East Side, West Side (1949)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Marcia Davenport (novel)
Isobel Lennart (writer)

Release Date:

4 September 1950 (Sweden)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

I was married to a man other women pursued!

Plot:

Brandon and Jessie Bourne has been married to each other for many years. A few years ago, Brandon had an extra-martial affair with Isabel Lorrison...

Plot Keywords:

Airport | Party | Model | Uptown | Guest Of Honor

Cast

Barbara Stanwyck	...	Jessie Bourne
James Mason	...	Brandon Bourne
Van Heflin	...	Mark Dwyer
Ava Gardner	...	Isabel Lorrison
Cyd Charisse	...	Rosa Senta
Nancy Davis	...	Helen Lee
Gale Sondergaard	...	Nora Kernan
William Conrad	...	Lt. Jacobi
Raymond Greenleaf	...	Horace Elcott Howland
Douglas Kennedy	...	Alec Dawning
Beverly Michaels	...	Felice Backett
William Frawley	...	Bill the Bartender
Lisa Golm	...	Josephine
Tom Powers	...	Owen Lee

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Australia:PG (TV rating) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (certificate #14126)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Nothing new here, but professionalism of actors and director raise film above familiar material

A fairly standard-issue formula melodrama comes alive thanks to capable acting and adept direction. Sheer professionalism keeps the unremarkable story afloat, with all concerned more than equal to their assignments.

`East Side, West Side' is told from the point of view of a lady of leisure (Barbara Stanwyck) whose husband (James Mason) is a habitual adulterer. Despite his deep love for her, he is unable to resist temptation, comparing it to an alcoholic's need for the bottle. All his efforts to clean up his act are for naught, however, when former mistress Ava Gardner returns to town determined to win him back, and willing to stop at nothing to do so. Meanwhile, Stanwyck incurs the affections of a highly decorated police officer (Van Heflin), who shows her the other side of the tracks where he grew up, and is surprised to learn that she did too. Their relationship blossoms, but when Gardner turns up dead and Mason and Stanwyck are suspected, it falls to Heflin to sort things out.

There's nothing here that hasn't been done before, but it is handled with such style and finesse that it's impossible to dislike, and the story is surprisingly involving. Heflin is provided with a strong character and ample opportunities to showcase his acting capabilities. The roles filled by Stanwyck and Mason are more burdensome because they serve to drive the plot, but both actors tackle them skillfully. Gardner is given only a few scenes to establish and develop her character, but she nonetheless makes a strong impression. Veteran director Mervyn LeRoy knows just how to handle such material, and he does so with poise and surefootedness. The proficiency of involved participants raises routine material above the ground and makes for engaging viewing, and this film is a case in point.