Joan Crawford never had difficulty
portraying a strong woman. The perfect example of art imitating
life, her professional endeavors often echoed the same gusto that
first brought her to the screen. Ten years after winning an Academy
Award for 'Best Actress' in Mildred Pierce, and after two
more Academy Award nominations for 'Best Actress' in 1947's Possessed
and 1953's Sudden Fear respectively, Crawford starred with
Cliff Robertson in Autumn Leaves with the working title
being The Way We Are. Though the 1950s abandoned many of
Hollywood's leading ladies for the medium of television, Crawford
was unfazed creatively and remained one of the most brilliant performers
in the business.
Joan
Crawford is Millicent "Millie" Wetherby, a lonely stenographer
working steadily from her Los Angeles bungalow. Her interactions
are limited to various customers and a friendship with Liz (Ruth
Donnelly), the landlady. After typing furiously to finish a job,
a client gives Millie two tickets to the symphony as a show of appreciation.
The tickets are near the "nosebleed section", which Liz
points out in an almost belittling manner. Attending the concert
alone, Millie is able to swap her two less-desirable seats for one
in the orchestra section. As the music plays, she flashes back to
when she cared for her ailing father, a task which clearly withdrew
her from any social life of her own. As the performance concludes,
Millie slowly walks the streets alone, as if searching for a reason
to stay away from home. She finds a small restaurant just blocks from
the concert hall and takes the last empty booth in the place. Seconds
later, a young man appears in the restaurant and is told to wait
for an available seat. He casually notices Millie sitting alone
and asks to join her. Millie is guarded and apprehensive, noting
that she'd much prefer if he didn't sit down. Instead, he stands
next to the booth trying to make small talk with her until she reluctantly
tells him to have a seat. The young man continues his inordinate
rambling, even commenting about the "MW" initials on Millie's
purse reading the same way upside down and right-side up. After
a few misfired attempts at guessing her name, Millie clues him in
and he reciprocates, introducing himself as Burt Hanson (Cliff Robertson).
Burt comments that he'd recently returned from a tour in the Army
and moved to Los Angeles to find employment. He claims to be a native
of Racine, Wisconsin, a place where opportunity doesn't exactly
bang on one's door. The two share pleasant conversation and after
walking her home, Burt convinces Millie to join him for a date at
the beach the following day. While changing into her bathing suit,
Millie becomes very self-conscious about her aging figure and leaves
the bathhouse donning a robe to cover the "flaws". Burt
removes the robe, and also the price tag from Millie's bathing suit,
remarking that they wouldn't want anyone to know "It only cost
$12.95 when it looks like a million". Once in the water, Burt
dives head first into the waves and Millie slowly wades. She clearly
can't swim but doesn't want to let on for fear of embarrassment.
Burt figures it out soon enough and they make their way back to
shore, where they share a kiss in the crashing surf. Millie feels
herself falling too quickly for the much younger Burt, and pleads
with him not to return after he walks her home. Despite his insistent
reassurance, she remains solid and asks him to leave her alone.
Burt walks away dejected and Millie is heart-broken, but she feels
that a relationship could not survive the weight of their age difference.
A
month full of lonely nights pass and Millie becomes increasingly
melancholy without Burt. Returning home from the market one day,
she hears music flowing from the direction of her bungalow and runs
in to find Burt waiting for her. She is thrilled to see him, though
still a bit cautious about letting herself fall again. Burt tells
her that he's found a job at a department store and has come in
the hopes of taking her out to celebrate. She maintains that Burt's
loneliness and her own loneliness is the only reason for their mutual
attraction. Burt disagrees, assuring her that he'd tried to date
women his own age during their month-long separation and found them
to be too immature. She initially refuses the offer to go out but
agrees when he presses her with an apparent desperation. They take
in a movie, leaving halfway through for a cigarette break. Once
outside, Burt confesses that he really brought Millie out to propose
to her. He all but demands an answer right away, which causes her
to recoil and she begins walking home. When they arrive back at
the bungalow, Burt asks Millie her reasons for turning him down.
She again blames the age difference, an excuse he is unwilling to
accept. He is more inclined to believe that she finds him financially
unstable and a "risky investment". They exchange a few
more emotional words before Burt turns to leave, half teary-eyed.
