Cass Timberlane ** (1947, Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, Zachary Scott, Tom Drake, Mary Astor) – Classic Movie Review 9079

Director George Sidney’s 1947 romantic drama Cass Timberlane stars Lana Turner as poor girl Virginia Marshland, who marries older rich judge Cass Timberlane (Spencer Tracy), loses her baby, and then starts fancying the shifty attorney Bradd Criley (Zachary Scott). Virginia Marshland comes from what used to be called ‘from the wrong side of the tracks’, so naturally the story thinks she may not be trustworthy. And Lana Turner, the devil woman from The Postman Always Rings Twice is playing her.

MGM’s intriguing but low-key, plodding version of the Sinclair Lewis novel never catches fire like it should, despite the ideally cast stars in their prime, a vintage roster of character actors, the entirely workable acting, the meticulous MGM production and smooth and professional direction by musicals man Sidney.

With Robert H Planck’s black and white cinematography and Cedric Gibbons and Daniel B Cathcart’s set designs, it sure looks a treat. But why can’t Sidney get it moving. It is all too slow and sedate.

Ah, the power of stars! Tracy rejected a John O’Hara version of the screenplay in favour of Donald Ogden Stewart and Sonya Levien’s script.

Walter Pidgeon has a cameo as himself ‘Man at Cocktail Party’, though he had been a contender for the title role.

Also in the cast are Tom Drake, Mary Astor, Albert Dekker, Margaret Lindsay, John Litel, Mona Barrie, Josephine Hutchinson, Rose Hobart, Selena Royle, Frank Wilcox, Cameron Mitchell, Richard Gaines, John Alexander, Howard Freeman, Jessica Grayson, Griff Barnett, Pat Clark, Guy Beach, Ken Christy, Selmer Jackson, Betty Blythe, Roy Gordon, Bess Flowers, Sam Flint, Charles Marsh, Almira Sessions, Milburn Stone, William Tannen and Emmett Vogan.

MGM ignored its own music department, and borrowed composer Roy Webb, conductor Contantin Bakaleinikoff and orchestrator Gil Grau from RKO Radio Pictures instead.

Animal trainer Walter Huber rescued eight cats from the Los Angeles ASPCA shelter for this film, six of them used as Cleo. They were collectively paid $100 a day.

Out of the substantial $2,733,000 budget, MGM paid $150,000 for the film rights to Lewis’s novel, originally serialised in Hearst’s International Cosmopolitan magazine from May to October 1948.

Cass Timberlane is directed by George Sidney, runs 119 minutes, is made and released by MGM, is written by Donald Ogden Stewart and Sonya Levien, based on the Sinclair Lewis novel, is shot in black and white by Robert H Planck, is produced by Arthur Hornblow Jr, is scored by Roy Webb, and is designed by Cedric Gibbons and Daniel B Cathcart.

Fay Hendry was awarded nearly $30,000 after her young daughter Sonya Hendry was struck by a falling reflector during location filming.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9079

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