The Actress (1953)

Former seaman Clinton Jones now works at a lowly job. His daughter Ruth wants to become an actress. Clinton gets fired and Ruth rejects the advances of Fred Whitmarsh. Her father gives her ... See full summary »

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Ruth Gordon (screenplay), Ruth Gordon (from the play "Years Ago" by)

Stars:

Spencer Tracy, Jean Simmons, Teresa Wright

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Spencer Tracy	...	Clinton Jones
Jean Simmons	...	Ruth Gordon Jones
Teresa Wright	...	Annie Jones
Anthony Perkins	...	Fred Whitmarsh
Ian Wolfe	...	Mr. Bagley
Kay Williams	...	Hazel Dawn
Mary Wickes	...	Emma Glavey
Norma Jean Nilsson	...	Anna
Dawn Bender	...	Katherine

Storyline

Former seaman Clinton Jones now works at a lowly job. His daughter Ruth wants to become an actress. Clinton gets fired and Ruth rejects the advances of Fred Whitmarsh. Her father gives her his seaman's spyglass to sell as she heads for New York City.

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Plot Keywords:

actress | seaman | proposal | massachusetts | career | 

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Taglines:

There's hope and heart-ache in the adventures of a stage-struck daughter!

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Years Ago

Filming Locations:

Inglewood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several cast members in studio records/casting call lists for this movie were not seen in the final print. These were (with their character names): Keith Hitchcock (Comedian), Mitchell Lewis (Stage Doorman), Matt Moore (Waiter), Walter Reed (John Craig) and [error] (Mr. Donough).

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Goofs

In a scene late in the film set in the kitchen, the light fixture over the kitchen table is seen (and heard!) to rise up to allow the camera to pass below it.

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Quotes

Annie Jones: Ruth, why don't you give up this going on the stage business and settle down with a nice man?
Ruth Gordon Jones: Oh, mama, don't be disgusting!

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Connections

Featured in The Men Who Made the Movies: George Cukor (1973)

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Soundtracks

"The Washington Post"
(1889) (uncredited)
Music by John Philip Sousa
Music played during the exercise exhibition

User Reviews

Long winded and short on action

I knew nothing about this movie when I began watching it, just that it was a biography of the actress Ruth Gordon, who I had seen in a couple of movies. Therefore, I was expecting a full biography, from childhood to middle-age, and was puzzled and bored after a while when things just didn't progress. It turns out that the time frame of the movie takes place during a couple of months, when Ruth finishes high school and goes off to New York to become an actress. So we see scene after scene of Ruth, her friends and her mother talking about her ambitions and how they need to hide them from her father, who wants Ruth to have a steady job as a phys-ed teacher.

The fact that this movie was adapted from a play becomes evident as key scenes (which would require additional actors and sets) are never shown, such as Ruth meeting the actress who inspired her backstage, and her audition with a famous director. Including these scenes would have livened up the movie considerably.

Also, Jean Simmons was just too beautiful to play Ruth Gordon. And she kept going on about how short she was, which although true for the real Ruth is not the case with Jean! However, I enjoyed Spencer Tracy's performance immensely, though, as Ruth's grumpy father. As others have said, his description of his childhood at the dinner table is riveting.