Alternate title: Aunt Pittypat On Steroids!
I can't remember ever seeing Laura HoHope Crews in any signficant role...other than as Aunt Pittypat in "Gone With The Wind", so when I saw this on TCM I wanted to sample it. What a role! It's enought to make you shudder! And while she gets third billing, it's no question that Crew is the focus here. There was one thing I kept wondering throughout the film -- was it appropriate for an old mother to be wearing such lowcut dresses?
This must have been a difficult role for Joel McCrea...to be so emasculated. But he handles it well, here. As does -- similarly -- the brother played by Eric Linden. And when Linden's character kisses his mother full on the lips...well...that was unexpected!
Irene Dunne is the nominal star here, and she does well...especially in her climactic near soliloquy.
I wasn't quite as impressed by Frances Dee, but the suicide attempt is yet another shocker.
I was surprisingly impressed by this film, particularly because it somewhat felt like a stage play (which it was based on).
And yes, not far into the film I did think of Lillian Hellman's works, although they were all in the deep South, while this was in the snowy north.
I can't remember ever seeing Laura HoHope Crews in any signficant role...other than as Aunt Pittypat in "Gone With The Wind", so when I saw this on TCM I wanted to sample it. What a role! It's enought to make you shudder! And while she gets third billing, it's no question that Crew is the focus here. There was one thing I kept wondering throughout the film -- was it appropriate for an old mother to be wearing such lowcut dresses?
This must have been a difficult role for Joel McCrea...to be so emasculated. But he handles it well, here. As does -- similarly -- the brother played by Eric Linden. And when Linden's character kisses his mother full on the lips...well...that was unexpected!
Irene Dunne is the nominal star here, and she does well...especially in her climactic near soliloquy.
I wasn't quite as impressed by Frances Dee, but the suicide attempt is yet another shocker.
I was surprisingly impressed by this film, particularly because it somewhat felt like a stage play (which it was based on).
And yes, not far into the film I did think of Lillian Hellman's works, although they were all in the deep South, while this was in the snowy north.