6.2/10
415
20 user 11 critic

Hard, Fast and Beautiful (1951)

Approved | | Drama, Sport | 21 April 1952 (Sweden)
Hard, Fast and Beautiful Poster
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 | See full cast & crew »
Reviews

Photos

Add Image
See all 2 photos »
Learn more

More Like This 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
Outrage (1950)
Certificate: Passed Crime | Drama | Film-Noir
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

A young woman who has just become engaged has her life completely shattered when she is raped while on her way home from work.

Director: Ida Lupino
Stars: Mala Powers, Tod Andrews, Robert Clarke
Next »
Never Fear (1950)
Certificate: Passed Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

A dancer who has just gotten engaged to her partner and choreographer and is about to embark on a major career is devastated to learn that she has contracted polio.

Director: Ida Lupino
Stars: Sally Forrest, Keefe Brasselle, Hugh O'Brian
Next »
Not Wanted (1949)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

After a beautiful but unsophisticated girl is seduced by a worldly piano player and gives up her out-of-wedlock baby, her guilt compels her to kidnap another child.

Directors: Elmer Clifton, Ida Lupino
Stars: Sally Forrest, Keefe Brasselle, Leo Penn
Next »
The Bigamist (1953)
Drama | Film-Noir
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

A man secretly married to two women feels the pressure of his deceit.

Director: Ida Lupino
Stars: Joan Fontaine, Ida Lupino, Edmund Gwenn
Next »
The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
Crime | Film-Noir | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

Two fishermen pick up a psychotic escaped convict who tells them that he intends to murder them when the ride is over.

Director: Ida Lupino
Stars: Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman
Next »
On Dangerous Ground (1951)
Drama | Film-Noir
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

Rough city cop Jim Wilson is disciplined by his captain and is sent upstate, to a snowy mountain town, to help the local sheriff solve a murder case.

Directors: Nicholas Ray, Ida Lupino
Stars: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ward Bond
Next »
Private Hell 36 (1954)
Crime | Drama | Film-Noir
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

When 2 detectives steal $80,000 from a dead robber, one of them suffers from a guilty conscience which could lead to murder.

Director: Don Siegel
Stars: Ida Lupino, Steve Cochran, Howard Duff
Next »
Dance, Girl, Dance (1940)
Comedy | Drama | Musical
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

Judy O'Brien is an aspiring ballerina in a dance troupe. Also in the company is Bubbles, a brash mantrap who leaves the struggling troupe for a career in burlesque. When the company ... See full summary »

Directors: Dorothy Arzner, Roy Del Ruth
Stars: Maureen O'Hara, Louis Hayward, Lucille Ball
Next »
Follow Me Quietly (1949)
Crime | Drama | Film-Noir
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

An obsessed cop tracks an elusive serial killer who strangles his victims on rainy nights.

Director: Richard Fleischer
Stars: William Lundigan, Dorothy Patrick, Jeff Corey
Next »
Merrily We Go to Hell (1932)
Comedy | Drama | Romance
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

A drunken newspaperman is rescued from his alcoholic haze by an heiress whose love sobers him up and encourages him to write a play, but he lapses back into dipsomania.

Director: Dorothy Arzner
Stars: Sylvia Sidney, Fredric March, Adrianne Allen
Next »
Deception (1946)
Crime | Drama | Film-Noir
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A piano teacher believes that her fiancé was killed on the battlefield. When he miraculously returns, they decide to marry, but are threatened by a wealthy, egotistical composer the piano teacher started dating on the rebound after she became convinced her love had died.

Director: Irving Rapper
Stars: Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains
Next »
The Threat (1949)
Certificate: Passed Crime | Drama | Film-Noir
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

Vicious hood 'Red' Kluger escapes from Folsom Prison and carries through on his threats to the detective who arrested him and the D.A. who got him convicted.

Director: Felix E. Feist
Stars: Michael O'Shea, Virginia Grey, Charles McGraw
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 Kenneth Patterson ... Will Farley
Marcella Cisney Marcella Cisney ... Miss Martin
Joseph Kearns ... J.R. Carpenter
William Hudson ... Interne
George Fisher George Fisher ... Announcer
Arthur Little Jr. Arthur Little Jr. ... Himself - Commentator at Forest Hills
Bert Whitley Bert Whitley ... Young official
Edwin Reimers Edwin Reimers ... Announcer
Don Kent Don Kent ... Umpire
William Irving William Irving ... Umpire
Barbara Brier Barbara Brier ... Girl
See full cast »
Edit

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 Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

tennis | triple f rated | f rated | title directed by female | mother daughter relationship | See All (7) »

Taglines:

The Price Of Fame In The Big-Time Sports Racket!

Genres:

Drama | Sport

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release 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

Production Co:

The Filmakers See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See full technical specs »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on the 1930 novel "American Girl" by John R. Tunis, which is a fictionalized account of the life of Helen Wills, a top female tennis player of the 1920s and 1930s. She won 31 Grand Slam tournaments, including 19 singles titles, and 2 Gold Medals at the 1924 Olympics in Paris for singles and doubles. See more »

Connections

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

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Starts well, then loses steam
2 June 2000 | by cabotcove – See all my reviews

The acting and the viewpoint had me riveted in my seat in the first half of this little potboiler, before it turns turgid and never recovers. The tennis scenes are well done. This is one of those movies that seems headed for greatness, but in the end disappoints the viewer.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 20 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Check Out What's Playing on IMDb Freedive

See what movies and TV series you can watch for free today, and visit IMDb Freedive for even more. Select any poster below to play the movie!

Last Action Hero
Tootsie
Survivor
Silverado
Lords of Dogtown

Find more things to watch

Stream Action and Adventure Titles With Prime Video

Explore popular action and adventure titles available to stream with Prime Video.

Start your free trial


Clear your history

Recently Viewed