Margaret Perry is hosting The Great Katharine Hepburn Blogathon for the second year in a row and for our participation in the event we chose to write about one of Hepburn's greatest and most overlooked films - Alice Adams ( 1935 ).
Katharine Hepburn had made a successful start of her Hollywood career in the early 1930s with a string of fine pictures including Morning Glory and Little Women. However, several misfires ( The Little Minister, Break of Hearts ) put her star-status in danger. RKO was eager to have her regain her popularity with the public and so, to accomplish this, Hepburn and producer Pandro S. Berman decided her next part should be the titular role in the film adaptation of Booth Tarkington's 1922 Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "Alice Adams".
In his novel, Tarkington had penned a satiric and shrewd observation of the claustrophobia and class distinction prevalent in small town America shortly after World War I. Alice Adams is an optimistic wisp of a girl who strives to rise above her commonplace existence by putting on the airs of a socialite, hoping to be accepted by her upper-class peers. However, her pitiful attempts at climbing the social ladder only lead to her being sneered at and shunned by her classmates.
Alice is a resourceful girl and, much like another literary character, Anne Shirley, she strives to create a realm of beauty in the most crude setting. At the beginning of the film we see Alice eagerly awaiting the night of the Palmer's ball, the most elite social dance of the year. With her two-year old dress and a corsage of wilted violets, Alice attends the dance with her brother as escort. While there, she puts on a brave face while being ignored by everyone at the party. Never was there a lovelier, more quietly desperate wallflower than Hepburn's Alice.
Upon leaving the dance however, Alice meets her Prince Charming, the handsome and very wealthy Arthur Russell ( Fred MacMurray ). He quickly sees through Alice's facade and, unbeknownst to her, comes to love the sensitive girl hiding within. But Alice, in her eagerness to hide her social status, papers over their growing love with lies. Later, while her family is on the brink of disaster, Alice strives to keep Arthur's interest and keep up the illusion she fancies she created.
Katharine Hepburn gave a marvelous performance of Alice, bringing out all the charm and pathos of the character. Like most people, Alice's personality changes when she in among people outside of her family and it is a testament to Hepburn's skill as an actress to portray two unique sides of one character. When Alice is with Russell she becomes overwrought, expressing her feelings through nervous chatter. At home, especially when she is alone with her father, she displays a beautiful soul and a heart filled with great compassion.
"You know, the other day when you walked home with me, I got to wondering what I wanted you to think of me in case I should ever happen to see you again"
"And what did you decide?"
"I decided I should probably never dare to be just myself with you. Not if I cared to have you want to see my again. And yet here I am, just being myself after all".
- Alice, to Arthur, not truly being "herself" at all
Fred MacMurray is wonderful as the amiable young Russell. Unlike Alice, he cares little about social status. His feelings for Alice are sincere but he worries over the rumors in town being spread about the integrity of Alice's father.
Fred Stone, a very popular musical theatre actor and circus performer, took on his first feature-length talking role as Alice's father, Virgil. He gives a very compassionate performance as an ill man badgered by his family.
Rounding out the fine cast is Ann Shoemaker as Alice's ambitious mother, Frank Albertson as brother Walter, Evelyn Venable as the stately Mildred, Hattie McDaniel as the impertinent maid-for-hire, and Charley Grapewin as Virgil's boss, Mr. Lynn.
Alice Adams is also notable for being the first dramatic film directed by George Stevens. The work he did on this picture propelled him to new heights as a director. Hepburn initially wanted William Wyler to take the helm, but at the insistence of Pandro S. Berman, and on the basis of Steven's knowledge of the book, she was willing to give him a try. As filming progressed, she found Stevens to be "a really brilliant director" and he went on to direct her in two other pictures - Quality Street ( 1937 ) and Woman of the Year ( 1948 ).
Alice Adams is a lovely genteel film filled with a delicate blend of humorous and heart-wrenching scenes. Stevens, and the entire cast, managed to create a film with just the right mixture of highly amusing comedy and captivating social drama. Strains of a beautiful violin melody by Max Steiner underscore the emotional moments adding just the right amount of whimsical romance to the picture.
