Johnny Belinda (1948 film)
| Johnny Belinda | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Jean Negulesco |
| Produced by | Jerry Wald |
| Written by | Allen Vincent Irma von Cube |
| Starring | Jane Wyman Lew Ayres Charles Bickford Agnes Moorehead |
| Music by | Max Steiner |
| Cinematography | Ted McCord |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4.1 million (US/ Canada rentals) [1] |
Johnny Belinda is a 1948 American drama film based on the 1940 Broadway stage hit of the same name, by Elmer Blaney Harris. The play was adapted for the screen by writers Allen Vincent and Irma von Cube, and directed by Jean Negulesco.
The story is based on an actual incident that happened near Harris's summer residence in Fortune Bridge, Bay Fortune, Prince Edward Island. The title character's mother is based on the real-life Lydia Dingwell (1852-1931), of Dingwells Mills, Prince Edward Island. The film dramatizes the consequences of spreading lies and rumors, and the horror of rape. The latter subject had previously been prohibited by the Motion Picture Production Code. Johnny Belinda is widely considered to be the first Hollywood film for which the restriction was relaxed, and as such was controversial at the time of its initial release.
The film stars Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead, Stephen McNally, and Jan Sterling. Wyman's performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress.
It was filmed in northern California around Mendocino.
The film was remade first as a 1967 television movie starring Mia Farrow as Belinda, Ian Bannen as her doctor, and David Carradine as the rapist, and in 1982 as another TV remake with Rosanna Arquette as Belinda and Richard Thomas as the doctor. Also, a live version aired on Australian television in 1959 as part of the Shell Presents series.[2][3]
Contents |
Plot summary [edit]
It is the story of a deaf-mute girl, Belinda McDonald, who is befriended by the new doctor, Dr. Robert Richardson, who comes to Cape Breton Island on the east coast of Canada. The doctor realizes that, although she cannot hear or speak, Belinda is very intelligent. She lives on a farm with her father, Black McDonald, and her aunt, Aggie McDonald, and rarely goes into town. The family sells farm goods to the nearby town, mainly flour. Her father and aunt resent Belinda because her mother died giving birth to her. Dr. Richardson teaches Belinda sign language and what things are. Over time, his affection for her grows.
Dr. Richardson's secretary, Stella, is attracted to him and tries to get his attention, but the doctor does not see Stella in that way at all. After Stella figures out that he is becoming attracted to Belinda, she starts to resent both of them.
One of the family's customers, Locky McCormick, gets drunk at a dance, leaves the dance, and goes to the farm when Belinda is alone and rapes her. She becomes pregnant. When the people in town find out that she is pregnant, they suspect Dr. Richardson because he has spent a lot of time with her. As time goes by, the pressure of the rumors finally cause the doctor to look for a new practice. He decides to marry Belinda and take her and the baby with him. He goes on ahead to find both a new place to practice and a new home for them.
While he is away finding them a new home, McCormick, now married to the doctor's former secretary, Stella, decides that he wants the child that is his. He goes to visit the baby. When Black McDonald sees him, he orders McCormick to leave. McCormick inadvertently reveals to McDonald that he is the father of the child. Black follows McCormick and threatens to expose him to the town. They fight and McCormick throws McDonald off the cliff into the sea.
Now Belinda and her aunt Aggie try to run the farm but they are struggling to pay the bills and keep the farm up. The town, at the urging of McCormick, has a meeting and declares Belinda "unfit" to care for the child. When McCormick and his wife come to take the baby, Belinda first makes Stella McCormick realize that she is smarter than the townspeople have given her credit for, and that she will not give up her baby without a fight. Stella confronts Locky, who confesses that the child is his. He then tries to retrieve the baby, but Belinda tries to block his path. He shoves her down and heads up the stairs. She then grabs a shotgun and shoots and kills him. Belinda is arrested and goes on trial for murder. At the trial, Dr. Richardson testifies that she was protecting her property and family. The court dismisses this as the doctor’s love for her, but then finally Stella, holding old deep romantic feelings for the doctor, corroborates the doctor's story, saying that her husband had confessed the truth about the rape to her on the day he was killed. Belinda is set free.
