Forever Female (1953)

One of my goals for this new year is to get my hands on as many William Holden movies I possibly can. Golden Holden is my favorite actor of classic Hollywood, and he could always use more love in the blogosphere. The first film of his this year that I watched is the 1953 comedy, Forever Female. Directed by Irving Rapper and based off a play called Rosalind by J.M. Barrie, the film also stars Ginger Rogers, Paul Douglas, and Pat Crowley.

Rogers is Barbara Page, an aging Broadway star who still believes she can play the role of ingenue. Douglas is Harry Phillips, a producer and her ex husband who still has feelings for her. Crowley is Sally Carver, a young actress trying to make it big on the stage. And William Holden is Stanley Krown, a playwright who's written a play about a 19 year old girl at odds with her mother. The role of the girl goes to Barbara and is subsequently rewritten for a 29 year old, the age she continues to cling to. Sally, who wants the role for herself, believes in the play prior to Barbara's casting, and tries everything to win the part, and the affections of Stanley.

Though bland in some places, the film moves along at an enjoyable pace, and it's very funny as well. Each of the actors does a fine job and they each have great chemistry with one another.

What I really loved about Bill's performance was how natural and charming he was. The first quality is apparent in each of his films, but as he capitalized on playing the hardened everyman, there isn't much of the latter. (At least of the films I've seen.) What's interesting is that following this film, he took the role of playwright again, in The Country Girl. In that film, his Bernie Dodd was mean and hot tempered, a fitting characterization in such a dramatic, emotionally charged film.

Paul Douglas and Ginger Rogers.

Pat Crowley.

Maidie Norman, as Barbara's maid.

Though Norman's role in the film was uncredited, I was struck nonetheless by how beautiful she was, and did a Google search, to find that she was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1977 and taught a black theater history course at USC. Though she did enjoy a fairly successful career, I feel if the times had been different, she would have been able to secure the starring roles her white counterparts did.

Another of the film's highlights are the clothes, designed by non other than Edith Head. Safe to say I wanted it all.

Bonus lady tie!

 

Collars are everything.

I watched this film not expecting much, except to drool over Mr. Holden, and found it to be a pretty solid film with great actors, a funny script, and an impeccable wardrobe.