User reviews

I got spoiled when I watched 1973's The Glass Menagerie; the 1950 version didn't stand a chance when I finally rented it. Katharine Hepburn's class, Sam Waterston's passion, and Joanna Miles's shyness are incomparable. Halfway through the 1950 version with Gertrude Lawrence, Arthur Kennedy, and Jane Wyman, I stopped my curses and comparisons to the taped Broadway performance. I suddenly realized that the earlier version was the original, and since it came first, it deserved fresh eyes and an open mind. With that in mind, I made sure to be less critical during the second half of the movie.

The Glass Menagerie is a Tennessee Williams play, so it's a depressing family drama about a struggling family in the South, in particular, a frustrated young man and his overbearing mother. The patriarch has deserted the family decades ago, and the young man has given up his dreams to work in a factory and take care of his mother and crippled sister.

While in the '70s, Sam Waterston played the character as a young man who sacrificed his youth for his family and doesn't want that pattern to continue for the rest of his life, Arthur Kennedy comes across as an older character, one whose youth has long since passed by. He isn't passionate and desperate to break free; he's resigned to his fate, but still unhappy about it. It's a very different interpretation from the way Sam played the part, but it's equally good. I'm not one to use the phrase "apples and oranges", but in his own way, Arthur does just as good a job as Sam.

The way Katharine Hepburn played her character, audiences can see how charming she used to be in her youthful Southern belle days. She still retains her class and poise in her old age. Gertrude Lawrence is more beaten down and shabby, fitting in with her poor surroundings. Katharine Hepburn is in a league of her own, but Gertrude Lawrence does give a good performance.

I couldn't really come up with a reason for Jane Wyman's interpretation of the sister character. She hardly seemed shy, and she seemed more mentally slow than anything, from her wide-eyed blank stare at her mother, to her sudden fits with no subtle build-up, and the variance of her limp. The one person who was hands-down, no-contest, infinitely better than the Broadway revival was Kirk Douglas, who played the gentleman caller. While he has the smallest part in the show, and he's given so many wonderful performances over the years, I hesitate to say this is one of his best performances, but it's certainly one of his most underrated ones. Usually, Kirk Douglas is either remembered as a bad boy or in a loincloth. In The Glass Menagerie, he plays the absolute antithesis of his usual bad boy roles, and he's fantastic. He aces every facet of his written character. He's supposed to be perfect and wondrous and kind, the image that comes to mind when one thinks of the bygone name "gentleman caller". A gentleman caller is polite, amiable, clean cut, confident, entertaining, and says nothing that couldn't be overheard by your parents. There isn't a hint of rebellion or seduction in Kirk Douglas's performance, and he sets the bar so high no one else can ever hope to play the gentleman caller half as well.

All in all, this version of The Glass Menagerie is pretty good, unless you've seen the 1973 version and believe that's the one and only interpretation. You might want to watch this one first, or just keep an open mind after the remake. Kirk Douglas fans will definitely want to rent this, and if you really like the story, as I do, you might enjoy watching every version you can get your hands on.

One of Tennessee Williams' best plays becomes a good but not great film despite a stellar cast. It's hard to pin exactly why this film doesn't soar but it's a solid screen version. Maybe it's just that the subject matter works better in a stage environment and that the camera is just too intimate.

Familiar story of restless son, his crippled sister, and their manic mother, who seems to live in the golden past is great material for the stage. And this sad story of the mother's attempts to goad the son into bringing home a young man to meet the sister seems rather cruel. But even the forgotten and lost can lead lives of desperation as they cling to dreams and make wishes on silver moons.

Arthur Kennedy stars as Tom, the son who tries to please his mother but longs to escape his dull job in St. Louis and see the world. Jane Wyman is the crippled sister who has shrunk from the world and collects tiny glass animals. Gertrude Lawrence is the mother who was abandoned by her husband and has been reduced to living in a dumpy apartment and selling magazine subscriptions. And Kirk Douglas is the "gentleman caller." All 4 actors are quite good, although none received Oscar nominations, despite the hype. Many great actresses have been associated with the role of Amanda Wingfield since this play made its Broadway debut in the 1940s: Laurette Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Joanne Woodward, Maureen Stapletobm Jessica Tandy, Julie Harris, and Jessica Lange have all played the role on stage, film, or TV. And I swear I remember Shirley Booth doing this on TV also.

