Kim Stanley (Oscar® nominee, Best Actress, 1964, Seance on a Wet Afternoon) plays EmiIy Ann Faulkner, whose unhappy childhood was dominated by dreams of Hollywood stardom. Escaping a disastrous first marriage and fleeing motherhood by leaving her infant child with her mother, EmiIy strikes out for fame, and Iands in the arms of an ex-prizefighter, Dutch Seymour (Lloyd Bridges), whom she marries and divorces. Love is just a step on the Iadder to the top, and changing her name to Rita Shawn, the starIet also becomes the mistress of a studio executive. But fame, drugs or aIcohol can't hoId back the encroaching Ioneliness and feelings of emptiness in the actress's life. Director John Cromwell, best known for complex meIodramas (Of Human Bondage, Since You Went Away), is in his element here, and Kim StanIey proves her credentiaIs as a stage and screen star oft compared to Brando. |