Marjorie Morningstar (1958)

A young Jewish girl (Natalie Wood) attempts to break away from the stereotypical expectations of her parents (Claire Trevor, Everett Sloane), that of marrying a nice boy and settling down as a wife and mother. She opts instead for a career as an actress but a love affair with a struggling, aging composer (Gene Kelly) interrupts her plans. Based on the 1955 best seller by Herman Wouk (THE CAINE MUTINY), the film is unique in its placing of Judaism and Jews at the forefront of its story rather than playing down that aspect of the story. While there have been many Jewish characters in films through out the years, films about Jews were almost non-existent in Hollywood. But the film's screenplay alters much of the novel's plot, most importantly in the ending. On paper, Wood would seem to be ideal for Marjorie and I'm not sure she isn't. But she seems overwhelmed and I suspect director Irving Rapper wasn't much help (he wasn't much of a director either). Gene Kelly is miscast. He's not a strong enough actor to make Noel Airman palatable or make us understand what Wood (or anybody else) sees in him. The idea of someone pining for years over Kelly seems downright bizarre. Music by Max Steiner and the lovely song, A Very Special Love by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster received an Oscar nomination. The leads flounder but the supporting cast is excellent including Carolyn Jones, Martin Balsam, Ed Wynn, Martin Milner, Paul Picerni, Ruta Lee, Edd Byrnes and George Tobias.