The Revolt of Mamie Stover (film)
Encyclopedia
The Revolt of Mamie Stover (1956
) is a romantic drama film made by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Raoul Walsh
and produced by Buddy Adler from a screenplay
by Sydney Boehm
based on the novel of the same name
by William Bradford Huie
.The film stars Jane Russell
and Richard Egan
with Joan Leslie
, Agnes Moorehead
, and Michael Pate
.
The music was by Hugo Friedhofer
and the cinematography by Leo Tover
. The costume design was by Travilla
.
), a San Francisco prostitute who is chased away from the city by several policemen. Sent away on a boat, she sets out to Honolulu, where onboard she meets Jim Blair (Richard Egan
), a successful writer who thinks of Mamie as a Cinderella
-like beauty. Flattered, Mamie enjoys not being associated with her less-than glamorous occupation and falls in love with the man. A shipboard romance is cut short when Mamie notices Jim being romantically welcomed ashore by his sweetheart Annalee (Joan Leslie
).
As they part, Jim borrows Mamie $100 to help her build a career. Afterwards, she visits an old friend, Jackie Davis (Jorja Curtright), who introduces her to the mean-spirited owner of a honky-tonk, Bertha Parchman (Agnes Moorehead
). Even more cold-hearted is Bertha's vicious and sadistic manager Harry Adkins (Michael Pate
), who thinks very lowly of the hostesses working at the club. Mamie applies for a job, even though it means that she is not allowed to have a boyfriend, visit Waikiki Beach or open a bank account.
Sometime later, Mamie, having earned enough money, pays back her debt with Jim and invites him to the night club. Jim finds out that Mamie has become the main attraction of the club, and that she has even acquired the nickname 'Flaming Mamie'. Mamie is disappointed by Jim's disapproval of her job, and rejects an offer to return home. Instead, she convinces him to rekindle their affair. This puts a string on his relationship with Annalee, the latter feeling jealous and hurt by the amount of attention that Jim is giving Mamie.
Meanwhile, Mamie convinces Jim to write out a check to her father on her behalf, though a response addressed to 'Mrs. Jim Blair' upsets Jim. He reluctantly agrees to go along with the lie, and later even backs up Mamie when Harry beats her up for going out with Jim. The bombing of Pearl Harbor
temporarily fades the personal setbacks that Mamie is enduring, and she instead capitalizes on the attack by purchasing a piece of land cheaply and renting it out.
In his return, Jim responds to Pearl Harbor by enlisting the infantry. Shortly before leaving, he convinces Mamie to marry him after World War II
and leave the honky-tonk. Returning to the club to announce her resignation, Mamie finds out that Harry has been fired for inflictments with the military police. Bertha, fearing to lose the biggest attraction of the club, promises to make Mamie a star and furthermore offers her half of the profits, as well as a possibility to deceive Jim.
Misleading Jim does not work, though, as he receives a promotional poster of Mamie, posing for a performance at the club. Before he can respond to it, he is hit and wounded by a bomb. He is granted to leave because of his injury, and immediately returns to Hawaii to confront Mamie. After an argument, Jim concludes that their lives are too different, and he leaves her for good. Heartbroken, Mamie leaves Hawaii, and while in San Francisco as a rest stop, she tells a police officer that she has lost a fortune.
had bought the rights of the novel of the same name.
The role of Mamie Stover was originally intended for Marilyn Monroe
, though a script had not been written yet when she was linked to the project in September 1955. When she turned it down, it was offered to Jane Russell, whose confirmation was reported in November 1955. Lana Turner
was considered for the lead role as well, but an extended vacation prohibited her from taking the part. Joan Leslie was assigned to co-star shortly after, in December.
Russell was originally supposed to wear a red wig for the film, but upon finding out that her eyebrows had to match the coloring, decided to dye both her hair and eyebrows.
Filming took place partially on location in Honolulu. The remainder of the scenes were shot on the lot of Fox. The film was Joan Leslie's final film appearance before retiring from the screen.
