David O. Selznick had intended to film an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's
Tender is the Night as a vehicle for his wife
Jennifer Jones. But financial difficulties compelled Selznick to sell the property (including Ms. Jones' services) to 20th Century-Fox. Jones stars as a wealthy but disturbed woman of the 1920s who marries her psychiatrist (Jason Robards Jr.). They live together at her Riviera estate, where the doctor's analytical skills atrophy. As Jones grows stronger, the doctor becomes totally dependent upon her emotionally and financially. The film's supporting characters are equally self-destructive, notably an alcoholic composer (Tom Ewell) and Jones' avaricious sister (Joan Fontaine). Perhaps if Selznick had produced
Tender is the Night, the film wouldn't have wallowed in misery for its own sake; on the other hand, we still would have been stuck with Jennifer Jones, who is woefully miscast.
