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Cary Grant & Jeanne Crain Movie, Much Better Then I Expected
posted by HarrisonHanksHackmanSTAFFMOD on September 16, 2019 at 9:38 AM
I have had this on my DVR for a couple months and finally watched it yesterday. I really liked this movie. I loved the character that Cary Grant played and while I have only seen about 3 or 4 Jeanne Crain movies, she is moving up my list of favorite actresses (I want to see Pinky). I read where Anne Baxter originally had Crain's part in this movie but had to bail because she became pregnant.
A nice supporting cast helped this movie as well. I thought Walter Slezak stood out and Hume Cronyn was great as a busy-body "bad" guy. One of the things I love to do with old movies is recognize faces in small supporting roles and look them up to see where I know them from.
This movie has a treasure trove of those...The Mayor Stoner from Andy Griffith (tons of other TV shows), Ben Weaver the department store owner from Andy Griffith, Bart Maverick, Lt. Shilton from Switch, one of my favorite "sleeper" TV shows, and of course The Wicked Witch of the West at the beginning of the movie.
Here is a blurb from Wikipedia for some background or undertones of the movie...
"According to a review at the Films de France website, the movie has a number of political overtones. The review says the film is a reaction to Mankiewicz’s own experiences during the communist witch hunts of the late 1940s and early 1950s, while he was President of the Directors Guild of America (1950-51).
The film's investigative trial has parallels to the congressional hearings by anti-communist crusaders. And just as some refused to name names in such hearings, Cary Grant's lead character declines to clear his own name by revealing the private business of another person, in this case a convicted murderer.
The review said that although the movie is meant as a cautionary tale about the dangers of witch hunts it deals with many other issues, including the pregnancy of a single woman, the "corrosive effect of unfettered capitalism, the human cost of the Korean war, among others."
Anyways, if you have seen it, let me know what you thought, if you haven't check it out.
Reply by Sixties Holdout
on March 23, 2020 at 2:33 AM
I just saw it on TCM, and liked it very much. It started out a bit slowly, but got really interesting later on. You're right, it's an excellent cast w/fine supporting players. And a very heartwarming ending, right down to the collie being petted by its new friend. I have always believed that dogs can tell who is good and who isn't. I love dogs, and they usually run up to me the first time they see me, even though we've never met before. They have a sixth sense about people.