Miss Sadie Thompson

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Miss Sadie Thompson is a 1953 3-D American musical romantic drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Rita Hayworth, José Ferrer, and Aldo Ray. The film was released by Columbia Pictures. The film is based on W. Somerset Maugham's 1921 short story "Miss Thompson" (later retitled "Rain"). Other film versions include Sadie Thompson (1928) starring Gloria Swanson, Rain (1932) starring Joan Crawford, and Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A. (1946).

The film received a nomination for Best Original Song ("Sadie Thompson's Song") at the 26th Academy Awards.

Plot

A bar girl from Hawaii, a religious zealot, and a love-struck Marine struggle with sin and salvation just after World War II while Sadie Thompson kicks out several songs, including "Blue Pacific Blues".

Cast

Production

In February 1952, producer Jerry Wald announced he had the film rights to the play adaptation of Rain from producer Lester Cowan. Wald had a production unit at RKO with Norman Krasna and wanted to make it as a musical in color.[1]

In October 1953, Wald left RKO to become a vice president and executive producer at Columbia Pictures. He planned to personally produce two films a year and said one of these would be Rain. It would star Rita Hayworth, who was the biggest star at the studio.[2] Harry Kleiner was assigned to write the script.[3] Plans were made to shoot the film in 3-D.[4]

This was Hayworth's third film after her marriage to Prince Aly Khan had kept her off screen for four years. The public eagerly welcomed her return in two previous films Affair in Trinidad and Salome so Columbia gave Miss Sadie Thompson an "A" film budget.

File:Tri-City Drive-In Ad - 2 February 1954, Loma Linda, CA.jpg
Drive-in advertisement from 1954

"It would give her the chance to not be glamorous", said Wald.[5]

3-D films had become a fad, with some 3-D films drawing huge crowds in major cities, so it was used as well. Exteriors were filmed on the island of Kauai, Hawaii and interiors on the Columbia lot.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

The original story of sin and redemption was sanitized to appease the Production Code and several musical numbers were inserted to spice up the tepid reworked plot. As with her previous films, Hayworth's singing was dubbed; as with the previous year's Affair in Trinidad, that job was assigned to Jo Ann Greer.[6][7]Template:Efn

In August 1953, Hayworth and Ray shot some additional romantic scenes.[8]

By the time of the premiere on December 23, 1953, interest in 3-D had died down considerably. After a two-week run, all 3-D prints were pulled. The film was given a national release "flat", in other words, in regular prints, minus the 3-D.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

The film was banned in some places, including Memphis.[9][10][11]

Reviews

Variety wrote, "She catches the feel of the title character well, even to braving completely deglamorizing makeup, costuming and photography to fit her physical appearance to that of the bawdy, shady lady that was Sadie Thompson".[12] The Village Voice wrote, "Although its Hays Code sanitizing is mitigated somewhat by the glorious extravagances of 1950s cinema (it's a Technicolor, 3-D star vehicle with musical numbers), Miss Sadie Thompson (1953) is a scoured version of Rain (1932)."[13] Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote, "The character of Sadie is drained of considerable point by the prudence of the producers. And Miss Hayworth is left with a role in which she is able to inject very little, outside her own particular brand of appeal".[14]

Availability

  • A dual projection polarized 3-D print of Miss Sadie Thompson was screened at The World 3-D Expo 2006 September 10, 2006 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, Ca.
  • A 3-D version of the trailer can be seen in the Blu-ray Collection "3-D Rarities" from Flicker Alley.
  • A VHS full screen edition of Miss Sadie Thompson was released in 1994 but is no longer available.
  • A DVD full screen edition of Miss Sadie Thompson was released in 2001 but is no longer available.
  • Another edition of the DVD is available as part of "The Films of Rita Hayworth" 5-disc box set.
  • A 3D Blu-ray is now available in the US as of July 12, 2016, from Twilight Time Movies.[15][16]

Notes

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References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Weaver, Tom (1996). It Came from Horrorwood: Interviews with Moviemakers in the SF and Horror Tradition. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 18. Template:ISBN. "One day Frankie Laine and I were doing the number, and I was singing with the dub, and he whispered in my ear, 'Hey, you're a helluva singer. And I wanted to die, because I really did sing. They dubbed my voice, and the same girl [Jo Ann Greer] that dubbed my voice also dubbed for Rita Hayworth. And when they played the Rita Hayworth film [Affair in Trinidad, 1952] and Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder on the same bill together—I can't believe that! Out of Rita Hayworth's mouth comes this voice, and then out of a nineteen-year-old girl in the next picture comes that same voice! Unbelievable!"
  7. ↑ Emge, Charles (February 10, 1953). "Some Real Progress in Film Music in 1953". Down Beat. p. 5. Retrieved March 31, 2025. "[W]e give our nod to George Duning for his background music to the scene in Miss Sadie Thompson in which Jose Ferrer recites the 23rd Psalm. [...] And those who fretted over the fact that singer Jo Ann Greer (vocal double for Rita Hayworth) received no credit on the Mercury soundtrack album from the picture, should note that composer Duning received no credit on the label or in the album notes."
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ [1] Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

Template:Curtis Bernhardt

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