The Guilt of Janet Ames
Encyclopedia
The Guilt of Janet Ames is a 1947
drama film. A widow sets out to find the five men whose lives were saved by the sacrifice of her husband in World War II
and judge whether they are worthy.
) seeks out the five soldiers for whom her husband gave his life by falling on a hand grenade
during the Battle of the Bulge
. While crossing a city street to find the first, she is struck and knocked unconscious by an automobile. The police find no identification on her recognizes, only a list of names. One recognizes the last name on her list, Smithfield "Smitty" Cobb (Melvyn Douglas
), a reporter recently fired for alcoholism, and contacts Smitty. When Smitty sees the list, he realizes who she must be.
He goes to see her at the hospital, and finds her in a wheelchair, unable to walk. As the doctor can find no physical reason for the paralysis, he schedules an appointment with a psychiatrist. Smitty decides to treat her himself. He introduces himself as a friend of her husband David (though not as one of the men he saved), and wheels her into a private room. She explains her mission: to see if any of the men were worth David's sacrifice, making it perfectly clear that she has already made up her mind. After a nurse gives her a sedative, Smitty accuses her of wallowing in self-pity, then tries to get Janet to change her mind by describing each of the men. He is so vivid that Janet can see and talk to them.
The first man she interacts with is nightclub bouncer
Joe Burton (Richard Benedict
). He and his singer girlfriend Katie (Betsy Blair
) dream of building a house. Joe constructs a model of it from a deck of cards. Exasperated by their unrealistic aspirations, Janet blows the cards down.
Next, Smitty takes her to the desert, where Ed Pierson is doing scientific research and living in a shack with his wife Susie (Nina Foch
). Janet does not meet Ed at all; instead, she talks with Susie and her very wealthy father, who strongly disapproves of what the couple are doing. He wants Ed to come work for him, but Susie replies that Edr is happy where he is and would be miserable in the business world. Janet states that her husband would never do what Ed has done.
The third man is Frank Merino (played by an uncredited Hugh Beaumont). Janet first meets his young daughter Emmy. During their conversation, Janet states that she and David were too sensible to have children before they were ready and that children are a lot of trouble. A bewildered Emmy seeks comfort from her father.
Sammy Weaver (Sid Caesar
), the fourth man, is a promising, up-and-coming comedian. After entertaining Janet and Smitty with his routine, he thanks her for the opportunity to lift the spirits of his audience.
By this point, Janet has guessed Smitty's identity. He describes himself as a crusading journalist and newspaper editor.
Janet then admits that she feels overwhelming guilt in not loving her husband and making his civilian life so miserable, he had little to lose when he sacrificed himself. David wanted to build a house and have a child right away, but she put them off until it was too late. She also made him decline a research position and keep working at a job he hated for her own security. Smitty persuades her to forgive herself, and the paralysis in her legs goes away.
However, when she tells him that she has fallen in love with him, he brushes her off and retreats to his favorite bar to drown his own troubles. Janet then learns from a policeman that Smitty is not exactly what he claimed. She tracks him down and extracts from him the reason for his alcoholism. It turns out Smitty, as David's commanding officer, ordered him to throw himself on the grenade, when Smitty was just as close to it. Janet tells him that David would have done so without being ordered, and that he probably never even heard the command. She then turns the tables on her healer, describing their happy future life together.
1947 in film
The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".*November 25...
drama film. A widow sets out to find the five men whose lives were saved by the sacrifice of her husband in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and judge whether they are worthy.
Plot
Bitter war widow Janet Ames (Rosalind RussellRosalind Russell
Rosalind Russell was an American actress of stage and screen, perhaps best known for her role as a fast-talking newspaper reporter in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday, as well as the role of Mame Dennis in the film Auntie Mame...
) seeks out the five soldiers for whom her husband gave his life by falling on a hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
during the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
. While crossing a city street to find the first, she is struck and knocked unconscious by an automobile. The police find no identification on her recognizes, only a list of names. One recognizes the last name on her list, Smithfield "Smitty" Cobb (Melvyn Douglas
Melvyn Douglas
Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg , better known as Melvyn Douglas, was an American actor.Coming to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man , Douglas later transitioned into more mature and fatherly roles as in his Academy Award-winning performances in Hud...
), a reporter recently fired for alcoholism, and contacts Smitty. When Smitty sees the list, he realizes who she must be.
He goes to see her at the hospital, and finds her in a wheelchair, unable to walk. As the doctor can find no physical reason for the paralysis, he schedules an appointment with a psychiatrist. Smitty decides to treat her himself. He introduces himself as a friend of her husband David (though not as one of the men he saved), and wheels her into a private room. She explains her mission: to see if any of the men were worth David's sacrifice, making it perfectly clear that she has already made up her mind. After a nurse gives her a sedative, Smitty accuses her of wallowing in self-pity, then tries to get Janet to change her mind by describing each of the men. He is so vivid that Janet can see and talk to them.
