Female on the Beach

Female on the Beach
Female on the Beach
	Film poster by Reynold Brown
Directed by	Joseph Pevney
Screenplay by	Robert Hill; Richard Alan Simmons
Based on	the play The Besieged Heart; by Robert Hill
Produced by	Albert Zugsmith
Starring	Joan Crawford; Jeff Chandler
Cinematography	Charles Lang
Edited by	Russell Schoengarth
Music by	Heinz Roemheld; Herman Stein; (both not credited)
Production; company	Universal Pictures
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	August 19, 1955 (New York City);
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Female on the Beach is a 1955 American crime-drama film directed by Joseph Pevney starring Joan Crawford and Jeff Chandler in a story about a widow and her beach bum lover. The screenplay by Robert Hill and Richard Alan Simmons was based on the play The Besieged Heart by Robert Hill. The film was produced by Albert Zugsmith.[1]

Cast

Joan Crawford as Lynn Markham
Jeff Chandler as Drummond Hall
Jan Sterling as Amy Rawlinson
Cecil Kellaway as Osbert Sorenson
Judith Evelyn as Eloise Crandall
Charles Drake as Police Lieutenant Galley
Natalie Schafer as Queenie Sorenson
Stuart Randall as Frankovitch
Marjorie Bennett as Mrs. Murchison

Production

The script was based on an unproduced play by Bob Hill, The Besieged Heart.[2] Albert Zugsmith bought the rights and worked on the script with Bob Hill. He then sold the project to Universal who were looking for a vehicle for Joan Crawford. The studio also hired Zugsmith to produce, starting a relationship between him and Universal which lasted several years.[3]

Reception

Critical response

A review in Harrison's Reports said that the movie offered "a fairly interesting though somewhat seamy mixture of sex, murder and suspense."[4]

Film critic Bosley Crowther gave the film a mixed review, writing "Their progress is rendered no more fetching by the inanities of a hackneyed script and the artificiality and pretentiousness of Miss Crawford's acting style. At the end, the guilty party is revealed in a ridiculous way. Jan Sterling, Cecil Kellaway and Natalie Schafer are the supporting players you may remotely suspect."[5]

References

Female on the Beach at IMDb.
BREEN IS RETIRED AS MOVIE CENSOR: At Own Request, Director of Code Leaves Office -- Chief Aide Successor By THOMAS M. PRYOR New York Times 15 Oct 1954: 18.
Flynn, Charles; McCarthy, Todd (1975). "Albert Zugmsith". In Flynn, Charles; McCarthy, Todd (eds.). Kings of the Bs : working within the Hollywood system : an anthology of film history and criticism. E. P. Dutton. p. 416.
Harrison's Reports, film review, July 16, 1955. Accessed: August 9, 2016.
Crowther, Bosley, film review The New York Times, August 20, 1955. Accessed: July 4, 2013.

External links

Female on the Beach at IMDb
Female on the Beach at AllMovie
Female on the Beach at the TCM Movie Database
Female on the Beach film scene on YouTube
Review of film at Variety

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[1] Female on the Beach at IMDb.

[2] BREEN IS RETIRED AS MOVIE CENSOR: At Own Request, Director of Code Leaves Office -- Chief Aide Successor By THOMAS M. PRYOR New York Times 15 Oct 1954: 18.

[kings-3] Flynn, Charles; McCarthy, Todd (1975). "Albert Zugmsith". In Flynn, Charles; McCarthy, Todd (eds.). Kings of the Bs : working within the Hollywood system : an anthology of film history and criticism. E. P. Dutton. p. 416.

[4] Harrison's Reports, film review, July 16, 1955. Accessed: August 9, 2016.

[5] Crowther, Bosley, film review The New York Times, August 20, 1955. Accessed: July 4, 2013.