1956 in film
The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
) is a romantic drama film made by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh...
and produced by Buddy Adler from a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
by Sydney Boehm
Sydney Boehm
Sydney Boehm was an American screenwriter and producer. Boehm began his writing career as a newswriter for wire services and newspapers before moving on to screenwriting...
based on the novel of the same name
The Revolt of Mamie Stover
The Revolt of Mamie Stover is a 1951 novel by William Bradford Huie about a Mississippi prostitute, later a war profiteer in Honolulu. A movie version directed by Raoul Walsh was filmed in 1956 with Jane Russell in the title role....
by William Bradford Huie
William Bradford Huie
William Bradford "Bill" Huie was an American journalist, editor, publisher, television interviewer, screenwriter, lecturer, and novelist.-Biography:...
.The film stars Jane Russell
Jane Russell
Jane Russell was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s....
and Richard Egan
Richard Egan (actor)
Richard Egan was an American actor. In some films he is credited as Richard Eagan.-Career:Born in San Francisco, California, Egan served in the United States Army as a judo instructor during World War II...
with Joan Leslie
Joan Leslie
Joan Leslie is a retired American film and television actress.-Early life:Leslie was born Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel in Detroit, Michigan, and raised Roman Catholic. She began performing as a singer at the age of nine as part of a vaudeville act with her two sisters; Betty and Mae Brodel...
, Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Robertson Moorehead was an American actress. Although she began with the Mercury Theatre, appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences...
, and Michael Pate
Michael Pate
Michael Pate was an Australian actor, writer and director.-Early life:He was born Edward John Pate in Drummoyne, Sydney...
.
The music was by Hugo Friedhofer
Hugo Friedhofer
Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer was an American film music composer born in San Francisco. His father was a cellist trained in Dresden, Germany; his mother, Eva König, was born in Germany.Friedhofer began playing cello at the age of 13...
and the cinematography by Leo Tover
Leo Tover
Leo Tover, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer, twice nominated for Academy Awards for his work on The Heiress and Hold Back the Dawn...
. The costume design was by Travilla
William Travilla
William Travilla , who went by the professional name of Travilla, was an American costume designer for theatre, film, and television. He is perhaps best-known for dressing Marilyn Monroe in eight of her films....
.
Plot
Set in 1941, the film focuses on Mamie Stover (Jane RussellJane Russell
Jane Russell was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s....
), a San Francisco prostitute who is chased away from the city by several policemen. Sent away on a boat, she sets out to Honolulu, where onboard she meets Jim Blair (Richard Egan
Richard Egan (actor)
Richard Egan was an American actor. In some films he is credited as Richard Eagan.-Career:Born in San Francisco, California, Egan served in the United States Army as a judo instructor during World War II...
), a successful writer who thinks of Mamie as a Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
-like beauty. Flattered, Mamie enjoys not being associated with her less-than glamorous occupation and falls in love with the man. A shipboard romance is cut short when Mamie notices Jim being romantically welcomed ashore by his sweetheart Annalee (Joan Leslie
Joan Leslie
Joan Leslie is a retired American film and television actress.-Early life:Leslie was born Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel in Detroit, Michigan, and raised Roman Catholic. She began performing as a singer at the age of nine as part of a vaudeville act with her two sisters; Betty and Mae Brodel...
).
As they part, Jim borrows Mamie $100 to help her build a career. Afterwards, she visits an old friend, Jackie Davis (Jorja Curtright), who introduces her to the mean-spirited owner of a honky-tonk, Bertha Parchman (Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Robertson Moorehead was an American actress. Although she began with the Mercury Theatre, appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences...
). Even more cold-hearted is Bertha's vicious and sadistic manager Harry Adkins (Michael Pate
Michael Pate
Michael Pate was an Australian actor, writer and director.-Early life:He was born Edward John Pate in Drummoyne, Sydney...
), who thinks very lowly of the hostesses working at the club. Mamie applies for a job, even though it means that she is not allowed to have a boyfriend, visit Waikiki Beach or open a bank account.
Sometime later, Mamie, having earned enough money, pays back her debt with Jim and invites him to the night club. Jim finds out that Mamie has become the main attraction of the club, and that she has even acquired the nickname 'Flaming Mamie'. Mamie is disappointed by Jim's disapproval of her job, and rejects an offer to return home. Instead, she convinces him to rekindle their affair. This puts a string on his relationship with Annalee, the latter feeling jealous and hurt by the amount of attention that Jim is giving Mamie.