Millie, now beginning to cry herself, jumps up to stop him and agrees
to become Mrs. Hanson. They kiss enthusiastically and promise to
never tire of one another. The two marry in Mexico the following
day. Millie is a bit confused when the marriage license lists Burt
as being from Chicago (remembering his earlier claim of hailing
from Racine, Wisconsin). He dismisses her concern and insists that
he'd never said anything about growing up in Racine. This would
be the first of many inconsistencies. Just two weeks into their
marriage, Burt showers Millie with gifts everyday, despite her warning
to save money instead of spending carelessly. When a client of Millie's
drops by to pick up a manuscript, Burt proudly talks about his combat
experience with the man. Millie remembers that Burt claimed to have
never seen fighting during his tour in the Army. Burt leaves for
work shortly thereafter. Suddenly, a woman named Virginia Hanson
(Vera Miles) shows up on Millie's doorstep claiming to be Burt's
wife. Though the news catches her off guard, Millie is certain that
Virginia is mistaken until she produces a photo of Burt and his
father from her wallet (Burt mentioned that his father was dead).
Virginia states he she and Burt's father have come to Los Angeles
to find him, in an attempt to have him sign property settlement
papers. Virginia also confides that Burt is a pathological liar,
and that Millie is foolish for being involved with him. Sickened
at the thought of deception, Millie leaves to find Burt's father
(Lorne Greene) at his hotel.
Burt's
father warns Millie about Burt's dangerous emotional state. He paints
his son as a lost soul who should be institutionalized for his own
safety. After Millie leaves, Virginia steps out of the bedroom and
embraces her former father-in-law in an "adult" manner.
It's evident that the two are romantically involved. Millie confronts
Burt about Virginia when he returns from work. Showing signs of
anger, Burt claims that his marriage to Virginia was never about
love. He recounts a story about arriving home one day to surprise
Virginia with a gift and suddenly blacking out. Millie suggests
that Burt visit his father, which causes him to break down in tears.
He agrees to pay the visit. Millie returns to Mr. Hanson's hotel
the following day to speak further and sees him cuddling with Virginia
by the pool. She hides in a corridor while the two make their way
up to Hanson's suite. As Millie darts past the front desk, the hotel
clerk tells her that Burt is on his way up to see his father. Millie
is horrified at the thought of what Burt will find, and dashes up
four flights of steps to try to cut him off before he can reach
the suite. Too late, Millie sees Burt slumped lazily in the doorway.
She comforts him and takes him home. Once home, Burt begins acting
strange and is uncommunicative. Virginia and Burt's father arrive
in the courtyard demanding to see Burt, at which time Millie lashes
out at both of them, slinging every insulting word in the book.
Burt peers through the window curtains, watching the confrontation
with a smug look on his face. When Burt's father threatens to have
Burt committed unless he signs the property settlement papers, Millie's
anger boils over into a rage. She spews more harsh words and returns
to the bungalow to find an angry Burt waiting. Burt accuses Millie
of being in cahoots with Virginia and his father, claiming he heard
every last word of their conversation. He slaps her to the floor
and raises a typewriter over his head to smash her, but she rolls
out of the way, getting her hand crushed as the heavy machine comes
down. She screams in pain, causing Burt's personality to change
as he tearfully begs her to forgive him. Millie's injured hand is
treated by Dr. Masterson (Maurice Manson), who recommends that Burt
undergo a psychiatric evaluation with his friend Dr. Malcolm Couzzens
(Shepperd Strudwick). Millie refuses the advice until one night
when Burt is crying and screaming uncontrollably about Virginia
and his father. Couzzens diagnoses Burt as a schizophrenic who is
seeking the comfort of a mother figure rather than that of a wife.
He advises that Burt should be put into a care facility that specializes
in such cases. Millie must decide whether or not to have Burt committed,
realizing that, once emotionally healed, he may no longer need her.
Autumn
Leaves begins with the soft voice of Nat King Cole singing
the title song, and ends the same way. Perhaps it signifies life
coming full circle, or perhaps it's only a tune. That is open to
individual debate. Joan Crawford took on the role of Millie Hanson
in the midst of a few films which have since been regarded as undeserving
of her presence, namely Johnny Guitar and Queen Bee.
