From the Terrace (1960)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Mark Robson

Writers:

John O'Hara (novel)
Ernest Lehman (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 September 1960 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An ambitious young executive chooses a loveless marriage and an unfulfilling personal life in exchange for a successful Wall Street career.

Plot Keywords:

Career | Loveless Marriage | Business | New York | Wall Street

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

Paul Newman	...	David Alfred Eaton
Joanne Woodward	...	Mary St. John / Mrs. Alfred Eaton
Myrna Loy	...	Martha Eaton
Ina Balin	...	Natalie Benzinger
Leon Ames	...	Samuel Eaton
Elizabeth Allen	...	Sage Rimmington
Barbara Eden	...	Clemmie Shreve
George Grizzard	...	Alexander 'Lex' Porter
Patrick O'Neal	...	Dr. Jim Roper
Felix Aylmer	...	James Duncan MacHardie
Raymond Greenleaf	...	Fritz Thornton
Malcolm Atterbury	...	George Fry
Raymond Bailey	...	Mr. Eugene St.John
Ted de Corsia	...	Mr. Ralph W. Benziger
Howard Caine	...	Creighton Duffy

Runtime:

149 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:18A (video rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #19577) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Linebrook

Trivia:

Fox Movietone newsreel footage of the premiere shows Ina Balin, David Hedison, and then current Oscar nominee Peter Falk (for Fox's "Murder Inc.") in attendance.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the billiard game between Mr. MacHardie and Alfred, as MacHardie lines up for his shot, the red ball disappears.

Quotes:

Mary St. John: Well... and what does she call you?
Alfred Eaton: Huh?
Mary St. John: Miss, um... Benziger. She calls me Mrs. Eaton and you call her Natalie, but she doesn't call you anything. Aren't you Mr. Eaton or Alfred?
Alfred Eaton: As a matter of fact, I'm Calvin Coolidge but she doesn't know that.

Soundtrack:

Give Me the Simple Life

Interesting mid-century drama.

This engaging 1960 Hollywood production anticipated a coming decade of changing values in America. Its script teeters a bit, emphasizing a bit more the strain of the love conflict rather than the story's real essence. This is an easy mark for critics standing by with sharp knives who may then view it as superficial. However, its real drama depicts the changing generations of an America where at one time successes was measured only by the bank account and social prominence and not by integrity, the ramifications of truth in character.

Here, we see the contrasting generations in conflict. The Old Guard embraced expediency and placed the home and its values second to business success. Once in a while, a young man came along with enough awareness to see the lie in this doctrine. FROM THE TERRACE is in its pure essence the story about such a young man. This was done with a bit more success a few years before in THE MAN IN THE GRAY FLANNEL SUIT but this drama is certainly worthwhile seeing. It is well cast and played with production values that at the time were the best that Hollywood could offer. This includes an outstanding music score by Elmer Bernstein.