Harriet Craig
| Harriet Craig | |
|---|---|
 Original Film Poster |
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| Directed by | Vincent Sherman |
| Produced by | William Dozier |
| Written by | Anne Froelich James Gunn George Kelly (Play) |
| Starring | Joan Crawford Wendell Corey |
| Music by | George Duning Morris Stoloff |
| Cinematography | Joseph Walker |
| Editing by | Viola Lawrence |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | November 2, 1950 |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Harriet Craig is a 1950 Columbia Pictures film starring Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Anne Froelick and James Gunn was based upon a 1925 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by George Kelly.[1] The film was directed by Vincent Sherman and produced by William Dozier. Harriet Craig is the second of three cinematic collaborations between Sherman and Crawford, the others being The Damned Don't Cry! (1950) and Goodbye, My Fancy (1951). The film has been released on VHS home video. As of February 2009, it is only available on Region 2 DVD (Japan, Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East, including Egypt).[2]
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[edit] Plot and cast
Neurotic perfectionist Harriet Craig (Crawford) makes life miserable for everyone around her, especially her husband Walter (Wendell Corey). When it appears he will receive a work assignment that will interfere with her status quo, she sabotages the plans and even succeeds in keeping his best friend Billy Birkmire (Allyn Joslyn) away from the house. When her young cousin Clare (K. T. Stevens) falls in love with Wes Miller (William Bishop), Harriet puts an end to the romance. Eventually, her husband gains intimations of his wife's real nature. He smashes one of her beloved household possessions, a priceless Ming vase, and walks out, leaving Harriet to her one true love — her perfect house.
The supporting cast includes prolific character actress Ellen Corby as a bullied maid.[3] Corby later became widely known as Esther "Grandma" Walton on the popular TV series The Waltons for seven seasons beginning in 1972.[4]
[edit] Production notes
The movie was based on the 1925 play Craig's Wife by George Kelly. There were two previous film versions titled Craig's Wife, the first a 1928 silent film directed by William C. DeMille (Cecil B. DeMille's brother),[5] and the second a 1936 film directed by Dorothy Arzner and starring Rosalind Russell.[6]
[edit] Reception
Variety commented, "Joan Crawford does a prime job of putting over the selfish title-character" and Otis Guernsey of the New York Herald Tribune wrote, "[Crawford] remains, as always, a stylish performer in her clear and forceful characterization."[7]
[edit] Difference in storyline
Beside's the title, the 1950 movie version differs significantly with the 1936 film Craig's Wife in numerous ways, chief among them is the elimination of the murder-suicide of one of Walter Craig's friend's and the friend's wife. Other differences include:
- The relationship between Harriet and the supporting female role in the 1950 version introduces "Clare" as Harriet's cousin, while in the 1936 movie it is Harriet's niece Ethel. This was done in attempt to make star Joan Crawford appear to be younger than she was in real life.
- The 1950 film eliminates the role of Walter Craig's aunt (and the scene where Craig is warned about his wife's over-reaching control issues), but gives more time to the storyline involving the Craig's next door neighbor who is portrayed as a war widow and single mother instead of an aged grandmother.
- The 1950 film also eliminates the role of Harriet's ill sister, but introduces a work situation for Walter Craig.
- In the 1950 movie, the object of Harriet's mania for possessions is a Chinese vase to the 1936's movie which uses a Grecian urn - both of which are smashed by Walter Craig in his act of defiance against his controlling wife.
Finally, the matter of keeping her name out of the paper and associated with scandal was the telltale secret that Harriet kept in the 1936 version; in the 1950 Harriet Craig was discovered to have an unforgivable lie involving her marriage in an attempt to make her character appear more desperate. Prior to the release of the 1950 movie, the studio decided to use the phrase "What Was Harriet Craig's Lie?" as its hook on posters and lobby cards.
[edit] References
- ^ Awards for 1925 play Craig's Wife at Internet Broadway Database
- ^ From Amazon.com, accessed 5 Feb 2009.
- ^ Harriet Craig (1950) at Internet Movie Database
- ^ The Waltons (TV series 1972-1981) at Internet Movie Database
- ^ Craig's Wife (silent, 1928) at Internet Movie Database
- ^ Craig's Wife (1936) at Internet Movie Database
- ^ Quirk, Lawrence J. The Films of Joan Crawford. The Citadel Press, 1968.
[edit] External links
- Harriet Craig at the Internet Movie Database
- Harriet Craig at the TCM Movie Database
- Harriet Craig at AllRovi
- Review of Harriet Craig (1950) at TVGuide.com
