Autumn Leaves (1956)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers (WGA):

Jean Rouverol (written by) (front Jack Jevne) &
Hugo Butler (written by) (front Jack Jevne) ...

Release Date:

1 August 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In the dark, when I feel his heart pounding against mine - is it love? or frenzy? or terror?

Plot:

Millicent Wetherby is a middle-aged woman whose life is devoid of love and affection. Millicent's solitary...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Bare Chested Male | Unmarried Woman | Caviar | Lie

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Joan Crawford	...	Millicent Wetherby
Vera Miles	...	Virginia Hanson
Lorne Greene	...	Mr. Hanson
Ruth Donnelly	...	Liz Eckhart
Shepperd Strudwick	...	Dr. Malcolm Couzzens
Selmer Jackson	...	Mr. Wetherby
Maxine Cooper	...	Nurse Evans
Marjorie Bennett	...	Waitress
Frank Gerstle	...	Mr. Ramsey
Leonard Mudie	...	Colonel Hillyer
Maurice Manson	...	Dr. Masterson
Cliff Robertson	...	Burt Hanson

Also Known As:

The Way We Are (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | USA:Approved (PCA #17762) | West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

William Goetz Productions

Quotes:

[after meeting Milly's landlady, Liz, who is sporting a garishly "loud" Hawaiian-type, floral shirt]
Burt: Who's the character?
Milly: [smiles] Liz Eckhardt. She's the manager.
Burt: Is she always dressed for Halloween? In the middle of the summer?
Milly: [laughs] That happens to be one of her most conservative outfits!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Outrageous! (1977)

Soundtrack:

Autumn Leaves

Joan Crawford in a top-drawer thriller

Joan Crawford gives a real tour-de-force as Milly, a work-obsessed, but lonely spinster who meets a handsome man, Burt (played wonderfully by Cliff Robertson), in a diner late one night. Their meeting turns into romance, and before Milly knows it, they are married in quickie Mexican nuptuals. When they return home, secrets from Burt's past began to come into the open. Before long, Burt turns into an abusive, dillusional schizophrenic. Crawford's performance is amazing (once you get past the shoulder pads and butch haircut) and Vera Miles' role as Burt's devious ex-wife is classic. Don't miss a vicious cat fight between Crawford, Miles, and Lorne Greene, in which Crawford spews at Miles, "And you, ya slut!" Director Robert Aldrich did a tremendous job of taking this melodrama, but never letting it turn into a total soap opera. Great show!