As previously mentioned, many actors and actresses of Hollywood's
Golden Age found scripts to be less than stellar when television
became a major vehicle. Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper
and Bette Davis were just a few who felt the effects of a changing
industry. Nevertheless, this performance was further proof that
Crawford refused to go quietly. Quite similar to her Mildred Pierce,
Crawford played Millie as a martyr of sorts. She was willing to
jeopardize her own personal happiness for the greater good, realizing
that in doing so, she might drive herself deeper into the void of
a painful existence. Whereas Crawford sacrificed in Mildred
Pierce for her daughter Veda, she would do the same here for
Cliff Robertson's Burt Hanson. Robertson is best known to the current
generation as "Uncle Ben Parker" in the new Spiderman
films. However, he began in the early 1940s with a string of television
appearances and a few uncredited parts which spilled over in the
1950s. Autumn Leaves was only his second real
film role, aside from a smaller appearance in 1955's Picnic
with William Holden and Kim Novak. Robertson played Burt as a fragile
"grown-up child" who teetered on the fine tightrope between
co-dependency and Multiple Personality Disorder. It would undoubtedly
be a break-out performance for him, as he continued to secure roles
nearly every year afterwards. Robertson would appear in a 1996 television
documentary titled Joan Crawford: Always the Star and again
in 2002's Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star. Despite
Crawford's legendary status and Robertson being a virtual newcomer,
the two had great on-screen chemistry and made this film another
benchmark in both of their careers. The real-life age difference
between Crawford and Robertson worked well in personifying their
respective characters. Crawford once again displayed her unparalleled
dramatic abilities, while managing to slip a few comedic wisecracks
into the mix.
THE DVD
Autumn Leaves
is currently unavailable on DVD, though it can be found on VHS.
There is talk of a second Joan Crawford Collection from
Warner Brothers in the near future. Though no titles have officially
been announced for the set, this film would be a great candidate
for inclusion. A retrospective documentary focusing on Autumn
Leaves and its relevance would be a much welcomed bonus feature.
THE CONCLUSION
The title of this film suggests
a much softer plot than what is actually presented. It's a good
thing too, because it's pleasantly surprising. We've seen films
in this vain and will continue to find similarities in other works,
but, the star makes the difference in this case. Joan Crawford is
never Joan Crawford in any of her roles; she's simply the person
she portrays. She becomes her part and one gets the feeling that
very little effort is required. When you achieve a certain level
of notoriety for your ability, it's no longer a job - it's just
instinct.
Joan
Crawford is Millicent "Millie" Wetherby, a lonely stenographer
working steadily from her Los Angeles bungalow. Her interactions
are limited to various customers and a friendship with Liz (Ruth
Donnelly), the landlady. After typing furiously to finish a job,
a client gives Millie two tickets to the symphony as a show of appreciation.
The tickets are near the "nosebleed section", which Liz
points out in an almost belittling manner. Attending the concert
alone, Millie is able to swap her two less-desirable seats for one
in the orchestra section. As the music plays, she flashes back to
when she cared for her ailing father, a task which clearly withdrew
her from any social life of her own. As the performance concludes,
Millie slowly walks the streets alone, as if searching for a reason
to stay away from home. She finds a small restaurant just blocks from
the concert hall and takes the last empty booth in the place. Seconds
later, a young man appears in the restaurant and is told to wait
for an available seat. He casually notices Millie sitting alone
and asks to join her. Millie is guarded and apprehensive, noting
that she'd much prefer if he didn't sit down. Instead, he stands
next to the booth trying to make small talk with her until she reluctantly
tells him to have a seat. The young man continues his inordinate
rambling, even commenting about the "MW" initials on Millie's
purse reading the same way upside down and right-side up. After
a few misfired attempts at guessing her name, Millie clues him in
and he reciprocates, introducing himself as Burt Hanson (Cliff Robertson).
Burt comments that he'd recently returned from a tour in the Army
and moved to Los Angeles to find employment. He claims to be a native
of Racine, Wisconsin, a place where opportunity doesn't exactly
bang on one's door. The two share pleasant conversation and after
walking her home, Burt convinces Millie to join him for a date at
the beach the following day. While changing into her bathing suit,
Millie becomes very self-conscious about her aging figure and leaves
the bathhouse donning a robe to cover the "flaws". Burt
removes the robe, and also the price tag from Millie's bathing suit,
remarking that they wouldn't want anyone to know "It only cost
$12.95 when it looks like a million". Once in the water, Burt
dives head first into the waves and Millie slowly wades. She clearly
can't swim but doesn't want to let on for fear of embarrassment.
Burt figures it out soon enough and they make their way back to
shore, where they share a kiss in the crashing surf. Millie feels
herself falling too quickly for the much younger Burt, and pleads
with him not to return after he walks her home. Despite his insistent
reassurance, she remains solid and asks him to leave her alone.
Burt walks away dejected and Millie is heart-broken, but she feels
that a relationship could not survive the weight of their age difference.
