Movies from the Heart—Alice Adams

Did you give last week’s exercise a try—thinking about how you’d tell a story based on a book, play, or perhaps a fairy tale? It’s something you can continue to think about and try as we look at more and more films based on material from other sources. This week’s film, Alice Adams [1935] was based on the novel of the same name by Booth Tarkington. The screenplay was by Dorothy Yost, Mortimer Offner, and Jane Murfin.

Alice Adams tells the story of a girl from a poorer family on the wrong side of the tracks who would like to be in with the popular crowd—which in her town means the rich kids.

Take a look, first, at a short trailer for the film.

Now take a look at a section of a documentary about the director of the film, George Stevens, where Katharine Hepburn, the star of the film, and the producer, Pandro S. Berman, talk about the making of the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAnvvw5bCro

How things have changed! As you can see from that documentary clip, the film was to have ended the way the book did—with Alice realizing that dreaming of being taken out of the modest house she lives in and becoming part of the smart set was never going to happen. In the book, Alice realizes she has to get a job—and it’s almost a positive thing… we have the feeling Alice will learn more about the realities of the world she’s living in by going to work.

In looking at the trailer and documentary clip, you get a feel for the character of Alice. She’s SO desperate to be taken away from her poor, uneducated family by this dashing, rich man. She wants the fairy tale.

But on the way, we see some beautifully orchestrated comedy as she tries to be the person she thinks a rich, important young woman would be. Many times we absolutely cringe for her. We want to yell at her—“Stop trying so hard”—“He isn’t worth all this”—“You’ll be fine without him”… or at least, that’s what most of us today would be telling her.

In 1935, however, I expect the young women in the audience related more to her and knew what it felt like to not be a part of the popular crowd, and to desire that perfect romance. They wanted the happy ending. And, thanks to the interference of the studio, they got it.

The film is also good to study for how it blends comedy with romance. This isn’t easy to do, but it’s a gem when it works well.

Next week another film from 1935, about a girl who is finding it very hard to win the man of her dreams because circumstances have forced her to become… a man. The film is Sylvia Scarlett.

Copyright © Diane Lake

15Oct23

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