''The Sainted Sisters'' is a 1948 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

starring

Veronica Lake Constance Frances Marie Ockelman (November 14, 1922 – July 7, 1973), known professionally as Veronica Lake, was an American film, stage, and television actress. Lake was best known for her femme fatale roles in film noirs with Alan Ladd ...

and co-starring

Joan Caulfield Beatrice Joan Caulfield (June 1, 1922 – June 18, 1991) was an American actress and model. After being discovered by Broadway producers, she began a stage career in 1943 that eventually led to signing as an actress with Paramount Pictures. In th ...

, Barry Fitzgerald,

George Reeves George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 – June 16, 1959) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying Superman in the television series '' Adventures of Superman'' (1952–1958). His death at age 45 from a g ...

William Demarest Carl William Demarest (February 27, 1892 – December 27, 1983) was an American character actor, known especially for his roles in screwball comedies by Preston Sturges and for playing Uncle Charley in the sitcom '' My Three Sons'' Demarest, ...

and

Beulah Bondi Beulah Bondi (born Beulah Bondy; May 3, 1889 – January 11, 1981)According to the State of California. ''California Death Index, 1940–1997''. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. At ...

. The film was distributed by Paramount Pictures and is notable for being the last film Veronica Lake made under her contract with the studio.

Plot

After escaping

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

with the loot from a successful scam they pulled, sisters Letty and Jane Stanton decide to hide out in a small town in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

close to the Canada–US border. Robbie McCleary takes them in, only to discover the large surplus of money mysteriously appearing. The girls reluctantly get involved in a charity program and unwittingly become the local celebrities of the town, something that causes a problem when their fame attracts attention outside the small town and the people affected by their previous scams begin to catch up with them.

Cast

as Letty Stanton *

as Jane Stanton * Barry Fitzgerald as Robbie McCleary *

as Sam Stoaks *

as Vern Tewilliger *

as Hester Rivercomb * Chill Wills as Will Twitched * Kathryn Card as Martha Tewilliger *

Darryl Hickman Darryl Gerard Hickman (born July 28, 1931) is an American former actor, screenwriter, television executive, and acting coach. He started his career as a child actor in the Golden Age of Hollywood and appeared in numerous TV serials as an adult. ...

as Jud Tewilliger *

Jimmy Hunt James Walter Hunt (born December 4, 1939) is an American actor.. He is perhaps best known for his role as David in '' Invaders from Mars'' (1953). In the 1986 remake of the same film he plays the police chief. Hunt has also appeared in films l ...

as David Frisbee *

Clancy Cooper Clancy Cooper (July 23, 1906 – June 14, 1975) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1938 and 1962. He also guest-starred on numerous TV series, such as ''The Rifleman'', '' Lawman'', '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'', ...

as Cal Frisbee *

Dorothy Adams Dorothy Adams (January 8, 1900 – March 16, 1988) was an American character actress of stage, film, and television. Early years Adams was born in Hannah, North Dakota. She later moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, and was educated there. ...

as Widow Davitt *

Hank Worden Hank Worden (born Norton Earl Worden; July 23, 1901 – December 6, 1992) was an American cowboy-turned-character actor who appeared in many Westerns, including many John Ford films such as '' The Searchers'' and the TV series '' The Lone ...

as Taub Beasley * Ray Walker as Abel Rivercomb

Production

Elisa Bialk wrote a short story, ''The Sainted Sisters of Sandy Creek''. It was adapted into a play by Bialk and Alden Nash, which was to be produced by the Theatre Guild in 1944 as a possible vehicle for

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's '' L ...

. However the play was never produced. Film rights were bought by Paramount in July 1946. They originally announced

Betty Hutton Betty Hutton (born Elizabeth June Thornburg; February 26, 1921 – March 11, 2007) was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedian, dancer, and singer. Early life and education Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg on February 2 ...

would star from a Mindred Lord script, co-starring

Diana Lynn Diana Marie Lynn (born Dolores Eartha Loehr, July 5, 1926 – December 18, 1971) was an American actress. Early years Lynn was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father, Louis Loehr, was an oil supply executive, and her mother, Martha Loe ...

(sister), John Lund (minister) and

Sterling Hayden Sterling Walter Hayden (born Sterling Relyea Walter; March 26, 1916 – May 23, 1986) was an American actor, author, sailor and decorated Marine Corps officer and an Office of Strategic Services' agent during World War II. A leading man for mos ...

(cop), with

Val Lewton Val Lewton (May 7, 1904 – March 14, 1951) was a Russian-American novelist, film producer and screenwriter best known for a string of low-budget horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s. His son, also named Val Lewton, was a pain ...

to produce and

Mitchell Leisen James Mitchell Leisen (October 6, 1898 – October 28, 1972) was an American director, art director, and costume designer. Film career He entered the film industry in the 1920s, beginning in the art and costume departments. He directed his f ...

to direct in early 1947. However Hutton and Leisen wound up instead working on ''Dream Girl'' and the project was postponed. It was re-activated later in 1947 with Hutton still down as star; George Marshall was to direct and Richard Maibaum was to produce from a R Richard Nash and Mary McCall script. William Demarest, Sterling Hayden, Barry Fitzgerald and Joan Caulfield were to support Hutton. Hutton dropped out to go on maternity leave and was replaced by Veronica Lake; George Marshall was replaced as director by William Russell. Sterling Hayden refused to play his role and was put on suspension. His role was taken by George Reeves, who had already been cast in the film but in a smaller role. Filming started in October 1947. This was the last film

made under her contract with

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

. She had previously been one of their top stars throughout the early 1940s. ''The Sainted Sisters'' also proved to be one of the last films

starred in before being offered the coveted part of Superman in the popular television show '' Adventures of Superman''.

Reception

''Diabolique'' said "maybe this would’ve worked if Betty Hutton had been able to play the lead, as originally intended. Instead Paramount went with Lake who is disastrously miscast, lacking sparkle and verve in a part that needs, well, Hutton – or even Diana Lynn. Joan Caulfield has some game as her sister but is mostly just pretty. Mind you, neither have much of a character to play."

References

External links

* *
Review of film
at ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''
Review of film
at Variety {{DEFAULTSORT:Sainted, Sisters 1948 films 1940s crime comedy films American crime comedy films American black-and-white films Films directed by William D. Russell Films set in Maine Films set in the 1890s Paramount Pictures films 1948 comedy films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films English-language crime comedy films