The Country Girl

Plot synopsis:
In a theatre where auditions are being held for a new musical production, the director, Bernie Dodd, watches a number performed by fading star Frank Elgin and suggests he be cast. This is met with strong opposition from Cook, the show's producer.
Bernie insists on the down-on-his-luck Frank Elgin, who is living in a modest apartment with his wife Georgie. They are grateful, though not entirely certain Frank can handle the work.
Initially Frank leads Bernie to believe that Georgie is the reason for his career decline. Bernie strongly criticizes her, first behind her back and eventually to her face. What he doesn't know is that the real reason Frank's career has ended is his insecurity. When their five-year-old son Johnny was hit by a car while in his care, Frank was devastated by the death and, partly using that as an excuse to cover up his insecurity, reduced to a suicidal alcoholic.
Mealy-mouthed to the director's face, Frank is actually a demanding alcoholic who is totally dependent on his wife. Bernie mistakenly blames her for everything that happens during rehearsals, including Elgin's requests for a dresser and a run-of-the-show contract. He believes Georgie to be suicidal and a drunk, when it is actually Frank who is both.
Humiliated when he learns the truth, Bernie realizes that behind his hatred of Georgie was a strong attraction to her. He kisses her and falls in love.
Elgin succeeds in the role on opening night. Afterward he demands respect from the producer that he and his wife had not been given previously. At a party to celebrate, Bernie believes that now that Elgin has recovered his self-respect and stature, Georgie will be free to leave him. But she stands by her husband instead.

Tags: melodrama, dramatic, flashback

Review:
Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and William Holden star in "The Country Girl," a 1954 film written and directed by George Seaton, based on the play by Clifford Odets.
Little does he know, Frank puts on a happy face, but in reality, he's lying to Dodd about his true relationship with Georgie and the reason for his fall from grace.The very strong script is brilliantly acted by its three stars, and for each actor, it was probably their best role.
Crosby is not only terrific, but he's a revelation as the alcoholic, weak Frank; Holden pulls out all the stops as the uptight Bernie Dodd; and Kelly is excellent as Georgie.
There is still much controversy about whether or not she should have won the Oscar over Judy Garland in "A Star is Born," but anyone who has studied the Oscars knows one thing - whether Kelly deserved the award or not, every time a beautiful woman dresses down and makes herself look plain, she wins an Oscar - Elizabeth Taylor, Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron - the list is endless.
I'll go out on a limb and say that as much as I loved Judy in "A Star is Born," Georgie Elgin was a real stretch for Kelly.Beautifully directed by Seaton, "The Country Girl" has a real feel of the theater, of internal fights between producer and director, of dressing rooms and hotels on the road.An excellent movie all around..
I have never considered Bing Crosby or Grace Kelly to be academy award winning actors, and I knew little of William Holden's acting abilities.
Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, & William Holden all give what I consider to be their best performances.
Nonetheless as a movie The Country Girl is a brilliant piece of work thanks in part to a fine adaptation by director and screenwriter George Seaton (Oscar for best screen adaptation, 1954) and sterling performances by Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby and William Holden.
Seeing this for the first time I was almost as much impressed by Holden, who played a part very much in keeping with his character and with other parts he has played, as I was by Kelly and Crosby who both did 180 degree turns in type-casting.Grace Kelly won an Oscar as the faithful, strong-willed, bitter, dowdy co-dependent wife of crooner Crosby who played a whimpering, guilt-ridden alcoholic.
Clifford Odets's play was a good backstage drama without any great political statement that characterized his earlier work It would be another three years before Bing Crosby would do a film without singing at all.
It has long been assumed that, had the music been eliminated from "The Country Girl" and, in the process, taking emphasis off Bing Crosby's singing and more on his acting, he would have certainly beaten Marlon Brando for the Oscar of 1954.
Strong film version of Clifford Odets' play about an over-the-hill alcoholic singer (Bing Crosby) whose attempts at a comeback in a big Broadway musical seem to be thwarted by his long-suffering and unhappy wife (Grace Kelly), despite the assistance of a well-meaning director (William Holden).
