The Actress
George Cukor
This film has no current screenings
Cukor filmed this tender, autumnal family comedy from an autobiographical play by the great Ruth Gordon (her last of six collaborations with Cukor). Jean Simmons is radiant as a young woman itching to flee her sleepy New England town for a big-city acting career, but the film ultimately belongs to Spencer Tracy as her reluctant, conflicted father: a beautifully understated study in feuding good intentions. Bathed in a wistful, nostalgic afterglow, The Actress is a sensitive slice of Americana—with a standout turn from first-time actor Anthony Perkins. “Among Cukor’s least known movies,” said Peter Bogdanovich, “it is also one of his purest.”