All the Fine Young Cannibals (1960)

The minister of the town has died and his son Chad has no tears for him. Sarah, who now calls herself Salome, is pregnant with Chad's baby, but Chad has no future, no job and no money. ... See full summary »

Directors:

Michael Anderson, Vincente Minnelli (uncredited)

Writers:

Rosamond Marshall (novel), Robert Thom (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Wagner, Natalie Wood, Susan Kohner

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Wagner	...	Chad Bixby
Natalie Wood	...	Sarah 'Salome' Davis
Susan Kohner	...	Catherine McDowall
George Hamilton	...	Tony McDowall
Pearl Bailey	...	Ruby
Jack Mullaney	...	Putney Tinker
Onslow Stevens	...	Joshua Davis
Anne Seymour	...	Mrs. Bixby
Virginia Gregg	...	Ada Davis
Mabel Albertson	...	Mrs. McDowall
Louise Beavers	...	Rose

Storyline

The minister of the town has died and his son Chad has no tears for him. Sarah, who now calls herself Salome, is pregnant with Chad's baby, but Chad has no future, no job and no money. Therefore, she leaves town on the train heading East. On the train she meets Tony who is heading back to Yale. Tony and his sister Catherine have one thing in common; they are both young, rich and bored with their lives. Salome goes to Yale with Tony and they are soon married, but she does not tell him about Chad or the pregnancy. Ruby takes Chad to New York where he plays trumpet and makes a name for himself. Catherine leaves school and moves in with Tony and Salome, creating tension between the young couple.

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Plot Keywords:

trumpet | pregnancy | husband wife relationship | wife and husband lead actors | family relationships | 

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Taglines:

There are no rules...there is no limit...IN THE LOVE-HUNGRY WORLD OF THESE YOUNG SOPHISTICATES!

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 June 1960 (UK)

Also Known As:

All the Fine Young Cannibals

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avon Productions (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Robert Wagner's first film after finishing his Fox contract. In his autobiography, he states that the studio backlot seemed incredibly quiet with very little activity on the soundstages, and that he could tell that MGM was in trouble.

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Quotes

Chad Bixby: Do you think I'm a fool?
Ruby Jones: I think most men are fools, white boy. And most women.

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Connections

Featured in Let's Get Lost (1988)

User Reviews

Underrated

A very interesting soaper, certainly much better than the Maltin review gives it credit for. The sharp dialogue is probably its best feature; the characters say things very bluntly and pseudo-honestly, like people struggling to be clever when they know, as members of a "postmodern" generation, that it's all been said before and they are doomed to re-enact old cliches themselves. They understand their own ailments and continually refer to how spoiled, afraid and enervated they are. Plot is in territory similar to "Splendor in the Grass" (love is a sickness you grow out of and can eventually re-create where you have settled) but it's real subject is how restless, discontented people spread their unhappiness around, and how this is symptomatic of these modern times. Despite Wagner playing trumpet (he does not make any attempt to sound like Chet Baker, although he IS pretty) and Pearl imitating Billie Holiday (down to a performance of "God Bless the Child") with some unfortunate prescience before Holiday's death, this is not really a music film. It's like a delayed "beat" movie that should have been made in the 50s. (Hollywood is always some years behind.) 40 years later, we needn't worry whether it seems out of date; time has been kind to this film.