IMDb > Mr. Skeffington (1944)
Mr. Skeffington
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Mr. Skeffington (1944) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 2)
Mr. Skeffington (1944) -- Popular and beautiful Fanny Trellis is forced into a loveless marriage with an older man, Jewish banker Job Skeffington, in order to save her beloved brother Trippy from an embezzlement charge and predictable complications result.
Mr. Skeffington (1944) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   1,857 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Julius J. Epstein (screenplay) &
Philip G. Epstein (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Mr. Skeffington on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 May 1944 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
Popular and beautiful Fanny Trellis is forced into a loveless marriage with an older man, Jewish banker Job Skeffington, in order to save her beloved brother Trippy from an embezzlement charge and predictable complications result. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. more
User Comments:
Brilliantly executed tale with remarkable political insight more (68 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Bette Davis ... Fanny Trellis

Claude Rains ... Job Skeffington
Walter Abel ... George Trellis
George Coulouris ... Doctor Byles
Richard Waring ... Trippy Trellis
Marjorie Riordan ... Frances Rachel Trellis aka Young Fanny
Robert Shayne ... MacMahon
John Alexander ... Jim Conderley
Jerome Cowan ... Edward Morrison
Johnny Mitchell ... Johnny Mitchell
Dorothy Peterson ... Manby
Peter Whitney ... Chester Forbish
Bill Kennedy ... Bill Thatcher
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Additional Details

Runtime:
145 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
Spain:7 | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (certificate #9762) | UK:U (re-rating) (2005) | UK:A (original rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Bette Davis was not the first choice for the role of Fanny. The part was first offered first to Merle Oberon and then to Hedy Lamarr who both turned it down. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: As a measure of the progression of time, a newspaper headline flashes President Harding's Washington Disarmament Conference of 1921-22, and stock footage shows the U.S. Capitol Dome with 1940s-era taxicabs pouring up Pennsylvania Avenue. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Jim Conderley: Good evening, Soames!
Soames: Good evening, Mr. Conderley.
Jim Conderley: Afraid I'm a little early, aren't I?
Soames: Miss Trellis wasn't expecting anyone till 8 o'clock.
Jim Conderley: Well, I thought I'd come a little ahead of time; have a little chat with Miss Fanny.
Soames: Sorry, sir; she's still dressing.
Jim Conderley: All right, I'll wait.
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2006) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Oh! You Beautiful Doll more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful.
Brilliantly executed tale with remarkable political insight, 25 October 1999
9/10
Author: Michael Asimow (asimow@law.ucla.edu) from Los Angeles

Mr. Skeffington is remarkable for its time because it candidly deals with the subject of anti-semitism. Skeffington is a successful Jewish stockbroker who rose from the slums. Fanny Trellis came from aristocratic wealth but is now broke. Their marriage of convenience outrages Fanny's blueblooded family and relatives. The film contains a candid treatment of marital disintegration and mutual infidelity followed by a typical N.Y. fault-based divorce (in which both parties are at fault but the husband allows a default divorce to proceed). Fanny gladly gives up custody of her daughter so that she can maintain her liberated lifestyle; little Fanny is responsibly raised by her father (who schleps her off to Germany). There is also a painful scene in which father and daughter agree to stay together in which the father warns her that by staying with him she will be treated as Jewish and will confront discrimination, especially in Germany. All of this was quite unusual for films of the time. Of course, the film was made in 1944 when anti-Nazi themes were permissible, but even then it was rare to see even reasonably candid treatment of divorce and child custody issues and rarer yet to see anti-semitism.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Mr. Skeffington (1944)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Terrible acting bbowman-7
Who to play Fanny now? phillytop
Ugly Bette??? miriamwebster
What year does this film end on? SPOILERS ridgeridoo
why was Job the bad guy? How about Fanny? harrisonb-1
Best Awkward Moments valvaljean
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