Tennis prodigy Florence Farley is torn between romance and her mother's ambitions.
Michael McKean reflects on his first Emmy nomination for "Better Call Saul" as well as his iconic roles over the years.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Hard, Fast and Beautiful! (1951)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
Outrage
(1950)
Certificate: Passed
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Ida Lupino
Stars:
Mala Powers,
Tod Andrews,
Robert Clarke
Never Fear
(1950)
Certificate: Passed
Drama
Director:
Ida Lupino
Stars:
Sally Forrest,
Keefe Brasselle,
Hugh O'Brian
The Bigamist
(1953)
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Ida Lupino
Stars:
Joan Fontaine,
Ida Lupino,
Edmund Gwenn
Not Wanted
(1949)
Drama
Directors:
Elmer Clifton,
Ida Lupino
Stars:
Sally Forrest,
Keefe Brasselle,
Leo Penn
The Hitch-Hiker
(1953)
Crime
|
Film-Noir
|
Thriller
Director:
Ida Lupino
Stars:
Edmond O'Brien,
Frank Lovejoy,
William Talman
On Dangerous Ground
(1951)
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Directors:
Nicholas Ray,
Ida Lupino
Stars:
Ida Lupino,
Robert Ryan,
Ward Bond
Private Hell 36
(1954)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Don Siegel
Stars:
Ida Lupino,
Steve Cochran,
Howard Duff
Heat Lightning
(1934)
Certificate: Passed
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Mervyn LeRoy
Stars:
Aline MacMahon,
Ann Dvorak,
Preston Foster
Hangmen Also Die!
(1943)
Drama
|
Film-Noir
|
Thriller
Director:
Fritz Lang
Stars:
Brian Donlevy,
Walter Brennan,
Anna Lee
Something Different
(1963)
Drama
Director:
Vera Chytilová
Stars:
Vladimir Bosak,
Eva Bosáková,
Dagmar Cejnkova
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte
(1964)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Mystery
Director:
Robert Aldrich
Stars:
Bette Davis,
Olivia de Havilland,
Joseph Cotten
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Claire Trevor | ... | Millie Farley | |
| Sally Forrest | ... | Florence Farley | |
| Carleton G. Young | ... | Fletcher Locke | |
| Robert Clarke | ... | Gordon McKay | |
 |
Kenneth Patterson | ... | Will Farley |
|
|
Marcella Cisney | ... | Miss Martin |
| Joseph Kearns | ... | J.R. Carpenter | |
| William Hudson | ... | Interne | |
|
|
George Fisher | ... | George Fisher - Announcer |
|
|
Arthur Little Jr. | ... | Arthur Litte Jr. - Commentator at Forest Hills |
|
|
Bert Whitley | ... | Young official |
|
|
Edwin Reimers | ... | Announcer |
|
|
Don Kent | ... | Umpire |
|
|
William Irving | ... | Umpire |
|
|
Barbara Brier | ... | Girl |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (42) »
Storyline
Boy (Gordon) meets girl (Florence), sharing an interest in tennis. But Florence has a supremely ambitious mother who intends to push her ahead regardless (she barely knows her own husband exists). Florence's tennis career rapidly advances, thanks to mother's manipulation and a promotion-minded coach; building toward the inevitable conflict between the fulfilment of Mother's dreams...and daughter's. Written by Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>
Plot Keywords:
smothering mother daughter relationship | film directed by female | professional tennis player | new jersey tournament | stress |Taglines:
The things she had to do...the lies she had to tell...the love-affair she had to hide...these were the price of fame in the big-time tennis racket. See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
21 April 1952 (Sweden) See more »Also Known As:
Mother of a Champion See more »Filming Locations:
West Side Tennis Club - 1 Tennis Place, Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York, USA See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Explore popular action and adventure titles available to stream with Prime Video.
"Hard, Fast, and Beautiful" from 1951 sounds like one of those racy '50s films that has a luridly colored poster, some babe in a strapless dress being attacked by lecherous man. It is instead a film about a tennis player and her mother - go figure.
This is a small film directed by Ida Lupino. Sally Forrest plays Florence Farley, a young tennis player who shows real talent, so much so that the local country club gives her a membership and then offers to sponsor her in a competition. Claire Trevor plays her ambitious mother, Millie, a disappointed woman who feels that her husband never amounted to anything. Now she has focused all of her attention on her daughter and plans on hitching her wagon to Florence's star.
Florence is eventually discovered by a promoter, Fletcher Locke (Carleton Young) who believes that with the right training on her backhand, she can go all the way. He also is very good at getting around Florence's amateur status and getting money for her. All this is fine with Millie. Then Florence and her boyfriend decide to get married, and he wants her to quit tennis.
I love Claire Trevor, and it's a shame to see a talent such as hers in what is essentially a B movie. The film has a few problems, one of which is, seen today, it's badly dated. A young woman who has devoted hours upon hours of work and wins the U.S. Open, and her fiancé tells her to quit, not bother with a European tour, and she's going to? I understand it was a different time, and women often married and stopped pursuing careers. Nothing wrong with that, but in this case, with a professional career just beginning, it seems odd.
The best parts of the film are the scenes with Flo's father (Kenneth Patterson) who is a gentle man, very proud of his daughter, hurt by his wife, and who just wants Florence's happiness.
All in all, not a very convincing film, with an excellent performance by Trevor, and uneven acting by Forrest and her not very likable boyfriend (Gordon McKay).