Main cast and characters [edit]
-
Jane Wyman
as Belinda McDonald -
Lew Ayres
as Dr. Robert Richardson -
Charles Bickford
as Black McDonald -
Agnes Moorehead
as Aggie McDonald
Other cast members [edit]
- Stephen McNally as Locky McCormick
- Jan Sterling as Stella McCormick
- Rosalind Ivan as Mrs. Poggety
- Dan Seymour as Pacquet
- Mabel Paige as Mrs. Lutz
- Alan Napier as Defense Attorney
- Barbara Bates as Gracie Anderson
- Monte Blue as Ben
- James Craven as Interpreter
- Franklyn Farnum as Man on Jury
- Al Ferguson as Man Reciting Lord's Prayer
- Frank Hagney as Man Reciting Lord's Prayer
- Creighton Hale as Bailiff
- Jonathan Hale as Dr. Horace M. Gray
- Lew Harvey as Man Reciting Lord's Prayer
- Holmes Herbert as The Judge
- Douglas Kennedy (actor) as Mountie
- Colin Kenny (actor) as Man Reciting Lord's Prayer
- 'Snub' Pollard as Man on Jury
- Richard Walsh (actor) as Fergus McQuiggen
- Ian Wolfe as Rector
- Ida Moore as Mrs. McKee
- Frederick Worlock as Prosecutor
- Charles Horvath as Church Attendant
- Blayney Lewis as Dan'l
- Alice MacKenzie as Farm Woman
- Larry McGrath as Man Reciting Lord's Prayer
- Ray Montgomery as Tim Moore
- Jeff Richards as Floyd McQuiggen
- Joan Winfield as Mrs. Tim Moore
Reception [edit]
The film was the second most popular movie at the British box office in 1948.[4]
Awards [edit]
Wins:[5]
- Winner - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Drama - Jane Wyman
- Winner - Photoplay Awards Most Popular Female Star - Jane Wyman
- Winner - Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture (tied with The Treasure of the Sierra Madre before the Best Picture Golde Globe was split into Drama and Musical or Comedy categories)
21st Academy Awards [edit]
| Award | Result | Winner[6] |
|---|---|---|
| Best Motion Picture | Nominated | Warner Bros. (Jerry Wald, Producer) |
| Best Director | Nominated | Jean Negulesco |
| Best Actor | Nominated | Lew Ayres |
| Best Actress | Won | Jane Wyman |
| Best Writing, Screenplay | Nominated | Irma von Cube and Allen Vincent |
| Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | Charles Bickford |
| Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | Agnes Moorehead |
| Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Black-and-White) | Nominated | Robert Haas and William Wallace |
| Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) | Nominated | Ted McCord |
| Best Film Editing | Nominated | David Weisbart |
| Best Music (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture) | Nominated | Max Steiner |
| Best Sound Recording | Nominated | Nathan O. Levinson |
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "All-Time Top Grossers", Variety, 8 January 1964 p 69
- ^ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UHxWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QOYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=940,515986&dq=autumn+affair&hl=en
- ^ http://colsearch.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=Johnny%20Belinda%20Media%3A%22TELEVISION%22;querytype=;rec=1;resCount=10
- ^ "The Third Man As Popular Film Of Year.". The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) (NSW: National Library of Australia). 16 December 1949. p. 3. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ^ "NY Times: Johnny Belinda". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
- ^ "The 21st Academy Awards (1949) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Johnny Belinda (film) |
- Johnny Belinda at the Internet Movie Database
- Johnny Belinda at AllRovi
- Johnny Belinda at Rotten Tomatoes
- Johnny Belinda at TCM
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- 1948 films
- English-language films
- American films
- Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award winning performance
- American Sign Language films
- Films directed by Jean Negulesco
- Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe winning performance
- 1940s drama films
- American drama films
- Best Drama Picture Golden Globe winners
- Films based on plays
- Films set in Nova Scotia
