William Inge's play wasn't perfect but could have made a decent film in the right hands. On paper this had the appropriate team - Jerry Wald, Franklin Schaffner - but it makes many key mistakes.
- Setting it in present day sees loss of a great deal of atmosphere. This needed some sort of location work.
- Miscast stars. Joanne Woodward too smart Not sexy enough. Sorry but she's not. Too classy. Needed low brow and sexy like Kim Novak or intended star Marilyn Monroe or Ava Gardner. Smeone wh'd been arond block.
- Richard Beymer not up to it. Poor Richard Beymer. He tries. He just can't do it. There's no sexual charge. Pat Boone, asked to play the role, would have at least brought clean cut vibes. Having said that Beymer doens't wreck it as much as Woodward.
- A lot of it is just dumb. Dumb dialogue. Best bits are when it follows the play.
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