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.
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Title: Mr. Skeffington (1944)
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Nominated for
2
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Bette Davis | ... | ||
| Claude Rains | ... | ||
| Walter Abel | ... | ||
| George Coulouris | ... |
Doctor Byles
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| Richard Waring | ... |
Trippy Trellis
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Marjorie Riordan | ... |
Fanny, Jr.
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| Robert Shayne | ... |
MacMahon
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| John Alexander | ... |
Jim Conderley
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| Jerome Cowan | ... |
Edward Morrison
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Johnny Mitchell | ... |
Johnny Mitchell
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Dorothy Peterson | ... |
Manby
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| Peter Whitney | ... |
Chester Forbish
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| Bill Kennedy | ... |
Bill Thatcher
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Ann Codee | ... |
French Modiste
(scenes deleted)
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Antonio Filauri | ... |
Modiste
(scenes deleted)
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Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
It's 1914 in New York City. Adult brother and sister Trippy Trellis and Fanny Trellis, whose parents are now deceased, were once wealthy, but Trippy squandered away the family fortune, about which no one knows except their cousin George Trellis and their many creditors. Fanny and Trippy still put on the façade to the outside world that they have money. The beautiful Fanny can have any man that she wants to marry, but she sets her sights on Job Skeffington, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. Job's wealth was self-made in finance. They met as Trippy was once employed by Job in his brokerage house. Fanny and Job, who is now aware of the Trellis' financial straits, ultimately do get married, much to the consternation of Fanny's many suitors, but most specifically to Trippy, who knows the reason why Fanny married him. Job also realizes that Fanny does not love him, but is unaware of the real reason she agreed to marry him. After their marriage, Fanny's suitors are still around with more... Written by Huggo
Taglines:
BETTE DAVIS at her very greatest See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
12 August 1944 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Das Leben der Mrs. Skeffington See more »Filming Locations:
Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USACompany Credits
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company contact information
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
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.
See more »
(1927) (uncredited)
Music by Harry M. Woods
Played on the piano at the speakeasy
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The ship Mr Skeffington and his daughter take to Europe appears to be the United States Lines' SS Leviathan. See more »Goofs
When Job takes his young daughter Fannie to the restaurant, her water glass keeps alternating between nearly full to one-third full. See 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.
See more »
Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Fabulous Baker Boys/Breaking In/Crimes and Misdemeanors/Look Who's Talking (1989) See more »Soundtracks
I'm Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover(1927) (uncredited)
Music by Harry M. Woods
Played on the piano at the speakeasy
See more »
Bette Davis was an actress. She did not play herself over and over but reinvented herself in each film she made. Mr Skeffington is curiously names after Claude Rains character Mr Skeffington, like Dorothy Arzner's Christopher Strong, a film about Cynthia Darrington ( Katherine Hepburn). Davis plays a Fanny, a woman of less than average intelligence, one afraid of being a woman, mostly because of the attention paid to her by ridiculous suitors, and a life spent in sucking up to them and learning how to get what she wants because of their stupidity. Finally she is truly loved by Mr Skellington (Claude Rains). Nevertheless she still feels embarassed having a baby so she goes back east to hid her growing body. Whatever made her into the fragile and distant creature she truly is underneath her silly flirtations and airs, she realizes in the end the shallowness of her fan club and the true love of the man who loves her no matter what. She conveys the bunglings of a woman caught up in her appearance and the futility of living as an image brilliantly. Well done Bette! You still outshine all actresses living!