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Because of You (1952 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Because of You' is a 1952 American film noir drama romance film directed by Joseph Pevney and starred Loretta Young and Jeff Chandler. This film was surprising in that it showed a provocative "sexy side" of Ms. Young, quite different from her usual dignified brunette "nice girl" part.
In late 1954, Jeff Chandler said this was his favorite among the films he had made.
Plot
A sexy blonde, still a little fresh off the farm, Christine Carroll (Loretta Young) is preparing to marry her handsome boyfriend. She finds out too late that her fianc Mike (Alex Nicol) is a gangster and, once he slips stolen merchandise into her purse, she becomes his unwitting accessory. Though she goes to jail, she is innocent of the crime.
Through the kindness of prison psychiatrist Dr. Breen (Alexander Scourby), Christine turns her life around in prison, becoming a nurse's aide in the infirmary. Upon her release, Christine gets a job at a respectable hospital, where she falls in love with wounded combat pilot Steve Kimberly (Jeff Chandler), an architect from good family. Will she ever be able to reveal her sordid past without sending the emotionally fragile Steve off the deep end?
When it's clear that Steve has fallen hard, she faces the dilemma of what and when to tell him. Christine's probation officer encourages her to tell him the truth. But his wounded psyche makes her decide to keep her past a secret. They marry and Christine is a downright sexy newlywed on her honeymoon.
Her decision has melodramatic consequences... but not at first. As long as her old boyfriend is locked up in prison, and with her name change, Christine believes she is safe. She and Steve have a happy marriage, and soon announce the birth of a child, though Steve shows he isn't completely well, a little reluctant at first to share Christine even with a child. But after the new addition, a lovely daughter, he seems more stable and happy.
Christine devotes herself to her husband and daughter. All is wonderful until her old gangster boyfriend Mike, fresh out of prison, shows up one day, holding her daughter and letting her play with his gun. Christine pleads with him to release the child she has no money but offers him all she has if Mike will just leave.
He is willing to let bygones be bygones as long as she drives him down south of the border into Mexico. He promises if she will do that, he will never bother her again. Trapped, she agrees. But nothing turns out as he promises. After another robbery, there is a high-speed chase and a crash. Mike is killed instantly. Christine and daughter survive the wreck physically, but there are plenty of emotional problems as a result.
An enraged Steve accuses Christine (while still in the hospital recuperating from the wreck) of being a tramp and immediately files for divorce, gaining full custody of the child. He refuses to listen to her side of the story, only taking her prison record, the fact that she was with her old gangster boyfriend and fact that she put his daughter in danger.
Crushed, forbidden from seeing her daughter, she looks to fill the hours. Christine takes a job as an assistant for a magician. One day she meets up with her sister-in-law, Steve's twin, who comes to her aid. Christine is asked to perform with the clown at a children's party. Since this is years later, the child does not know that Christine is her mother. She falls in love with the Magic Lady, who agrees to come to her house for a few days and show her some attention and love. Unexpectedly, Steve comes home and there are fireworks. Christine points out that their daughter has serious problems and needs the care of a mother. She leaves quietly, ready to never see her child again.
But Christine's magic has cast its spell; Steve looks for her and finds her at her parents' farm, taking a splint off of an animal. Steve is no longer the emotionally fragile patient; he has healed. Once he got over his anger at his sister's subterfuge, he searched his soul to realize that he needs her now as an equal partner to share life with and to help his daughter grow up to be a strong young woman.
Cast
* Loretta Young as Christine Carroll Kimberly
* Jeff Chandler as Steve Kimberly
* Alex Nicol as Mike Monroe
* Frances Dee as Susan Arnold
* Alexander Scourby as Dr. Breen
* Lynne Roberts as Rosemary Balder
* Gayle Reed as Kim Kimberly - age 6
* Mae Clarke as Miss Peach / Nurse Peachie
* Billy Wayne as George, Chauffeur / Butler
* Morris Ankrum as Dr. Travis
* Helen Wallace as Mrs. Gordon
* Harry Mendoza as Bumbo (as Harry B. Mendoza)
* Vici Raaf as Vera
* Betty Reilly as Singer
* Bill Cassady as Patient
Production
In October 1951 Universal bought a story written originally for the screen: 'Magic Lady' by Thelma Robinson and George Haight.
In March 1952 Universal announced the film would star Loretta Young and be based on a script by Ketti Frings, produced by Albert Cohen and directed by Joseph Pevney. The last time Young worked at Universal was in 'Ladies Courageous' (1943). Later that month Jeff Chandler joined the film as Young's co star. It was Chandler's first romantic role.
Filming started on April 15, 1952.
Loretta Young said she found Jeff Chandler very attractive and he told her that he was falling in love with her. She further stated that the relationship never progressed beyond hand-holding outside their love scenes, "but I think until he died, we both felt it. If I'd see him on the street I'd walk the other way because I didn't want to spark anything."Funk p 290-291
In July the title was changed from 'Magic City' to 'Because of You'.
Music
The title song, "Because of You", was Tony Bennett's first hit recording, reaching #1 in 1951 and becoming one of his many signature songs.
Reception
Critical
The 'new York Times' said "the acting and the direction are as soggy as the script."Box Office
According to Loretta Young's biographer, "'Because of You' was a sleeper hit, a film that performs way beyond expectations and was held over a couple of weeks at the Roxy Theatre in New York."Funk p 291Home media
In 1998 Universal released the film in 1998 on VHS tape. However, the movie has not had an official DVD release in any region. As a result, only bootleg DVD-R copies of the film exist, most of which are video transfers from the official VHS tape. In 2021 a Blu-ray of 'Because of You' was released as part of Kino Lorber's 'Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema V' box set.
See also
* List of American films of 1952
References
* Funk, Edward. 'Behind the Door: The Real Story of Loretta Young, Bear Manor Media, 2015.
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