''Woman Obsessed'' is a 1959 romantic

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 ...

directed by Henry Hathaway and starring

Susan Hayward Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrenner; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American film actress, best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model for the Walter Thornton Model A ...

, Stephen Boyd, Barbara Nichols,

Dennis Holmes Charles Dennis Holmes (born October 3, 1950) is an American film and television actor. He is known for playing Mike Williams in the American western television series '' Laramie''. Life and career Holmes was born in Encino, California. Betwee ...

, Theodore Bikel, Ken Scott, James Philbrook, and Florence MacMichael. The screenplay concerns the hardships faced by a widow and her eight-year-old son on a rugged Canadian ranch.

Plot

Mary Sharron (

) has lost her husband to a forest fire. To help her run the ranch, she hires handyman Fred Carter ( Stephen Boyd). A handsome, but taciturn man who has known much tragedy, Fred works hard for her. Robbie Sharron (Dennis Holmes), the woman's son, resents Fred, and when he learns that his mother is planning to marry him to quell ugly rumors in town, the youth is unhappy. After the wedding, the stepfather treats the boy harshly, not out of cruelty, but because he wants to prepare the boy to survive the tough life ahead. This creates friction and frustration. Sometimes Fred beats both Mary and Robbie. On the day that Mary learns she is pregnant, Robbie and Fred get into a violent fight. Fred goes to the local saloon and ends up jailed for brawling. A month later he is released. When he gets home, he finds Mary has moved his things to the barn. A natural disaster changes the family's lives and relationships, and after much turmoil, honesty and pain gives them a chance to heal and start anew.

Cast

as Mary Sharron * Stephen Boyd as Fred Carter * Barbara Nichols as Mayme Radzevitch *

as Mary's son, Robbie Sharron * Theodore Bikel as Dr. R. W. Gibbs * Ken Scott as Sergeant Le Moyne * James Philbrook as Henri

Production

Although ''Woman Obsessed'' is not a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

film, in addition to

Hugo Friedhofer Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer (May 3, 1901May 17, 1981) was an American composer and cellist best known for his motion picture scores. Biography Hugo Wilhelm Friedhofer was born in San Francisco, California, United States. His father, Paul, was a ...

, nine additional top-name musicians were involved in the creation of the score. They include Earle Hagen, orchestrator; Lionel Newman, conductor;

David Buttolph James David Buttolph Jr. (August 3, 1902 – January 1, 1983) was an American film composer who scored over 300 movies in his career. Born in New York City, Buttolph showed musical talent at an early age, and eventually studied music forma ...

Leigh Harline Leigh Adrian Harline (March 26, 1907 – December 10, 1969) was an American film composer and songwriter. He was known for his "musical sophistication that was uniquely 'Harline-esque' by weaving rich tapestries of mood-setting underscores and ...

and

Alfred Newman Alfred Newman (March 17, 1900 – February 17, 1970) was an American composer, arranger, and conductor of film music. From his start as a music prodigy, he came to be regarded as a respected figure in the history of film music. He won nine Acad ...

, composers of additional music; and

Alexander Courage Alexander Mair Courage Jr. (December 10, 1919May 15, 2008) familiarly known as "Sandy" Courage, was an American orchestrator, arranger, and composer of music, primarily for television and film. He is best known as the composer of the theme musi ...

Gus Levene Gus Levene, born Gershun Levene (July 11, 1911 – February 9, 1979), was an American arranger, composer, orchestrator and guitarist. In the mid-1940s, he was one of the top network radio arrangers. Levene is best remembered for his work as an ar ...

, Arthur Morton and

Edward B. Powell Edward Benson Powell (December 5, 1909, Savanna, Carroll County, Illinois - February 28, 1984, Woodland Hills, Los Angeles) was an American arranger, orchestrator and composer, who served as Alfred Newman's musical lieutenant at 20th Century Fox f ...

, orchestrators. The film was shot in

Big Bear Lake, California Big Bear Lake is a small city in San Bernardino County, California, located in the San Bernardino Mountains along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, and surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. The city is located about 25 miles (40&nb ...

Reception

Writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', reviewer Bosley Crowther panned the film: "Perhaps we should not blame Miss Hayward or the fellow who plays the husband, Stephen Boyd, for faults that should be laid to the director, Henry Hathaway, or particular to Mr. Boehm. (The latter also produced the picture, so he is liable to double jeopardy.) But their efforts are so clearly indifferent and wanting in basic skill that they are deserving serious censure for such an utterly foolish film."

References

External links

* * * * {{Henry Hathaway 1959 films 20th Century Fox films 1950s English-language films Films based on Canadian novels 1959 romantic drama films American romantic drama films Films directed by Henry Hathaway Films scored by Hugo Friedhofer Films shot in Big Bear Lake, California 1950s American films