I am a big fan of Kim Novak, so I was excited to realize that the film Jeanne Eagels from 1957 also features Agnes Moorehead and fit the criteria for In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood‘s blogathon. I had only seen this film once before and was looking forward to watching it again for this blogathon.

Unfortunately after a second viewing, it is definitely not one of my favorites and I can’t see myself ever watching it again. It does have some good performances, but it is HEAVY, inaccurate and absolutely no fun to watch. I struggled to get through it and a toddler sleeping on me was the only thing that kept me in my seat.

The Redeeming Qualities

Kim Novak and Agnes Moorehead

These two make the movie at all watchable. Some think that Novak was overacting, but I think she did great with what was surely a difficult part. It really shows her range as an actress.

Moorehead is also great as her acting coach. She isn’t in the movie a lot, but what she parts she’s in are powerful. She makes you feel when she makes an appeal for her prodigy. Moorehead really makes you see how much her character cares for Novak’s.

The Issues…

Inaccurate

Much of this film is fictionalized. While it’s supposed to be based on actress, Jeanne Eagels, many of the events aren’t true. No one committed suicide over losing a part to her and she was never a carnival performer. This movie did make me want to learn more about her though to help separate the facts from fiction. Eagel’s family even sued Columbia over how she was portrayed in the movie.

The real Jeanne Eagels. Images from IMDB.com

Jeff Chandler’s Character

I’m not familiar with Jeff Chandler’s work outside of this movie and I have to say that I do not like him in this movie. I find the character really controlling and uneven. He claims to love her, but he’s pretty mean to her and ends up pushing her away. At the end, he almost seems like a good guy, but it’s hard for me to believe given how he behaves at the beginning of the film.

Hard to Watch

The subject material is a bit too heavy for me. There is a suicide and severe substance abuse. I also found it hard to watch because I knew so little of it was accurate. I wonder why they chose to do it that way instead of telling about what Jeanne Eagel’s life was really like.

Posted for In The Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood‘s Agnes Moorehead Blogathon.