Wikipedia

Cass Timberlane

Cass Timberlane is a 1947 American romantic drama film directed by George Sidney and starring Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner and Zachary Scott. It was based on the 1945 novel Cass Timberlane: A Novel of Husbands and Wives by Sinclair Lewis, which was Lewis' nineteenth novel and one of his last.

Cass Timberlane
Theatrical poster
Directed byGeorge Sidney
Written byDonald Ogden Stewart (Adaptation and Screenplay)
Sonya Levien (Adaptation)
Based onCass Timberlane: A Novel of Husbands and Wives
1945 novel
by Sinclair Lewis
Produced byArthur Hornblow, Jr.
StarringSpencer Tracy
Lana Turner
Zachary Scott
CinematographyRobert Planck
Edited byJohn Dunning
Music byRoy Webb
Production
company
Distributed byLoew's, Inc.
Release date
Running time
119 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2,733,000[1][2]
Box office$5,186,000 (worldwide rentals)[1][2]

Plot

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Judge Cass Timberlane is a middle-aged, incorruptible, highly respected man who enjoys good books and playing the flute. He falls for Ginny, a much younger girl from the lower class in his small Minnesota town. At first, the marriage is happy, but Ginny becomes bored with the small town and with the judge's friends. She leaves him for an affair with a lawyer, Timberlane's boyhood friend. Eventually, disillusioned with her lover, Ginny returns to her husband and becomes his loyal wife. The novel is Lewis's examination of marriage, love, romance, heartache and trust.

Cast

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Spencer Tracy, George Sidney and Lana Turner on the set of Cass Timberlane

Production

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David Ogden Stewart, who worked on the script, recalled:

Spencer Tracy was a terribly professional actor who worked on the script and knew it by heart, and Lana’d come onto the set not having the foggiest idea what the thing was about, not knowing the lines or anything. Spencer was very angry during the first couple of weeks. Then it got better, and at the end he said: “That is a good actress.” She got his respect eventually, and I think Cass was quite a good picture. [4]

Cultural references

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Wolcott Gibbs spoofed the novel in The New Yorker as "Shad Ampersand". The song "Cleo the Cat" by the band Benton Harbor Lunchbox was inspired by the novel Cass Timberlane: A Novel of Husbands and Wives.

Reception

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Though it received tepid critical reviews, the film was a box office hit, earning $3,983,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $1,203,000 elsewhere, but because of its high production cost, it returned a profit of only $746,000.[1][2]

Home media

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Cass Timberlane was released to DVD by Warner Home Video on July 6, 2010, via Warner Archives as a DVD-on-demand disc available through Amazon.

In other media

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Radio

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Cass Timberlane was presented on Theatre Guild on the Air February 15, 1953. The one-hour adaptation starred Fredric March and Nina Foch.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Glancy, H. Mark (1992). "MGM film grosses, 1924-1948: The Eddie Mannix Ledger". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 12 (2): 127–144. doi:10.1080/01439689200260081.
  2. ^ a b c Glancy, H. Mark (1992). "Appendix". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 12 (S2): 1–20. doi:10.1080/01439689208604539.
  3. ^ "The Light-Years and Micromillimeters of Our History". Los Angeles Times. 24 February 1999.
  4. ^ Eyles, Allen; Gillet, John (1986). "David Ogden Stewart: Politically Conscious". In McGilligan, Patrick (ed.). Backstory: Interviews with Screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age. p. 343.
  5. ^ Kirby, Walter (February 15, 1953). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". The Decatur Daily Review. p. 42. Retrieved June 21, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  

Further reading

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  • Monder, Eric (1994). George Sidney:a Bio-Bibliography. Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313284571.
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