A Stolen Life (film)

Last updated
A Stolen Life
A Stolen life Theatrical release poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Curtis Bernhardt
Screenplay by Catherine Turney
Margaret Buell Wilder (adaptation)
Based onUloupeny Zivot
1935 novel
by Karel Josef Benes
Produced byBette Davis
Starring Bette Davis
Glenn Ford
Dane Clark
Walter Brennan
Charlie Ruggles
Bruce Bennett
Cinematography Ernest Haller
Sol Polito
Edited by Rudi Fehr
Music by Max Steiner
Production
company
B.D. Production
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
July 6, 1946 (1946-07-06)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2,217,000 [1]
Box office$4,785,000 [1]
$3 million (US rentals) [2]

A Stolen Life is a 1946 American drama film starring Bette Davis, who also produced it. The film, based on the 1935 novel A Stolen Life by Karel Josef Benes, was directed by Curtis Bernhardt. Among the supporting cast are Glenn Ford, Dane Clark, Peggy Knudsen, Charlie Ruggles, and Bruce Bennett. It is a remake of the 1939 British film Stolen Life starring Elisabeth Bergner and Michael Redgrave.

Contents

It was nominated for Best Special Effects (William C. McGann; Special Audible Effects by Nathan Levinson) at the 19th Academy Awards, but lost to Blithe Spirit.

The second time Davis played twin sisters was in Dead Ringer (1964).

Plot

Kate Bosworth (Bette Davis) is a sincere, demure artist who misses her boat to an island off New England, where she intends to meet her twin sister Patricia (also Davis) and her cousin Freddie (Charlie Ruggles). She persuades Bill Emerson (Glenn Ford) to take her home in his boat. Later, their relationship grows while she paints a portrait of Eben Folger (Walter Brennan), the old lighthouse keeper, and Kate falls very much in love.

Her sister Pat, a flamboyant, man-hungry manipulator, fools Bill when she first meets him by pretending to be Kate. Pat then pursues him on a trip out of town, and when they return, they announce to Kate their intention to marry.

A heartbroken Kate focuses on her work with a rude but very talented artist named Karnock (Dane Clark), but rejects his romantic overtures. Bill eventually goes to Chile, allowing Kate to spend some time with her sister, whom she hasn't seen since the marriage. When the two go sailing, a sudden storm washes Pat overboard and she drowns, her sister inadvertently seizing her wedding ring while trying to save her. Kate passes out and is washed ashore in the boat. When she regains consciousness, she is mistaken for Pat.

Bill is about to return, so Kate decides to assume her late sister's identity. To her surprise, she learns that Bill is angry at Pat for her many affairs and in no mood to continue the marriage. Cousin Freddie has guessed the truth and insists that Kate must reveal to Bill her real identity. When she does, Bill realizes that Kate is the one he truly loves.

Cast

Box Office

According to Warner Bros. records, the film earned $3,222,000 domestically and $1,563,000 foreign. [1]

Related Research Articles

Bette Davis American actress (1908–1989)

Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical films, suspense horror, and occasional comedies, although her greater successes were in romantic dramas. A recipient of two Academy Awards, she was the first thespian to accrue ten nominations.

<i>Peggy Sue Got Married</i> 1986 film by Francis Ford Coppola

Peggy Sue Got Married is a 1986 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola starring Kathleen Turner as a woman on the verge of a divorce, who finds herself transported back to the days of her senior year in high school in 1960. The film was written by husband-and-wife team Jerry Leichtling and Arlene Sarner.

<i>The Andy Williams Show</i>

The Andy Williams Show was an American television variety show that ran from 1962 to 1971 and had a short-lived run in syndication beginning in the fall of 1976. It was hosted by singer Andy Williams.

Glenn Ford Canadian-American actor (1916–2006)

Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, who had a career that lasted more than 50 years. Although he played in many genres of movies, some of his most significant roles were in the film noirs Gilda (1946) and The Big Heat (1953), and the high school angst film Blackboard Jungle (1955). However, it was for comedies or westerns which he received acting laurels, including three Golden Globe Nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy movie, winning for Pocketful of Miracles (1961). He also played a supporting role as Clark Kent's adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, in Superman (1978).

George Brent Irish-American actor

George Brent was an Irish-American stage, film, and television actor. He is best remembered for the eleven films he made with Bette Davis, which included Jezebel and Dark Victory.