Critics praised Alice Adams upon its initial release with the New York Times calling the film "an oddly exciting blend of tenderness, comedy, and realistic despair". Since the picture was released in the midst of the Depression, the ending of Alice Adams was changed from the original Tarkington novel, which was much more downbeat. The optimistic ending altered the tone of the whole film and it became a huge favorite with audiences and helped put Hepburn back on top at the box office. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and Katharine Hepburn received her second nomination for Best Actress for her heartfelt portrayal. Bette Davis, who won the Award for her role of Mildred in Of Human Bondage, often claimed that Hepburn was the one who deserved to win that year.
"Bick, you shoulda shot that fella a long time ago. Now he's too rich to kill"
Uncle Bawley's words do not fall on deaf ears, rather they echo the sentiment felt by the entire Benedict family and little do they realize that Jett Rink's solitary oil well on Reata land will launch the emergence of an industry that will change the face of Texas.
Edna Ferber's sprawling western saga of a Texan family comes to life in George Steven's 1956 film adaptation. Giant tells the story of a wealthy cattle baron, Jordan "Bick" Benedict ( Rock Hudson ) who comes to Maryland to purchase a horse from Horace Lynnton ( Paul Fix ), a socially prominent doctor. While staying at his home he meets, falls in love with and marries Lynnton's beautiful daughter Leslie ( Elizabeth Taylor ). Bick transports her from the lush green countryside of Maryland to his dusty isolated ranch called Reata, an enormous 600,000 acre cattle spread run by himself, his sister ( Mercedes MacCambridge ) and his staff of Mexican farmhands.
Once at Reata, Leslie undertakes changes that reflect her well-bred upbringing and stubbornly refuses to let Texan folkways stop her from being considerate and helpful to the Mexican people. We follow Leslie as she grows from a delicate flower from the east into a tough leathered matriarch. We follow Bick as he rises from a cattle rancher to an oil millionaire in his competition against Jett Rink ( James Dean ), a despised ranch hand who first strikes oil on Reata land. Together they build a marriage mixed with tenderness and turbulence to create a dynasty spanning three generations.
At its heart Giant is an intimate story of compromise and adjustment. Leslie learns to adapt herself to her surroundings and become a true Texan without compromising her values. She becomes such a part of the ranch that none of Bick's family, friends or neighbors could imagine what Reata would be like without her. More importantly, Bick comes to accept that life on Reata cannot remain the same as when his father ran the ranch. He comes to accept that his children want to lead lives of their own in different professions and, in the subtle finale, finds that his racial views have been completely changed.
"Honey, you don't act that way towards those people. You're a Texan now"
"Is being a Texan a state of mind? I'm still myself"
The evolving Benedict family symbolizes the state of Texas itself which was adapting and moving away from its agrarian existence. Modern ways of thinking were pushing out old-fashioned notions of bigotry, child-rearing, and woman's place in the home.
The strong-willed Leslie was the instigator to many of these changes but even more so was that substance known as black gold - oil. The oozing stinking liquid was converting humble farmers into millionaires overnight and, with their pockets bulging with more cash than they knew what to do with, they had little desire to hold onto archaic beliefs of the past. It was an exciting time and they were proud to be in the throes of new inventions, discoveries, ideas, and new modes of transportation.
When Edna Ferber's epic novel was first published in 1952 it received much criticism. Texans resented being known as racially intolerant folk and despised the character of Jett Rink. Nevertheless, the book was immensely popular and, like Ferber's previous novels, quickly caught the attention of Hollywood producers who clamored to obtain the film rights. In making her decision, Ferber chose to go with Warner Brothers because George Stevens was undertaking the project. She appreciated his love for the story and his promise to remain faithful to her novel.
Many actors in Hollywood were eager to get a part in the film, predicting what a prestigious production it would be. For the three leading characters, Stevens considered casting Grace Kelly, William Holden and Montogomery Clift. Alan Ladd and Robert Mitchum were also under consideration for the role of Jett Rink, but Stevens chose to go with James Dean, a talented young man who was quickly making a name for himself at Warner Brothers.
