readings, and you are always aware that he is “acting” and not “being”—unlike true greats such as Fonda, Tracy, or Stewart. When Drake’s character is down on his luck and isn’t so happy, Reagan is sincere, if not dynamic. Still, in the famous scene when Drake finds out the results of his railroad accident, Reagan’s anguished call out to Sheridan feels real, “Randy! Randy! Where’s the rest of me?!”

Errol Flynn, a fellow Warner’s star, had genuine charm and sex appeal to burn. Flynn could have played playboy Drake in his sleep, plus Flynn was only two years older than Reagan. Jack Warner gave up on trying to “borrow” Tyrone Power from 20^th Century Fox for Parris, whose quiet sensitivity would have been marvelous against brash Flynn. Once that failed, Kings Row was to showcase newer stars like Reagan and Sheridan, supported by an ensemble cast. Robert Cummings was borrowed from Universal to play Parris, likely in exchange for WB star Priscilla Lane, who was loaned to Universal the same year for Hitchcock’s Saboteur.

Robert Cummings & Ronald Reagan are bland as best buds Parris & Drake. Tyrone Power & Errol Flynn--YES!

Next to Robert Cummings as Parris, Reagan comes off like Clark Gable. For starters, Cummings wears so much make up that, at times, he looks like a kewpie doll. The big issue here is that a bland second lead has been cast as the leading man—he can’t even fake it like Reagan! As Parris, Cummings mugs during scenes of comic relief, and is bland and vaguely whiny during dramatic moments. However, like Reagan, Cummings is better in the quiet scenes. But when he tries for charm, as when Parris tells his Grandma, “I’m crazy about you, lady!” in his game show host voice, Cumming is slightly ludicrous.

It doesn’t help that Cummings is saddled with much of the film’s explanatory lines. The scene where Parris prepares to tell Drake the truth behind his accident is hokey and hilarious. First Cummings puffs himself up, gives a flowery speech, and THEN recites the poem “Invictus!” As Cummings and Sheridan cringe and cry, awaiting Reagan’s response, it feels like a silent movie—Parris and Randy all but putting a hand to their brow. Reagan’s Drake stuns them with cathartic laughter! You will be laughing, too, as the music swells, with Cummings literally running to the waiting arms of his girl.

Ann Sheridan as Randy Monaghan: the real star performance in 'Kings Row.'

I often wondered why Ann Sheridan wasn’t a bigger star. Popular in her day, Sheridan never hit the truly top tier. Was it because she was sexy and glamorous, and not to be taken seriously? Studios and audiences were often dismissive of glamour girls who wanted to “act.” Was it because she wasn’t a “great actress” by the era’s conventions? Perhaps that’s why Sheridan seems so fresh and naturalistic here. Sheridan has the least showy role of Kings Row, yet she is warmly real against the artificiality of Cummings and Reagan. Ann Sheridan is a pleasure to watch as Randy Monaghan, the “bad girl” from literally the wrong side of the tracks, who is actually the heroine.

Sheridan’s no-nonsense acting is also a stunning contrast to Nancy Coleman and Betty Field’s “acting” turns as small town girls gone crazy. Coleman plays the doctor’s daughter, Louise, who lets Reagan’s Drake get away. Louise loses it when she loses Drake, especially when, because of her father, Drake loses his legs. Coleman’s acting is typical of the movie era, which emulated stage acting: lots of telegraphing emotions, but little real feeling.

Attempts to turn Betty Field into a leading lady were mixed. She'd fare better
later as a character actress in 'Picnic,' 'Peyton Place,' and 'Butterfield 8.'

Whose idea was it to cast Betty Field as Cassie Tower, the prettiest girl in Kings Row, as she is referred to several times? The long, curly blonde wig, glamour makeup, and soft lighting don’t disguise her dumpy figure and sharp, scowling features. Oddly, Field looks like a funny-faced version of Ann Sheridan. Cassie is an unstable girl whose father—another doctor yet!—feels it best to keep her locked away at home. Fields’ idea of playing crazy—eyes darting from side to side—as Cassie carries on a secret affair with Parris, is right out of the silents.

The supporting cast really makes this movie, as often is the case with these episodic epics. They breathe life here, from Maria Ouspenskaya as Parris’ nurturing grandmother, to Charles Coburn and Judith Anderson as the heartless doctor and stone cold wife, to Harry Davenport and Minor Watson as knowing locals, and especially Claude Rains as Henry Tower. His doctor is haunted by an insane wife and a daughter who seems to be following suit. Rains was a great character actor who was allowed to show his versatility, seldom the case during the studio era.

