ALICE ADAMS was based on a novel by Booth Tarkington and directed by George Stevens. It contains a great scene of the problems of summer heat at the turn of the last century, which is why I thought of it now. Anxious to impress a beau with her cooking, Alice and her mother whip up exactly the wrong sort of dinner for a hot Indiana summer night. Charming, perhaps dated, this film is an old favorite. Fred had many hats, and this is a nice one.
For more forgotten movies, see Todd Mason.
10 comments:
This is one of the few Hepburn movies I haven't seen. Does that mean you're having a heat wave, Patti? We're actually having a few cooler days before the heat returns.
Jeff M.
Booth Tarkington--now there's a forgotten author. He wrote the Penrod books and THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS, but most people today haven't heard of him.
Jeff, if you're having cooler days, where are you--Nome?
Here in the Pelican State we're sweltering under our usual summer of high 90's/low 100's, but the ridge of high pressure that's keeping us so hot is also keeping Tropical Storm Debbie offshore. I don't wish anymore rain for Florida, but Katrina paid my karma bill for weather-related problems for a long time.
Wrote it when it was in the nineties last week. Head for DC where it is going to be 100!
Blogger ate my comment again.
The "normal" average high for late June in New York is 81, Deb. We had several 90s last week and it will (apparently) be near there by Friday, so I can consider upper 70s at least relatively cool.
We've been in DC in the summer, Patti. It is not fun.
Jeff M.
Patti - Oh, I always learn so much about these great films from you! Thanks!
Haven't seen this one either. I like the actors, though so may try it if I can find it.
You want nice cool days? It was 67 here yesterday, with some sprinkles in the morning. Today more of the same, but without the sprinkles. Sunny, nice, cool. You all want to escape the heat, come to the Northwest!
I saw this a few years ago, and read the book afterwards. I had mixed feelings about the book (the ending is different than the movie's), but Tarkington has become a favorite author—I loved The Magnificent Ambersons and am working on reading more by him. I agree, the dinner party scene was probably the most memorable—a real mix of comedy and disaster. In the book I think the emphasis was more on the disaster. :)
Sadly, I can't remember either ending. I read all of him too as a teenager. Sometimes I think my most ambitious reading was then!
It's been cool today and beautiful. First day in the past two or more weeks in which I haven't had to turn on the air conditioner. Nice.
I've heard of this movie, Patti, but I don't think I've ever seen it.
Sounds like a pleasant diversion. :)
Deb, in the end it turned out even cooler than predicted - 70 was the high with a cool, northwest wind.
They're still saying 90+ by Friday, however.
Jeff M.
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