The Country Girl (1954)

A director hires an alcoholic has-been and strikes up a stormy relationship with the actor's wife, who he believes is the cause of all the man's problems.

Director:

George Seaton

Writers:

Clifford Odets (play), George Seaton (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, William Holden

Won 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bing Crosby	...	Frank Elgin
Grace Kelly	...	Georgie Elgin
William Holden	...	Bernie Dodd
Anthony Ross	...	Philip Cook
Gene Reynolds	...	Larry
Jacqueline Fontaine	...	Lounge Singer
Eddie Ryder	...	Ed
Robert Kent	...	Paul Unger
John W. Reynolds	...	Henry Johnson

Storyline

Washed up singer/actor Frank Elgin has a chance to make a come-back when director Bernie Dodd offers him the leading role in his new musical. Frank however is very insecure, turns to alcohol and shuns even the smallest of responsibilities, leaving everything up to his wife Georgie who finds it harder and harder to cope with her husband's lack of spirit. Bernie tries to help Frank regain his self-confidence, believing that it is Georgie who's the cause of his insecurity.

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Plot Keywords:

director | alcoholic | actor | drunkenness | drinking | 

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Taglines:

A Complete Triumph!

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jennifer Jones was first considered for the role of Georgie but was pregnant at the time. She would play the part in 1966 in a New York stage revival.

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Quotes

Bernie Dodd: Oh, he's not too bad. Gruff, but with a heart of stone.

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Connections

Referenced in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)

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Soundtracks

The Pitchman / It's Mine, It's Yours
by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin
Sung by Bing Crosby

User Reviews

Remembering when movies were well-written

Despite Bing Crosby's reputation as an abusive father, he showed that he could be an excellent actor in this movie. Acting AGAINST type, he plays an alcoholic actor in an excellent understated manner with none of the histrionics that some of those movies from that era had. The writer of this movie needs to be applauded. He wrote a play, obviously from reality. Was it CLiff Odets?

William Holden played himself, but this time with great lines. Grace Kelly shows some talent I didn't know she had....more than just a pretty face. Truly amazing. The Academy Awards were deserved indeed.

Buy this one for the ages. Spare yourself the junk at the box office these days.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 May 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Country Girl

Filming Locations:

The closing shot is 1070 Park Avenue, at 88th Street, in New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Perlberg-Seaton Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1