Claude Rains, wonderfully nuanced as the tormented Doctor Tower.

Kings Row is more American gothic than later colorful small town movies like Picnic or Peyton Place. Despite some lacking leads, this is studio filmmaking at its best, when skilled studio technicians and performers came together and made movie magic.

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Performances Make 'Peyton Place' Worth a Visit 1957

"Peyton Place" became the password for small town gossip and scandal. In the 1957
 film version, Lana Turner & Diane Varsi play the problematic mother & daughter.

Peyton Place was forever equated with small town scandal the moment Grace Metalious’ novel was published September 24, 1956. Peyton Place was an instant sensation and huge bestseller, eventually selling 12 million copies. A year later, the film version of Peyton Place was released, and audiences were dying to know if the movie was half as steamy as the book.

An estimated 1 in 29 people had read 
"Peyton Place"at the height of its popularity.

In truth, Peyton Place the movie was about half as steamy, but that was still mighty hot for 1957. On a recent re-viewing of Peyton Place, I was amazed at how much did make it onscreen. Particularly, the rape of Selena Cross by her alcoholic stepfather—it is subtle, but still powerful. And the big showdown between uptight mother Constance MacKenzie and angst-ridden daughter Allison doesn’t water down the fact that Connie was not a widow, but a mistress. Though the screenplay toned down or tweaked certain plot points, as when Betty Anderson’s method of cock-blocking Rodney Harrington becomes verbal rather than literal, or how Selena’s abortion becomes a miscarriage—they are diluted, but not deleted. Audiences already read the book and were movie-wise to censorship substitutions, with the original action burned in their dirty minds. The film version still pushed the envelope, but had its eye on the Oscar envelope, which rewarded “good” films, not trash—at least in theory!

Off-screen, Lana Turner wasn't exactly a wallflower!

Jerry Wald was a pistol of a producer, who gravitated toward material and stars that generated class or cash, preferably both. Wald had created the sizzle in casting Joan Crawford as a mother in her Oscar-winning Mildred Pierce comeback. When he snapped up film rights to Peyton Place over a decade later, he talked another former MGM star into playing a mother with a problem daughter: 36-year-old Lana Turner. 20^th Century Fox preferred Olivia de Havilland or Jane Wyman as Constance MacKenzie, the small town shop owner with a secret past. Both actresses were Oscar winners, certainly better actresses than Lana, and a bit closer to the character’s age. At this point, Lana’s public began to prefer reading about her romances, marriages, and divorces rather than paying to see her perform onscreen. 

Lana Turner as upright and uptight Constance MacKenzie in "Peyton Place."

But Jerry Wald was canny about casting and publicity. First, Wald knew that everyone loves a comeback.  Like Crawford before playing Mildred Pierce, Turner hadn’t had a hit several years, since The Bad and the Beautiful—which was also a comeback! Plus, the public and the press would eat up the scoop that love goddess Lana was playing a mother for the first time. So what if Lana had a teenage daughter in real life, one who would make headlines of her own shortly after Peyton Place’s release. Mother roles were considered the last hurrah for Hollywood glamour girls. But this wasn’t just any maternal role, this was Constance, a hot mama underneath the cool demeanor. Wald figured that audiences, who often equated stars with the character they played, would use movie short-hand in filling in the blanks of what was suggested on-screen with Lana’s own scandalous off-screen behavior.

Welcome to Peyton Place! Lee Phillips as Michael Rossi,
the one uninspired performance in the movie.

Wald also used a popular method of casting in mid-century movies, when audiences young and old were now watching television at home, to attract both audiences. Lana Turner was still very much a star and Wald backed her up with veteran character actors like Lloyd Nolan, Arthur Kennedy, Betty Field, Leon Ames, Lorne Greene, and Mildred Dunnock. But the producer also cast up-and-coming young stars like Hope Lange, Russ Tamblyn, and David Nelson in featured roles. Wald also chose an unknown Diane Varsi to play Constance’s dreamer daughter, Allison. At 18, Varsi was certainly a more forward-thinking choice for the role than Debbie Reynolds, who was considered—and six years older.

L: Lloyd Nolan as no-nonsense Doc Swain, telling some tough truth to the people of Peyton Place!

