HILDA CRANE

HILDA CRANE (1956). Director: Philip Dunne. 

After two disastrous marriages and what she considers "failure" in New York City, Hilda Crane (Jean Simmons) returns to her home town and her mother and ponders her future. Her unaffectionate mother, Stella (Judith Evelyn), thinks she should forget all about romantic notions of "love" and settle for appearances, a marriage that is settled and stabled (and, perhaps, without passion). Should Hilda marry small-town guy Russell Burns? (The fact that Burns is not only rich and nice, but is played by handsome Guy Madison, must have made Hilda's indecision over the matter seem a little comical to some ladies in the audience.) Or should she settle for a more passionate relationship with her former teacher Jacques (Jean-Pierre Aumont) whom she apparently finds more exciting? Evelyn Varden almost steals the picture as Russell's termagant of a mother, who thinks Hilda is nothing but a tramp and isn't afraid to say so. Peggy Knudsen adds some bite as Hilda's blunt friend, Nell, and Jeannette MacDonald's sister Blossom Rock (AKA Marie Blake) is cast as Mrs. Crane's housekeeper. (Years later she played Grandmama on The Addams Family TV show.) The usually reliable Judith Evelyn doesn't quite seem to get a handle on how she should play her character. Hilda Crane is watchable and generally well-acted, but despite the occasional crisp or intelligent line, it's just comes off as a forgettable soap opera. 

Verdict: Peyton Place Lite. **.

ALIMONY

Dumbrille, Lind and Vickers set a scheme in motion

ALIMONY (1949). Alfred Zeisler.

Composer Dan Barker (John Beal) relates the story of a woman he was once in love with, Kitty Travers (Martha Vickers), to her estranged father (James Guilfoyle), who hasn't seen her in years. Show biz aspirant Kitty stayed in the same boarding house with Barker, who was affianced to pretty Linda (Hillary Brooke). But Kitty works her wiles on Dan, who is just about to sign to do a Broadway show, and before long the man has dumped poor Linda in favor of Kitty. Unfortunately for Dan, the Broadway deal comes a cropper and Linda is soon off looking for greener pastures. But even when Dan and Linda are finally married, Kitty comes back into their lives because she was the inspiration for a song Dan composed that becomes a big hit [and isn't that memorable]. Again Dan acts like a complete jerk, Kitty a total skank, and as for dopey Linda ... let's just say that Alimony is the kind of irritating melodrama where a perfectly nice and attractive woman is treated abysmally by her man but still seems to think only the other woman is to blame. Neal, Vickers and Brooke give good performances, as do Douglass Dumbrille as an oily lawyer who works with Kitty and her friend Helen (a snappy Laurie Lind, who was introduced in this picture and never made another movie) and Marie Blake (AKA Blossom Rock of Hilda Crane) who plays the landlady of the boarding house. The title refers to the fact that Helen and Kitty marry or try to marry wealthy older men so that they can divorce them and collect you-guessed-it.

Verdict: Nice actors and premise but this is forgettable. **.

THE STAR

THE STAR (1952). Director: Stuart Heisler.

"Take a good look ladies! I am Margaret Elliot! And it is a shame that Margaret Elliot is waiting on a couple of old bags like you! I am Margaret Elliot and I intend to stay Margaret Elliot!" -- Margaret Elliot [Bette Davis]

Margaret Elliot (Bette Davis) was once one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, but now her belongings are being auctioned off, she's locked out of her apartment by the landlady, and she drives around so drunk one night that she -- and her Oscar -- wind up in the hoosegow! Davis actually gives one of her best performances in this absorbing movie, and her character is self-absorbed and a bit monstrous at times, but also sympathetic. Davis has several particularly effective scenes in this: telling off her greedy relatives, who don't seem to understand that she's broke; yelling at two nosy and nasty customers when she temporarily [very temporarily] takes a job as a sales clerk (see dialogue quote above); and when she reacts to a screen test as she realizes to her horror that trying to play a drab middle-aged woman as if she were a much younger sexpot was a disastrous mistake. The amusing opening has Davis walking into her own agent Harry (an effective Warner Anderson) carrying off the chandelier from her mansion at the aforementioned auction. [Apparently, nothing sold for very much because it does nothing to relieve her financial problems; she never mentions getting any money from the auction house in any case.] Sterling Hayden gives a nice performance as a former leading man and ex-actor who comes to Margaret's rescue and bails her out of jail; and young Natalie Wood is lovely and adept as her worshipful daughter. Kay Riehl and Fay Baker are also notable as, respectively, Margaret's compassionate landlady and her not-so-understanding sister. Minor Watson from Beyond the Forest plays a studio chief; Katherine Warren is his wife and both are swell. Blossom Rock/Marie Blake, sister of Jeanette Macdonald, plays a maid. Very nice score by Victor Young. Starlet Barbara Lawrence, one of the sweet young things supplanting aging actresses like Elliot, plays herself. She had appeared in A Letter to Three Wives and years later was in Kronos, making her last film in 1962. Paul Frees also appears as a producer who tries to interest Margaret in a script.

Verdict: Very entertaining and vivid. ***1/2.