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Summer and Smoke (film)

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Summer and Smoke
Film poster
Directed byPeter Glenville
Screenplay byJames Poe
Meade Roberts
Based onSummer and Smoke
by Tennessee Williams
Produced byPaul Nathan
Hal B. Wallis
StarringLaurence Harvey
Geraldine Page
Pamela Tiffin
Rita Moreno
Una Merkel
John McIntire
Thomas Gomez
Earl Holliman
CinematographyCharles Lang
Edited byWarren Low
Music byElmer Bernstein
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • November 16, 1961 (1961-11-16)
Running time
118 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

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

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Production

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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

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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] Filmink argued this was in part because " director Peter Grenville produced an utterly sexless version... Sex needs to be at the heart of Summer and Smoke and Peter Grenville doesn’t put any in there."[10]

Accolades

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Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Actress Geraldine Page Nominated [11]
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 Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Peter Glenville Nominated [12]
Golden Globe Awards Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Geraldine Page Won [13]
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 Top Ten Films 6th Place [14]
Best Actress Geraldine Page Won
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actress 2nd Place [15]
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:

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Hyer, Martha (1990). Finding my way. HarperSanFrancisco. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-06-250938-3.
  3. ^ a b Wallis, Hal (1980). Starmaker : the autobiography of Hal Wallis. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-02-623170-1.
  4. ^ "Geraldine Page accepted". Variety. November 15, 1961. p. 2, 71.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Summer and Smoke". Variety. September 6, 1961. p. 6.
  7. ^ "Yanks Burn at Venice Fest Shut Out". Variety. September 13, 1961. p. 5.
  8. ^ Lisanti, Tom (2015). Pamela Tiffin: Hollywood to Rome, 1961-1974. McFarland & Company. p. 19.
  9. ^ "1961 Rentals and Potential". Variety. January 10, 1962. p. 58.
  10. ^ Vagg, Stephen (November 19, 2024). "What makes a financially successful Tennessee Williams film?". Filmink. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  11. ^ "The 34th Academy Awards (1962) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  12. ^ "14th Annual DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  13. ^ "Summer and Smoke". Golden Globe Award. Archived from the original on February 15, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  14. ^ "1961 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Archived from the original on September 30, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  15. ^ "1961 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". Mubi. Archived from the original on August 16, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  16. ^ "AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores Nominees" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
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