Mr Skeffington ***** (1944, Bette Davis, Claude Rains, Walter Abel, Richard Waring) – Classic Movie Review 2700

The 1944 American drama film Mr Skeffington stars Bette Davis as a selfish, vain and bitchy woman who marries Jewish financier Job Skeffington (Claude Rains) only to save her brother from going to prison.

Director Vincent Sherman’s 1944 American drama film Mr Skeffington stars Bette Davis as a selfish, vain and bitchy woman who marries high-society Jewish financier Mr Job Skeffington (Claude Rains) for his money, but it is really to save her brother from going to prison.

It is 1914, and Fanny Trellis is a man magnet, fighting off the many suitors surrounding her. She loves her brother Trippy and is shocked to learn that he has embezzled money from his employer, Job Skeffington.

The popular and beautiful Fanny Trellis is forced into a loveless marriage with the older man to save her beloved brother Trippy (Richard Waring) from an embezzlement charge. Mr Skeffington loves Fanny, but she does not love him at all, even hates him. But he is unaware of the real reason why she agreed to marry him, and her many suitors are still around on the scene. But she grows to find that ‘a woman is beautiful only when she is loved’. Job had told Fanny that in a moment when she had ‘never been more beautiful’ and she finally realises its truth.

John Alexander as Jim Conderley, Jerome Cowan as Edward Morrison, Peter Whitney as Chester Forbish and Bill Kennedy as Bill Thatcher, play Fanny’s four persistent suitors.

Based on the 1940 novel by ‘Elizabeth’ (Elizabeth von Arnim), this boasts an absorbing screenplay from the screen-writing twin brothers Philip G Epstein and Julius J Epstein (who also produce). That. plus the sterling performances of a strong cast, a lavish production and Sherman’s impeccable direction, make Warner Bros’ lengthy soap opera rattle along rivetingly.

Both stars are absolutely remarkable and were Oscar nominated, especially Davis, who is dazzling, skilfully maturing and declining into old age. Bette Davis was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress, and Claude Rains was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

Also in the cast are Walter Abel, George Coulouris, John Alexander, Charles Drake, Marjorie Riordan, Robert Shayne, Jerome Cowan, Johnny Mitchell, Dorothy Peterson, Peter Whitney, Bill Kennedy and Gigi Perreau.

Johnny Mitchell pays Johnny Mitchell, Fanny’s younger suitor, who later marries her daughter. Born Douglas Lamy, the actor changed his name to that of his character.

Richard Erdman (1925–2019) makes his uncredited film debut as Western Union Boy.

Mr Skeffington was cut to 126 minutes, but the restored version runs the full 146 minutes.

Most Warner Bros main features had a 30-day shooting schedule, but this took 110 days. When studio boss Jack Warner sent the Epstein twins a note inquiring why the film was behind schedule, their tersely humorous reply was: ‘Bette Davis is a slow director’.

Davis was having personal problems, and allegedly behaving badly. Someone went into her dressing room and poisoned her eyewash, causing her to scream in pain. Vincent Sherman told investigating detectives: ‘If you asked everyone on the set who would have committed such a thing, everyone would raise their hand!’ Davis herself admitted: ‘Only a mother could have loved me at this point in my life.’

Paul Henreid recalled he turned it down the Job Skeffington role, thinking he could not convince as a man who looked on passively while his wife had affairs.

The budget was $1,521,000 and the box office was $3,871,000, making it nice little earner for Warner Bros.

It was released on 25 May 1944.

The cast are Bette Davis as Fanny Skeffington, Claude Rains as Job Skeffington, Walter Abel as George Trellis, Richard Waring as Trippy Trellis, Marjorie Riordan as Fanny Rachel Trellis, Robert Shayne as gangster MacMahon, John Alexander as Jim Conderley, Jerome Cowan as Edward Morrison, Peter Whitney as Chester Forbish, Bill Kennedy as Bill Thatcher, Johnny Mitchell as Johnny Mitchell, George Coulouris as Doctor Byles, Dorothy Peterson as Fanny’s housekeeper Manby, Creighton Hale as Casey, Halliwell Hobbes as Soames, Ethan Laidlaw as Cop, Jack Mower as Man, Will Stanton as Sid Lapham, Charles Drake, Marjorie Riordan, Robert Shayne, Peter Whitney, Gigi Perreau, and Richard Erdman as Western Union Boy.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2700

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Movie Queen (Bette) by Graeme Jukes 2015.