As often the case with all-star movies, it’s the old pros who steal the show: Nolan, as plain-spoken Doc Swain; Kennedy as despicable drunk Lucas Cross; Field as rightly depressed Nellie Cross; Leon Ames as the blowhard bigshot; Lorne Greene as the fiery D.A.; and Mildred Dunnock as the passed-over teacher. These veterans are terrific troupers here.

Diane Varsi & Russ Tamblyn as shy kids Allison & Norman.

The young folk of Peyton Place are a mixed bag. Diane Varsi’s awkwardness actually works as Allison, the teen who dreams of writing a novel—about guess what? Russ Tamblyn as Norman Page, her comrade in shyness, gives a genuinely excellent performance. And Hope Lange is heartbreaking as Selena Cross, the sad girl from the wrong side of the tracks. But the others, like David Nelson of Ozzie and Harriet, are bland. And at 28, Terry Moore comes across like an aging starlet than a high school age fast girl, Betty Anderson.

Constance gets her comeuppance from daughter Allison. Lana Turner's best moment.

Last but not least, there’s Lana. For her role as Constance MacKenzie, Turner received her first and only Oscar nomination. Though Lana’s role was not the showcase that was Crawford’s Mildred Pierce, Turner gives it her MGM best, suffering and insinuating, with chin tilted and eyebrows arched to the heavens. It’s easy to laugh at acting styles from another era, but Lana has a number of genuinely effective scenes in Peyton Place. The scene where the new man in town puts the moves on near-frigid Connie, Turner’s reaction of disgust rings surprisingly true, considering the real Lana was quite hotsy-totsy. Another authentic moment is after an argument with Allison, who throws her mother’s past in her face, which ends with Lana leaving the room. Grandly walking down the stairs in despair, Turner crumples on the steps, sobbing in semi-darkness, gasping, “Oh, God!” It is a genuinely great bit of acting by Lana. And of course, Turner turns it on during the courtroom scene, during the trial of Selena Cross.

Turner as Constance, on the witness stand. Lana would appear in a real courtroom
 the following year!

20 Century Fox, with their widescreen Cinemascope, was the first studio to embrace location filming. Peyton Place exteriors were filmed mostly in Camden, Maine and a few other New England locations. The panoramic locales against Franz Waxman’s memorable score rather romanticized Grace Metalious’ seamy small town. This irritated the author, though she liked the performances from the cast.

The Cross family's subplot in 'Peyton Place,' the toned down, is still a shocker.

The greatest task for solid studio director Mark Robson and his screenwriters was to “clean up” the scandalous story for the silver screen. This was Hollywood hypocrisy at its best: Let’s buy a salacious book, turn it into a whitewashed movie, and then promote it as shocking!

28-year-old Terry Moore is less than believable as hot teenager Betty Anderson.

The critics condescendingly praised the “classy” screen version of Peyton Place as a vast improvement over the “dirty” book. Yet a few critics at the time called the adaptation sanitized or antiseptic. The truth falls somewhere in the middle: Peyton Place was run through the Hollywood Hayes Code whitewash cycle, though it managed to keep key events intact. There was no way in 1957 that the movie could have depicted the book’s dirt intact. Metalious may have disliked her book’s adaptation, but then, the depressed author didn’t like much of anything. Peyton Place was one of the year’s top-grossing films and received nine Oscar nominations—though it won none.

Finally, Peyton Place was still playing in theaters when Lana Turner’s latest boyfriend, gangster Johnny Stompanato, was fatally stabbed by her daughter, Cheryl. The details that flowed after the murder made Peyton Place look like a small-town picnic. When Lana was going through her real trial the following year, some audience members were heard to call out their support to Turner as she testified onscreen in Peyton Place.

Blood, sweat, & tears: Lana at the inquest over the stabbing death of gangster boytoy Johnny Stompanato.

After her latest scandal, Lana was forced to, yes, make another comeback! Turner took a small salary against a huge potential share of the profits and starred in a film even soapier than Peyton Place. 1959’s Imitation of Life was one of the biggest hits of Lana’s career, making a fortune, and extending her career as a leading lady for nearly another decade. And that’s about as happy of a Hollywood ending that Lana Turner ever got in her long career.

After the Johnny Stompanato scandal, Lana would get the call for another comeback opportunity. This time it would be from producer Ross Hunter, for 'Imitation of Life.'

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