''Gaby'' is a 1956

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- ...

made by MGM. It is the third version of the 1930 play '' Waterloo Bridge'', previously made into films '' Waterloo Bridge'' (1931) and '' Waterloo Bridge'' (1940). It is the only version of the play made in color, and the least faithful to it. The title, the names of the main characters, and plot details were all changed. Unlike the 1931 and 1940 versions, this film ends happily. This version was directed by

Curtis Bernhardt Curtis Bernhardt (15 April 1899 – 22 February 1981) was a Jewish film director born in Worms, Germany, under the name Kurt Bernhardt. He trained as an actor in Germany, and performed on the stage, before starting as a film director in 1924, wi ...

and produced by

Edwin H. Knopf Edwin H. Knopf (November 11, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American film producer, film director, and screenwriter. Biography He was born in New York City and went to work early in his life in the editorial department of his brother Al ...

. The

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...

was by

Albert Hackett Albert Maurice Hackett (February 16, 1900 – March 16, 1995) was an American actor, dramatist and screenwriter most noted for his collaborations with his partner and wife Frances Goodrich. Early years Hackett was born in New York City, the s ...

, Frances Goodrich and Charles Lederer, based on the screenplay of ''Waterloo Bridge'' (1940) by

S. N. Behrman Samuel Nathaniel Behrman (; June 9, 1893 – September 9, 1973) was an American playwright, screenwriter, biographer, and longtime writer for ''The New Yorker''. His son is the composer David Behrman. Biography Early years Behrman's parents, Z ...

, Paul H. Rameau and George Froeschel. All three versions were based on the play by Robert E. Sherwood. The film stars

Leslie Caron Leslie Claire Margaret Caron (; born 1 July 1931) is a French-American actress and dancer. She is the recipient of a Golden Globe Award, two BAFTA Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. She is one ...

as Gaby and John Kerr with Sir Cedric Hardwicke,

Taina Elg __NOTOC__ Taina may refer to: People Women * Taina Asili (), Puerto Rican musician, filmmaker and activist * Taïna Barioz (born 1988), French alpine skier * Taina Bien-Aimé, Swiss social activist * Taina Bofferding (born 1982), Luxembourgish ...

and Margalo Gillmore.

Plot

Gaby (Caron) is a

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

dancer in 1944

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

who runs into corporal Gregory Wendell (Kerr) while rushing to catch the bus. Greg is mesmerized by Gaby and goes to the ballet to see her on stage, but Gaby wants nothing to do with Greg. He persists, and by the end of the day, she agrees to marry him. Before they can marry, there is a mountain of red tape and Greg is shipped out suddenly for the D-Day landing, promising to marry her on his return. When she hears that he has been killed, Gaby becomes a prostitute as the only way to support herself (as in the 1940 film). When the report turns out to be false, and Greg returns alive, Gaby repeatedly tells him that she cannot marry him, but he is unable to guess the correct reason. When she finally tells him, he is shocked speechless for a very long time and she runs away into a bombing raid. Greg drives after her in his father's car, then has to continue the pursuit on foot. He yells at her to "have a heart – I am crippled." Just as a V-1's engine stops, indicating an imminent explosion, he tells Gaby to duck into a doorway, saving her life. He says, "If you had died just now, I would never have been able to love anyone else." Gaby asks how he could possibly love her after what circumstances had forced her to do, but he says, "Let's forget the terrible things this war made us do."

Cast

as Gaby * John Kerr as Gregory Wendell *

Cedric Hardwicke Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and ...

as Edgar Carrington *

as Elsa * Margalo Gillmore as Mrs. Carrington *

Scott Marlowe Scott Gregory Marlowe (born Ronald Richard DeLeo; June 24, 1932 – January 6, 2001)''Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014''. Social Security Administration was an American actor who had a starring role in the 1957 teen exploitation film '' ...

as Jan *

James Best Jewel Franklin Guy (July 26, 1926 – April 6, 2015), known professionally as James Best, was an American television, film, stage, and voice actor, as well as a writer, director, acting coach, artist, college professor, and musician. Duri ...

as Jim * Ruta Lee as Denise * Gordon Richards as Air Raid Warden

Plot differences

In contrast to the 1931 and 1940 films, ''Gaby'' was made after D-Day and the horror of the V-1 attacks on London, and incorporates references to both within its plot. In addition, made post-War, the atmosphere of hopelessness present in 1940 is replaced by an air of optimism.

Production

The film was envisioned as a vehicle for Leslie Caron. The male lead was given to John Kerr, who had become a star on Broadway in '' Tea and Sympathy'' and had just made '' The Cobweb'' for MGM. Kerr turned down '' Friendly Persuasion'' (1956) to take the role in ''Gaby'' because the latter was a lead, not a supporting part.

Reception

According to MGM records the film earned $647,000 in the US and Canada and $710,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $1,356,000.

References

External links

*
''Gaby''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of A ...

* * {{Charles Lederer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American drama films 1956 films CinemaScope films American films based on plays Films directed by Curtis Bernhardt Films set in London 1956 drama films Films with screenplays by Charles Lederer 1950s English-language films 1950s American films