MISS SADIE THOMPSON (1953)

Few short stories turned profit-per-page like Somerset Maugham’s MISS THOMPSON.  Expanded for the stage as RAIN (romance with a young buck added to its Hooker & the Hypocrite action), it ran all over the world before Gloria Swanson, Lionel Barrymore & Raoul Walsh (who also directed) played its Gal with a Past, Missionary Zealot in Heat & standup Marine in the late silent SADIE THOMPSON/’28.  Then Lewis Milestone’s RAIN/’32 had Joan Crawford, Walter Huston & William Gargan; both films still effective.  Not much kick left by 1953, everything now feels telegraphed (and perhaps more so in its original 3D prints), little helped by having Rita Hayworth, José Ferrer & Aldo Ray all playing to the balcony.  Director Curtis Bernhardt under the impression he’s filming auditions for some touring company of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s SOUTH PACIFIC?  And why not?  The first half is a near-musical with three songs for Rita*, quarantined for a week on a tropical isle, and group singalongs for the randy post-war Marines stationed there.  But do check out a young Charles Branson in support, swamping gravel-voiced Aldo Ray in the testosterone department.  Elsewise, pretty stale doings.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  *A musical version of RAIN?  Not so farfetched, some top talent tried it on B’way in the ‘40s: Rouben Mamoulian, Howard Dietz, Vernon Duke, Boris Aronson, Motley, with Ethel Merman as Sadie.  But Merman smelled a flop early in rehearsals and let June Havoc take over.  As always, the Merm called it; the show limped thru 60 perfs.