The Actress

Released Sep 25, 1953

1 hr. 30 min.

Drama

List

60%

5 Reviews

Tomatometer

51%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

In 1913 Boston, teenager Ruth Gordon Jones (Jean Simmons) wants nothing more than to be a famous actress. Her father, Clinton (Spencer Tracy), who recently lost his job as a sailor and became a factory worker, however expresses his desire that Ruth train to be a teacher. Between managing a blossoming romance with a Harvard student (Anthony Perkins) and trying to get a foothold in the theatrical world, Ruth must convince her family to support her dreams.

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Audience Member

Screen writer Ruth Gordon chronicles her teenage years hen she wanted to move out of her small town and head to New York City to become an actress. Here she is played by Jean Simmons. Spencer Tracy plays her stern father and Teresa Wright her caring mother. Anthony Perkins is also on board as a suitor. Director George Cukor usually thrived at telling these types of stories. This story is simply episodic moments that might be fine for dramatic little skits, but fail to compose itself into a coherent feature length movie. Spencer Tracy is always good at playin the loveable yet cranky father figure. He even on a Best Actor award from the Golden Globes for it. Though well enough made, even Cukor seems bored behind the camera.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

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steve d

sweet and strongly acted.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Frances H

A great cast brings to life this bio-flick of one of my favorite actresses early years to the screen with love and warmth.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/21/20

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Audience Member

I can’t believe this sweet, beautifully acted film does not have higher ratings. Yes, Tracy is grumpy and great and funny, but it is the incredible (and never fully appreciated) Jean Simmons who really shines. It is not easy to play teenage angst and enthusiasm, but Simmons nails it. In the first 10 minutes she was worthy of an Oscar nomination. She won the National Board of Review Best Actress award 1953 for the combo of this film and Young Bess (I guess for The Robe too, but meh to that film).

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/22/20

Full Review

joe s

Dreadful script. Jean Simmons's adopted squeaky voice is like chalk on a blackboard and excessively irritating. Spencer Tracy is all on one key and he too becomes irritating. It's inters interesting to see Anthony Perkins in one of his early roles, but he's not on screen long enough to sit through this awful film.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

I've never been in a situation yet where having a little money made situations worse. Clinton Jones is a poor seaman that has settled down to a job where he barely makes enough to feed his family and make ends meet. His daughter has just turned seventeen and is about to graduate from high school. She decides her career path is to become an actress, but she doesn't know where to begin to make her dream come true. Jones, who is a bit old fashion, will do whatever he can to make his daughter's dreams come true. "It isn't only men you have to worry about. Women are worse than men." George Cukor, director of My Fair Lady, A Star is Born, Adam's Rib, The Philadelphia Story, Born Yesterday, A Life of her Own, Pat and Mike, and Holiday, delivers The Actress. The storyline for this movie is very good and fairly standard for this time period (a struggling family trying to make ends meet). The characters are well developed and the acting is first rate. The cast includes Spencer Tracy, Jean Simmons, Teresa Wright, and Anthony Perkins. "What she knows you could fit in a frog's ear." I DVR almost all of Spencer Tracy's pictures that air on cable that I have not seen. This is a movie I DVR'd some time ago and finally got around to watching. I must say this movie has a "Christmas Story" feel to it with ups and downs and a few comedic sequences. Overall, this is a fun movie that is definitely worth watching at least once. "That's my own blood." Grade: A-

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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George Cukor

Director

Spencer Tracy

Clinton Jones

Jean Simmons

Ruth Gordon Jones (later known as Ruth Gordon)

Anthony Perkins

Fred Whitmarsh

Teresa Wright

Annie Jones

Mary Wickes

Emma Glavey

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Bob Thomas

Associated Press

It has charm and humor, but not enough plot to last a full-length movie.

Jun 24, 2019

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Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

Ruth Gordon's memoirs of her New England girlhood have been turned into a warm, funny movie.

Dec 2, 2019

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Rosalie Kicks

MovieJawn

An autobiographical snapshot in time of Ruth Gordon's life as a young determined girl with the dream of being on the stage, the dream of being an actress. A wonderful script penned by Ruth Gordon herself!

Rated: 3/4

Feb 6, 2019

Full Review

Nick Davis

Nick's Flick Picks

Sadly, if she was guilty of trying too hard or of trying in the wrong way, Cukor appears totally and uncharacteristically checked out... The Actress exposes the kinds of fraying seams that Cukor was usually so careful to conceal even in tattier projects.

Rated: C-

Feb 1, 2012

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

George Cukor's screen version of Ruth Gordon's memoirs is well acted by Jean Simmons in the lead and Anthony Perkins (making his screen debut),

Rated: B

Apr 4, 2011

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Synopsis

In 1913 Boston, teenager Ruth Gordon Jones (Jean Simmons) wants nothing more than to be a famous actress. Her father, Clinton (Spencer Tracy), who recently lost his job as a sailor and became a factory worker, however expresses his desire that Ruth train to be a teacher. Between managing a blossoming romance with a Harvard student (Anthony Perkins) and trying to get a foothold in the theatrical world, Ruth must convince her family to support her dreams.

Director: George Cukor
Screenwriter: Ruth Gordon, Ruth Gordon
Distributor: Loew's Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Loew's Inc.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 25, 1953, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 23, 2017
Sound Mix: Mono

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