It's a charming tale of an old actor, Herbert Marshall, who invites a playwright and his wife to dinner and regales them with a gripping story of love and betrayal backstage. Marshall's tale is all baloney. He made the whole thing up because he wanted a chance to audition for a part in the writer's new play. The subterfuge works and Marshall gets the part.
Marshall himself, as the nominal star, is adequate. He was always a decent actor without ever being particularly good. The playwright is the same actor who was Gavin Elster, the man who led Jimmy Stewart astray, in "Vertigo", and he's satisfying as well. The most expressive of the principals is Julie Adams. Her features are long, bony, striking, and beautiful. She managed to keep her good looks through John Wayne's "McQ", about fifteen years later.
Some people, luckier than others, get to look presentable and attractive for years. It counts for a great deal in today's vernacular culture. We would never elect a President Taft today. He was so fat he got stuck in the White House bath tub.
Marshall himself, as the nominal star, is adequate. He was always a decent actor without ever being particularly good. The playwright is the same actor who was Gavin Elster, the man who led Jimmy Stewart astray, in "Vertigo", and he's satisfying as well. The most expressive of the principals is Julie Adams. Her features are long, bony, striking, and beautiful. She managed to keep her good looks through John Wayne's "McQ", about fifteen years later.
Some people, luckier than others, get to look presentable and attractive for years. It counts for a great deal in today's vernacular culture. We would never elect a President Taft today. He was so fat he got stuck in the White House bath tub.