Maureen O'Hara became so well known at playing spitfire heroines and little else it's a real shock to see her stepping into the shoes of Katherine Hepburn. Good on RKO for giving her a go, but there's no denying she's a little outclassed. John Farrow was a good director but maybe she could have used someone better with inexperienced actresses. It's also a very stagy adaptation.
The cast is loaded with names - Adolphe Menjou plays her dad as a complete nutter, Fay Bainter flutters around as mum, Herbert Marshall does his propping-up-the-ladies act, Patric Knowles plays an Australian from near Wagga Wagga who is in love with O'Hara. A plot line about inherited insanity was always doing to date badly; there isn't the acting and handling to compensate.
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