Ultimetaely the story is as fragile as the glass figures. If any one character dominates the story the whole play collapses. This film version works very well in balancing the roles. And while Wyman seems a tad old for the part, Lawrence was an even odder choice. I've also read that Bette Davis and Tallulah Bankhead were considered. But how they decided on Lawrence--a great musical comedy star in London and New York--is anyone's guess. She really is quite good but the film might have need the extra star power of Bette Davis.

Anyway, this classic American play is worth watching.

Having never been a lover of Williams' writing have to admit this is the only title I regard with any true affection (maybe this has more to do with the adaption). Jayne Wyman is perfection as the shy club-footed daughter of suffocatingly controlling mother Amanda Wingfield (Gertrude Lawrence) - with Arthur Kennedy doing some of his best work as her brother Tom (with a rough likeness to Williams) Kirk Douglas scores well in an early role, as the 'gentleman caller', coming for dinner at the request of the brother (with much input from mother!) It's a tender and thoughtful musing on how, with the right words and actions, a brief meeting can bring new meaning to a sheltered life.

It's a pity Williams' life took such a destructive course as more stories like this would have been welcome. This version may not please everyone but with sensitive direction by Irvine Rapper and sterling visual work by prolific cinematographer Robert Burks --they extract a broad spectrum of human emotions from the limited settings --making this another of those neglected masterpieces from some of Hollywood's most effective years.

It's odd that it appears to be a Warner Bros production but came to us through 20th Century Fox; - It's more than ready for a remastered DVD release... from whoever it actually belongs to.

Gertrude Lawrence only made 13 films in her career, but she was beloved for her stage performances in England and on Broadway. The English-born actress does a fantastic job with her southern accent as Amanda Wingfield. She plays the perfect nagging yet doting mother in "The Glass Menagerie."

Jane Wyman plays her daughter, Laura, and Arthur Kennedy is her son, Tom. The cast of this first film of the play is rounded out with Kirk Douglas as Jim O'Connor and Ralph Sanford as Mendoza. With this superb cast, this may be the best film rendition of the Tennessee Williams story on which the film is based.

One drawback is its revised ending that leaves a question in the viewers mind. So, what eventually happened to Amanda and Laura? And, I agree with observations by some that the effort to make Lawrence appear younger is a negative. Especially when she gets dolled up for the dinner evening with their guest, Jim O'Connor.

Lawrence was well liked by audiences as a dramatic and comedy performer. Besides the stage and films, she played nightclubs and sang. She won a Tony for her starring role in the original Broadway production of "The King and I" opposite Yul Brynner.

But, Lawrence made so few films, that there aren't many examples of her acting talent available otherwise. This version of "The Glass Menagerie" may be the best example for movie buffs to see a performance by this fine British star of stage and screen.

Lawrence died at age 52 of cancer. She lived a high life, well beyond her substantial means, and was deeply in debt most of her life.

Here's a favorite line from the film. Jim O'Connor, Ah, when you first meet Mendoza, you don't like him. But, when you get to know him, you hate him."

I readily defer to the previous specialist American users, some of whom were taught Tennesee Williams (TW) in high school and are familiar with his prose and style.It was certainly the first time I had seen Getrude Lawrence on film although I have often heard her praises spoken by the likes of the late Noel Coward.We Brits seem to portray US southern belles quite well (most notably Vivien Leigh in her famous incarnation of Scarlet O'Hara).Yes, I quite enjoyed this film and awarded it 6/10, above average.

I note the learn-ed comments from certain American reviewers about the prevailing censorship then and changes to the author's stage text, not to mention TW's gay proclivities.I thought however it was a "cop out" to give Jane Wyman a "gentleman caller", (not in the original text apparently) in the last scene, when her brother had joined the US Merchant Marine and Kirk Douglas had rejoined his fiancée.

How social attitudes and times have changed over the last 70 years or so in society.Nowadays there is womens liberation, no gay/race discrimination, equal work rights for women with men and better and more enlightened school education, especially on the pernicious effects of smoking; so we must always have before us what the social context in the 40s was like before condemning this TW play with the benefit of hindsight.