BING CROSBY gives his all to the role of a washed up actor fixated on guilt (and the bottle) while GRACE KELLY and WILLIAM HOLDEN give even finer performances as the two people who quarrel over how to reform his guzzling ways.The weakness here is not the script.
I suspect Clifford Odets may have based his portrait of this weak man on actor Frank Fay (once married to Barbara Stanwyck), whose career was destroyed by alcoholism and who depended on breezy charm for his appeal.There are some really searing scenes between Kelly and Holden, fireworks that never seem less than realistic as a result of two completely realized characters that come to life in a well-written script.
His performance is the strongest of the three stars.Grace Kelly subdues her aristocratic ways (and her prissy affected manners and voice) to play a woman who knows what the truth is behind her husband's weakness.
1954 was a banner year for the three stars of The Country Girl, as Grace Kelly, who would win an Oscar for her performance in this film, also appeared in the highly successful Rear Window and Dial M For Murder, both for Alfred Hitchcock, as well as the grim war drama The Bridges At Toko-Ri, which also features William Holden.
As to the movie itself, it is adapted from a Clifford Odets play about an alcoholic actor (changed to a singer to accommodate Mr. Crosby), and his over-reliance on his wife, whom he tells anyone who will listen is the cause of his drinking, when in fact she is looking after him.
Stage director William Holden fights with his producer over casting alcoholic-on-the-mend singer Bing Crosby as the lead in their newest musical production; Crosby's wife Grace Kelly, a no-nonsense type who dresses glumly, appears to be Crosby's rock but may in fact be what's crippling him.
Crosby was an odd choice for the role of the former star on the comeback trail; his style of acting is resolutely old-fashioned and, although he does good work, he looks so much older than Holden and Kelly--and his general style is older still--his performance sequences seem distinctly out-of-touch (even for 1954).
The Country Girl is the movie for which plain, dowdy-looking Grace Kelly received an Oscar.
Anyhow Kelly and her two co-stars Bing Crosby and William Holden combine to produce a thoughtful, entertaining and enjoyable movie.
Yet when director Bernie Dodd, as played by Holden, needs an actor for the all-important lead role in his new musical production he insists that Frank Elgin is his man.
All actors are excellent, especially Grace Kelly (Why wasn't she first choice for this role?!!) who surely deserved the oscar she received for her performance, proving that she was able to play a tragic character (She was surely right, when she said this was the first time she had the possibility to play a real film character where she wasn't used as a beautiful film decoration as in her other films I've seen).
If they made a list of the top ten most over rated, over praised films, this would make the list.The subject of co-dependency may have been break thru in 1954, but no longer has much appeal, in fact is ho-hum today.A cliché story line, is burdened with a forlorn Bing, an amateurish Grace Kelly and William Holden, who stoically endures it all.
I hate lip syncing, and can not understand why someone with as much experience singing live as Bing had, must be reduced to this format.To give Grace Kelly an Oscar, instead of Judy Garland, was my first realization that talent and a fine performance sometimes do not determine who wins.
For me casting one of the leads against type can be considered daring but two seems reckless and for all that it was Crosby and Kelly who got the main acting plaudits, it's William Holden's ever reliable character-work which for me centres and grounds the film, if not quite catapulting it into the "classic" firmament for which it so earnestly strives.For one thing I couldn't believe Kelly as the downtrodden frump she appears to be here and for another Crosby, while you can see him really trying (part of the problem) never convinced me at any time that he was a drunk in the way that Ray Milland did so well in "The Lost Weekend".
I found the plot unconvincing too, with the melodramatic motive for Crosby's actions overplayed, the triangular affair when Holden falls for Kelly seemingly coming out of nowhere, while the musical interludes by the celebrated Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin sound some way off their best work, unlike some of the great songs in the aforementioned Garland movie.All the same, as you'd expect from award-winning playwright Clifford Odets, there are some telling lines amongst all the exchanges (this is a very talky film), I liked the way Crosby's significant flashback was delayed until over 30 minutes into the film and the long cutaway shot at the conclusion makes for an effective finish.
Musical stage star Bing Crosby (as Frank Elgin) is all washed-up in the theater; after the accidental death of his son, he seeks solace in alcohol.
