Mrs. Parkington (1944)

Director:

Tay Garnett

Writers:

Louis Bromfield (novel)
Robert Thoeren (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

November 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

In this family saga, Mrs. Parkington recounts the story of her life, beginning as a hotel maid in frontier...

Plot Keywords:

Nevada | Hotel | Humiliation | Maid | Marriage

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win

Cast

Greer Garson	...	Susie 'Sparrow' Parkington
Walter Pidgeon	...	Major Augustus 'Gus' Parkington
Edward Arnold	...	Amory Stilham
Agnes Moorehead	...	Baroness Aspasia Conti
Cecil Kellaway	...	Edward - Prince of Wales
Gladys Cooper	...	Alice - Dutchess de Brancourt
Frances Rafferty	...	Jane Stilham
Tom Drake	...	Ned Talbot
Peter Lawford	...	Lord Thornley
Dan Duryea	...	Jack Stilham
Hugh Marlowe	...	John Marbey
Selena Royle	...	Mattie Trounsen - Susie's Maid
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Signor Cellini
Lee Patrick	...	Madeleine Parkington Swann
St. Luke's Episcopal Church Choristers	...	Singers (as St. Luke's Choristers)

Runtime:

Israel:123 min | USA:124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #10200) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Morrison Ranch, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Some cast members in studio records/casting call lists did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These were (with their character names): Ann Codee (Madame Dupont), George Davis (French Policeman) and Frank Reicher (French Doctor). It is possible that their scenes, if filmed at all, were only for the European version (see alternate versions), since their character names suggests a French setting. A contemporary news item also listed Donna Reed, Nana Bryant and Dewey Robinson as cast members, but they were not seen in the movie.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The gypsy fiddler plays Johann Strauß's "Roses from the South" on violin in a scene set in 1872, but that music was written in 1880.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Twenty Years After (1944)

Soundtrack:

The Wedding March

A subtle wit at work

This appears at first to be a familiar kind of opulent family-through-the-generations saga. And Greer Garson was one of the queens of the genre.

But underlying this throughout is a droll, adult subtle wit. And the stylish stars to deliver it. There are those fairly subtle remarks which make the attractive guest smirk and the wife glare at her husband, all of whom are bound by the rules of politeness never to directly say what is, we so gather, very much going on. Remarks intended to indicate just to husband and wife that the attractive guest knows more about the husband's likes and dislikes than does his wife. They are such that other guests - and possibly some viewers - would be unaware of the true state of play. Fully adult themes with never a glimpse of stocking.

I didn't intend watching this but just heard the small bit of banter from actor Cecil Kellaway(as the Prince of Wales) who has a surprise meeting with Mrs Parkington. Rarely have I heard words spoken with, how to say it, a more skillful modulation. The speaker, who Mrs Parkington fails to recognise, is no ordinary person. The same thing could be said about the film.