Among Tennessee Williams ' greatest plays,it's certainly the most difficult to tranfer to the screen: the most autobiographical work in his canon ,it only features four characters ,and it's a stiffling huis clos where two of them (Tom and mom) tear themselves to pieces .

With the exception of the mediocre "boom" by Losey (based on "the milk train does not stop here anymore" ), Williams did not like the filmed versions of his plays (and however "streetcar named desire" "cat on a hot tin roof" " suddenly last summer " and "night of the iguana" ,to name but but four, spawned all-time classics.

"The glass menagerie" was watered down ,even cheapened .The part of Jim O'Connor was fleshed out ,and Kirk Douglas' name appears before Arthur Kennedy's ,whose part is much more important in Williams ' play(check the first name);he 's even given an extra scene in a dancing in which all the lines were invented .And perhaps to cheer the audience up , they sweetened the denouement ,leaving them some hope , thus giving a totally false rendering of the playwright's pessimistic atmosphere.

Laura's fiasco in her business college is only told in the play : the typewriting exam is a very good idea and Jane Wyman is up to scratch , when she crosses the room limping , and then lost in the clickety-clack of the writing machines perhaps the best scene in the whole movie .Although Jim appears too soon , it's not bad to show both friends in their warehouse before he meets "Shakespeare's sister."

Too little time is given over to Gertrude Lawrence and highly talented Kennedy to display all their hate ,all their rancour ; the overpossessive mother is a monster to the author's eyes -in real life ,his sister's Rose (Laura) 's fate was unspeakable -see also for that matter "suddenly last summer".Tom ,whom she treats like a ten year old (she urges him to chew his food) ,cannot assume his manliness;Kennedy ,fortunately , makes up for the so so screenplay and succeeds in making us believe in his longing for adventure ,a thing the pictures can't provide him anymore .He's impressive when he depicts his imaginary nights to his horrified mom.Amanda's romantic dreaming side is not passed over in silence and Lawrence can convey her coquetry (it's actually her who woos Jim).The part of Laura was tailor made for Wyman , the star of "Johnny Belinda".She's a delicate ,as frail as her glass menagerie,her eyes longing for something she does not know herself.

Irving Rapper was good at melodrama ("now,voyager" "the corn is green" ) ,but Williams' work is psychological drama and if you want to see a faithful rendering ,you'd better take Paul Newman's color version starring his wife Joanne Woodward.

Alongside 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' (my first Tennessee Williams play and perhaps my personal favourite) and 'A Streetcar Named Desire', 'The Glass Menagerie' is one of Tennessee Williams' most famous works and all three of them deserve their high reputations. When it comes to the emotion, the most emotionally poignant in my mind has to be 'The Glass Menagerie' plus we have the complex characters and powerful realistic dialogue that Williams was known for.

While the Paul Newman film was my introduction to the filmed adaptations of 'The Glass Menagerie', and that is a great version, this 1950 film is a respectable attempt and worth seeing if not an essential. There are much better filmed (film, made for television and filmed stage productions), adaptations of Williams' work around, but there are also worse. This version of 'The Glass Menagerie' is somewhere in the middle.

'The Glass Menagerie' does have its good points. It is handsomely produced and the production values are not gone to waste, with the film being very nicely shot. Max Steiner's score, with the distinctively beautiful orchestration not underwhelming at all, captures the haunting tragedy and affecting fragility of the story and atmosphere without being too over-dramatic or overwrought. Williams' dialogue is powerful and realistic as ever and there is an admirable delicate restraint to the direction. The story does have touching moments.

Jane Wyman has been criticised for being too old, but nonetheless to me she gave a very moving performance and seemed to understand Laura and her motivations, therefore the viewer does too. Similarly admired Gertrude Lawrence toning down her mannerisms and bringing a not very subtle but complex role of Amanda to quite vivid life, maybe a rather unconventional choice for a role that would have been perfect for somebody like Bette Davis but she does admirably. Arthur Kennedy also does a good job, even if the two meaty roles belong to Wyman and Lawrence. Kirk Douglas, against type, does wonders with the least interesting character of the play and nails every necessary aspect of the role.

The action could have been opened up more, there are moments where it is but too often there is too much of a filmed stage play feel. If the camera work was not as intimate as many times that it was and if the pace was less leisurely that would have improved things.

