The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

Charles Schnee (screenplay)
George Bradshaw (story)

Release Date:

9 February 1953 (Brazil)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

I took you out of the gutter . . . I can fling you back!

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.

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Cynical | Filmmaking | Lake Arrowhead California | Alcoholic

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Lana Turner	...	Georgia
Kirk Douglas	...	Jonathan
Walter Pidgeon	...	Harry Pebbel
Dick Powell	...	James Lee
Barry Sullivan	...	Fred
Gloria Grahame	...	Rosemary
Gilbert Roland	...	Gaucho
Leo G. Carroll	...	Henry Whitfield
Vanessa Brown	...	Kay Amiel
Paul Stewart	...	Syd
Sammy White	...	Gus
Elaine Stewart	...	Lila
Ivan Triesault	...	Von Ellstein

Also Known As:

Memorial to a Bad Man (USA) (working title)
Tribute to a Badman (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | UK:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #16017) | Argentina:16 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows - 9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The character played by Kathleen Freeman was based on Alfred Hitchcock's wife, Alma Reville.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the George Lorrison's house, Jonathan cuts a drawing from the wallpaper and holds it unrolled. In the next shot he is holding it in half rolled up.

Quotes:

Lila: [to Georgia] I forgot to tell you, Georgia. I saw the picture. Thought you were swell.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Don't Blame Me

Wonderful movie

I watched it on the telly just this afternoon and it had been a while since I had seen TBATB. I loved it. Douglas is brilliant and so is the rest of the cast. Turner (a mediocre actress, at best)delivers her best performance. The story is wonderfully entertaining, if not ultra-realistic. The mood is not mean-spiritted, with enough room for humour. Catch this on a saturday or sunday afternoon and you'll be spending 2 hours in joy.

I give it a 9.