IMDb RATING
6.2/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Bette Davis is a successful poetess who falls in love with a war hero in this romantic melodrama that is a moving film experience any time of year.Bette Davis is a successful poetess who falls in love with a war hero in this romantic melodrama that is a moving film experience any time of year.Bette Davis is a successful poetess who falls in love with a war hero in this romantic melodrama that is a moving film experience any time of year.
Jim Davis
- Slick Novak
- (as James Davis)
Ransom M. Sherman
- Mr. Roderick Moran, Jr.
- (as Ransom Sherman)
Woody Herman
- Leader - Woody Herman and His Orchestra
- (as Woody Herman and His Orchestra)
Lois Austin
- Marcia
- (uncredited)
Tex Brodus
- Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
Gertrude Carr
- Woman on Subway
- (uncredited)
Steve Carruthers
- Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
Douglas Carter
- Waiter
- (uncredited)
Hugh Charles
- Headwaiter
- (uncredited)
Russ Clark
- Man in Cafe
- (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum
- Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
Bess Flowers
- Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
Charles Fogel
- Restaurant Patron
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFirst film for Davis after her pregnancy.
- GoofsWhen Stacey goes to Susan's apartment at the beginning of the film, he takes off a light-colored scarf. When he goes to leave, he puts on a much different and dark-colored scarf.
- Quotes
Stacy Grant: [to Peggy] Let me give you a piece of advice, culled from years of devestating experience. Next to loss of money, deafness, and skin disease, passion can be the most dangerous.
- SoundtracksIf I Could Be with You
(uncredited)
Music by James P. Johnson
Played when Susan and Stacey arrive at the restaurant
Featured review
Bette Davis stars as lonely NYC poetess Susan Grieve. Her best friend Stacy (John Hoyt) asks her to accompany him on a blind double date along with visiting war hero Slick Novak (Jim Davis) and Stacy's secretary Peggy (Janis Paige). The sparks are immediate between Susan and Slick, and they spend a snowy weekend together in the country where they both confront deep-seated issues.
Bette Davis is dependably good, but Jim Davis is one of the worst regularly-employed actors in Hollywood history. Watching him struggle through his lines is almost as painful as it is humorous. When his character finally reveals his "dark secret", it elicited a chuckle rather than a gasp, which I don't think was the intention. The film's high point is a surprisingly open performance by John Hoyt as the proverbial "gay best friend" from countless future romance films. Of course it's never explicitly stated that Hoyt's Stacy is gay, given this is still the production code era. It's not a mocking or condescending performance, either, which is doubly surprising for the time. Some of the dialogue between he and Davis has a pre-Code vibe, rich in double entendre. If only his character had been in service of a better story and movie.
Bette Davis is dependably good, but Jim Davis is one of the worst regularly-employed actors in Hollywood history. Watching him struggle through his lines is almost as painful as it is humorous. When his character finally reveals his "dark secret", it elicited a chuckle rather than a gasp, which I don't think was the intention. The film's high point is a surprisingly open performance by John Hoyt as the proverbial "gay best friend" from countless future romance films. Of course it's never explicitly stated that Hoyt's Stacy is gay, given this is still the production code era. It's not a mocking or condescending performance, either, which is doubly surprising for the time. Some of the dialogue between he and Davis has a pre-Code vibe, rich in double entendre. If only his character had been in service of a better story and movie.
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,927,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 44 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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