It, the film that is, does lack the extra bit of magic and emotional power, and some of the treatment of the play here is almost too conventional, something that the play isn't. What undoes 'The Glass Menagerie' is the ending, really did not see the point of the change and it was clear that it was forced in because it feels tacked on and completely at odds with the tone of the rest of the story.

Overall, respectable if not great. 6/10

It's hard for a production of a classic stage play not to be stagy. In the Windfield house we have the mother possessed with her children. She launches into diatribes relating to their shortcomings. Laura is crippled and shy and really has no social life. Her brother has a life of his own (event though he still lives in the family home), but is at the beck and call of the mother. She finally pushes him until he invites a friend to dinner. The object is to find a potential mate for Laura. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the potential pitfalls. This man is sensitive and understanding of the situation. That's as far as it goes, however. This is one of Tennessee Williams' finest plays, fraught with symbolism, submerged in despair. The fragility of glass is what this is all about. People are indeed breakable.

The Glass Menagerie (1950) : Brief Review -

Tennessee Williams' classic and perhaps the best story ever gets the best cinematic adaptation at the hands of Irving Rapper. Tennessee's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire may have been popular, but I found them a little overrated. Today, my thoughts are empowered by The Glass Menagerie (adopted 4 times), as I found this one much better due to its realistic take on life. As mentioned by many, this one is a close account of Williams' life with a deliberate happy ending, which is not fulfilled but bleak. Pardon me for saying this, but I found this film 'storyless'. There was no story. Just a few moments of a family together and their struggle/success and you have The Glass Menagerie ready for you. Yet, this one moved me and engrossed me as a viewer, which is a big thing. The film is about a caring mother who wants her son to be settled well and her sick daughter to be mingled with a handsome young man. The son is working at a warehouse and is sick of the job. He wants to explore and go places, but his mother keeps pushing him to bring young men to the house and find a partner for his crippled sister. The sister lacks confidence, while the mother is all about swag and royal stature. I couldn't have imagined that Gertrude Lawrence had the nerves to overshadow Arthur Kennedy, Jane Wyman and Kirk Douglas in a four-actor film. What a presentation of a caring mother, and what an accent she carried throughout the film. Simply unbeatable. Jane Wyman shines as Laura, and I can't imagine any other actress playing this role better than her. Arthur Kennedy and Kirk Douglas go hand-in-hand as far as male bonding is concerned, as well as individually. "Dancing is the most civilised form of social intercourse" has to be my favourite quote, apart from that final monologue by Tom. I'll always be thankful to Irving Rapper for "The Corn is Green" (1942), but I didn't like "Now, Voyager" (1942) much. This one landed exactly in the middle.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

As a result of the numerous re-makes of this haunting classic this original film version is often overlooked. Irving Rapper's delicate direction and economical style are the perfect compliments to Tennessee Williams' haunting prose. While Paul Newman's more recent filming of The Glass Menagerie with wife Joanne Woodward is more faithful to the play's text, his use of colour and a much weaker supporting cast makes the 1950 version more compelling viewing. The talented Karen Allen is not nearly as heartbreaking as Academy Award winner Jane Wyman in the crucial role of Laura. Arthur Kennedy and Kirk Douglas also out perform their more contemporary counterparts. Having now seen a number of actresses fail to live up to the considerable challenges of playing Amanda Wingfield it is easier to appreciate the virtues of the rather miscast Gertrude Lawrence(the film producers had wanted Tallulah Bankhead but felt her unfit to complete filming, they also wanted Bette Davis but her falling out with Jack Warner left her out of the running).According to Elia Kazan a nervous Charles Feldman re-cut the film thus somewhat compromising its integrity. However even with its flaws it is the only filmed version which fully captures the tragic atmosphere of Williams' brilliant play.

One of the few chances to see the great Gertrude Lawrence on screen. her amanda is so complex,manic,gentele,harsh. a truly great performance that was totally ignored by the academy.arthur kennedy too is compelling as tom. a shame he did not do more William's on screen he was one of the major stage interpreters of the man. only jane wyman seems miscast,a bit too character-actressy for the subtlty of the role to shine through.too bad,because without a good laura half the play is lost. a good effort that could have been great if they had not used wyman.