<i>London Town</i> (1946 film) 1946 British film

London Town is a 1946 Technicolor musical film directed by Wesley Ruggles and starring Sid Field and Petula Clark, generally regarded as one of the biggest flops in the history of British cinema.

<i>Pocketful of Miracles</i> 1961 film by Frank Capra

Pocketful of Miracles is a 1961 American comedy film starring Bette Davis and Glenn Ford, produced and directed by Frank Capra, filmed in Panavision. The screenplay, by Hal Kanter and Harry Tugend, was based on Robert Riskin's screenplay for the 1933 film Lady for a Day, which was adapted from the 1929 Damon Runyon short story "Madame La Gimp." That original 1933 film was also directed by Capra — one of two films that he originally directed and later remade, the other being Broadway Bill (1934) and its remake Riding High (1950).

Ruth Roman American actress (1922–1999)

Ruth Roman was an American actress of film, stage, and television.

<i>The Hollywood Palace</i> American television variety series

The Hollywood Palace was an hour-long American television variety show that was broadcast weekly Saturday nights on ABC from January 4, 1964, to February 7, 1970. Titled The Saturday Night Hollywood Palace during its first few weeks, it began as a midseason replacement for The Jerry Lewis Show, another variety show, which had lasted only three months.

Dane Clark American film actor (1912–1998)

Dane Clark was an American character actor who was known for playing, as he labeled himself, "Joe Average."

Peggy Knudsen American actress (1923–1980)

Margaret Ann Knudsen was an American character actress.

<i>Dead Ringer</i> (1964 film) 1964 film by Paul Henreid

Dead Ringer is a 1964 American horror film made by Warner Bros. It was directed by Paul Henreid from a screenplay by Oscar Millard and Albert Beich from the story La Otra by Rian James, previously filmed in a Mexican version starring Dolores del Río. The music score was by André Previn and the cinematography by Ernest Haller. The film stars Bette Davis, Karl Malden and Peter Lawford with Philip Carey, Jean Hagen, George Macready, Estelle Winwood, George Chandler and Cyril Delevanti.

<i>Seed</i> (1931 film) 1931 film

Seed is a 1931 American Pre-Code drama film directed by John M. Stahl. The screenplay by Gladys Lehman is based on a novel by Charles G. Norris.

<i>Winter Meeting</i> 1948 film by Bretaigne Windust

Winter Meeting is a 1948 American drama film directed by Bretaigne Windust and starring Bette Davis and Jim Davis. The screenplay, based on the novel of the same name by Grace Zaring Stone, was written by Catherine Turney.

<i>Hells House</i> 1932 film

Hell's House is a 1932 American Pre-Code drama film starring Junior Durkin, featuring Bette Davis and directed by Howard Higgin. The screenplay by Paul Gangelin and B. Harrison Orkow, set during the waning days of the Prohibition era, is based on a story by Higgin.

<i>Scream, Pretty Peggy</i> American television movie

Scream, Pretty Peggy is a 1973 American made-for-television horror film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Bette Davis, Ted Bessell, and Sian Barbara Allen. Its plot follows a young college student who is given a job by a sculptor housekeeping at a mysterious mansion where his sister and their elderly mother reside. It was broadcast as the ABC Suspense Movie on November 24, 1973.

<i>Hollywood Canteen</i> (film) 1944 film by Delmer Daves

Hollywood Canteen is a 1944 American musical romantic comedy film starring Joan Leslie, Robert Hutton, Dane Clark and features many stars in cameo roles. and produced by Warner Bros. The film was written and directed by Delmer Daves and received three Oscar nominations.

<i>Housewife</i> (film) 1934 film by Alfred E. Green

Housewife is a 1934 American drama film directed by Alfred E. Green, and starring George Brent, Bette Davis, and Ann Dvorak. The screenplay by Manuel Seff and Lillie Hayward is based on a story by Hayward and Robert Lord.

Lois Lane (1978 film series character) Fictional character in 1978-87 Superman film series

Lois Lane is a fictional character portrayed by Canadian-born actress Margot Kidder in the Warner Bros. Superman film series produced by Ilya and Alexander Salkind, and is an adaption of the original comic book character, Lois Lane. Kidder played Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve in Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). The role proved to be Kidder's most notable, catapulting her to international fame, and this iteration of Lois Lane has been considered one of the most iconic love interests in superhero films.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Warner Bros financial information in The William Shaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 26 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
  2. "60 Top Grossers of 1946", Variety 8 January 1947 p8