Cynthia (1947)

Sickly girl finds an outlet in music.

Director:

Robert Z. Leonard

Writers:

Harold Buchman, Viña Delmar (play)

Stars:

Elizabeth Taylor, George Murphy, S.Z. Sakall

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Cynthia Bishop
George Murphy	...	Larry Bishop
S.Z. Sakall	...	Prof. Rosenkrantz
Mary Astor	...	Louise Bishop
Gene Lockhart	...	Dr. Fred I. Jannings
Spring Byington	...	Carrie Jannings
Jimmy Lydon	...	Ricky Latham
Scotty Beckett	...	Will Parker
Carol Brannon	...	Fredonia Jannings (as Carol Brannan)
Anna Q. Nilsson	...	Miss Brady, English Teacher
Morris Ankrum	...	Mr. Phillips, Principal
Kathleen Howard	...	Mac McQuillan, Jannings' Nurse
Shirley Johns	...	Stella Regan
Barbara Challis	...	Alice
Harlan Briggs	...	J.M. Dingle, Napoleon Hardware

Storyline

Sickly girl finds an outlet in music.

---

Plot Keywords:

character name as title | forename as title | one word title | first love | based on play | 

---

Taglines:

You'll fall in love with Cynthia

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dame Elizabeth Taylor and Scotty Beckett appeared in A Date with Judy (1948).

---

Connections

Featured in That's Entertainment! (1974)

---

Soundtracks

Buckle Down, Winsocki
(uncredited)
Written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane

User Reviews

Like a hot house geranium

Elizabeth Taylor still a sweet young thing stars in the title role of Cynthia, a teen thought of as sickly by her over doting parents George Murphy and Mary Astor. I have to say that Liz looked pretty healthy to me.

A short prologue tells some of the answer. Mary Astor marries big man on campus George Murphy and both as it turns out are planning to study in Vienna, him medicine, her music. But the Great Depression happens and both return to the USA with a baby daughter and worried most of all about security.

I'm sure that the baby in its early years gets doted on and may have had more than her share of illnesses. But the parents develop an overprotective attitude and a hypochondria about her. Which is making Dr. Gene Lockhart who is married to Spring Byington, Astor's sister practically a practice of his own.

Kids do grow out of these things. One of my nieces was very sickly as a child, but she's 32 now and quite healthy. My brother and his wife never developed the attitude that Murphy and Astor have. She was not the hot house geranium that Murphy and Astor have raised.

Lockhart and Byington have a daughter Carol Brannan and Brannan as Liz's cousin thinks of nothing but boys 24/7. There's one special boy in Jimmy Lydon who lied about his age and went to war. Now he's back in high school and seen as the catch of the year.

Lydon never really rings true as a character. He surely doesn't show any of the maturity that one would have after war service. I can't see how he would fit into high school. Just get a GED and go claim your GI benefits would be more realistic. Lydon doesn't seem that much more mature than Scotty Beckett who is Brannan's ever reliable boyfriend and playing awkward as he always did as a teen. Lydon's character is a weakness that the movie Cynthia has.

It's biggest strength is Taylor of course. It's really heart warming to see her emerge from the hot house. Also S.Z. Sakall as a sympathetic music teacher who remembers old Vienna steals every scene he's in as he always does.

Cynthia is a film as old as I am. It's also holding up in far better shape than this author. Elizabeth Taylor's legion of fans will still love it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 August 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cynthia

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,318,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1