From Our Vaults
Henry King directed Beloved Infidel, a shallow biographical melodrama, shot in CinemaScope and based on the relationship of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sheilah Graham.
Grade: C+
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Original film poster
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Produced by Fox’s Jerry Wald from a screenplay by Sy Bartlett, it is loosely based on the 1957 memoir by Sheilah Graham and Gerold Frank.
The film relies on its tow major stars, Gregory Peck and Deborah Kerr, along with Eddie Albert and Philip Ober in supporting roles.
Sheilah Graham sails from England to the U.S.A. and meets with a newspaper editor John Wheeler, telling him of her royal lineage and connections. He hires her to write a column, and when its gossipy tone increases its popularity, Sheilah is offered her own radio program.
She meets acclaimed author F. Scott Fitzgerald at a party at the home of humorist friend Bob Carter. An immediate attraction follows is formed, though Scott is still married to wife Zelda, who’s institutionalized in a hospital. To meet financial obligations, Scott has accepted writing scripts for mediocre pictures.
Scott–his excessive drinking affecting his moods and his productivity–Scott is haunted by the memories of Zelda and the fun they had together. He learns that a play is being produced in Pasadena based on one of his stories and takes Sheilah to see it, only to discover that it is an amateurish high school production.
Sheilah copes with his growing alcoholism and tries to leave him, but Scott threatens with suicidal notes. She confesses that everything she had claimed about her past is a lie: Sheilah actually is a girl from the London slums.
She appeals to Scott to write another book, but after reading the first four chapters, the publisher rejects it.
As Sheilah’s radio show is based in Chicago, she travels there, and Scott becomes abusive, first aboard an airplane and then to her colleagues. She is unaware that Scott has been fired by the studio, which finds his script unacceptable. Sheilah continues to stand by him, but eventually Scott’s health gives out, and he collapses and dies.
The music score was by Franz Waxman, the cinematography by Leon Shamroy and the art direction by Lyle R. Wheeler and Maurice Ransford.
Beloved Infidel was the sixth and final collaboration between King and Peck. Peck, who read the novel and wanted to play the lead, was the driving force for what director King called “a failure before it started. Peck, however, was sure it was an Oscar caliber part. But it was so realistic that I don’t think Peck got credit for the good performance that he gave because it was such an obnoxious man, just a terrible man who dies in the end. When you kill a good man like Ronald Colman, all right. But when you take a man that the audience is glad to see dead, I don’t think it works for the picture very well.”
The film was a critical as well as a commercial disappointment.
Cast
Gregory Peck as F. Scott Fitzgerald
Deborah Kerr as Sheilah Graham
Eddie Albert as Bob Carter – Sheilah’s friend
Philip Ober as John Wheeler
Herbert Rudley as Stan Harris
John Sutton as Lord Donegall
Karin Booth as Pierce
Ken Scott as Robinson
Elliott Gould as newsboy (uncredited)
Credits:
Produced by Jerry Wald
Directed by Henry King
Screenplay by Sy Bartlett, based on Beloved Infidel (1957 novel)m by Sheilah Graham and Gerold Frank
Cinematography Leon Shamroy
Edited by William H. Reynolds
Music by Franz Waxman
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date: Nov 17, 1959 (New York)
Running time: 123 minutes
Budget $2,340,000
