The Sign of the Ram (1948)

The wheelchair-bound matriarch of an English family uses her handicap to cynically manipulate all those around her. She coldly destroys a daughter's relationship with a man she truly loves,... See full summary »

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

Charles Bennett (screenplay), Margaret Ferguson (novel)

Stars:

Susan Peters, Alexander Knox, Phyllis Thaxter

Cast

Cast overview:
Susan Peters	...	Leah St. Aubyn
Alexander Knox	...	Mallory St. Aubyn
Phyllis Thaxter	...	Sherida Binyon
Peggy Ann Garner	...	Christine St. Aubyn
Ron Randell	...	Dr. Simon Crowdy
Dame May Whitty	...	Clara Brastock
Allene Roberts	...	Jane St. Aubyn
Ross Ford	...	Logan St. Aubyn
Diana Douglas	...	Catherine Woolton

Storyline

The wheelchair-bound matriarch of an English family uses her handicap to cynically manipulate all those around her. She coldly destroys a daughter's relationship with a man she truly loves, and her machinations almost drive the son's fiance to suicide. As the family realizes what she is doing, she becomes even more calculating - and mentally unbalanced.

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Plot Keywords:

handicap | disability | wheelchair | based on novel

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Taglines:

Incredible evil!

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Destino Cruel

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charles Bickford brought the Margaret Ferguson novel to Susan Peters' attention, through her agent. She interested retired director Irving Cummings in the property, Cummings formed an independent company with the Orsatti agency to produce the film. Under the deal they arranged with Columbia, Peters received one-third of the profits.

User Reviews

Nice Cast Which Includes The Return Of Peters, But Story Is Nothing Special

Other than marking the brief return of actress Susan Peters to the screen, there's nothing much noteworthy about this film. It's pretty bland. I can see why audiences back in 1948 were not receptive to this film. It simply has a big "case of the blahs." Too bad, because it has a good cast, leading with Peters who was making a comeback after a horrendous accident three years earlier left her paralyzed from the waist down. If you want to read a sad biography, check out the one here on IMDb Peters and the tragic ending to her brief life.

Anyway, her character in this movie, was the wheelchair-bound "Leah St. Aubyn." Leah appears bright and optimistic despite her physical state but obviously, underneath, is the opposite and winds up a manipulative, selfish person who uses a teen girl to attempt a crime. Nothing against Miss Peters but I couldn't help think that someone more dynamic (i.e. Bette Davis) would have brought a much bigger edge to this story, an edge the film badly needed.

The young manipulated teen was "Christine," played by Peggy Ann Garner of "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" fame. Three or four years past the filming of ATGIB, Peggy Ann is no longer the little girl having grown up and filled out, but her role in here is that of an emotionally immature youngster whose whole world is in the house where this story takes place.

As a fan of Peggy's I was glad to see she had a fairly big role in this movie. She didn't have many opportunities after this movie, for various reasons none of which involved her fine acting talents.

I was also pleased to see Phyllis Thaxter in this film. She plays "Sherida," the hired secretary. Phyllis boasted a wholesomely-beautiful face, one of the better and underrated one of the 1940s glamor decade. Like the aforementioned women, she was never a star as an adult.

I particularly mention the women in this film because it's a woman's movie, a melodrama pure-and-simple. The men in the movie - Alexander Knox, Ron Randell, Ross Ford and a few others - are okay but nothing special.

That pretty much sums up this chick flick; nothing special. The film takes place in England and the actors didn't even bother to fake a British accent!