Kind Lady
Encyclopedia
Kind Lady is a 1951
film drama directed by John Sturges
. It stars Ethel Barrymore
, Maurice Evans
, Keenan Wynn
and Angela Lansbury
.
The film is remake of the 1935 film of the same name
, which starred Aline MacMahon
in the title role.
It turns out to be a diabolical scheme by Elcott to sell off the artwork of Mrs. Herries and everything else of value she owns while holding her and her housemaid Rose captive in their bedrooms.
Elcott's accomplices, Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, take over as the butler and maid. Elcott masquerades as the lady's nephew, come to take care of her affairs due to a sudden mental breakdown.
The criminals taunt Mrs. Herries, placing her chair near a window, having informed the neighborhood that any screams they hear would be those of a woman who has gone mad. In no hurry to leave, Elcott goes so far as to paint a portrait of her.
Mrs. Edwards gets anxious that they are staying too long in the house, which Elcott intends to sell. Mrs. Herries tries to bribe her, but the brutal Mr. Edwards snatches the money from his wife and refuses to leave.
Tensions rise as Mrs. Herries learns the true identity of Elcott from a portrait of his wife that he signed with his real name. Ada has seen Elcott kill before and realizes he will again. She tries to free Rose, but the maid is murdered by Mr. Edwards.
The time comes to pack up and leave. Mr. Edwards goes upstairs to push Mrs. Herriott out the window, an apparent suicide. But the body in the chair has been switched by Mrs. Herries and Ada and is actually that of Rose. The police are on their way and Elcott realizes that he and Mr. and Mrs. Edwards have made a fatal mistake.
1951 in film
The year 1951 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Sweden - May Britt is scouted by Italian film-makers Carlo Ponti and Mario Soldati-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:...
film drama directed by John Sturges
John Sturges
John Eliot Sturges was an American film director. His movies include Bad Day at Black Rock , Gunfight at the O.K. Corral , The Magnificent Seven , The Great Escape and Ice Station Zebra .-Career:He started his career in Hollywood as an editor in 1932...
. It stars Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
, Maurice Evans
Maurice Evans (actor)
Maurice Herbert Evans was an English actor noted for his interpretations of Shakespearean characters. In terms of his screen roles, he is probably best known as Dr...
, Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
and Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
.
The film is remake of the 1935 film of the same name
Kind Lady (1935 film)
Kind Lady is a 1935 drama film starring Aline MacMahon and Basil Rathbone. It is based on the play of the same name by Edward Chodorov and a short story called "The Silver Mask" by Hugh Walpole....
, which starred Aline MacMahon
Aline MacMahon
Aline MacMahon was an American actress. Her career began on stage in 1921. She worked extensively in film and television until her retirement in 1975. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Dragon Seed .-Early life:Aline Laveen MacMahon was born...
in the title role.
Plot
A seemingly kind painter, Henry Elcott, tricks wealthy art collector Mary Herries into letting him, his wife Ada and their baby live in her London home. Ada has collapsed and a doctor claims it's best she not be moved.It turns out to be a diabolical scheme by Elcott to sell off the artwork of Mrs. Herries and everything else of value she owns while holding her and her housemaid Rose captive in their bedrooms.
Elcott's accomplices, Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, take over as the butler and maid. Elcott masquerades as the lady's nephew, come to take care of her affairs due to a sudden mental breakdown.
The criminals taunt Mrs. Herries, placing her chair near a window, having informed the neighborhood that any screams they hear would be those of a woman who has gone mad. In no hurry to leave, Elcott goes so far as to paint a portrait of her.
Mrs. Edwards gets anxious that they are staying too long in the house, which Elcott intends to sell. Mrs. Herries tries to bribe her, but the brutal Mr. Edwards snatches the money from his wife and refuses to leave.
Tensions rise as Mrs. Herries learns the true identity of Elcott from a portrait of his wife that he signed with his real name. Ada has seen Elcott kill before and realizes he will again. She tries to free Rose, but the maid is murdered by Mr. Edwards.
The time comes to pack up and leave. Mr. Edwards goes upstairs to push Mrs. Herriott out the window, an apparent suicide. But the body in the chair has been switched by Mrs. Herries and Ada and is actually that of Rose. The police are on their way and Elcott realizes that he and Mr. and Mrs. Edwards have made a fatal mistake.
Cast
- Ethel BarrymoreEthel BarrymoreEthel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
as Mary Herries - Maurice EvansMaurice Evans (actor)Maurice Herbert Evans was an English actor noted for his interpretations of Shakespearean characters. In terms of his screen roles, he is probably best known as Dr...
as Henry Springer Elcott - Angela LansburyAngela LansburyAngela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
as Mrs. Edwards - Keenan WynnKeenan WynnKeenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
as Edwards - Betsy BlairBetsy BlairBetsy Blair was an American actress of film and stage, long based in London.Blair pursued a career in entertainment from the age of eight, and as a child worked as an amateur dancer, performed on radio, and worked as a model, before joining the chorus of Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe in 1940...
as Ada Elcott - John WilliamsJohn Williams (actor)John Williams was an English stage, film and television actor. He is remembered for his role as chief inspector Hubbard in Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M For Murder, and as portraying the second "Mr...
as Mr. Foster - Doris LloydDoris LloydHessy Doris Lloyd was an English actress.She appeared in over 150 films between 1920 and 1967, including the 1933 low-budget Monogram Pictures version of Oliver Twist, in which she played Nancy...
as Rose - Moyna MacGillMoyna MacGillMoyna Macgill was an Irish stage and film actress and the mother of actress Angela Lansbury and producers Edgar Lansbury and Bruce Lansbury.-Life and career:...
as Mrs. Harkley - Barry Bernard as Mr. Harkley
- Sally Cooper as Lucy Weston