Joan Fontaine, Ida Lupino, and Edmond O’Brien as “The Bigamist”

The Bigamist (1953) is an American drama film directed by Ida Lupino and starring Joan Fontaine, Ida Lupino, Edmund Gwenn, and Edmond O’Brien. The cinematography was by George E. Diskant (They Live by Night) and the music was by Leith Stevens (The Wild One).

Married couple Harry (O’Brien) and Eve Graham (Fontaine) are about to adopt a child. Mr. Jordan (Gwenn), the adoption agent informs them that as a matter of routine, he needs to check into their backgrounds.

This worries Harry because he’s been living a double life with another woman named Phyllis (Lupino). Their relationship develops into a serious one and they get married.

What happens now? Will Harry be able to get himself untangled from the mess he’s made of his life or will his life spiral out of control?

 

Edmond O'Brien, Edmund Gwenn, and Joan Fontaine

Ida Lupino (1918 – 1995) was an English-American actress, director, and producer. She appeared in over 50 films and was one of Warner Bros.’s biggest contract players during the 1940s starring in High Sierra (1941), The Sea Wolf (1941), and The Man I Love (1947). After she left Warner Bros., Lupino formed her own production company, producing, writing, and directing films that tackled subjects the big studios wouldn’t touch. During the 1950s, Lupino was the only female director working in Hollywood. She directed several small independent films but really made a name for herself directing for television. Lupino directed episodes of The Twilight Zone (starred in one too), The Rifleman, Bonanza, Gilligan’s Island, It Takes a Thief, Family Affair, and Columbo. In 1966, she directed her one-and-only big-budget studio picture, The Trouble with Angels starring Rosalind Russell and Haley Mills.

Joan Fontaine (1917 – 2013) was a British-American actress who starred in more than 45 films during Hollywood’s “Golden Age.” After secondary roles in Gunga Din (1939) and The Women (1939), her fortunes turned with her starring role in Alfred Hitchcock’s first American film, Rebecca (1940). She was nominated for Best Actress for her role in that film but lost to Ginger Rogers. The next year, she worked with Hitchcock again in Suspicion and this time won the Best Actress Oscar, beating out her older sister Olivia de Havilland. She received a third and final nomination for The Constant Nymph (1943). Other popular Fontaine films include This Above All (1942), From This Day Forward (1946), Ivy (1947), Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948), The Emperor Waltz (1948), and Ivanhoe (1952). After the late-1950s, she appeared less in films and more on stage and television. Fontaine and her sister are the only siblings to have won major acting Academy Awards. 

Edmund Gwenn (1877 – 1959) was an English stage and film actor. He is best remembered for his role as Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34^th Street (1947) for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Gwenn made his Hollywood film debut in Sylvia Scarlett (1935) and went on to have a long career in that town. He was a member of what was known as the British Colony—British ex-pats who were working in Hollywood. So of his other films include Pride and Prejudice (1940), Foreign Correspondent (1940), Lassie Come Home (1943), The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), Undercurrent (1946), Apartment for Peggy (1948), and Mister 880 (1950). The actor Cecil Kellaway was Gwenn’s cousin. 

Edmond O’Brien (1915 – 1985) was an American stage, screen, and television actor. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Barefoot Contessa (1954). O’Brien had leading roles in some of his earlier films but mostly worked as a supporting actor in films like The Killers (1946), A Double Life (1947), and White Heat (1949). He had lead roles in noir classics D.O.A (1950) and The Hitch-Hiker (1953). Other film roles include Julius Caesar (1953), D-Day the Sixth of June (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).

 

Ida Lupino and Edmond O'Brien

The Bigamist trivia

• It is believed that this is the first sound film where the female star directed herself. It was the only time Lupino did so.
• Writer-producer Collier Young was married to Joan Fontaine at the time of production. Lupino was previously married to Young; they founded the Filmakers production company.
• This was the last film Lupino directed until The Trouble with Angels (1966).
• There are several inside jokes at the expense of Edmund Gwenn.
• Joan Fontaine’s mother Lillian has an uncredited role.
• Jane Greer was originally cast to play the role that eventually went to Joan Fontaine.
• Edmund Gwenn, Joan Fontaine, Edmond O'Brien, and Jane Darwell were all Oscar winners.

