My Foolish Heart

Director: Mark Robson Mark Robson

Overview

Producer Samuel Goldwyn dishes up sentiment by the bowlful with My Foolish Heart. Susan Hayward is (somewhat unconvincingly) cast as a wide-eyed girl from Idaho who meets bon vivant Dana Andrews at a Manhattan party. Their brief affair results in a pregnancy, but since Andrews has been killed in the war, Hayward marries a man she doesn't love to give her child a name. The experience turns the girl into an embittered alcoholic, but she sees the light before she can cause grief for her baby. Based on a story by J. D. Salinger (the only one of this reclusive author's stories ever translated to film), My Foolish Heart strains credulity to the breaking point, but was popular enough to yield a hit title song, which is still a standard on "easy listening" FM radio stations.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/09/2016
UPC:	0888574378684
Original Release:	1949
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00
Sales rank:	28,811

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Susan Hayward	Eloise Winters
Dana Andrews	Walt Dreiser
Kent Smith	Lewis H. Wengler
Lois Wheeler	Mary Jane
Jessie Royce Landis	Martha Winters
Robert Keith	Henry Winters
Gigi Perreau	Ramona
Karin Booth	Miriam Ball
Todd Karns	Escort
Phillip Pine	Sgt. Lucey
Martha Mears	Nightclub Singer
Edna Holland	Dean Whiting
Marietta Canty	Grace
Barbara Woodell	Red Cross Receptionist
Regina Wallace	Mrs. Crandall
Jerry Paris	Usher
Phyllis Coates	Girl on Phone
Bud Stark	Elevator Operator
Edward Peil Sr.	Conductor
Marcel de la Brosse	Waiter
Billy Lord	Spectator
Tom Gibson	Spectator
Bob Strong	Spectator
Kay Marlowe	Spectator
Sam Ash	Spectator
Kerry O'Day	Girl
Victor Young	Composer

Technical Credits

Julius Epstein

John P. Fulton	Special Effects
Samuel Goldwyn	Producer
Mark Robson	Director
Julius Epstein	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Fred Lau	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

My Foolish Heart is often cited by fans of J. D. Salinger (who wrote the story on which the movie is based) as the reason why none of the author's other works will ever be filmed, as he apparently hated what the creators of Heart did to his story. However, if viewed simply as a film and not as an adaptation, Heart is an above average and enjoyable little "weepie." Sure, it's soap opera, but it's an engaging enough soaper, especially for people who are fans of the genre. The script, for the most part, is pretty standard stuff, but it does deserve some special mention for its ending, which is a bit of a surprise and which doesn't go all out for tears as one might rightfully expect. Heart also benefits from one of Susan Hayward's best performances. Hayward excelled at playing tough broads who may or may not have had a tender side to them; indeed, at times, she played the tough so well that even when there was supposed to be a tender side, it was hard to see. But she plays both sides of the character very well in Heart, and her work here is exceptional. As her true love, Dana Andrews is adequate but no more; however, as Hayward's father, Robert Keith turns in a very finely-tuned, carefully nuanced performance that deserves special mention. There's also some very affecting father-daughter chemistry between Keith and Hayward. Mark Robson's direction is good, if not outstanding, and Heart also boasts a title tune that is quite memorable.