Sunday, January 30, 2011

Radio review – TGA#14 – “Ned McCobb’s Daughter” (1945) **

Alfred Lunt’s appeal continues to escape me – again, he overacts as a New York gangster who winds up in a small New England town, at an inn run by his sister in law (played by Shirley Booth). I think this is meant to be a charming culture clash, but it’s not very enjoyable, and lacks laughs. There’s no romance between Lunt and Booth; the real villain is Booth’s useless husband; Lunt smacks Booth in the mouth on one scene but is meant to be charming. I do wonder why this was never filmed by Warners as a vehicle for one of their gangster stars (apparently Edward G Robinson supported Lunt on Broadway). The play was written by Sidney Howard, the famous tractor victim.

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