- Known for light comedies and her partnership with Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers stepped off the dance floor and into 1940′s Oscar spotlight with her Best Actress turn as Kitty, an indomitable working-class girl who endures the rejection of Philadelphia society, makes her own way as a single woman and ultimately chooses between an unmarried arrangement with Main Line scion Wynnewood Strafford VI (Den
Known for light comedies and her partnership with Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers stepped off the dance floor and into 1940′s Oscar spotlight with her Best Actress turn as Kitty, an indomitable working-class girl who endures the rejection of Philadelphia society, makes her own way as a single woman and ultimately chooses between an unmarried arrangement with Main Line scion Wynnewood Strafford VI (Dennis Morgan) or marriage to a struggling physician (James Craig). Rogers’ deserved Academy Award confirmed she was more than a dance star – a fact humorously underscored when she returned to the studio and was greeted by staffers and actors in top hats and tails. Jane Wyman won the Best Actress Academy Award for her sensitive portrayal of Belinda, capturing the girl’s affecting isolation, awakening desire to learn and ultimate triumph. Directed by Jean Negulesco and co-starring Lew Ayres, Charles Bickford and Agnes Moorehead (all four Oscar nominees* for their fine work), Johnny Belinda (nominated for a total 11 Oscars including Best Picture) blends atmosphere, nuance and high drama into a heartbreaking classic.After initially rejecting the role as too sentimental, Ginger Rogers found the title character of Kitty Foyle to be an Oscar winner and a career breakthrough. Released in 1940, only a year after her nine-picture partnership with Fred Astaire ended, Kitty Foyle helped establish Rogers as a nonmusical box-office star. The film portrays a white-collar working girl who receives a warm and welcome marriage proposal from Mark (James Craig), a kindly but humble doctor. As soon as she accepts, however, she receives a different proposition, this one from her former love, wealthy socialite Wyn (Dennis Morgan), who plans to flee his life and his wife and asks Kitty to join him and live in unwedded bliss in South America. Kitty then recounts her life in flashback to help her choose which man to love. Rogers gives an appealing performance as the feisty yet vulnerable Kitty, who makes up in moxie what she lacks in social status. Did she really deserve the Best Actress Oscar over Bette Davis in The Letter, Joan Fontaine in Rebecca, Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story, and Martha Scott in Our Town? Well, evidently Rogers had real-life moxie too. –David Horiuchi
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March 29, 2010
#1
Main Line, Main Line…. those Main Liners…. You like to look at those Main Liners, don’t you Ginger… I mean Kitty? You the suffragette who just got offa the suffragette wagon… the same wagon that was seen rolling by in The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle… wait a minute… that was the exact same footage! I guess the makers of this fine movie assembled it out of stock footage. In fact Wynn, the MAIN LINER seems to be assembled out of stock footage of Bill Clinton. Did you know allabout the MAIIINNNE LIIIIINNNEEE???? Seems the whole worl knows about the MAIIIIIIINNNNEEE LIIIIIIINNNNNNEEEEEEE “Philadelphia Aristocracy” See, in Philadelphia, they’re old skool, dig. They even got a Queen of Pennsylvania, who sits on a throne and stuff. Played by Margaret Dumont when she’s not getting scandalized by Groucho Marx. And I believe there is a duke and duchess of Bakersfield. And just the other day I had tea and crumpets with the Viscount of Compton. Of the Night Train… I mean Wild I… I mean Yeah, he was drinking Ripple back when Redd Foxx was merely the Duke of Cornwall. He was in line to the throne… or was that waiting for the mens room… See, over here in the States we take our aristocracy just as seriously as our Prussian counterparts. We are always to be seen marching around with those spiky helmets on, saluting the statue of Kaiser Bill’s moustache.
March 29, 2010
#2
Generational considerations are invalid when discussing this movie. In any generation, this movie plods along until you’re ready to scream “Please — somebody do something!” This movie is basically a bore and if this is an example of great movie-making from the 1940s then I’m glad I grew up much later.
Cannot recommend “Kitty Foyle.” Watch “Kill Bill” instead.
March 29, 2010
#3
I had heard all the hype about this film and Ginger’s Oscar, but after several viewings, I still find the film rather flat as an experience, and Ginger’s Oscar is still a mystery. I guess it proves the adage about winning one “For women, play plain or ugly (remember Charlize Theron) or play against type”
March 29, 2010
#4
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential video
After initially rejecting the role as too sentimental, Ginger Rogers found the title character of Kitty Foyle to be an Oscar winner and a career breakthrough. Released in 1940, only a year after her nine-picture partnership with Fred Astaire ended, Kitty Foyle helped establish Rogers as a nonmusical box-office star. The film portrays a white-collar working girl who receives a warm and welcome marriage proposal from Mark (James Craig), a kindly but humble doctor. As soon as she accepts, however, she receives a different proposition, this one from her former love, wealthy socialite Wyn (Dennis Morgan), who plans to flee his life and his wife and asks Kitty to join him and live in unwedded bliss in South America. Kitty then recounts her life in flashback to help her choose which man to love. Rogers gives an appealing performance as the feisty yet vulnerable Kitty, who makes up in moxie what she lacks in social status. Did she really deserve the Best Actress Oscar over Bette Davis in The Letter, Joan Fontaine in Rebecca, Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story, and Martha Scott in Our Town? Well, evidently Rogers had real-life moxie too. –David Horiuchi
Product Description
Known for light comedies and her partnership with Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers stepped off the dance floor and into 1940′s Oscar spotlight with her Best Actress turn as Kitty, an indomitable working-class girl who endures the rejection of Philadelphia society, makes her own way as a single woman and ultimately chooses between an unmarried arrangement with Main Line scion Wynnewood Strafford VI (Dennis Morgan) or marriage to a struggling physician (James Craig). Rogers’ deserved Academy Award confirmed she was more than a dance star – a fact humorously underscored when she returned to the studio and was greeted by staffers and actors in top hats and tails. Jane Wyman won the Best Actress Academy Award for her sensitive portrayal of Belinda, capturing the girl’s affecting isolation, awakening desire to learn and ultimate triumph. Directed by Jean Negulesco and co-starring Lew Ayres, Charles Bickford and Agnes Moorehead (all four Oscar nominees* for their fine work), Johnny Belinda (nominated for a total 11 Oscars including Best Picture) blends atmosphere, nuance and high drama into a heartbreaking classic
March 29, 2010
#5
a fascinating curiosity today, as a glance into what constituted a “modern woman” in pre-ww2 america. ginger rogers in her best-remembered non-musical role is a wrong side of the tracks good girl who is wrongly used by a wealthy but weak-willed guy. interestingly, HIS view of romance is more in jive with todays world. and the casual off-the-cuff racial bigotry displayed by ginger serves to make her seem all the more petty. all the secondary characters are poorly written, but the snappiness of rogers’ performance still holds up.