Review of Jeanne Eagels

I just had the pleasure of watching "Jeanne Eagels" on Turner Classic Movies. It is a movie that I have wanted to see for over some fifty years. For some strange reason something always seem to come up to interrupt my viewing of this film, and this time the film was interrupted by a very brief power outage in our area. Unfortunately, even the power outage could not enhance the performance of one of my all time favorite actresses, Kim Novak. At first glance she appears to have all the physical equipment to be the perfect choice to play the film's tragic starlet i.e., she has all the looks that the role calls for, but she doesn't have the acting ability to pull it off! To my way of thinking, Miss Novak was best suited for romantic comedy ventures such as "Bell, Book and Candle" and "Boys Night Out", and "Pal Joey". Films like "Jeanne Eagels" and "Human Bondage" were in a sense "over her head" for they demanded that the actress possess the ability to make all necessary emotional transitions from the "cute" to the "cruel" that the role called for. Few actresses such as the likes of Bette Davis or a Joan Crawford possess this amazing ability to pull this cinematic miracle off. I couldn't help but wonder to myself as I watched this 1957 film as to what actress I would use to replace Miss Novak for the part of Jeanne Eagels. I immediately thought of the two "Harlow girls". Both Carroll Baker and Carol Lynley had played the role of Jean Harlow, in two 1965 films. After a brief consideration, I soon realized that they would be even worse than the physically endowed Miss Novak. Still… I drew a blank. Alas, the only stars that I could think of were now too old to play the role of the seductive siren, Jeanne Eagels. Having said that Agnes Moorehead, Jeff Chandler, Murray Hamilton are perfectly cast for their parts, the camera work was excellent, and the direction provided by George Sidney remarkable. I highly recommend this tragic, dark melodramatic "could have been a classic" for want of a capable leading lady… even with any cumbersome power outages that may occur.