Lovin' Molly (1974)

Spanning nearly 40 years from 1925 to 1964, two Texas farm boys; straight-arrow Gid and laid-back Johnny fight over the affections of the beautiful and headstrong Molly Taylor, who ... See full summary »

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

Larry McMurtry (novel), Stephen J. Friedman (screenplay)

Stars:

Anthony Perkins, Beau Bridges, Blythe Danner

Cast

Cast overview:
Anthony Perkins	...	Gid
Beau Bridges	...	Johnny
Blythe Danner	...	Molly Taylor
Edward Binns	...	Mr. Fry
Susan Sarandon	...	Sarah
Conard Fowkes	...	Eddie
Claude Traverse	...	Mr. Taylor
John Henry Faulk	...	Mr. Grinsom

Storyline

Spanning nearly 40 years from 1925 to 1964, two Texas farm boys; straight-arrow Gid and laid-back Johnny fight over the affections of the beautiful and headstrong Molly Taylor, who consistently refuses to marry either of them.

---

Plot Keywords:

texas | farm | heart attack | marriage | extramarital affair | 

---

Taglines:

If there's a love story in you, this movie will touch it.

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 April 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Molly, Gid & Johnny

Filming Locations:

Bastrop, Texas, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During a production lunch break, screenwriter Stephen J. Friedman spotted a hippie vagrant mooching from the food line, and threw him out. That hippie, Tobe Hooper, then wandered to Austin where he filmed The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and completed it before "Lovin' Molly" was even released.

---

Quotes

Mr. Fry: A woman's love is like the morning dew: it's as apt to settle on a horse turd as a rose.

User Reviews

Two friends vie for the same woman through the years.

Coming on the heels of The Last Picture Show, this Larry McMurtry adaptation must've sounded like a sure thing with the likes of Beau Bridges, Anthony Perkins, and Blythe Danner before the cameras and the great Sidney Lumet behind but ultimately this film is a case of too much too soon. This story, which resembles last year's The Hi-Lo Country, could've been much more interesting in the hands of others. Bridges and Danner give their acting chops a good exercise but it's a case of bringing on newcomers before their time while Perkins is just miscast period. Even Lumet shows he's in unfamiliar territory by shooting the outdoor sequences in a flat, TV movie fashion while keeping the performances more in tune with the melodramatic films of yesteryear instead of being true to the times in which the film was made. Imagine what Sam Peckinpah or Martin Ritt could've done with the material. Neither being completely horrible or forgivably worthwhile, Lovin' Molly will remain an interesting footnote in the careers of all involved.