''Lightning Strikes Twice'' is a 1951 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

starring

Ruth Roman Ruth Roman (born Norma Roman; December 22, 1922 – September 9, 1999) was an American actress of film, stage, and television. After playing stage roles on the east coast, Roman relocated to Hollywood to pursue a career in films. She appeare ...

and

Richard Todd Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd (11 June 19193 December 2009) was an Irish-British actor known for his leading man roles of the 1950s. He received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, and an Academy Award for Best Actor n ...

. In February 2020, the film was shown at the

70th Berlin International Film Festival The 70th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 20 February to 1 March 2020. It was the first under the leadership of new Berlin Film Festival heads, business administration director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director C ...

, as part of a retrospective dedicated to King Vidor's career.

Plot

Once a rancher, Richard Trevelyan (

) is now on a Texas prison's death row. But he wins a new trial, then a complete acquittal when a lone juror holds out. Actress Shelley Carnes (

) is on her way to a Texas

dude ranch A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agritourism. History Guest ranches arose in response to the romanticization of the American West that began to occur ...

for a rest. Along the way, she meets ranchers J.D. ( Frank Conroy) and Myra Nolan (Kathryn Givney) and ends up borrowing their car. Lost in a storm, she encounters Trevelyan by chance. It turns out he knows J.D. and Myra. The dude ranch is closed when Shelley gets there. Liza McStringer (

Mercedes McCambridge Carlotta Mercedes Agnes McCambridge (March 16, 1916 – March 2, 2004) was an American actress of radio, stage, film, and television. Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress." She won an Academy Award for Best Support ...

), who runs it with a younger brother nicknamed String (

Darryl Hickman Darryl Gerard Hickman (born July 28, 1931) is an American former actor, screenwriter, television executive, and acting coach. He started his career as a child actor in the Golden Age of Hollywood and appeared in numerous TV serials as an adult. ...

), explains that she was the juror who let Trevelyan go free. And now she's being shunned by neighbors and friends. Shelley bonds with the troubled String, so she is invited to stay a while. She learns that Loraine, the late wife of Trevelyan and murder victim, was a rather wicked woman, loathed by many. There is reason to believe Loraine once had an affair with J.D. Returning the car, Shelley spends a night with the Nolans and is introduced to Harvey Turner (

Zachary Scott Zachary Scott (February 21, 1914 – October 3, 1965)Obituary ''Variety'', October 6, 1965. was an American actor who was known for his roles as villains and "mystery men". Early life Scott was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Sallie Le ...

), a neighbor who is immediately attracted to her. Harvey, too, speaks ill of the late Loraine and describes himself as lucky to have escaped her clutches. Shelley again meets Trevelyan and the two cannot resist each other. They marry, but on their wedding day Shelley discovers something that makes her think Trevelyan murdered Loraine after all. She flees. It turns out, however, that Liza, jealous and wanting Trevelyan, was the one who murdered Loraine. Now she nearly does likewise to Shelley, but Trevelyan and the police rescue her. Liza and String flee in their car, but take a fatal plunge over a cliff; Shelley and Trevelyan embrace at the scene and drive off to live happily ever after.

Cast

as Shelley Carnes *

as Richard Trevelyan *

as Liza McStringer *

as Harvey Turner * Frank Conroy as J. D. Nolan *

Kathryn Givney Kathryn Givney (October 27, 1896 – March 16, 1978) was an American actress on stage and in films. Biography In 1928, Givney was a member of the S. E. Cochran Repertory Company. In 1930, she appeared in ''Stepping Sisters'' at the Hollywood Pl ...

as Myra Nolan * Rhys Williams as Father Paul *

as String * Nacho Galindo as Pedro *

Joaquin Garay Joaquin Garay (November 15, 1911 – September 13, 1990) was a Mexican actor and singer known for voicing Panchito Pistoles in the 1944 Walt Disney film ''The Three Caballeros''. Career Born in El Oro, Mexico, Garay came to America at eleven mon ...

as Johnny López (uncredited) *

Franklin Parker Franklin Parker (November 8, 1902 – June 12, 1962), also known as Frank Parker or Franklyn Parker, was an American character actor who appeared in over 100 films during his twenty-five year career. Born in Fillmore, Missouri on November 8, 1902 ...

as Guard (uncredited) *

Frank Cady Frank Randolph Cady (September 8, 1915 – June 8, 2012) was an American actor best known for his role as storekeeper Sam Drucker in three American television series during the 1960s – ''Petticoat Junction'', ''Green Acres'', and ' ...

as Gas Station Man (uncredited)

Production

Warner Bros had owned the rights to the book since 1945.

Virginia Mayo Virginia Mayo (born Virginia Clara Jones; November 30, 1920 – January 17, 2005) was an American actress and dancer. She was in a series of comedy films with Danny Kaye and was Warner Brothers' biggest box-office money-maker in the late 1940s. ...

was originally cast in the female lead. The music score repeatedly echoes a passage from '' La valse'' by

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

Reception

Box office

According to Warner Bros records, the film earned $785,000 domestically and $359,000 internationally, meaning it earned $1,144,000 all up.

Critical response

Film critic

Glenn Erickson Glenn Erickson is an American film editor and film critic. A graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, he started in the film industry in 1975 as an editor of low-budget films and later worked in minor technical crew capacitie ...

discussed the director's film style in his review:

As the 1950s rolled in director King Vidor's brilliant but eccentric pictures became much more eccentric than brilliant. ''
The Fountainhead ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to com ...
'' and ''
Ruby Gentry ''Ruby Gentry'' is a 1952 film directed by King Vidor, and starring Jennifer Jones, Charlton Heston, and Karl Malden. In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, as part of a retrospective dedicated to Kin ...
'' break down into interesting patterns of dynamic visuals, even as their overheated dramatics are impossible to take seriously. 1951's ''Lightning Strikes Twice'' forms a link between King Vidor and Douglas Sirk's delirious women's pictures. Faced with a gimmicky, far-fetched storyline and inconsistent characters, Vidor still manages to make the movie highly watchable, even enjoyable ... But get ready to smile at the overcooked, sometimes hysterical acting and the big fuss made over a fairly simple mystery ... the picture is a camp hoot from one end to the other.Erickson, Glenn
''DVD Savant'', film/DVD review, October 9, 2009. Accessed: August 10, 2013.

References

External links

* * * *

information site and DVD review at DVD Beaver (includes images) * {{King Vidor 1951 films 1950s thriller drama films American black-and-white films American thriller drama films 1950s English-language films Film noir Films scored by Max Steiner Films based on American novels Films set in Texas Warner Bros. films Films directed by King Vidor 1951 drama films 1950s American films