Hard, Fast and Beautiful! (1951)

Tennis prodigy Florence Farley is torn between romance and her mother's ambitions.

Director:

Ida Lupino

Writers:

Martha Wilkerson (screenplay), John R. Tunis (novel)

Stars:

Claire Trevor, Sally Forrest, Carleton G. Young

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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

smothering mother daughter relationship | film directed by female | professional tennis player | new jersey tournament | stress | 

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Taglines:

THE PRICE OF FAME IN THE BIG-TIME TENNIS RACKET! (original poster-all caps)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eleanor Tennant, who is credited as a technical advisor for this film coached Sally Forrest on her tennis scenes. Tennant was the first female tennis player to become a professional and was runner-up in doubles at the 1920 U.S. Championships. She also coached numerous Hollywood stars, including Clark Gable and Carole Lombard.

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Goofs

Florence looks at her new necklace in the mirror while she is wearing it. The words I LOVE YOU CHAMP are seen in the mirror. They ought to have been backwards.

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Connections

Featured in Howard Hughes: His Women and His Movies (2000)

User Reviews

dated

"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).

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 February 1952 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Mother of a Champion

Filming Locations:

West Side Tennis Club - 1 Tennis Place, Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Filmakers

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1