Hot Spell (film)
| Hot Spell | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Daniel Mann |
| Produced by | Hal B. Wallis |
| Screenplay by | James Poe |
| Based on |
Next of Kin (play) by Lonnie Coleman[1] |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Alex North |
| Cinematography | Loyal Griggs |
| Edited by | Warren Low |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates | June 1958 |
Running time | 86 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Hot Spell (1958) is a drama film directed by Daniel Mann, starring Shirley Booth and Anthony Quinn, and released by Paramount Pictures.[2]
Plot
Alma Duval is a Louisiana housewife planning a 45th birthday party for husband John Henry, known to all as Jack, who is carrying on with a much younger woman behind her back.
Jack picks an argument with eldest son Buddy, daring him to show some backbone, and takes the teenaged Billy out to play pool and drink beer, trying to make him become a man. No one even touches the birthday cake, which Alma and her neighbor Fan share the next day.
While her father dallies with Ruby, a 19-year-old girl, Virginia Duval becomes lovers for the first time with boyfriend Wyatt, a medical student, who then says he cannot marry her because he needs to be with someone of greater position and wealth.
Alma holds onto a belief that if she can move the family back to her hometown, everything will be all right. But she slaps Jack after discovering his affair. He decides to leave her and move to Florida, but he and Ruby are promptly killed in a car crash. Alma ultimately returns to her hometown, only to realize there is no true happiness to be found there, either.
Cast
- Shirley Booth as Alma Duval
- Anthony Quinn as John Henry "Jack" Duval
- Shirley MacLaine as Virginia Duval
- Earl Holliman as John Henry "Buddy" Duval Jr.
- Eileen Heckart as Alma's friend Fan
Production
The screenplay for Hot Spell was developed from an unproduced play by Lonnie Coleman, Next of Kin, purchased by producer Hal Wallis in June 1956.[3] Production occurred from January 23 to early March 1957, with filming in Pasadena and Chatsworth, California.[4]
Release
Hot Spell had its premiere in New Orleans on May 21, 1958, and went into wide release in June.[4]
Bosley Crowther of the New York Times gave it a moderately good review and singled out Booth, Quinn, and MacLaine for their portrayals.[5]
In pop culture
During the 2010 film Valentine's Day, Estelle and Edgar Paddington (played by MacLaine and Héctor Elizondo) reunite at a showing of Hot Spell at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Edgar points to MacLaine on the screen and tells Jason Morris (played by Topher Grace), "that's my trifecta".
See also
References
- ↑ Goble, Alan (1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. p. 802. ISBN 978-3-11-095194-3.
- ↑ "Hot Spell (1958) – Overview". Turner Classic Movies Database. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
- ↑ "Hot Spell (1958) – Notes". Turner Classic Movies Database. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
- 1 2 "Hot Spell (1958) – Original print infofmation". Turner Classic Movies Database. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
- ↑ Crowther, Bosley (September 15, 1958). "'Hot Spell'; Film at Guild Deals with Marital Rift". Movies. New York Times. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
External links
- Hot Spell at the Internet Movie Database
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