A Place in the Sun (1951)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Theodore Dreiser (novel)
Patrick Kearney (play)
(more)

Release Date:

11 October 1951 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love that paid the severest of all penalties!

Plot:

Young up-and-comer George Eastman is thrust into the blue collar life of a rich uncle's family business...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Factory | Love | Assembly Line | Physician

Awards:

Won 6 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 16

2:00 PM

TCM

Cast

Montgomery Clift	...	George Eastman
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Angela Vickers
Shelley Winters	...	Alice Tripp
Anne Revere	...	Hannah Eastman
Keefe Brasselle	...	Earl Eastman
Fred Clark	...	Bellows, defense attorney
Raymond Burr	...	Dist. Atty. R. Frank Marlowe
Herbert Heyes	...	Charles Eastman
Shepperd Strudwick	...	Anthony 'Tony' Vickers
Frieda Inescort	...	Mrs. Ann Vickers
Kathryn Givney	...	Louise Eastman
Walter Sande	...	Art Jansen, George's Attorney
Ted de Corsia	...	Judge R.S. Oldendorff
John Ridgely	...	Coroner
Lois Chartrand	...	Marsha
Paul Frees	...	Rev. Morrison, priest at prison
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert J. Anderson	...	Eagle Scout (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Lulu Mae Bohrman	...	Party guest (uncredited)
Ken Christy	...	Warden (uncredited)
Pat Combs	...	(uncredited)
Charles Dayton	...	Det. Kelly (uncredited)
Marilyn Dialon	...	Frances Brand (uncredited)
Mike Donovan	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Frances Driver	...	Lulu, Vickers' maid (uncredited)
Ralph Dunn	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Company Executive (uncredited)
Al Ferguson	...	Bailiff (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Courtroom Reporter (uncredited)
Ann Fredericks	...	(uncredited)
Kathleen Freeman	...	Factory worker, prosecution witness (uncredited)
Art Gilmore	...	Radio Broadcaster / Trailer Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Lisa Golm	...	Eastmans' maid (uncredited)
Marion Gray	...	(uncredited)
Dolores Hall	...	(uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Man (uncredited)
Len Hendry	...	Guard (uncredited)
James Horne Jr.	...	Tom Tipton (uncredited)
Sonny Howe	...	(uncredited)
Frank Hyers	...	Guard (uncredited)
Carmencita Johnson	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Mary Kent	...	Mrs. Roberts, landlady (uncredited)
Philip Kieffer	...	Jailer (uncredited)
Louise Lane	...	(uncredited)
Mike Mahoney	...	Motorcycle officer (uncredited)
Robert Malcolm	...	Guard (uncredited)
Hank Mann	...	Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Martin Mason	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Harold McNulty	...	Jury foreman (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	(uncredited)
Lee Miller	...	Bus driver (uncredited)
Pearl Miller	...	Miss Newton (uncredited)
Frank Mills	...	Courtroom Extra (uncredited)
Hans Moebus	...	William - Butler at Eastman home (uncredited)
Jay Morley	...	Executive (uncredited)
William B. Murphy	...	Mr. Whiting (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Servant at Eastman's Party (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Factory floorman (uncredited)
Ed O'Neill	...	Deputy (uncredited)
Ezelle Poule	...	Receptionist (uncredited)
Joe Recht	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
John M. Reed	...	Joe Parker (uncredited)
Kasey Rogers	...	Miss Harper (uncredited)
Wallace Scott	...	Factory guard (uncredited)
Bill Sheehan	...	Court clerk (uncredited)
Douglas Spencer	...	Boatkeeper (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Company Executive (uncredited)
Cliff Storey	...	(uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Juror (uncredited)
Josephine Whittell	...	Margaret, Eastman's secretary (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Vickers' butler (uncredited)
Ian Wolfe	...	Dr. Wyeland (uncredited)
Frank Yaconelli	...	Truck driver (uncredited)

Directed by
George Stevens

Writing credits
Theodore Dreiser		(novel "An American Tragedy")
Patrick Kearney		(play "An American Tragedy")
Michael Wilson		(screenplay) and
Harry Brown		(screenplay)

Produced by
Ivan Moffat	....	associate producer
George Stevens	....	producer

Original Music by
Franz Waxman

Cinematography by
William C. Mellor

Film Editing by
William Hornbeck

Art Direction by
Hans Dreier
Walter H. Tyler		(as Walter Tyler)

Set Decoration by
Emile Kuri

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles C. Coleman	....	assistant director (as C.C. Coleman Jr.)

Sound Department
Gene Garvin	....	sound recordist
Gene Merritt	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
Loyal Griggs	....	process photography
Gordon Jennings	....	special photographic effects

Music Department
Gerard Carbonara	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Robert Emmett Dolan	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
John C. Hammell	....	music editor (uncredited)
Rudolph G. Kopp	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Roy Webb	....	music adaptor (uncredited)

Other crew
Fred Guiol	....	associate director
Howie Horwitz	....	assistant to producer

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1951) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Pictures (1959) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1966) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Paramount Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount (1952) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Emerald (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)

Also Known As:

An American Tragedy (USA) (working title)
The Lovers (USA) (working title)
The Prize (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-11 (re-rating) (1986) | West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:13 (DVD rating) | Australia:G (original DVD rating) | Australia:PG (DVD re-rating) | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #14461)

Filming Locations:

Cascade Lake, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

George Stevens thought that Gloria Grahame would be perfect for the role of Alice and personally called her to play the part. However, Grahame's studio boss Howard Hughes refused to loan her out.

Goofs:

Continuity: George Eastman walks out of Loon Lake with his clothes and hair soaking wet and minutes later when he stumbles upon the boy scout camp he is all dry.

Quotes:

George Eastman: I love you. I've loved you since the first moment I saw you. I guess maybe I've even loved you before I saw you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#22.69)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Mona Lisa

Read the book first?

To Hell with the book! That's the old cliche about ANY movie...if you've read the author's version and have your own mind's eye scenario firmly in place, almost NO movie will ever compete. However, movies are made to bring the mass audience to a (sometimes) great literary work that would otherwise be relegated to obscurity. "Loved the book...hated the movie...yadda, yadda, yadda". In any case, George Stevens' adaptation of this novel is a magnificent piece of filmmaking. The sheer "beauty" of Clift and Taylor in their prime, doomed to an unachievable fruition of their romance due to the difference in "class" and Clift's apparently deliberate failure to save the life of his frumpy little girlfriend (Shelley Winters in a thankless role)is heartwrenching.....star-crossed lovers in the Romeo and Juliet vein. The sub-title of the book "An American Tragedy" is certainly appropriate. I agree the movie takes a rather LONG time to get to it's denoument, and Raymond Burr is WAY over the top as the film-ending prosecutor. However, you will NEVER see two young actors as tragic and beautiful as Montgomery and Elizabeth...when she says "Tell mamma...tell momma all" and Monty clutches her towards him and almost brutally clamps a big kiss while the camera circles...oh my!! Of course, the REAL tragedy was that, off screen, Elizabeth was MAD for Monty and was even prepared to put up with his bisexuality. Wouldn't they have made a great looking couple at film openings, the Oscars, etc.? But I digress...the stark black and white photography, great background music and fabulous acting (particularly by the stage-trained and film-cautious Monty in a fish-out-of-water role)adds up to a memorable viewing experience. If this one doesn't tear your heart out, you HAVE no heart!!!