The View from Pompey's Head

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The View from Pompey's Head was a 1955 film from 20th Century Fox. Written and directed by Philip Dunne, it was based on Hamilton Basso's novel which spent 40 weeks on The New York Times Bestseller List after it was published by Doubleday in 1954.

Manhattan attorney Anson Page (Richard Egan) returns to his Southern roots after 15 years, arriving in Pompey's Head, South Carolina, to investigate the mystery surrounding missing royalties due famous author Garvin Wales (Sidney Blackmer). In the small Southern town, Page sees the same problems of racial and class prejudices that had once prompted him to leave Pompey's Head. However, he also encounters his former flame, Dinah Blackford (Dana Wynter), who has married businessman Mickey Higgins (Cameron Mitchell). While their romance is rekindled, various secrets of the past rise to the surface.

Basso's novel was sold to 20th Century Fox for $100,000. Child actors Charles Herbert and Evelyn Rudie were in the cast, along with an appearance by DeForest Kelley. Elmer Bernstein provided the music score. Released November 4, 1955, the film was retitled Secret Interlude in the UK. Margorie Rambeau received a Best Supporting Actress Award from the National Board of Review. Despite a strong curiosity about this film by viewers, it has not been available on VHS and DVD.

Hamilton Basso's novel was reviewed by the New York Times in 1954: “Zestful and non-escapist entertainment... The most pleasantly and sensibly romantic novel to come my way in a long time.” The Saturday Review also reviewed the novel in 1954:

His most impressive book to date. A long, mildly ironic, and deliberately discursive work, it weaves two of his favorite subjects, the subtle social distinctions of a small Southern city and the subtle questions of reputation and standing in New York literary and publishing circles.

The Basso book was reprinted by the Louisiana State University Press in 1998 as part of its "Voices of the South" series. The Light Infantry Ball (1960), Basso's prequel to The View from Pompey's Head, was a finalist for the 1960 National Book Award.

[edit] See also

List of films set in the Southern United States

[edit] External links

• Lake, Inez Hollander. The Road From Pompey's Head: The Life and Work of Hamilton Basso. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press, 1999
• Louisiana State University Press: Voices of the South series: The View from Pompey's Head
• Sallis, James. Boston Globe: Calder Willinghm and Hamilton Basso