''The Tattered Dress'' is a 1957 American

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...

released by

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

and directed by Jack Arnold. It stars Jeff Chandler, Jeanne Crain, Jack Carson, Gail Russell and

Elaine Stewart Elaine Stewart (born Elsy Henrietta Maria Steinberg; May 31, 1930 – June 27, 2011) was an American actress and model. Life Stewart was born in Montclair, New Jersey, the daughter of Hedwig (Haenssler) and Ulrich E. Steinberg. She was one of ...

Plot

In a California resort community, the wealthy Michael Reston is charged with the murder of a man he claimed attacked his wife, Charleen. Reston hires a high-priced lawyer, James Gordon Blane, a man known to do anything it takes to win a case. Blane makes few friends in the community because the victim was a popular figure while the Restons are not popular with anyone. But his skillful cross-examination of a sheriff, Nick Hoak, results in Blane's client being found not guilty. Hoak decides to get even. He fabricates evidence that Blane bribed a woman on the jury by pressuring her to perjure herself. Now it is Blane who goes on trial, with only his estranged wife, Diane, and his friend, Billy, coming to his aid. While defending himself, Blane begins to feel remorse over having won acquittals for so many guilty clients. Blane ultimately is found not guilty due to the obvious possibility that the sheriff framed him in retaliation for his successful defense of Reston. The juror, Carol Morrow, who only lied about the bribery because she was romantically involved with the sheriff, becomes distraught when he rejects her out of fear his manipulation will be discovered. Enraged by the acquittal, the sheriff watches Blane going down the Court-House steps. Standing in the shadows he draws his gun intent on murdering Blane in cold blood. He is stopped when Morrow gets some revenge of her own by shooting him. As she is arrested for her actions, the Blanes reconcile and leave town for good.

Cast

* Jeff Chandler as James Blane * Jeanne Crain as Diane Blane * Jack Carson as Sheriff Hoak * Gail Russell as Carol Morrow *

as Charleen Reston *

George Tobias George Tobias (July 14, 1901 – February 27, 1980) was an American theater, film and television actor. He had character parts and supporting roles in several major films of Hollywood's Golden Age. He is also known for his role as Abner K ...

as Billy Giles * Edward Andrews as Lester Rawlings *

Phillip Reed Phillip Reed (born Milton LeRoy; March 25, 1908 – December 7, 1996) was an American actor. He played Steve Wilson in a series of four films (1947–1948) based on the '' Big Town'' radio series. Early years Reed was a star athlete at Er ...

as Michael Reston * Edward Platt as Ralph Adams - Reporter (as Edward C. Platt) * Paul Birch as Prosecutor Frank Mitchell *

Alexander Lockwood Alexander Lockwood (May 5, 1902 – January 25, 1990) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout the 1930s to the 1980s. Biography Lockwood was born in Slezská Ostrava, now Czech Republic, in 19 ...

as Paul Vernon * Edwin Jerome as Judge David L. Johnson *

William Schallert William Joseph Schallert (July 6, 1922 – May 8, 2016) was an American character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films over a career spanning more than 60 years. He is known for his roles on '' Richard Diamond, Privat ...

as Court Clerk * June McCall as Girl at Slot Machine * Frank J. Scannell as Cal Morrison - Blackjack Dealer (as Frank Scannell) *

Floyd Simmons Floyd Macon Simmons (April 10, 1923 – April 1, 2008) was an American athlete and actor who competed mainly in the decathlon. He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. Biography Raised in Charlotte, Simmons was the son of a builder a ...

as Larry Bell *

Ziva Rodann Ziva Rodann ( he, זיוה רודן, born Ziva Blechman ; 2 March 1933), known first as Ziva Shapir (), is an Israeli-American actress. She was a Hollywood film star and a frequent guest star on television series from the late 1950s to the late ...

as Woman on Train (as Ziva Shapir) *

Marina Orschel Marina Orschel (born July 14, 1937) is a former beauty queen and actress. In 1956 she won Miss Germany and was 1st runner-up in the Miss Universe contest. At first her measurements were announced as 36-22-34 inches (91-56-86 cm), but she ha ...

as Girl by Pool * Ingrid Goude as Girl by Pool

Production

Chandler's casting was announced in June 1956. Zugsmith later recalled Chandler "was becoming a bit difficult and he was their (Universal's) second biggest star at the time. I guess one of the reasons was he was their biggest, and then

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Gold ...

came along!" Filming started on August 13, 1956. Shooting took place in Palm Springs.

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 ...

'' said that Chandler "does the best acting job of his career" in the film.

Vietnam War connection

On July 8, 1959, while watching ''The Tattered Dress'', Master Sergeant

Chester M. Ovnand Master Sergeant Chester Melvin Ovnand (also known with surname Ovnard) (September 8, 1914 – July 8, 1959) was the first Americans, American casualty of the Vietnam War killed at the hands of the Viet Cong. His name is the second listed on the ...

and Major

Dale R. Buis U.S. Army Major Dale Richard Buis (August 29, 1921 – July 8, 1959) was the second American casualty of the Vietnam War killed at the hands of the Vietcong. He is the first name listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Life and career Buis was ...

became the first American casualties of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

when their compound came under

Viet Cong , , war = the Vietnam War , image = FNL Flag.svg , caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green. , active ...

attack.

References

External links

* * * * *
Review of film
at ''Variety'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Tattered Dress, The 1957 films 1957 crime drama films Universal Pictures films CinemaScope films American crime drama films American black-and-white films American courtroom films 1950s English-language films Film noir Films scored by Frank Skinner 1950s American films