Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A grim soap opera with Ronald Reagan's finest performance, June 10, 2004
"Kings Row" is the most distinguished film of Ronald Reagan's actor career, for which he drew his best reviews. However, by the time it was released in 1942, Reagan was in the Army and his film career had received a fateful interruption that would eventually lead to his shifting to a political career. I remember that when Breshnev was preparing to meet with President Reagan the Soviet leader screened several of Reagan's films, and "King's Row" was the one that impressed him. If you have already seen this film, directed by Sam Wood, you know why.The film focuses on five childhood friends who grow up to complicated lives. Parris Mitchell (Robert Cummings) has become a medical student, studying privately with Dr. Alexander Tower (Claude Rains), whose daughter Cassandra (Betty Field) is a sheltered neurotic. Louise Gordon (Nancy Coleman) has been raised by harsh parents who warn here away from playboy Drake McHugh (Reagan), who is living off an inheritance. Drake ends up falling for Randy Monoghan (Ann Sheridan), the former tomboy who has grown up in to a most practical working class girl. Things then get very dark. First, when Dr. Tower discovers Cassandra is pregnant he kills her and himself. Then, after losing his fortune and taking a job at the railroad yard, Drake is injured and Dr. Gordon (Charles Coburn) decides to amputate the young man's legs as a punishment for his former hedonism. This is what leads to Reagan's unforgettable scene when he wakes up and discovers what has been done to him. The scene could have become ludicrous, but Reagan pulls it off and it is clearly his finest moment as an actor. "Kings Row" is based on the novel by Henry Bellamann, which is a massive story of sadism and thwarted love in what was clearly the "Payton Place" of its day, set in a quiet Midwestern town at the turn of the (last) century. A lot of the novel's elements, such as incest, homosexuality and euthanasia were never going to make it into the film forcing screenwriter Casey Robinson to salvage what he could (e.g., turning the incest between Dr. Tower and his daughter Cassandra into a question of insanity). Robinson also gave the movie a "happier" ending (originally, Drake McHugh dies of cancer after his legs are unnecessarily amputated). Even more radical was the casting, since few in Hollywood were comfortable with Sheridan, Cummings and Reagan having the three lead roles. However, all of them perform admirably, as does Field and the supporting cast of veteran character actors. Reagan would go on to entitle his autobiography "Where's the Rest of Me?" after the famous line he screams when he awakens to discover his legs are gone. He often told the story about what it was like to film the scene, his worried preparation for him to find the moment in him as an actor and director Wood waiting for Reagan to give the go ahead. For his parent, Reagan always credited Ann Sheridan, who was not supposed to be in the scene. But when he suddenly started calling for Randy she rushed into the room in character and Reagan delivered a powerful scene.
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30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
good melodrama, great cast, October 21, 2002
This is a riveting soap opera with a cast that holds all the pieces together, and keeps the sometimes improbable plot fascinating at all times for the viewer.
It was filmed on a soundstage, with very effective scenic design by William Cameron Menzies...I just love the skies !
Brilliantly conceived and directed by Sam Wood, it's based on Harry Bellamann's best-selling novel. The excellent Erich Wolfgang Korngold score also adds to the drama and atmosphere.Set in a turn of the century small town, where the dark secrets and vile motives of some contrast with the goodness of others, the best scenes are between Ann Sheridan and Ronald Reagan.
The chemistry between them is a delight, and their acting so real, one feels one is sharing the moment with them, even though this was filmed over 60 years ago. They shine as Randy and Drake, two strong, independent, and fun loving souls. With the exception of one or two scenes with rather stilted dialogue between Betty Field and Robert Cummings, the pacing never lags. There are great actors even in the supporting roles, like Dame Judith Anderson and Maria Ouspenskaya. Claude Rains is absolutely marvelous, and steals every scene he's in. This classic was nominated for several Oscars...B&W Cinematography (James Wong Howe), Director, and Best Picture, but lost to a "Mrs. Minever" sweep.
It's perhaps Ronald Reagan's best performance, so this film is a piece of American history, as well as being highly entertaining.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A grim soap opera with Ronald Reagan's finest performance, September 16, 2001
"King's Row" is the most distinguished film of Ronald Reagan's actor career, for which he drew his best reviews. However, by the time it was released in 1942, Reagan was in the Army and his film career received a fateful interruption that would eventually lead to his shifting to a political career. I remember that when Breshnev was preparing to meet with President Reagan the Soviet leader screened several of Reagan's films, and "King's Row" was the one that impressed him. If you have already seen this film, directed by Sam Wood, you know why.The film focuses on five childhood friends who grow up to complicated lives. Parris Mitchell (Robert Cummings) has become a medical student, studying privately with Dr. Alexander Tower (Claude Rains), whose daughter Cassandra (Betty Field) is a sheltered neurotic. Louise Gordon (Nancy Coleman) has been raised by harsh parents who warn here away from playboy Drake McHugh (Reagan), who is living off an inheritance. Drake ends up falling for Randy Monoghan (Ann Sheridan), the former tomboy who has grown up in to a most practical working class girl. Things then get very dark. First, when Dr. Tower discovers Cassandra is pregnant he kills her and himself. Then, after losing his fortune and taking a job at the railroad yard, Drake is injured and Dr. Gordon (Charles Coburn) decides to amputate the young man's legs as a punishment for his former hedonism. This is what leads to Reagan's unforgettable scene when he wakes up and discovers what has been done to him. The scene could have become ludicrous, but Reagan pulls it off and it is clearly his finest moment as an actor. "King's Row" is based on the novel by Henry Bellamann, which is a massive story of sadism and thwarted love in what was clearly the "Payton Place" of its day, set in a quiet Midwestern town at the turn of the (last) century. A lot of the novel's elements, such as incest, homosexuality and euthanasia were never going to make it into the film forcing screenwriter Casey Robinson to salvage what he could (e.g., turning the incest between Dr. Tower and his daughter Cassandra into a question of insanity). Robinson also gave the movie a "happier" ending (originally, Drake McHugh dies of cancer after his legs are unnecessarily amputated). Even more radical was the casting, since few in Hollywood were comfortable with Sheridan, Cummings and Reagan having the three lead roles. However, all of them perform admirably, as does Field and the supporting cast of veteran character actors. Reagan would go on to entitle his autobiography "Where's the Rest of Me?" after the famous line he screams when he awakens to discover his legs are gone.
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