This Property Is Condemned

This Property Is Condemned
Directed by	Sidney Pollack
Written by	Francis Ford Coppola Fred Coe Edith Sommer
Produced by	John Houseman Ray Stark
Starring	Natalie Wood Robert Redford Kate Reid Charles Bronson Mary Badham
Cinematography	James Wong Howe
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	1966
Running time	110 minutes

This Property Is Condemned is a 1966 film starring Natalie Wood, Robert Redford, Kate Reid, Charles Bronson and Mary Badham and directed by Sydney Pollack. The screenplay was written by Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Coe and Edith Sommer. The story was suggested by the 1946 one-act play of the same name by Tennessee Williams.

The depression-era story takes place in the fictional Mississippi town of Dodson. Owen Legate (Robert Redford) comes to town to fire many of the local rail yard employees. Natalie Wood plays Alva Starr, a pretty town flirt who finds herself stuck in this small town and very much attracted to the handsome stranger.

Plot summary

The film is a frame story in which a young girl, Willie Starr (Mary Badham), in tattered clothes, dirty, and obviously orphaned retells the story of her dead sister, Alva Starr (Natalie Wood), to a young boy, Tom, she meets while they are both walking on the railroad tracks in the middle of the school day. Willie doesn't care about school and clearly has no adult supervision in her life. She says, when Tom asks why she's not in school, "Oh, I quituated. They started teaching algebra. I didn't give a damn what X stood for, so I quit... besides what a girl needs to get along is social training. Learned that from my sister, Alva." Willie is wearing Alva's clothes and jewelry, and she and Tom sit on the railroad track while Willie sadly tells the story of Alva's life and death in flashback.

Willie's story opens as Owen Legate, played by Robert Redford, arrives via train to the small town of Dodson and comes upon the Starr Boarding House. A loud party is in progress, and the only person not somehow engaged in the debauchery is Willie Starr, who is knocking on windows of various parked cars around the house, looking her her "Mama (Kate Reid)." Legate befriends Willie, although he is reluctant to answer whether or not he works for the railroad. Willie introduces Legate to her mother, who was not making out in a car, but "down at Jake's to see if Alva's there." Mama rents Legate a room and explains that the party is for her birthday. Willie is surprised that her mother put Legate in "Papa's Room."

The introductory scene makes it clear that Alva is the "main attraction," as Willie has already stated explicitly. In the house, Mama gives change to an older man, Mr. Johnson, who has paid for the beer she is holding in her hand (and presumably the whole party). Mr. Johnson is anxiously waiting for Alva to show up to the party, and Mama is apologizing for Alva's absence. Meanwhile, Alva has been making out with another man, Sydney, behind the house. Owen Legate watches the transaction between Mama and Mr. Johnson as well as a car full of other men who have driven by the house, yelling "We want Alva! We want Alva!" Willie becomes angry with Lindsey Tate, the ringleader of these men, and threatens to call her Mama. Lindsey replies, "You do that. And tell your Mama if Alva ain't here, we'll take her instead."

When Alva finally arrives at the party, many men greet her and try to get her attention and dance with her. Even Mama's boyfriend, J.J. (Charles Bronson) is after Alva, and he kisses her in the dark then the birthday cake is brought in, in spite of the fact that Mama has already scolded him about his constant pursuit of her daughter. When it's time to blow out the birthday candles, Mama grows upset about her age and is unable make a wish. Alva is enlisted to blow out the candles for her and make a wish, much to the delight of the men at the party. It seems fitting since the party was more for Alva than for Mama.

Willie takes Mr. Legate into the kitchen for some food as the party is breaking up, and Alva makes a pretense of needing some ice to cool herself off in order to go into the kitchen to meet the stranger. In the kitchen, Alva launches into a fanciful, made-up story about Sydney taking her dancing at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. Willie is entranced, but Legate is skeptical since the story seems to be told in multiple choice format:

Willie: Sydney took you dancing! Where to?
Alva: Oh, no place much. Just the Peabody Hotel.
Willie: The Peabody Hotel! Sydney took you all the way to the Peabody Hotel in Memphis? Wow! Did he buy you dinner?
Alva: Oh, Willie, you don't start with dinner. You have cocktails, or highballs, or French champagne -- which is sweet, and exceedingly bubbly. And when you drink it and start dancing, the whole place with its diamond crystal chandaliers, and the waiters in the red jackets, and the menus with great big tassles on them all get dizzy and shaky. Like it's gonna all come down on you. But you have to hide it, so you say, "Tipsy? Why, Sydney, I am not the slightest bit tipsy. It is just your magnificent dancing makes me breathless. And then he stops, and holds your blushing, soft face in his hands [Alva holds Willie's face, looking into her eyes] and he says, "Miss Starr, Miss Willie Starr, surely you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen.

So Legate tests Alva thusly:

Legate: Is that the same Peabody Hotel in Memphis where they have the alligators and the ducks swimming around in that little pond there in the lobby?
Alva: Yes! The very same one.
Legate: Yeah, I'd like to see that. Sure would like to know how they keep the alligators from eating the ducks in that little pond they all swim around in. Makes you think.