Surprisingly, Cosby, the least heralded dramatic actor of the threesome, outperforms his illustrious co-stars; he really crawls beneath the surface of his character, and manages to make an almost tuneless, lackluster story much more interesting.******* The Country Girl (12/15/54) George Seaton ~ Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, William Holden, Anthony Ross.
Finally one day, my father said to me, "You know, he can act, too.""What do you mean?""There's a movie where he plays an alcoholic with Grace Kelly as his wife.
Bill Holden is once again excellent, and I find the fact that he didn't even get nominated for his role tragic.The Country Girl is simply amazing, and I highly recommend anyone who is looking for something poignant and brilliant to pick up this movie, and get lost in the lives of the Elgins..
Excellent adaptation of the Clifford Odet's play with Crosby starring, in his most electric screen role ever, as a washed up actor and singer who lacks the spirit and confidence to make a come back in a musical under the eye of arrogant director William Holden, who is also maginificent.
In spite of William Holden and Grace Kelly, I highly recommend classic film lovers go out and rent The Country Girl.
With fantastic acting and a wonderful script, it's no wonder it won two Oscars and was nominated for an additional five.Bing Crosby stars as a middle-aged has-been actor desperate for a comeback, and who struggles with an alcohol problem.
Bing's long-suffering wife is Grace Kelly, and even though I normally don't like her, she really is excellent in this movie.
William Holden takes the third lead, as the stage producer who takes a chance on Bing, then finds himself getting far too involved in his personal life.If you know anything about Grace Kelly's personal life, you won't be surprised that she had affairs with both leading men.
The main thing that one will notice about "The Country Girl" is the unusual roles given to Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly.
A plain reason why I arouse my interest in this film is the controversy of Grace Kelly's Oscar win over Judy Garland in A STAR IS BORN (1954), according to trivia report, a narrow 6 votes altered the result for the jinxed Ms. Garland, who had the best shot in her entire lifetime.
This film has several notable performances, most prevalently Grace Kelly as Georgie Elgin, and Bing Crosby as her alcoholic husband/theater entertainer.Elgin is attempting to make a comeback and his wife ostensibly is trying to help him.
I enjoyed her performance here which is opposite the typical socialite and shallow roles she often was relegated to (other than Hitchcock films, the fluffy musical "Touch of Class" and other light fare, in which we cannot see her true acting ability).Crosby is also superb as Elgin, a broken man leaning on his wife, drinking cherry cough syrup (in those days half alcohol) and pretending he isn't addicted.
It's good enough when a movie can impress me with an excellent performance delivered from an actor whom I didn't think had the chops to do so, now multiply that by three and you've got The Country Girl.I had only previously seen Bing Crosby in several musicals and comedies.
The jury is still out on his abilities as an actor but never less after watching The Country Girl again, I can say this is my favourite performance I've seen him deliver giving so much raw energy as a driven stage producer.Finally in the triangle of surprise is Grace Kelly.
A director (William Holden) hires an alcoholic has-been (Bing Crosby) and strikes up a stormy relationship with the actor's wife (Grace Kelly), whom he believes is the cause of all the man's problems.For me, this movie can be seen in three different ways, both of which are valid.
Those viewers who are used to seeing Bing Crosby playing nonchalant, lighthearted song and dance men may be a bit surprised by his role in 1954's "The Country Girl." Here, in one of his grittiest roles--perhaps his grittiest--he plays a has-been, alcoholic song and dance man who is given the lead in a big Broadway production by director William Holden, while being propped up by his mysteriously motivated wife (a surprisingly dowdy Grace Kelly).