The first man she interacts with is nightclub bouncer
Bouncer (doorman)
A bouncer is an informal term for a type of security guard employed at venues such as bars, nightclubs or concerts to provide security, check legal age, and refuse entry to a venue based on criteria such as intoxication, aggressive behavior, or attractiveness...
Joe Burton (Richard Benedict
Richard Benedict
Richard "Pepe" Benedict was an Italian-born television and film actor and director.He appeared in dozens of television programs and movies from the 1940s to the 1960s, most notably Ace in the Hole , directed by Billy Wilder...
). He and his singer girlfriend Katie (Betsy Blair
Betsy Blair
Betsy 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...
) dream of building a house. Joe constructs a model of it from a deck of cards. Exasperated by their unrealistic aspirations, Janet blows the cards down.
Next, Smitty takes her to the desert, where Ed Pierson is doing scientific research and living in a shack with his wife Susie (Nina Foch
Nina Foch
Nina Foch was a Dutch-born American actress and leading lady in many 1940s and 1950s films.- Personal life :...
). Janet does not meet Ed at all; instead, she talks with Susie and her very wealthy father, who strongly disapproves of what the couple are doing. He wants Ed to come work for him, but Susie replies that Edr is happy where he is and would be miserable in the business world. Janet states that her husband would never do what Ed has done.
The third man is Frank Merino (played by an uncredited Hugh Beaumont). Janet first meets his young daughter Emmy. During their conversation, Janet states that she and David were too sensible to have children before they were ready and that children are a lot of trouble. A bewildered Emmy seeks comfort from her father.
Sammy Weaver (Sid Caesar
Sid Caesar
Isaac Sidney "Sid" Caesar is an Emmy award winning American comic actor and writer known as the leading man on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and to younger generations as Coach Calhoun in Grease and Grease 2.- Early life :Caesar was born in Yonkers, New York,...
), the fourth man, is a promising, up-and-coming comedian. After entertaining Janet and Smitty with his routine, he thanks her for the opportunity to lift the spirits of his audience.
By this point, Janet has guessed Smitty's identity. He describes himself as a crusading journalist and newspaper editor.
Janet then admits that she feels overwhelming guilt in not loving her husband and making his civilian life so miserable, he had little to lose when he sacrificed himself. David wanted to build a house and have a child right away, but she put them off until it was too late. She also made him decline a research position and keep working at a job he hated for her own security. Smitty persuades her to forgive herself, and the paralysis in her legs goes away.
However, when she tells him that she has fallen in love with him, he brushes her off and retreats to his favorite bar to drown his own troubles. Janet then learns from a policeman that Smitty is not exactly what he claimed. She tracks him down and extracts from him the reason for his alcoholism. It turns out Smitty, as David's commanding officer, ordered him to throw himself on the grenade, when Smitty was just as close to it. Janet tells him that David would have done so without being ordered, and that he probably never even heard the command. She then turns the tables on her healer, describing their happy future life together.
Cast
- Rosalind RussellRosalind RussellRosalind Russell was an American actress of stage and screen, perhaps best known for her role as a fast-talking newspaper reporter in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday, as well as the role of Mame Dennis in the film Auntie Mame...
as Janet Ames - Melvyn DouglasMelvyn DouglasMelvyn Edouard Hesselberg , better known as Melvyn Douglas, was an American actor.Coming to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man , Douglas later transitioned into more mature and fatherly roles as in his Academy Award-winning performances in Hud...
as Smithfield Cobb - Sid CaesarSid CaesarIsaac Sidney "Sid" Caesar is an Emmy award winning American comic actor and writer known as the leading man on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and to younger generations as Coach Calhoun in Grease and Grease 2.- Early life :Caesar was born in Yonkers, New York,...
as Samuel Weaver - 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 Katie. This was Blair's film debut. - Nina FochNina FochNina Foch was a Dutch-born American actress and leading lady in many 1940s and 1950s films.- Personal life :...
as Susie Pearson - Charles Cane as Walker
- Harry von ZellHarry von ZellHarry von Zell , born in Indianapolis, made his mark as an announcer of radio programs and an actor in films and television shows....
as Carter - Bruce Harper as Junior
- Arthur Space as Nelson
- Richard BenedictRichard BenedictRichard "Pepe" Benedict was an Italian-born television and film actor and director.He appeared in dozens of television programs and movies from the 1940s to the 1960s, most notably Ace in the Hole , directed by Billy Wilder...
as Joe Burton - Frank OrthFrank OrthFrank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By 1897, he was performing in vaudeville with his wife, Ann Codee, in an act called "Codee and Orth"...
as Danny, the bartender - Hugh Beaumont as Francis R. Merino (uncredited). Beaumont is better known as the father in television's Leave It to BeaverLeave It to BeaverLeave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood...
.