Jeanne Eagels (1957)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

George Sidney

Writers:

John Fante (writer)
Daniel Fuchs (screenplay)

Release Date:

2 August 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

TOO MANY SINS TO FORGET! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

A poor but beautiful girl named Jeanne takes part in a beauty contest but fails to be crowned its queen...

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Carnival | Play | Suicide | Star

Cast

Kim Novak	...	Jeanne Eagels
Jeff Chandler	...	Sal Satori
Agnes Moorehead	...	Nellie Neilson
Charles Drake	...	John Donahue
Larry Gates	...	Al Brooks
Virginia Grey	...	Elsie Desmond
Gene Lockhart	...	Equity Board President
Joe De Santis	...	Frank Satori
Murray Hamilton	...	Chick O'Hara

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

As with most film biographies, this film is more screenwriter's fancy than fact. Among other things, Jeanne Eagels was never a carnival dancer and was never known to have been the cause of another performer's suicide. Further, the character of Sal Satori was a fictional compilation character based upon several men in Ms. Eagels's life.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: During a carnival scene at Coney Island, the music in the background is The Victory Polka which was written by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn during World War II and not yet written for a film set in the Roaring Twenties.

The emotional impact of the movie

I found this movie to be surprisingly 'deep' in its impact upon me. It ended up being one of the most compelling and one of the saddest movies I have ever seen. This reaction was not normal for me and was not expected from the storyline, yet it has remained one of the movies that I always mention when asked for memorable movies.