Dear Heart (1964)

A small town postmistress (Geraldine Page) is attending a postmasters convention in New York City. She is a well intentioned and kindhearted woman but lonely. When she meets an executive (Glenn Ford) for a greeting card company, she's instantly attracted but not only is he a womanizer, he's engaged to be married to a widow (Angela Lansbury, making the most of her brief screen time). It's not much of a film but if one sticks with it, it's rather sweet and charming albeit predictable. Ford is always an amiable presence but the film belongs to Page. In the hands of a lesser actress, her character could be quite irritating but Page makes her touching and poignant. There's a reason Page is considered one of the greatest actresses of her generation and her skills help elevate an average romantic comedy into something almost special. Her character is something of a female MARTY, coincidentally also directed by Delbert Mann. The worst part of the film concern Ford and his "stepson" (the hopelessly bland Michael Anderson Jr.) and their scenes together are puerile. The screenplay is by Tad Mosel (UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE) and the score and Oscar nominated title song by Henry Mancini. The large supporting cast includes Patricia Barry, Charles Drake, Neva Patterson, Ruth McDevitt, Mary Wickes, Alice Pearce, Richard Deacon and Barbara Nichols who gets the film's biggest laugh when she enters a hotel as Ford's "wife".