Inside Daisy Clover (1965)

A tomboy turned movie star deals with the cruelty of Hollywood.

Director:

Robert Mulligan

Writers:

Gavin Lambert (novel), Gavin Lambert (screenplay)

Stars:

Natalie Wood, Christopher Plummer, Robert Redford

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Natalie Wood	...	Daisy Clover
Christopher Plummer	...	Raymond Swan
Robert Redford	...	Wade Lewis / Lewis Wade
Ruth Gordon	...	The Dealer - Mrs. Clover
Roddy McDowall	...	Walter Baines
Katharine Bard	...	Melora Swan
Peter Helm	...	Milton Hopwood
Betty Harford	...	Gloria Clover Goslett
John Hale	...	Harry Goslett
Harold Gould	...	Cop on Pier
Ottola Nesmith	...	Dolores
Edna Holland	...	Cynara
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Philip Dayton	...	John

Storyline

Daisy Clover is a 15 year old Tomboy who dreams of being a Hollywood star. After auditioning for producer Raymond Swan of Swan studios she becomes the toast of Hollywood. Daisy must then come to terms with her new found fame and the 1930's Hollywood star treatment.

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Plot Keywords:

putting one's head in an oven to commit suicide | svengali | dubbing | reference to shakespeare's hamlet | gay husband | 

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Taglines:

A star at 15. A has-been at 17. Who says?

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 April 1966 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Intimidades de una adolescente

Filming Locations:

Dijon Street, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Park Place Production, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Redford's agent tried to dissuade him from appearing in the film. Redford accepted the role on the proviso that the script was altered to tone down his character's sexuality. To Redford's dismay, after his footage was completed, a new line was scripted and shot which left no question that his character was bisexual.

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Goofs

The film is basically one big anachronism, since it features 1960s fashions, hairstyles, and music in a story supposedly set in the 1930s.

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Quotes

The Dealer - Mrs. Clover: That hearse is still outside, go away, go away!
Daisy Clover: Oh it's going away alright Old Chap, with me in it!

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Connections

Featured in Too Young to Die: Natalie Wood - Die Macht der Prophezeiung (2014)

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Soundtracks

The Circus Is a Wacky World
(uncredited)
Written by André Previn
Lyrics by Dory Previn
Performed by Natalie Wood (dubbed by Jackie Ward)
Arranged by Alexander Courage

User Reviews

Unclassifiable, odd film

This movie often seems surrealistic, sometimes comic, sometimes despairing and it has musical numbers which come from another dimension entirely--they are a mix of Busby Berkeley and 1960s design. The film seems like an eccentric comedy at first with 15 year-old tomboy Daisy (Natalie Wood) and her wacky mother (Ruth Gordon) both competing over who can chew scenery faster. Suddenly, she's plucked by sinister studio head Christopher Plummer and turned into a star. The studios of the time were certainly often sinister, but I found the dispatch of Ma Clover to the mental institution a bit of a stretch. The film has other implausible moments plus a tone of anachronism as the songs, by Andre and Dory Previn, are 1960s Broadway in style. Many scenes of loneliness and isolation--a strangely deserted Santa Monica pier,an empty desert motel, a studio that always seems empty, even the sound stages seem empty. You rarely see the bustle you expect in a film set at a studio or in Hollywood. This is an odd, fascinating, 1/2 successful film.