The cast of Giant was primarily very youthful. Rock Hudson, only 29 at the time, was given one of his first opportunities to demonstrate his dramatic acting ability and proved to be excellent as Bick Benedict. This was a pivotal film for Elizabeth Taylor as well who, at only 23 years of age, was launched to new heights as a dramatic actress. In Giant she recreates the literary Leslie and gives her a depth which was lacking in the original novel.
Carroll Baker was making her debut film performance as Luz, the Benedict's daughter, even though she was three years older than Taylor. Dennis Hopper had a brief, but substantial role himself as Jordy, their independent-minded son.
Along with these youthful characters, Stevens cast a number of excellent seasoned supporting actors including tough-as-nails Mercedes McCambridge; the delightful Jane Withers as the Benedict's neighbor and best friend ( who had been called out of retirement for this part ); the lovable Chill Wills as Uncle Bawley, a gentle man whom Leslie particularly adores; and Paul Fix as Dr. Lynnton. Also rounding out the cast is Sal Mineo, Earl Holliman, Elsa Cardanas, Rod Taylor ( billed as Rodney Taylor ), Judith Evelyn, Carolyn Craig, and Victor Millan.
"Money isn't everything, Jett"
"Not when you've got it"
Location shooting for Giant began on June 6, 1955 in Marfa, a small town south of Pecos, Texas, where the cast and crew spent two months filming the scenes in and around Reata.
"It was such a happy time", Jane Withers recalled, sharing a sentiment felt by most of the cast. However, tragedy struck eight days after Dean's final scenes were shot, when the cast, assembled in the screening room at Marfa, heard that James Dean had been killed in a car crash. Warner Brothers had banned Dean from racing during the production for fear that he may injure himself while filming was progressing.
In addition to its fine script and cast, a major part of Giant's appeal lay in its magnificent score, composed by the Russian immigrant Dimitri Tiomkin, who was one of Hollywood's most talented western film composers. His score for Giant weaves strains of old Texan favorites such as The Yellow Rose of Texas with classical music ( Clair de Lune ) and heart-thumping melodies of grandeur.
George Stevens invested three years of his life into making Giant, taking no pay for his work as director, instead choosing to have part interest in the final film rights. Stevens had faith in the script, production crew, and his own directorial skill; he had profound respect for his audience and for this reason made certain that every scene was the best it could be, no matter how many retakes or different camera angles it took to get a scene just right.
"Well....after a hundred years the Benedict family is finally a success"
At one point, nearing the end of the long editing stage, George Stevens Jr. grew impatient to complete the picture. Stevens reminded him, "Just think how many man hours people will spend watching this film over the years. Don't you think it's worth a little more of our time making it a better experience for them?"
Giant was released at a unique time during the 1950s when America was at its grandest. Texas was huge and booming with energy and so was the rest of the country. When Giant premiered on Nov. 24, 1956, it earned critical acclaim and became the top grossing film in Warner Brothers history. In some theatres it played for three months straight. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards but went on to win only one Oscar ( for Best Director ) competing against Mike Todd's epic Around the World in 80 Days.
That extra effort that Stevens and the cast and crew put into making the film all that more special has been appreciated by audiences for nearly 60 years. In its gentle way Giant grows from an intimate portrait of two newlyweds to a film of gigantic proportions, equal to the entertainment it provides. Decades later, other sagas such as Dynasty, Dallas, and The Thorn Birds imitated Giant's scope which drew the audience into the individual characters and the family as a whole.
The film inspires a love for the tumbleweed ridden country known as Texas, its cattle, its oil, its people, and its history. Giant makes you proud to be a Texan, whether you were born one or not, and inspired audiences around the world to share in an admiration for the state that has become so much apart of America's heritage.
This post is our contribution to the Classic Movie Blog Association's marvelous Fabulous Films of the 1950s Blogathon. Be sure to head over to the main site to check out all the great coverage of your favorite films of the '50s.
"You know, the other day when you walked home with me, I got to wondering what I wanted you to think of me in case I should ever happen to see you again"
