Wrong actress cast. - Kitty Foyle (1940) Discussion

[–] Errington_92 12 years ago

Personally I can visualise Barbara Stanwyck adding a realistic grittiness to Kitty Foyle which Ginger Rogers lacked, but by no means was the latter weak. Just watch the change in facial expression when she realises her son has dead. Its the mark of a great actress.

"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".

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[–] npaxton-3 12 years ago

I think Ginger did a fine job in Kitty Foyle as well as in Primrose Path. Her characters in those two films were a lot different from the types she played in her famous musicals with Fred Astaire. She is also a delight in Vivacious Lady, Stage Door, and The Major and the Minor, all of which show other facets of her acting ability.

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[–] danzeisen 12 years ago

I respect your opinion, but respectfully disagree. In my opinion Ginger played the heck out of the part. Stanwyck and Crawford both had good acting chops and we will never know what they could have done with the part if offered, but I think both of your choices would have brought a little too much gritty reality and taken some of the sparkle away.

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[–] manage-932-700755 12 years ago

What didn't you like about Ginger? Stanwick and Crawford were both older than Dennis Morgan and looked it. Rogers was a little younger (by 3 years) than Morgan, and she was more attractive than Barbara and Joan. At least Joan as she was then (about 35 or 36).

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[–] g_dekok 12 years ago

And she was a FAR better actress than joan ever was.

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[–] ddariced1958 10 years ago

The woman won an Oscar for this role, for heaven's sake. She had some pretty major competition too.

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[–] Sunflower007 10 years ago

~ Ginger Rogers delivered an excellent performance. I loved her as Kitty Foyle and I couldn't picture anyone else for the role.

*~🐻~*

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[–] marhefka 10 years ago

@ddaricd 1958.

Couldn't have said it better.

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[–] OldFilmLover 9 years ago

I disagree about Rogers. She wasn't "weak" in the film. It was the deepest role I've yet seen her play, and worthy of an award. However, it is interesting that as I watched the film for the first time, some of her facial expressions and some of the character she projected reminded me of someone else -- and after a minute's thought I realized it was Barbara Stanwyck. Whether she was deliberately copying Stanwyck at points in the picture, as a model of something deeper than the "light" persona she had established with Astaire, I can't say, but her performance did make me think of Stanwyck -- even before I read your comment.

I do agree that this was the kind of role that Stanwyck could have played very well. As for Crawford -- I don't think her face or her acting style would have been right for the part. But in any case, I don't think anyone could have played the role "a million times better," or much better at all, than Rogers played it.

This is another great film by Sam Wood, an almost forgotten director who was responsible for a number of great films from Hollywood's Golden Age. Like Robert Wise and Michael Curtiz, he is rarely the first to come to mind when people think of "the great directors" -- despite an impressive record of very good films.

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[–] OldFilmLover 9 years ago

A footnote to what I wrote last night.

I just watched another Rogers movie tonight: Tom, Dick and Harry. And as I watching Rogers, again I had this feeling that in many scenes she reminded me of someone else. After I time, I realized who it was -- Jean Arthur! If in Kitty Foyle she was sometimes channelling Barbara Stanwyck, in this film she was channelling Jean Arthur. Listen to the voice, watch the facial expressions. Am I right?

(There is one other actress she reminded me of in Tom, Dick and Harry, and that is Lucille Ball. Look at some of the facial expressions. Don't they remind you of many I Love Lucy episodes? But of course, because of the chronology, if there was any influence, it is more likely that Lucy was influenced by Ginger than the other way around.)

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[–] mcdemuth 9 years ago

(There is one other actress she reminded me of in Tom, Dick and Harry, and that is Lucille Ball. Look at some of the facial expressions. Don't they remind you of many I Love Lucy episodes? But of course, because of the chronology, if there was any influence, it is more likely that Lucy was influenced by Ginger than the other way around.)

It's funny that you would say that...

One of Lucy's early roles was in the Fred & Ginger movie: "Follow the Fleet" (1936). It was a small role at the beginning of the film. As I understand Ginger and Lucy became good friends. (I am not sure if their "friendship" really dates back to this film or not). I have also read that Lucy, was camera "shy", YES LUCY!, and may have almost quit the business over it. GINGER helped LUCY learn to deal with this. Without Ginger, There may not have been anyone to "Love Lucy"!

"Tom, Dick and Harry" was in 1941, five years after they met. If they were good friends all that time, I could see how Ginger would have picked up some of Lucy's mannerisms. OR perhaps as you said... Maybe it was the other way around.

I believe Ginger was perfectly cast for this role. She was an amazing actress and could play just about anything. For those that have seen MANY of her films, know what I am talking about. I can't see anyone else playing this role, and Ginger deserved to win the award for Best Actress.

With that being said, Winning best actress, however, does not mean the film that she was in, deserved to win an award...and it didn't...

I agree with some folks who have made other posts on this board, that this film is not the greatest. Quite awkward in fact. Most Notably, the whole story being told as a flashback. I was confused at the beginning, and got lost at the end, and had to watch those parts a second time to figure out what I had seen the first time through. (I forgot who was at the location of where she was going...) It would have also been nice to know what she was talking about when she held the baby and noted that it is always better when they live. The rest of the film with the bouncing back and forth between the relationships of the two men was strange too... Then you had the whole talking mirror bit...Completely out of place for a romance film, leaving one to wonder what type of film this was supposed to be... (It's a wonderful life? or Snow White?...Does she have a split personality?)

It seemed like the script was poorly structured.

Perhaps that is why some here see Ginger as mis-cast. Ginger's performance seems off.

What I ended up enjoying, were the individual events in her life. Just scenes from the movie.

I totally believed Ginger in every scene. Her reaction to the dictaphone. Falling in love with these guys. Her sorrow for losing her son. Looking at the little boy as if her son had lived. Perfect.

I just wished this film flowed better.

If it wasn't told in Flashback, the whole talking mirror sequence could have been dropped.

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