Affair with a Stranger
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''Affair with a Stranger'' is a 1953 American
comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
directed by Roy Rowland and starring
Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and afte ...
and
Victor Mature Victor John Mature (January 29, 1913 – August 4, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include ''One Million B.C.'' (1940), '' My Darlin ...
. It was originally to be released as ''Kiss and Run''. The film centres on the rumoured marital troubles of a successful
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
. As various people who came into contact with the couple reminisce about the couple's past, the story of the relationship and the budding
affair An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of i ...
that is potentially destroying it is told through a series of flashbacks. Upon release, the film was met with lukewarm reviews, Bosley Crowther of ''
The 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 ...
'' calling it "a virtual collection of cliches".


Plot

On a train, playwright Bill Blakeley (
Victor Mature Victor John Mature (January 29, 1913 – August 4, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include ''One Million B.C.'' (1940), '' My Darlin ...
) fends off the romantic flirtations of Janet Boothe ( Monica Lewis), an actress from his play. But, when wife Carolyn (
Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and afte ...
) decides not to join him, Bill makes a dinner date with Janet, who plants a story with a
gossip columnist A gossip columnist is someone who writes a gossip column in a newspaper or magazine, especially a gossip magazine. Gossip columns are material written in a light, informal style, which relates the gossip columnist's opinions about the personal li ...
about the Blakeleys possibly heading for a divorce. Friends and acquaintances begin recalling how the couple met. Carolyn Parker was a fashion model who bought a
Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...
, newspaper each day. Bill pretended to be from Toledo as well to get to know her, only to learn that Carolyn's actually from England and has been buying the papers for a neighbor. After their marriage, Bill's struggles to find work, combined with his gambling, force Carolyn to support them. He finally takes a job as a waiter and slips a copy of a manuscript to a customer, a producer who makes Bill's play a success. One night, Carolyn must miss the opening of a play because she is having a baby. The child dies, and she can have no more. Bill is as supportive in her hour of need as she had been in his. Concerned that he might be vulnerable to an ambitious actress, however, Carolyn takes the next train to New York. She runs into Bill at the station and into his arms. They both deny leaking the information. Bill realizes the trains are leaving and talks to the station master. Meanwhile Carolyn looks at the hanky she used to wipe her tears. It has lipstick on it. As Bill returns to tell her there are no more rains and they will have to find a hotel, she drops the hanky into the garbage.


Cast

*
Victor Mature Victor John Mature (January 29, 1913 – August 4, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include ''One Million B.C.'' (1940), '' My Darlin ...
as Bill Blakeley *
Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and afte ...
as Carolyn Parker * Monica Lewis as Janet Boothe * Jane Darwell as Ma Stanton *
Linda Douglas Linda Douglas (born Mary Joanne Tarola; February 27, 1928May 2017) was an American model and actress. A native of Portland, Oregon, she began modeling and appearing in beauty contests as a teenager, and was named as a Princess to the Portland Ro ...
as Dolly Murray *
Dabbs Greer Robert William "Dabbs" Greer (April 2, 1917 – April 28, 2007) was an American character actor in film and television for over 60 years. With nearly 100 film roles and appearances in nearly 600 television episodes of various series, Greer m ...
as Happy Murray * Wally Vernon as Joe, Taxi Driver * Nicholas Joy as Producer George W. Craig *
Olive Carey Olive Carey (born Olive Fuller Golden; January 31, 1896 – March 13, 1988) was an American film and television actress, and the mother of actor Harry Carey Jr. Life and career Carey was born Olive Fuller Golden in New York City, the daughter o ...
as Cynthia Craig * Victoria Horne as Mrs. Wallace * Lillian Bronson as Miss Crutcher * George Cleveland as Pop *
Billy Chapin Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy (pygmy hippo), a pet of U.S. President Calvin Coolidge * Billy, a youn ...
as Timmy


Production

Victor Mature was going to star in ''Split Second''. However he assigned to this instead and production on ''Split Second'' was pushed back. Filming started 9 July 1952 and papers reported it being "rushed before the cameras". The original title was ''Break up''. This was changed to ''Kiss and Run'' in April 1953 before becoming ''Affair with a Stranger''. The film was the fourth Jean Simmons made for Howard Hughes and RKO. Simmons and her husband Stewart Granger sued Hughes to get out of the contract. It settled out of court. Part of the final arrangement was she would do this film for no extra money. Also, Simmons agreed to make three more movies under the auspices of RKO, but not actually at that studio – she would be loaned out. She would make an additional picture for 20th Century Fox while RKO got the services of Victor Mature for one film. (Simmons and Mature would team two other times, on Fox's enormously popular ''The Robe'' and in ''The Egyptian'') Olive Carey, widow of
Harry Carey Harry Carey may refer to: *Harry Carey (actor) (1878–1947), American actor * Harry Carey Jr. (1921–2012), American actor * Harry Carey (footballer) (1916–1991), Australian rules footballer See also * Henry Carey (disambiguation) * Harry Car ...
, had a small role. Steve Rowland, son of director Roy Rowland, made his debut in the film.


Reception

The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' called the story "quite ordinary" and said the film "can't seem to make up its mind if it's comedy or drama."


References


External links

* * * *
Review of film
at
The 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 ...

''Affair with a Stranger''
at Victormature.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Affair With A Stranger 1953 films 1953 comedy-drama films American comedy-drama films American black-and-white films Films scored by Roy Webb Films about writers Films directed by Roy Rowland RKO Pictures films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films