(Plot) An aspiring singer named Helen Morgan achieves stardom, only to have it snatched away from her due to poor decisions in her love life, and constant alcohol abuse.
I knew nothing about Helen Morgan going in. The only reason I decided to watch this movie, is because of Paul Newman's presence. I'm a huge Paul Newman fan. This is one of his first roles. The movie is a rather drab and joyless experience, for almost two hours or so. I'm sure the real Helen Morgan was a fascinating person, with many issues that were sympathetic, but Ann Blyth's portrayal of her is simply boring. This movie does a very poor job telling her story. Her love story with Larry Maddux (Paul Newman) seems quickly thrown together without proper thought, and shows contempt for its audience. I got quite annoyed with the on and off relationship between Blyth & Paul Newman. She's also somewhat of a home- wrecker. She falls for a married man named Russell Wade (Richard Carlson) Its tough to empathize with a person like that, even though she seemed to be good hearted. From what I've read, they depicted Helen Morgan correctly. Her alcoholism is shown in decent detail, but it's far from vivid like it's trying to be. It might be cruel of me to say, but I didn't give a damn anymore about Helen Morgan after about the 50 minute mark. I was simply waiting for this mess to end.
*SPOILERS* If you don't wish to be spoiled, don't read any further!
After doing some research, I found out the happy ending was completely fabricated. The real Helen Morgan died at the age of 41, when she collapsed on a stage while performing. She died due to years of alcohol abuse. The ending of the movie heavily implies that Helen Morgan has turned her life around. I think it's a bit of a slap to the face of the real Helen Morgan.
Final Thoughts: Leave this in obscurity where it belongs. As good as Paul Newman is, I don't have many good things to say about this movie. Look elsewhere for info on Helen Morgan. This mediocre biopic isn't it
4.2/10
I knew nothing about Helen Morgan going in. The only reason I decided to watch this movie, is because of Paul Newman's presence. I'm a huge Paul Newman fan. This is one of his first roles. The movie is a rather drab and joyless experience, for almost two hours or so. I'm sure the real Helen Morgan was a fascinating person, with many issues that were sympathetic, but Ann Blyth's portrayal of her is simply boring. This movie does a very poor job telling her story. Her love story with Larry Maddux (Paul Newman) seems quickly thrown together without proper thought, and shows contempt for its audience. I got quite annoyed with the on and off relationship between Blyth & Paul Newman. She's also somewhat of a home- wrecker. She falls for a married man named Russell Wade (Richard Carlson) Its tough to empathize with a person like that, even though she seemed to be good hearted. From what I've read, they depicted Helen Morgan correctly. Her alcoholism is shown in decent detail, but it's far from vivid like it's trying to be. It might be cruel of me to say, but I didn't give a damn anymore about Helen Morgan after about the 50 minute mark. I was simply waiting for this mess to end.
*SPOILERS* If you don't wish to be spoiled, don't read any further!
After doing some research, I found out the happy ending was completely fabricated. The real Helen Morgan died at the age of 41, when she collapsed on a stage while performing. She died due to years of alcohol abuse. The ending of the movie heavily implies that Helen Morgan has turned her life around. I think it's a bit of a slap to the face of the real Helen Morgan.
Final Thoughts: Leave this in obscurity where it belongs. As good as Paul Newman is, I don't have many good things to say about this movie. Look elsewhere for info on Helen Morgan. This mediocre biopic isn't it
4.2/10