Lately,I have seen many movies based on stage plays(such are Sleuth,Johnny Belinda,A man for all seasons,etc.)which are perfect tens.I am glad to say that"The Country Girl"(written by Clifford Odets,adapted and directed by George Seaton)is no exception.A touching story of a has-been actor/singer,whose life,marriage and career are devastated by alcohol.This is Bing Crosby's finest hour when it comes to drama,and his musical talent is used very well(the original script is re-written in order for him to play the part of Frank.)He is a bit too old for the part,but he still managed to express all the complexities of his character.His friend Bernie(superbly played by William Holden)sees the next play as an opportunity for Frank to come back on top.That won't be an easy job,for Frank is constantly haunted by the death of his little son and he seems to be controlled and manipulated by his wife(Grace Kelly).The plot thickens when Bernie starts to think that she is Frank's constant stumbling block,and that her possessiveness and selfishness are the main problem(even that she is a primary drunk of the family)But,as the story progresses,we see something completely different-that is a marvelous twist!The son's death is only an excuse,a cover-story for Frank's own psychological weakness.Georgie is actually a long-suffering,"loyal and steadfast" wife,who stood by her man in times of trouble.I have read many bad things considering Grace's acting and I have to disagree.She played against type and her character is very complex and nuanced.It took a lot more than a pretty face to pull it off properly.And she did it.She played with feeling and poignancy and made Georgie absolutely believable.I'm glad she proved herself as a dramatic actress and got an Oscar for her blistering performance.The only thing that I have to agree with is that she doesn't look like a country girl,no matter how simple and cheap clothes she wears.She is too beautiful and sophisticated.When it comes to William Holden,he is in his own backyard here-he portrayed a long-trusting friend superbly and his change of heart towards Georgie is beautiful-he couldn't be more wrong about her,and that change is marvelously presented.The script is magnificent,sort of Wilder-like with many witty one-liners.I liked most the one about Juliets and Lady Macbeths.Most of the numbers are also fantastic,sometimes the whole movie looks theater-like.
After all, she beat out Judy Garland for "A Star is Born." While Kelly hid behind horned-rimmed glasses, to hide her natural beauty, many believed the Oscar should have gone to Ms. Garland.As Frank Elgin, a drunken has-been actor, Bing Crosby shed his Father O'Malley image and offered a fine dramatic performance for which he was Oscar nominated.A family that has everything loses it all when their young son is tragically killed by a car.
I first watched this last year and was very impressed with the film, and its three central performances from Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly (who controversially won the Oscar over Judy Garland) and William Holden.
At one point in the film, the Holden character, Bernie Dodd, is trying to explain to the producer, Phillip Cook, played by the actor Anthony Ross, why he wants to use the Crosby character.
"The Country Girl" is Grace Kelly's Oscar winning movie about an alcoholic singer and stage actor who digs deeper into his bottle after the accidental death of his son, and the long-suffering wife who tries to keep him on the straight-and-narrow when he attempts a comeback.
In "The Country Girl", 25-year-old Kelly plays Georgie Elgin, a prematurely middle-aged woman whose husband, Frank (Crosby), is a former song and dance man whose star has faded due to tragedy and alcoholism.
No one ever accused Hollywood of Doing The Right Thing or of having even heard of integrity so if, after creating the role of Eliza Doolittle and playing it for more than five years in both New York and London Julie Andrews was thought unfit to play it in the film version then there was no way Paramount was going to let Uta Hagen - who picked up a Best Actress Tony Award for her portrayal of Georgie on Broadway - replicate her role in the film version of Clifford Odets last great Broadway play, nor, if it comes to that, would they even consider allowing Paul Kelly - by then a veteran of 166 films dating from the Silent era, and who had himself won a Best Actor Tony for Command Decision - to recreate his Frank Elgin when they had a CROONER lined up for the lead.As it turned out both Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly turned in fairly decent performances though William Holden left both of them dead in the water.
In sum: a Great play rewritten into a Very Good film with a Great performance from Holden and two half-decent ones from Kelly and Crosby..
Odets takes a frank look at the unglamorous side of show business, William Holden gives the movie the narrative and profit-seeking drive (which mesh nicely in his performance) and Grace Kelly is hot in a chilly way just as Hitchcock loved her to be.
It stars Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and William Holden.
Years ago, Frank Elgin (Bing Crosby) was a successful singer and actor, but a tragedy turned him in to an alcoholic loser and his wife, Georgie (Grace Kelly), into a bitter shrew.
Briefly, the uber-realistic melodrama The Country Girl stars William Holden as Bernie Dodd, a young hotshot Broadway director who thinks the only actor who can play the lead role in his new play The Land Around Us is Frank Elgin, played by Bing Crosby.