This is an odd little movie that I quite enjoyed--and it reminded me quite a bit of "Giant". Instead of oil or ranching, the theme here is tobacco. Also, compared to this earlier film, "Parrish" has been 'sexed-up' a bit--with some sleazy subplots and liberal doses of cursing--something that must have turned some heads back in 1961. Obviously the old Production Code of 1934 was starting to lose its power.
Good looking Troy Donahue and his mother (Claudette Colbert) live in the home of a once-rich planter (Dean Jagger), as Colbert is sort of a maid (though she never dresses as one or seems to do any work). Colbert was 58 when she made this movie and her then falling in love and marrying Jagger's rival (Karl Malden)--which is a tiny bit hard to believe as Malden was 49 (though these actual ages were never mentioned in the film). Unfortunately, while Colbert is in love with Malden, he's a hard-driven and unscrupulous man. At first, Donahue goes to work for him but soon sees that the guy will do anything...absolutely anything to drive his competitors out of business. What is Troy to do? The film is very entertaining and actually well made and acted despite the amazingly soapy script. There's an alcoholic son, another who is unscrupulous and has an illegitimate secret love child from the same woman who Donahue was sleeping with early in the film (Connie Stevens). There also are several other women who want Donahue--one of which is the most incredibly conniving lady who loves to sleep around on her husband. All this is quite compelling and beyond the sleaze, the plot is pretty exciting and captivating.
By the way, look for an oddly re-dubbed scene with Malden talking on a two-way radio--it's almost his voice but you can tell it isn't if you listen carefully. The director must have decided to somehow re-write a scene and apparently thought they could substitute a sound-a-like to do the voice-over.
Good looking Troy Donahue and his mother (Claudette Colbert) live in the home of a once-rich planter (Dean Jagger), as Colbert is sort of a maid (though she never dresses as one or seems to do any work). Colbert was 58 when she made this movie and her then falling in love and marrying Jagger's rival (Karl Malden)--which is a tiny bit hard to believe as Malden was 49 (though these actual ages were never mentioned in the film). Unfortunately, while Colbert is in love with Malden, he's a hard-driven and unscrupulous man. At first, Donahue goes to work for him but soon sees that the guy will do anything...absolutely anything to drive his competitors out of business. What is Troy to do? The film is very entertaining and actually well made and acted despite the amazingly soapy script. There's an alcoholic son, another who is unscrupulous and has an illegitimate secret love child from the same woman who Donahue was sleeping with early in the film (Connie Stevens). There also are several other women who want Donahue--one of which is the most incredibly conniving lady who loves to sleep around on her husband. All this is quite compelling and beyond the sleaze, the plot is pretty exciting and captivating.
By the way, look for an oddly re-dubbed scene with Malden talking on a two-way radio--it's almost his voice but you can tell it isn't if you listen carefully. The director must have decided to somehow re-write a scene and apparently thought they could substitute a sound-a-like to do the voice-over.