Gloomy and ponderous are the first words that come to mind when viewing this Warner film directed by Irving Rapper and starring stage star Getrude Lawrence as Amanda Wingfield. While this casting choice gives the film a novel touch, her performance--sometimes strong, sometimes subtle--is not enough to bring the story to vivid life.

Instead, it seems oddly stagebound despite Rapper's attempt to open it up occasionally. JANE WYMAN seems too old to convincingly portray the girl who is crippled socially and physically, as quiet and sensitive as she is. ARTHUR KENNEDY does well with the role of her restless brother (the sort of character he so often played) and KIRK DOUGLAS seems a rather odd choice to play the girl's suitor.

Somehow, none of it really jells.

The viewer is left with the impression that this must have seemed wonderful on the stage (since it was such a well-known hit by Tennessee Williams), but whatever ingredients made it sparkle as a play are sorely missing from the film. In the end, it seems nothing more than an artificial piece and the dialog is never laced with the gossamer effect of poetry that is usually associated with Williams' best works.

The pace is leisurely and never does the story seem vibrant enough to convince us that the events are really happening. Instead, we have an awareness that Jane Wyman is "acting" the role of Laura and Gertrude Lawrence is doing her best to tone down her stage mannerisms and give a natural performance as Amanda.

Summing up: Not the best of Tennessee's work on screen.

Glass Menagerie, The (1950)

*** (out of 4)

Excellent performances make up for a slow pace in this adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play. An aging Southern Belle (Gertrude Lawrence) makes life horrible for her ambitious son (Arthur Kennedy) and crippled daughter (Jane Wyman) because of her dreams of what life should be. She hopes to get her daughter married off, unable to see her faults and she thinks she has a shot when her son bring home a man (Kirk Douglas) he works with. I really wasn't sure what to expect from this film after reading a few negative reviews but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was worth watching due in large part to the terrific performances by the entire cast. I was really shocked to see how well the entire cast handled the dialogue and how easy it came off for everyone. Lawrence really stands out as the overbearing mother who you just want to hate yet she's so annoying that she becomes charming after a while. I thought Lawrence did a terrific job at playing both sides of the coin because you do hate her for the way she treats her children but when the stranger shows up, she changes to someone completely different. Just check her performance when this stranger tells her something she didn't know. Wyman is also excellent as the shy and cripple daughter. She too got into the role quite well and made us believe everything about the character. Both Kennedy and Douglas also turn in fine performance and most importantly is how well all four act together. I think director Rapper could have pushed the film a little faster as the pace gets very slow after a while but this is just a small complaint. As with many of Williams' stories, this one here had quite a bit cut out to get pass the censors but in the end this is still worth viewing thanks to the cast.

The word "menagerie" just happened to come up in a conversation(unrelated to show business) and reminded me of this story. So later,while casually browsing the web, it occurred to me that very title of Tennessee William's play probably had much to do with adding that item to our general vocabulary. Defined as an assortment of animals, the expression here takes on both literal and figurative meanings that sort of intertwine throughout the screenplay. I have yet to see the Glass Menagerie performed live, and really have nothing much more to say now about the motion picture versions, except that further commentary may very well be forthcoming since my mind has been activated on the subject more than ever before thanks to websites like this. Feel free to check the few other brief impromptu reviews I'vesubmitted to get some idea what to expect.

This version of Tennessee Williams brilliant masterpiece The Glass Menagerie is utter crap. It is an insult to his brilliance. With all the changes made from the original play script, Williams' meaning and themes are completely lost, and the movie makes absolutely no sense. Yes it was a good first attempt at putting one of Tennessee William's plays on screen, but they did not need to change it. I do not recommending watching this movie if you are a fan of The Glass Menagerie. Watching this version and watching other versions of the same play many things seem to be grossly misunderstood. for example making Laura normal, she is not normal she is crippled mentally and physically. Amanda would not have yelled at the store clerk, it is against her southern genteel ways. The way the movie begins is all wrong, Tom doesn't begin telling the story just because he is bored, he tells the story to help him get rid of the memory of Laura, to an extent.the use of different locations takes away from the theme of escape. in the stage version there is only one set, the apartment, we as the audience are never meant to see the other places these characters go. by doing this is negates the idea and concept of a memory play. For the 1950s it was probably a great success, but it comes at the cost of loosing the integrity that Tennessee Williams out forth in his play.