Jeanne Crain, William Lundigan |
"Of course I'm in pain! Do you think I'll die in ease and ecstasy? -- Miss Em
You can't live without pride." -- Pinky
Patricia (Jeanne Crain of In the Meantime, Darling), who has been affectionately known as "Pinky" all of her life, looks like a white woman but is actually a "Negro." After being educated, getting a nursing degree, and becoming engaged to the white Dr. Adams (William Lundigan), she has returned home to see her grandmother, Dicey (Ethel Waters).
Ethel Barrymore as ailing Miss Em |
Ethel Waters, Frederick O'Neal, Crain |
Ethel Waters and Ethel Barrymore were both nominated for a supporting actress Oscar and they deserved to be; they are both superb. Jeanne Crain was also nominated for Best Actress, but I found her performance to be uneven. She has some terrific moments, true, but in other sequences she just seems to be speaking lines with little true feeling behind them. Frederick O'Neal makes his mark as Jake, as does Nina Mae McKinney [Dark Waters] as his girlfriend, Rozelia. Evelyn Varden [Hilda Crane] is a stand-out as Melba, the nasty and racist cousin of Miss Em's, and there is notable work from Griff Barnett, Basil Ruysdael., and Kenny Washington in smaller but important roles. William Lundigan is fine in a thankless part that doesn't give him enough to do.
Pinky is a contrast to Band of Angels, which came out eight years later and also has a black heroine passing for white. Angels has an entirely different ending that is more "romantic" but also takes a giant step backwards when it comes to black pride.
Verdict: Superior drama with something to say. ***1/2.
2 comments:
I agree with you, Bill, the supporting performances are unforgettable in this and the story is before it’s time—but Jeanne Crain is not up to the task, even with a skilled director like Kazan. I can’t think of a single Crain performance that was memorable, despite her beauty.
- C
Ouch! You're not alone in your estimation of Ms. Crain's talents, but I think she gave some decent performances in light fare like "State Fair" and "In the Meantime, Darling" and others, but she wasn't up to her tougher scenes in "Leave Her to Heaven" with Gene Tierney, for instance. Light comedies and lighter dramas were more her forte. I think Mankiewicz thought she had no talent even though she was fine in "Letter to 3 Wives." Maybe she pissed him off!
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