IS THIS THE WILLIAM SHATNER VERSION?

"Horrible?" Methinks the general consensus is otherwise.

Have you considered the possibility that the whole acting style of the day (1950's) is probably not your cuppa tea?

Raymond Massey and Julie Harris were accomplished actors with stage experience and, in Massey's case, many years in motion pictures under his belt. James Dean, in his first starring role (he had bit parts in a few earlier movies and some TV work), was hailed as an acting sensation and went on to star in one of THE most iconic pictures in movie history, "Rebel Without a Cause."

Folk singer Burl Ives was just beginning to show some acting chops with EOE, and, a few years later, would win Best Supporting Actor for "The Big Country," made the same year Ives scored HUGE plaudits for his work as "Big Daddy" in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1958).

Jo Van Fleet, another great actress, also did threatrical work, but was much less prolific in film. She's also remembered for her poignant cameo in "Cool Hand Luke," as Luke's dying mother.

You're definitely in the minority in how you regard the acting in EOE, but, naturally, that's your prerogative.