 

Click here to watch the movie on YouTube.

 

Click here to join the online discussion on January 29, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Once you RSVP, you will receive and invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. How do you think the subjects of adultery/bigamy were handled?
2. Did you think that the film took a position?
3. Was the situation between Edmond O’Brien and Joan Fontaine’s characters believable or realistic?
4. What did you think of the performances? Did one stand out to you?
5. Was the ending satisfying? If not, how would you have liked to the movie end?

 

 

Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner in director Robert Siodmak's "The Killers"

The Killers (1946) is an American film noir directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Burt Lancaster in his movie debut and Ava Gardner. The film co-stars Edmond O'Brien, Sam Levine, and Charles McGraw. The film is based on The Killers, a short story by Ernest Hemingway. The cinematography is by Elwood Bredell (The Phantom Lady 1944).

A former boxer known as "The Swede" (Lancaster) is murdered by some criminal associates from his past. Insurance agent Jim Reardon (O'Brien) is assigned to find the beneficiary of the Swede's $2,500 insurance policy. By interviewing people who knew the Swede, Reardon pieces together the tragic events that led to his death. 

What Reardon discovers is that no one's life is as it seems on the surface.

Ava Gardner and Burt Lancaster

Robert Siodmak (1900 – 1973) had a very successful career in Hollywood and is best known for his thrillers and films noir. He signed a seven-year contract with Universal and directed The Killers (1946), the film that made Ava Gardner a star. He worked with some of the top movie stars during Hollywood’s Golden Age, including Deanna Durbin, Gene Kelly, Burt Lancaster, Dorothy McGuire, Yvonne de Carlo, Olivia de Havilland, and Barbara Stanwyck. Often compared to Hitchcock in his prime, he never got the recognition that the Master of Suspense did, but most of his films hold up remarkably well and are worth watching.

Burt Lancaster (1913- 1994) was an American actor and producer. He won a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in Elmer Gantry (1960). Lancaster made his film debut in The Killers (1946). After the release of that film, he was on his way as a leading man, starring in quick succession Desert Fury (1947), Brute Force (1947), Variety Girl (1947), I Walk Alone (1947), All My Sons (1948), and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948). Other popular films starring Lancaster include The Flame and the Arrow (1950), Jim Thorpe All-American (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953), The Rose Tattoo (1955), and Birdman of Alcatraz (1962).

Ava Gardner (1922 - 1990) was an American actress who signed a film contract with M-G-M in 1941. She played minor roles in a variety of films until her breakout performance in The Killers (1946) on loan to Universal. She hit her stride in the 1950s with films like Mogambo (1953), The Knights of the Round Table (1953), Bhowani Junction (1956), The Sun Also Rises (1957), On the Beach (1959), and 55 Days in Peking (1963). Later in her career, she had a recurring role on the television series Knots Landing (1985). During her prime, Garnder was considered one of the world’s most beautiful women.

The Killers trivia

• Burt Lancaster was the third choice to play the Swede. Wayne Morris and Sonny Tufts were first and second choices but were unavailable.
• Ava Gardner was the producer's only choice to play Kitty Collins.
• The movie ran 24 hours in New York City to accommodate the crowds, breaking previous box office records.
• Ernest Hemingway was a fan of the film adaptation of his short story.

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the conversation on August 22, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. The Killers made Lancaster a movie star overnight. What did you think of his performance?
2. Ava Gardner was under contract with MGM since 1941. On loan to Universal, the role of Kitty Collins elevated her to leading-lady status. Was she a convincing femme fatale?
3. Did you think there was any significance to Kitty's name?
4. What did you think of the narrative style? Did it remind you of any other movies?
5. Did anything in this film surprise you?
6. Would you have waited in line to have seen this film in 1946? Why do you think this movie was such a hit in its day?