Blast from the Past: John Sturges Career Revisited
By Love Possessed, director John Sturges’ first film after his Western classic, The Magnificent Seven, was a schmaltzy, overwrought melodrama (“an Ivy League Peyton Place”), starring Lana Turner, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Jason Robards Jr., and George Hamilton and Susan Kohner.
Originally witten by Charles Schnee, it was based on the novel by James Gould Cozzens, featuring a theme song performed by Vic Damone.
The supporting cast includes Thomas Mitchell, Barbara Bel Geddes, Everett Sloane, Yvonne Craig, Carroll O’Connor, and Jean Willes.
In a Massachusetts law firm, Arthur Winner, Julius Penrose and Noah Tuttle are equal partners, and each one faces major problems in his personal or domestic life.
Clarissa, married to Arthur, feels unloved. Marjorie, Julius’ wife, has to contend with his self-loathing, a result of car crash that left him crippled. Depressed, he believes that Marjorie no longer finds him desirable.
Warren Winner, Arthur’s rebellious and irresponsible son, is expected to marry Noah’s wealthy ward, Helen Detweiler, but he is not in love with her. Warren instead has a fling with a prostitute, Veronica Kovacs, who, upset by his lack of commitment, accuses him of rape. Warren flees rather than face the charges, and the distraught Helen commits suicide.
Arthur discovers that Noah has embezzled $60,000 from Helen’s account (though for the worthy cause of keeping afloat the town’s streetcar operation).
Everyone is confronted about owning up to their responsibilities, including Warren, who turns himself in to the law to fight the accusations against him.
Film rights to the novel were purchased by United Artists, but when Seven Arts and UA terminated their agreement, UA approached Walter Mirisch to produce. Mirsch hired Charle Schnee to write the script which was offered to John Sturges to direct.
Lana Turner, fresh off the critical and commercial success of the 1959 Imitation to Life, agreed to star in a Peyton Place-like movie.
Mirsch hoped that casting Efrem Zimbalist Jr. would make him a star, which did not happen.
Not for the first or last time, Warren Beatty turned down the role eventually played by George Hamilton.
Mirsch admitted Sturges “was more at home with male-oriented, action subjects than soap opera… but I was guilty of ignoring my own misgivings and of wanting to keep him involved rather than letting him accept an assignment elsewhere while we prepared the script for on The Great Escape.”
John Sturges later said that he “liked the original script” that Schnee wrote, but later five different sets of minds worked on it. What Lana Turner thought? What Walter Mirisch thought. What United Artists thought. What Charlie Schnee thought? I would never have made the picture if I had my choice.”
On July 19, 1961, it became the first in-flight movie to be shown on regular basis on airline flight, by TWA to its first-class passengers.
Per Mirsch: “The lack of success either artistically or commercially of By Love was a psychological and emotional blow as well as a huge personal disappointment.”
Cast
Lana Turner as Marjorie Penrose
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Arthur Winner
Jason Robards Jr. as Julius Penrose
George Hamilton as Warren Winner
Susan Kohner as Helen Detweiler
Thomas Mitchell as Noah Tuttle
Barbara Bel Geddes as Clarissa Winner
Everett Sloane as Dr. Reggie Shaw
Yvonne Craig as Veronica Kovacs
Gilbert Green as Mr. Woolf
Frank Maxwell as Jerry Brophy
Carroll O’Connor as Bernie Breck
Jean Willes as Junie McCarthy
