Summer and Smoke (film)
1961 film
- November 16, 1961 (1961-11-16)
Running time
Summer and Smoke is a 1961 American drama film directed by Peter Glenville, and starring Laurence Harvey and Geraldine Page, with Rita Moreno, Una Merkel, John McIntire, Thomas Gomez, Pamela Tiffin, Malcolm Atterbury, Lee Patrick, and Earl Holliman. Based on the Tennessee Williams play of the same name, it was adapted by James Poe and Meade Roberts.
Cast
- Laurence Harvey as John Buchanan, Jr.
- Geraldine Page as Alma Winemiller
- Rita Moreno as Rosa Zacharias
- Una Merkel as Mrs. Winemiller
- John McIntire as Dr. Buchanan
- Thomas Gomez as Papa Zacharias
- Pamela Tiffin as Nellie Ewell
- Malcolm Atterbury as Rev. Winemiller
- Lee Patrick as Mrs. Ewell
- Max Showalter as Roger Doremus (as Casey Adams)
- Earl Holliman as Archie Kramer
- Pepe Hern as Nico
Production
The play had debuted in 1948 but not been a success. Nonetheless Hal Wallis bought the film rights in 1952 for $100,000 (equivalent to $1.15 million in 2023)[1] following the success of the movie of Streetcar Named Desire. Later that year the play was successfully revived off Broadway starring Geraldine Page.
Hal Wallis originally offered the film lead to Audrey Hepburn but she turned the role down, not wanting to play a dowdy spinster. Walllis' wife Martha Hyer claimed Wallis offered the lead part to Katharine Hepburn who demanded too much money.[2] The role was given to Geraldine Page. Wallis wrote "Gerry was a dream. She had just the detached, virginal quality the part called for."[3] Page also appeared in another Williams adaptation filmed around this time, Sweet Bird of Youth. The cost of this and Summer and Smoke was estimated to be $4 million (equivalent to $40.8 million in 2023)[1] in total.[4]
The male lead was Laurence Harvey who was cast on the strength of his work in Room at the Top. Wallis wrote "although he lacked the power and virility of Gerry's husband, Rip Torn, who probably would have been better in the role, he was a bigger name at the time."[3]
The film marked the debut of model Pamela Tiffin. Her role had originally been intended for Dolores Hart. Hart recalled that she coveted the role, writing "Wallis thought I was too young for the role—which I took to mean not sexy enough—but agreed to let me do a test for the director, Peter Glenville... I wanted to prove I could do something for Mr. Wallis besides Presley girls. Mr. Wallis liked the test. But Mr. Glenville thought I was too old—which I took to mean not sexy enough. Pamela Tiffin was very good in the part."[5]
Reception
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Variety called it "beautifully acted and distinguished."[6] Page was expected to win Best Actress at the Festival but the award went to Suzanne Flon for Thall Shall Not Kill which resulted in the crowd booing.[7]
While Geraldine Page received nearly universal acclaim for her performance, Laurence Harvey was thought by some contemporary reviewers as having been miscast as John Buchanan Jr.[8]
The film did not make the Variety list of top grossing films for 1961 or 1962.[9]
Accolades
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards[10] | Best Actress | Geraldine Page | Nominated |
| Best Supporting Actress | Una Merkel | Nominated | |
| Best Art Direction – Color | Art Direction: Hal Pereira and Walter H. Tyler Set Decoration: Samuel M. Comer and Arthur Krams | Nominated | |
| Best Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture | Elmer Bernstein | Nominated | |
| Directors Guild of America Awards[11] | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures | Peter Glenville | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards[12] | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Geraldine Page | Won |
| Best Original Score – Motion Picture | Elmer Bernstein | Nominated | |
| Most Promising Newcomer – Female | Pamela Tiffin | Nominated | |
| Laurel Awards | Top Musical Score | Elmer Bernstein | 5th Place |
| National Board of Review Awards[13] | Top Ten Films | 6th Place | |
| Best Actress | Geraldine Page | Won | |
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards[14] | Best Actress | 2nd Place | |
| Venice International Film Festival | Golden Lion | Peter Glenville | Nominated |
| Best Actress | Geraldine Page | Won | |
The film is recognized by the American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2005: AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores – Nominated[15]
References
- ^ a b 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Hyer, Martha (1990). Finding my way. HarperSanFrancisco. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-06-250938-3.
- ^ a b Wallis, Hal (1980). Starmaker : the autobiography of Hal Wallis. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-02-623170-1.
- ^ "Geraldine Page accepted". Variety. November 15, 1961. p. 2, 71.
- ^ Hart, Dolores (2013). The ear of the heart : an actress' journey from Hollywood to holy vows. Ignatius Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-1-58617-747-8.
- ^ "Summer and Smoke". Variety. September 6, 1961. p. 6.
- ^ "Yanks Burn at Venice Fest Shut Out". Variety. September 13, 1961. p. 5.
- ^ Lisanti, Tom (2015). Pamela Tiffin: Hollywood to Rome, 1961-1974. McFarland & Company. p. 19.
- ^ "1961 Rentals and Potential". Variety. January 10, 1962. p. 58.
- ^ "The 34th Academy Awards (1962) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. October 5, 2014. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
- ^ "14th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "Summer and Smoke – Golden Globes". HFPA. Archived from the original on February 15, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "1961 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "1961 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". Mubi. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores Nominees" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
External links
- Summer and Smoke at IMDb
- Summer and Smoke at Letterbox DVD
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The films of Peter Glenville
- The Prisoner (1955)
- Me and the Colonel (1958)
- Summer and Smoke (1961)
- Term of Trial (1962)
- Becket (1964)
- Hotel Paradiso (1966)
- The Comedians (1967)
