ThiefHott Too much of everything

Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

JLRMovieReviews Spencer Tracy is judge Cass Timberlane, in this film adaptation of the Sinclair Lewis novel. He has carved out a nice little niche for himself and settled into a nice community with a steady girl, played by Margaret Lindsay and has some high society friends. But perhaps he gotten too used to his surroundings. Maybe he isn't as happy as he thinks (he is.) His cases have gotten a little monotonous, when a witness to an elderly lady falling on a city sidewalk is artist/designer Lana Turner, who lives outside of his social circle. She piques his interest with her looks, her youthful perspective on life, and her pictures of him. They form a friendship that leads to marriage, surprising his society friends who were expecting him to marry Chris (Margaret.) Attorney and friend Zachary Scott takes an instant liking to her as well. When she grows tired of trying to fit in and exasperated with her situation, arguing about it with Spencer, she winds up going to New York with Zachary. I don't how faithful this is to the book, but this is an example of how Hollywood would write themselves into a corner or a bad situation and then slap a pat or forced happy ending on it. People argue, can't get along and want their way until the final reel, where they say "we're so happy, let's live happily ever after." The viewers have to be placed in their situation and allowed for the natural feelings to be evolved and addressed for some final good closure. We do have this to a point, but just the same the scene with Lillian (Josephine Hutchinson) talking to Lana and the scene of Spencer and Lana's final confrontation feels a little bit like an afterthought. Being a Lana Turner fan, I may be kinder to this than a lot of others; I have always liked this film on the whole, but also felt the pat ending was a major flaw. Granted, we want them to be together but it somehow rings a little false.

mark.waltz The opening sequence of Spencer Tracy as a small-town judge denying a divorce to a couple who obviously can't stand each other seems straight out of an "Andy Hardy" film where Lewis Stone did practically the same thing. But unlike that MGM series of sometimes manipulative morality tales, this MGM drama (based upon a Sinclair Lewis novel) uses this opening as a point. This sets up Cass as a truly moral man who hasn't yet married and finds love with a working class girl (Lana Turner) from the opposite side of the tracks. This upsets the apple cart of his high society friends who find his fiancée to be beneath him. The age difference between Tracy and Turner doesn't matter to them, but her lack of supposed breeding does. They pretend to accept her, but go out of their way to sabotage Turner in society every chance they get. His male friends use their friendship with him to try and get away with shady business dealings, and as the marriage builds, it also crumbles as Turner finds it hard to deal with the small-town pettiness.A glossy women's drama with interest for the men (because of the business angle), this isn't a perfect movie by any means but one that lingers in the memory because of Tracy's nuanced performance. Every detail of his character is developed believably, from his allergy to a kitten to his dealings with people who approach his bench, the hypocrites of his society (lead by the imperious Mary Astor) and his tenderness to Turner in spite of everything. John Hodiak is the cad who almost breaks up the happy home while claiming to be Tracy's best friend, and Astor's society pals include Josephine Hutchinson as the wife of one of the rotten to the core businessmen using Tracy and Margaret Lindsay as the woman they prefer to see Tracy with.This is also memorable for a scene where Tracy, just taking his evening walk, comes across Turner playing baseball on the other side of the tracks and steps in as umpire. That scene alone says more about his noble character than the screenplays of a dozen MGM potpoilers.

blanche-2 The combination of Lana Turner and Spencer Tracy is an interesting one in "Cass Timberlane," a 1947 film based on a novel by Sinclair Lewis. I have a sneaking suspicion the emphasis in the book was a bit different, but maybe I'm wrong.This story concerns a judge (Tracy) who falls for the beautiful witness (Turner) in an accident case and ends up marrying her. She's from the wrong part of town. The two are in love, but she doesn't like the town they're living in and wants something more exciting. The judge seems wedded to his good old boys network; what he doesn't know is that his friendship is being used to help his friends cover up illegalities in wartime contracts their company received.The story is fairly predictable. One of the reviewers here didn't understand the attraction Tracy had for Turner. Well, she says right up front that he reminds her of her father. I think he represented security and real love to her. Turner and Tracy are likable, and the acting is uniformly good. Zachary Scott is on hand as a crooked lawyer who falls for Turner. Albert Dekker and Mary Astor have supporting roles.This might have been a stronger film with the emphasis elsewhere, possibly on the subplot of the Wargate company. As it is, it's a little too formula.

MartinHafer To enjoy this film, you really have to suspend disbelief. I can often times do this, but if you just can't believe in the possibility of pairing an ordinary-looking middle-aged guy (Tracy) with an extremely sexy young woman (Turner), then you should probably just skip the film. In fact, the people around this strange pairing also have trouble accepting this marriage. My problem wasn't just the age differences, but the personality differences--I just couldn't understand why she was attracted to him (I have my suspicions why HE would be interested). The story itself apart from that is good and I like that Zachary Scott is there for support--he is great in his caddish roles. Not a bad but not an exceptional film--but sure to please fans of Tracy.