Miss Sadie Thompson (1953)

Director:

Curtis Bernhardt

Writers:

Harry Kleiner (writer)
W. Somerset Maugham (story)

Release Date:

23 December 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

RITA TURNS ON THE HEAT IN 3D (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

At a lonely military outpost on American Samoa, sticky heat alternates with torrential rain. A ship quarantine strands here Sadie Thompson...

Plot Keywords:

Fight | Lip Synching | Kissing | Bar | Doctor

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Rita Hayworth	...	Sadie Thompson
José Ferrer	...	Alfred Davidson (as Jose Ferrer)
Aldo Ray	...	Sgt. Phil O'Hara
Russell Collins	...	Dr. Robert MacPhail
Diosa Costello	...	Ameena Horn
Harry Bellaver	...	Joe Horn
Wilton Graff	...	Governor
Peggy Converse	...	Mrs. Margaret Davidson
Henry Slate	...	Pvt. Griggs
Rudy Bond	...	Pvt. Hodges
Charles Bronson	...	Pvt. Edwards (as Charles Buchinsky)
Frances Morris	...	Mrs. MacPhail
Peter Chong	...	Chung
John Grossett	...	Preacher

Also Known As:

Rain (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

3 Channel Stereo

Certification:

UK:12 (DVD rating) (2005) | UK:A (original rating) (1954) (cut) | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (cable rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #16538, Adult Audience) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Kaua'i, Hawaii, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Aldo Ray sits in a hut with natives, trying to find a place for Rita Hayworth in the village. The language used is Samoan. The native says, "Leai se potu," meaning "no room." Ray replies politely but then ends the conversation with, "Alu," which doesn't mean "good-bye" but rather something like, "Get out of here." It's what Samoans say when they shoo animals away from the food or chase children out of the house.

Goofs:

Continuity: Sergeant O'Hara's shirt is wet with sweat as he leaves the radio tent but dry as he exits.

Quotes:

Mr. Davidson: I wasn't appointed to my job, I created it.
Governor: I envy you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Rita Hayworth: The Columbia Lady (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

THE HEAT IS ON

Sadie's story gets the full treatment...Rita is vivacious but story is too familiar...

The old Sadie Thompson story gets the full Technicolor treatment and some eye-filling location photography of a beautiful South Seas island--but nothing hides the fact that the story is simply another reworking of the Somerset Maugham saga about a sinner, a man of the cloth and a bunch of rowdy U.S. Marines.

RITA HAYWORTH gives her all to put some much needed vitality into the tale and puts some heat into her dance number--"The Heat Is On"--while the men aren't shy about showing how they appreciate her earthy charms. But there's not much to say about the story and its labored message about sin and redemption with JOSE FERRER as the uptight preacher who takes a moral stand on her behavior but can't practice what he preaches.

ALDO RAY and CHARLES BRONSON are among the Sadie admirers in uniform and both of them do splendid jobs. Rita has a nice chemistry in all her scenes with Aldo Ray but her scenes with Ferrer never quite have the impact they're supposed to. She handles all the dramatic moments well, but there's a tired look about her face that is most noticeable during the latter half of the film.

Not exactly an upbeat tale, but Rita does make a believable Sadie Thompson.