Alva is angered by this, and goes outside to the porch with Sydney. She then launches into a new fantasy about riding the train, the Hummingbird Express, to New Orleans, where Owen Legate has just stated he is from. This is the first of many statements by Alva alluding to Mardi Gras, and generally to getting out of Dodson some way. Owen sees Sydney kiss Alva from his window in Papa's room, and she sees him and goes inside. Both Willie and Alva seem to be curious and a little unnerved that there is a man staying in Papa's room, which has been empty since their father left them. On her way up the stairs Alva pretends she is looking for Willie in order to make an excuse to go into Owen's room. Sheepishly, Alva admits she's never been to the Peabody, but asserts that feeling like she was there is just as good as being there. Owen disagrees, and says, "You know there was a cat once who fell asleep in the sun, and he dreamt that he was a man who fell asleep in the sun who dreamt he was a cat. And when he woke up, he didn't know whether he was a man or a cat." Alva shrugs this off, and begins to talk herself up. Owen propositions her as though she were "included with the room." Alva angrily leaves and goes to her room to cry.

Mama enters the girls' room and tells Alva that she has to go out on a date with Mr. Johnson the next night because Mama, "wouldn't like it if he got dissatisfied and moved out right now. Nobody but a conductor can afford to pay what he does for that big old north room." It is clear that Mama deliberately uses Alva to attract men to the boarding house. Alva again escapes into a reveirie about getting out, and attending a masked ball at Mardi Gras. She also mentions the above-ground graves in New Orleans, saying that the worst part about being buried underground would be not being able to breathe. This is the first of many references to Alva's lung problems, which are also a symbol for the suffocation she feels in the small town and under her mother's control.

The next day Willie, who is skipping Vacation Bible School, sees Owen on his way to work. Owen confronts Lindsey Tate, who is again harassing Willie about Alva. Owen shoves strawberry ice cream into Tate's face and heads off to work. Owen does work for the railroad, and he has come to town to lay off railroad employees due to cutbacks made necessary by the depression.

The next evening, Mr. Johnson is waiting for Alva to get ready for their date, but she is avoiding it. Mr. Johnson buys Alva an expensive gold bracelet, and Alva explains that Mr. Johnson should be giving gifts like this one to his wife, not to her. He tells her that his wife is an invalid who stays in a nursing home just outside Baton Rouge. She makes an excuse to get Mr. Johnson to go inside and takes Mr. Legate out to the garden to show him her father's red-headed scarecrow.

In the garden Alva says her father just left the family "to find greener pastures." Alva believes her father will come back, but it's obvious that she is hoping in vain. Owen confronts Alva about her arrangement with her Mama, which Alva doesn't want to face and won't admit to. He makes her angry, insinuating that she is a prostitute (but never stating it directly.) In her anger, she runs back to Mr. Johnson, tells him she will accept the bracelet after all, and invites everyone in the house to go skinny dipping. Mr. Johnson won't go, but Mama, J.J. and all the other join Alva.

In the water, J.J. manages to get Alva alone and comes on to her. When she refuses him, J.J. tells Alva that Owen is a "spotter" who has come to lay off most of the town. Alva doesn't believe him, but she runs to Owen's room dripping wet anyway to confront him about it. The two end up spending the night together, and when they wake up most of the boarders have received their pink slips from the railroad company. Since most of the town is out of work, Mama has arranged for the family to accompany Mr. Johnson to Memphis, where he will take care of them. It's understood that he will be seeing a lot of Alva in Memphis.

Meanwhile, Owen buys Alva a ticket to go with him to New Orleans. As he is on his way into the house to give Alva the good news, he overhears Mama telling her friend about the Memphis arrangement with Mr. Johnson. Knowing that Owen spent the night with Alva, Mama plays up the fact that Alva is "just wild to go" to Memphis. Owen is hurt and yells at Alva about it, above Alva's pleas not to listen to Mama. Owen leaves for New Orleans, and Alva is left alone with Mama and Mr. Johnson.

Mama, J.J., Alva, and Mr. Johnson go out to "celebrate" their new arrangement, and in her hurt and anger, Alva gets very drunk. She begins to openly confront J.J. about his constant pursuit of her, and gets him to admit in front of Mama that he'd rather be with Alva than with Mama. Alva marries J.J. that night out of spite, but steals his money and their marriage license the next morning and runs away to New Orleans while J.J. is still asleep.

Finally free of Dodson and Mama, Alva tours New Orleans. The film contains several lovely scenes of New Orleans landmarks including Bourbon Street, Jackson Square, and Lake Ponchartrain. Alva eventually finds Owen in New Orleans, and they are happy together. She misses her sister, Willie, however, and sends Willie a postcard inviting her to join Owen and Alva in New Orleans.

One day Alva and Owen come home to find Mama in the house. Alva is terrified because she hasn't told Owen about her marriage to J.J. Mama takes control of the situation and tells Alva to get her coat, but Owen stands up to her. Mama reveals to Owen that Alva married J.J., which Owen doesn't believe until he sees the look on Alva's face. Alva runs out into the rain, crying.

The film cuts back to Willie and Tom on the railroad tracks, and Willie explains that Alva died of "Lung Affection." Willie probably means to say "lung infection," or pneumonia. Willie says that she will die like Alva did, but also comments that movies often make death seem glamorous, while Alva's death was sad and lonely.

Differences between play and film

The one-act play by Tennessee Williams, "This Property is Condemned," contained only the outer frame of the film's story, and Alva is not in it. She is only discussed by Willie on the railroad track. The entire play takes place on the railroad track. Francis Ford Coppola, Fred Coe, and Edith Sommer had to add considerable details to Alva's story to adapt it for film.

Awards

• Natalie Wood was nominated for Best Motion Picture Actress at the 1967 Golden Globe Awards
• Natalie Wood won Third Place in 1967 at the Golden Laurel Awards in the Female Dramatic Performance Category

External links

• This Property Is Condemned at IMDb
• Amazon Customer Review

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