Mr. Skeffington (1944)

Popular and beautiful Fanny Trellis is forced into a loveless marriage with an older man, Jewish banker Job Skeffington, in order to save her beloved brother Trippy from an embezzlement charge, and predictable complications result.

Director:

Vincent Sherman

Writers:

Julius J. Epstein (screen play), Philip G. Epstein (screen play)

Stars:

Bette Davis, Claude Rains, Walter Abel

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bette Davis	...	Fanny Trellis Skeffington
Claude Rains	...	Job Skeffington
Walter Abel	...	George Trellis
George Coulouris	...	Doctor Byles
Richard Waring	...	Trippy Trellis
Marjorie Riordan	...	Fanny, Jr.
Robert Shayne	...	MacMahon
John Alexander	...	Jim Conderley
Jerome Cowan	...	Edward Morrison
Johnny Mitchell	...	Johnny Mitchell
Dorothy Peterson	...	Manby
Peter Whitney	...	Chester Forbish
Bill Kennedy	...	Bill Thatcher
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ann Codee	...	French Modiste (scenes deleted)
Antonio Filauri	...	Modiste (scenes deleted)

Storyline

It's 1914 in New York City. Adult brother and sister Trippy Trellis and Fanny Trellis, whose parents are now deceased, were once wealthy, but Trippy squandered away the family fortune, about which no one knows except their cousin George Trellis and their many creditors. Fanny and Trippy still put on the façade to the outside world that they have money. The beautiful Fanny can have any man that she wants to marry, but she sets her sights on Job Skeffington, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. Job's wealth was self-made in finance. They met as Trippy was once employed by Job in his brokerage house. Fanny and Job, who is now aware of the Trellis' financial straits, ultimately do get married, much to the consternation of Fanny's many suitors, but most specifically to Trippy, who knows the reason why Fanny married him. Job also realizes that Fanny does not love him, but is unaware of the real reason she agreed to marry him. After their marriage, Fanny's suitors are still around with more...

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Plot Keywords:

jewish | embezzlement | younger version of character | character name as title | suitor | 

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Taglines:

BETTE DAVIS at her very greatest

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 August 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Leben der Mrs. Skeffington

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

146 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the time most Warner Brothers A features had a 30 day shooting schedule. "Mr.Skeffington" took 110. When Jack Warner sent the Epstein Twins a note inquiring why the picture was behind schedule, their tersely humorous reply was, "Bette Davis is a slow director."

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Goofs

As a measure of the progression of time, a newspaper headline flashes President Warren G. Harding's Washington Disarmament Conference of 1921-22, and stock footage shows the U.S. Capitol Dome with 1940s-era taxicabs pouring up Pennsylvania Avenue.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jim Conderley: Good evening, Soames!
Soames: Good evening, Mr. Conderley.
Jim Conderley: Afraid I'm a little early, aren't I?
Soames: Miss Trellis wasn't expecting anyone till 8 o'clock.
Jim Conderley: Well, I thought I'd come a little ahead of time; have a little chat with Miss Fanny.
Soames: Sorry, sir; she's still dressing.
Jim Conderley: All right, I'll wait.

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Alternate Versions

Some prints of "Mr. Skeffington" run 127 minutes. The film was cut from 146 minutes immediately after its world premiere run in New York City in 1944, and the cut footage was considered "lost" until the 1988 home video release from MGM/UA restored the film to its original length.

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Connections

Featured in Women He's Undressed (2015)

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Soundtracks

Someone to Watch Over Me
(1926) (uncredited)
Music by George Gershwin
Played by the band at the supper club

User Reviews

A Woman is Beautiful Only When She is Loved

In 1914, in New York, Fanny Trellis (Bette Davis) is a shallow futile selfish woman surrounded by suitors and without any other preoccupation but her beauty. Her brother Trippy Trellis (Richard Waring) wasted the fortune of the family. When he fakes business in stock market and embezzles US$ 24,000.00 commission from the Skeffington Bank, the wealthy Job Skeffington goes to Trellis' house to charge the amount back and meets Fanny. He falls in love for Fanny and she marries him to save Trippy. Fanny gets pregnant, but her selfishness destroys their marriage and they divorce. Many years later, when Fanny has diphtheria and loses her beauty, she realizes that a woman is beautiful only when she is loved.

"Mr. Skeffington" is a good melodramatic love story, silly and dated in many parts, but also very beautiful and touching. The story about a selfish woman that is only concerned with her beauty and does not learn how to grow-up and age has many memorable scenes, mostly because of the performance of Bette Davis and the make-up of the actors and actresses. In the present days, it can be clearly seem that the story shows also a quite incestuous relationship between Fanny and Trippy. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Vaidade" ("Vain")