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The Bad and the Beautiful
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The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.7/10   3,798 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
No change in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Vincente Minnelli
Writers:
Charles Schnee (screenplay)
George Bradshaw (story)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Bad and the Beautiful on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 February 1953 (Brazil) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
I took you out of the gutter . . . I can fling you back! more
Plot:
An actress, a director, and a writer are asked to help revive the career of ruthless Hollywood studio bigwig Jonathan Shields. However, all three are reluctant because they have all been used and betrayed by him in the past. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Won 5 Oscars. Another 1 win & 6 nominations more
User Comments:
that bad, bad producer more

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Lana Turner ... Georgia Larisson

Kirk Douglas ... Jonathan Shields
Walter Pidgeon ... Harry Pebbel
Dick Powell ... James Lee Bartlow
Barry Sullivan ... Fred Amiel

Gloria Grahame ... Rosemary Bartlow
Gilbert Roland ... Victor 'Gaucho' Ribera
Leo G. Carroll ... Henry Whitfield
Vanessa Brown ... Kay Amiel
Paul Stewart ... Syd Murphy
Sammy White ... Gus
Elaine Stewart ... Lila
Ivan Triesault ... Von Ellstein
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Memorial to a Bad Man (USA) (working title)
Tribute to a Badman (USA) (working title)
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Runtime:
118 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
Canada:14A (Ontario) | UK:A (original rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #16017) | UK:PG | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Douglas landed the lead role after Clark Gable had turned it down. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Jonathan is shining the flashlight at the girl up the roof, at one point he aims it away from her, but the light remains steadily focused on her legs. more
Quotes:
Victor "Gaucho" Ribera: Don't talk like that about Georgia - or Jonathan. He's a great man!
Lila: Hah hah. There are no great men, buster! There's only men!
more
Movie Connections:
References The Curse of the Cat People (1944) more
Soundtrack:
Don't Blame Me more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
30 out of 45 people found the following comment useful:-
that bad, bad producer, 18 May 2004
Author: didi-5 from United Kingdom

A story of betrayals and misunderstandings in the festering underbelly of Hollywood; this is Vincente Minnelli's cool expose of the workings of a producer (Kirk Douglas, as one of the movies' great detestable characters) and the effect he has on those who come into contact with him: a director who feels abandoned yet goes on to produce his greatest work (Barry Sullivan); an actress who is rescued from semi-alcoholism and turned into a star (Lana Turner, in one of her trademark parts); and a prize-winning novelist who is uprooted to shape his book for the screen (Dick Powell, in one of his last film roles before moving into television and film directing).

We see their stories in a series of flashbacks, linked by the three enemies of Douglas coming together in the office of studio biggie Walter Pidgeon – who coolly reminds them of the good things the producer brought to their lives along with the bad. There are other good performers in smaller roles – Gloria Grahame as Powell's twittery wife, Gilbert Roland as the Latin temptation, and so on. ‘The Bad and the Beautiful', filmed in good old black and white, has plenty of meat to keep you watching. Only the slightly twee ending lets it down, but you can't have everything.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
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The Ending....? meredity13
Harry Pebbel - More Heartless Than Shields? (SPOILERS) KLMonline
What about Novak? fourvin-2
Ending of 'The Bad + The Beautiful Woodie
Gloria's Character Napoleon799
Bad and the Beautiful Character Guide RobertMitchumRules2005
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