| Female on the Beach | |
|---|---|
 Film poster by Reynold Brown | |
| Directed by | Joseph Pevney |
| Screenplay by | Robert Hill Richard Alan Simmons |
| Based on | the play The Besieged Heart by Robert Hill |
| Produced by | Albert Zugsmith |
| Starring | Joan Crawford Jeff Chandler |
| Cinematography | Charles Lang |
| Edited by | Russell Schoengarth |
| Music by | Heinz Roemheld Herman Stein (both not credited) |
Production company | Universal Pictures |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Female on the Beach is a 1955 American crime-drama film directed by Joseph Pevney starring Joan Crawford and Jeff Chandler in a story about a widow and her beach bum lover. The screenplay by Robert Hill and Richard Alan Simmons was based on the play The Besieged Heart by Robert Hill. The film was produced by Albert Zugsmith.[1]
Cast
- Joan Crawford as Lynn Markham
- Jeff Chandler as Drummond Hall
- Jan Sterling as Amy Rawlinson
- Cecil Kellaway as Osbert Sorenson
- Judith Evelyn as Eloise Crandall
- Charles Drake as Police Lieutenant Galley
- Natalie Schafer as Queenie Sorenson
- Stuart Randall as Frankovitch
- Marjorie Bennett as Mrs. Murchison
Production
The script was based on an unproduced play by Bob Hill, The Besieged Heart.[2] Albert Zugsmith bought the rights and worked on the script with Bob Hill. He then sold the project to Universal who were looking for a vehicle for Joan Crawford. The studio also hired Zugsmith to produce, starting a relationship between him and Universal which lasted several years.[3]
Reception
Critical response
A review in Harrison's Reports said that the movie offered "a fairly interesting though somewhat seamy mixture of sex, murder and suspense."[4]
Film critic Bosley Crowther gave the film a mixed review, writing "Their progress is rendered no more fetching by the inanities of a hackneyed script and the artificiality and pretentiousness of Miss Crawford's acting style. At the end, the guilty party is revealed in a ridiculous way. Jan Sterling, Cecil Kellaway and Natalie Schafer are the supporting players you may remotely suspect."[5]
See also
References
- ↑ Female on the Beach at IMDb .
- ↑ BREEN IS RETIRED AS MOVIE CENSOR: At Own Request, Director of Code Leaves Office -- Chief Aide Successor By THOMAS M. PRYOR New York Times 15 Oct 1954: 18.
- ↑ Flynn, Charles; McCarthy, Todd (1975). "Albert Zugmsith". In Flynn, Charles; McCarthy, Todd (eds.). Kings of the Bs : working within the Hollywood system : an anthology of film history and criticism. E. P. Dutton. p. 416.
- ↑ Harrison's Reports, film review, July 16, 1955. Accessed: August 9, 2016.
- ↑ Crowther, Bosley, film review The New York Times, August 20, 1955. Accessed: July 4, 2013.
External links
- Female on the Beach at IMDb
- Female on the Beach at AllMovie
- Female on the Beach at the TCM Movie Database
- Female on the Beach film scene on YouTube
- Review of film at Variety