Product Details

• Actors: Ginger Rogers, William Holden, Paul Douglas, James Gleason, Jesse White
• Directors: Irving Rapper
• Writers: J.M. Barrie, Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein
• Producers: Pat Duggan
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: November 11, 1998
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302658772
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #146,178 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars They say the lights are bright on Broadway..., February 22, 2004

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Forever Female [VHS] (VHS Tape)

It's William Holden night, here at Chez Sixpack... Here, Holden stars as a brash, principled playwright who hitches his star to a famous-but-fading broadway star, played by Ginger Rogers. Rogers's Beatrice Page is an interesting character -- she's at the top of her game, but only for as long as she can keep up appearances and fend off her younger rivals. Among these is a chirpy, headstrong, would-be starlet (played by Pat Crowley) who attaches herself to Holden's coattails, at first out of mere opportunism, and then for true love. The Holden character is a bit too mannered -- too anchored in the old, pre-'60s fixation with The Moody Writer as a great dramatic character; Crowley is herself a bit irritating as well -- this was supposed to be her big breakout role, but she's a bit too perky and Annette Funicello-ish, and may get on your nerves. At the heart of this film, then, is Ginger Rogers, along with Paul Douglas as her ex-husband, a Broadway producer who's still not-so-secretly in love with her. His career is in limbo because he can't move on, and he continues to pick plays based solely on whether they'll serve as vehicles for Bea's continued fame. Their relationship is deeply layered and consistently interesting, as is the underlying theme of how female actors must keep up appearances and pursue an impossible ideal of youth. Plus, Paul Douglas is such a great character actor -- I love watching him in just about anything! -- and seeing Rogers star in a relatively unsympathetic role is pretty unusual as well. The portrayal of the vanity and backstage whispering that makes up the theater scene is territory that's been covered elsewhere, but it gets a pretty good airing here, in this well-paced, entertaining film. Recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ALL ABOUT PAT., September 25, 2002

By 

"scotsladdie" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forever Female [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Bill Holden plays a young supermarket employee who writes a play about a young girl and her forceful mother; later it is produced by Paul Douglas for his ageing actress wife, Ginger Rogers. Lots of bright lines - with inside jokes for show people - coupled with snappy supporting performances by Patricia Crowley, James Gleason, George Reeves and, in an entertaining cameo, Marjorie Rambeau - playing herself - make for an entertaining 93 minutes. The then 42 year-old Rogers overacts a tad, but not enough to make the viewer wince. In an excellent portrayal, Patricia Crowley seems to play Eve to Ginger's Margo in this fast-paced and funny adaptation of Sir James Barrie's play ROSALIND. Modernised to 1953 standards and given several twists, it seems purposely reminiscent of ALL ABOUT EVE - in a harmless, light-hearted way.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crowley's the real star, February 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Forever Female [VHS] (VHS Tape)

While Holden and Rogers, the established stars of the picture, do well in their parts, it is Pat Crowley as the ingenue who really shines. This is one of those films in which you just shake your head while you watch a dumbkopf like Holden's character totally lose interest in Sally for the glamour of Beatrice. He not only ruins his love life, he ruins his art as well. A terrific love story and a well-made film.