The Bigamist (1953)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Ida Lupino

Writers:

Larry Marcus (story) and
Lou Schor (story) ...

Release Date:

3 December 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Wanted by two women!

Plot:

Harry and Eve Graham are trying to adopt a baby. The head of the agency senses Harry is keeping a secret and does some investigating...

Plot Keywords:

Adoption | Chinese Restaurant | Los Angeles California | Husband And Wife | Family Secret

Cast

Joan Fontaine	...	Eve Graham
Ida Lupino	...	Phyllis Martin
Edmund Gwenn	...	Mr. Jordan
Edmond O'Brien	...	Harry Graham / Harrison Graham
Kenneth Tobey	...	Tom Morgan, Defense Attorney
Jane Darwell	...	Mrs. Connelley
Peggy Maley	...	Phone Operator
Lillian Fontaine	...	Miss Higgins, Landlady
Matt Dennis	...	Himself, Singer
John Maxwell	...	Judge

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Australia:PG | UK:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #16677, Adult Audience)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Filmakers, The

Trivia:

This would be the last feature film directed by Ida Lupino for more than 12 years until The Trouble with Angels (1966).

Quotes:

Mr. Jordan: I can't figure out my feelings towards you, I despise you, and I pity you. I don't even want to shake your hand, and yet I almost wish you luck.

Movie Connections:

References Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Soundtrack:

It Wasn't The Stars That Thrilled Me

very strange, but good, by gum!

This is one of the strangest films I have ever seen coming from Hollywood in the 1950s. It is a very engaging film about Edmond O'Brien and his double-life. He is married to Joan Fontaine and loves her, but there marriage is very distant--both emotionally and because O'Brien is on the road so much as a traveling salesman. Eventually, he is driven by loneliness to another woman in another town. Over and over, he vows to break it off but eventually this other woman becomes pregnant and he just can bring himself to either leave her or his wife! The movie is shown through flashbacks. And, despite the sensational plot, the movie is actually done very sedately and avoids sensationalism. Instead, it tries to portray O'Brien in a pretty sympathetic light--while not excusing his actions. And, by doing so, the movie really gets you thinking. An excellent job of acting by all, but the star of this picture is Ida Lupino who plays the second wife and so deftly directed this little film. It's well worth a watch.

PS--one very cute little inside joke was when O'Brien and Lupino were on a bus going past homes of the stars. Among the many stars' homes that were pointed out by the tour guide was that of Edmund Gwenn--who actually plays a major role in the film as an adoption agency investigator!