Meanwhile, Mamie convinces Jim to write out a check to her father on her behalf, though a response addressed to 'Mrs. Jim Blair' upsets Jim. He reluctantly agrees to go along with the lie, and later even backs up Mamie when Harry beats her up for going out with Jim. The bombing of Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
temporarily fades the personal setbacks that Mamie is enduring, and she instead capitalizes on the attack by purchasing a piece of land cheaply and renting it out.
In his return, Jim responds to Pearl Harbor by enlisting the infantry. Shortly before leaving, he convinces Mamie to marry him after 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 leave the honky-tonk. Returning to the club to announce her resignation, Mamie finds out that Harry has been fired for inflictments with the military police. Bertha, fearing to lose the biggest attraction of the club, promises to make Mamie a star and furthermore offers her half of the profits, as well as a possibility to deceive Jim.
Misleading Jim does not work, though, as he receives a promotional poster of Mamie, posing for a performance at the club. Before he can respond to it, he is hit and wounded by a bomb. He is granted to leave because of his injury, and immediately returns to Hawaii to confront Mamie. After an argument, Jim concludes that their lives are too different, and he leaves her for good. Heartbroken, Mamie leaves Hawaii, and while in San Francisco as a rest stop, she tells a police officer that she has lost a fortune.
Cast
- Jane RussellJane RussellJane Russell was an American film actress and was one of Hollywood's leading sex symbols in the 1940s and 1950s....
as Mamie Stover - Richard EganRichard Egan (actor)Richard Egan was an American actor. In some films he is credited as Richard Eagan.-Career:Born in San Francisco, California, Egan served in the United States Army as a judo instructor during World War II...
as Jim Blair - Joan LeslieJoan LeslieJoan Leslie is a retired American film and television actress.-Early life:Leslie was born Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel in Detroit, Michigan, and raised Roman Catholic. She began performing as a singer at the age of nine as part of a vaudeville act with her two sisters; Betty and Mae Brodel...
as Annalee Johnson - Agnes MooreheadAgnes MooreheadAgnes Robertson Moorehead was an American actress. Although she began with the Mercury Theatre, appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences...
as Bertha Parchman - Jorja Curtright as Jackie Davis
- Michael PateMichael PateMichael Pate was an Australian actor, writer and director.-Early life:He was born Edward John Pate in Drummoyne, Sydney...
as Harry Adkins - Richard CooganRichard CooganRichard Coogan is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Captain Video from 1949-1950.Born in Short Hills, New Jersey, Coogan worked in radio for some time, including appearing as Abie Levy in Abie's Irish Rose...
as Capt. Eldon Sumac - Alan ReedAlan ReedAlan Reed was an American actor and voice actor, best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone on The Flintstones and various spinoff series...
as Capt. Gorecki - Eddie FirestoneEddie FirestoneEddie Firestone was a United States radio, television, and film actor.An early success was in the title role of radio's That Brewster Boy, which he left in 1943, during World War II, to join the U.S. Marine Corps...
as Tarzan - Jean WillesJean WillesJean Willes was an American film actress. She appeared in approximately 65 films between 1934 and 1972.-Career:...
as Gladys - Leon Lontoc as Aki
- Kathy Marlowe as Zelda
- Margia Dean as Peaches
- Jack Mather as Bartender
- John Halloran as Henry
- Boyd 'Red' Morgan as Hackett
- Hugh Beaumont as San Francisco Policeman (uncredited)
Production
In May 1955, it was reported that 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
had bought the rights of the novel of the same name.
The role of Mamie Stover was originally intended for Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, though a script had not been written yet when she was linked to the project in September 1955. When she turned it down, it was offered to Jane Russell, whose confirmation was reported in November 1955. Lana Turner
Lana Turner
Lana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
was considered for the lead role as well, but an extended vacation prohibited her from taking the part. Joan Leslie was assigned to co-star shortly after, in December.
Russell was originally supposed to wear a red wig for the film, but upon finding out that her eyebrows had to match the coloring, decided to dye both her hair and eyebrows.
Filming took place partially on location in Honolulu. The remainder of the scenes were shot on the lot of Fox. The film was Joan Leslie's final film appearance before retiring from the screen.