A
month full of lonely nights pass and Millie becomes increasingly
melancholy without Burt. Returning home from the market one day,
she hears music flowing from the direction of her bungalow and runs
in to find Burt waiting for her. She is thrilled to see him, though
still a bit cautious about letting herself fall again. Burt tells
her that he's found a job at a department store and has come in
the hopes of taking her out to celebrate. She maintains that Burt's
loneliness and her own loneliness is the only reason for their mutual
attraction. Burt disagrees, assuring her that he'd tried to date
women his own age during their month-long separation and found them
to be too immature. She initially refuses the offer to go out but
agrees when he presses her with an apparent desperation. They take
in a movie, leaving halfway through for a cigarette break. Once
outside, Burt confesses that he really brought Millie out to propose
to her. He all but demands an answer right away, which causes her
to recoil and she begins walking home. When they arrive back at
the bungalow, Burt asks Millie her reasons for turning him down.
She again blames the age difference, an excuse he is unwilling to
accept. He is more inclined to believe that she finds him financially
unstable and a "risky investment". They exchange a few
more emotional words before Burt turns to leave, half teary-eyed.
Millie, now beginning to cry herself, jumps up to stop him and agrees
to become Mrs. Hanson. They kiss enthusiastically and promise to
never tire of one another. The two marry in Mexico the following
day. Millie is a bit confused when the marriage license lists Burt
as being from Chicago (remembering his earlier claim of hailing
from Racine, Wisconsin). He dismisses her concern and insists that
he'd never said anything about growing up in Racine. This would
be the first of many inconsistencies. Just two weeks into their
marriage, Burt showers Millie with gifts everyday, despite her warning
to save money instead of spending carelessly. When a client of Millie's
drops by to pick up a manuscript, Burt proudly talks about his combat
experience with the man. Millie remembers that Burt claimed to have
never seen fighting during his tour in the Army. Burt leaves for
work shortly thereafter. Suddenly, a woman named Virginia Hanson
(Vera Miles) shows up on Millie's doorstep claiming to be Burt's
wife. Though the news catches her off guard, Millie is certain that
Virginia is mistaken until she produces a photo of Burt and his
father from her wallet (Burt mentioned that his father was dead).
Virginia states he she and Burt's father have come to Los Angeles
to find him, in an attempt to have him sign property settlement
papers. Virginia also confides that Burt is a pathological liar,
and that Millie is foolish for being involved with him. Sickened
at the thought of deception, Millie leaves to find Burt's father
(Lorne Greene) at his hotel.
Burt's
father warns Millie about Burt's dangerous emotional state. He paints
his son as a lost soul who should be institutionalized for his own
safety. After Millie leaves, Virginia steps out of the bedroom and
embraces her former father-in-law in an "adult" manner.
It's evident that the two are romantically involved. Millie confronts
Burt about Virginia when he returns from work. Showing signs of
anger, Burt claims that his marriage to Virginia was never about
love. He recounts a story about arriving home one day to surprise
Virginia with a gift and suddenly blacking out. Millie suggests
that Burt visit his father, which causes him to break down in tears.
He agrees to pay the visit. Millie returns to Mr. Hanson's hotel
the following day to speak further and sees him cuddling with Virginia
by the pool. She hides in a corridor while the two make their way
up to Hanson's suite. As Millie darts past the front desk, the hotel
clerk tells her that Burt is on his way up to see his father. Millie
is horrified at the thought of what Burt will find, and dashes up
four flights of steps to try to cut him off before he can reach
the suite. Too late, Millie sees Burt slumped lazily in the doorway.
She comforts him and takes him home. Once home, Burt begins acting
strange and is uncommunicative. Virginia and Burt's father arrive
in the courtyard demanding to see Burt, at which time Millie lashes
out at both of them, slinging every insulting word in the book.
Burt peers through the window curtains, watching the confrontation
with a smug look on his face. When Burt's father threatens to have
Burt committed unless he signs the property settlement papers, Millie's
anger boils over into a rage. She spews more harsh words and returns
to the bungalow to find an angry Burt waiting. Burt accuses Millie
of being in cahoots with Virginia and his father, claiming he heard
every last word of their conversation. He slaps her to the floor
and raises a typewriter over his head to smash her, but she rolls
out of the way, getting her hand crushed as the heavy machine comes
down. She screams in pain, causing Burt's personality to change
as he tearfully begs her to forgive him. Millie's injured hand is
treated by Dr. Masterson (Maurice Manson), who recommends that Burt
undergo a psychiatric evaluation with his friend Dr. Malcolm Couzzens
(Shepperd Strudwick). Millie refuses the advice until one night
when Burt is crying and screaming uncontrollably about Virginia
and his father. Couzzens diagnoses Burt as a schizophrenic who is
seeking the comfort of a mother figure rather than that of a wife.
He advises that Burt should be put into a care facility that specializes
in such cases. Millie must decide whether or not to have Burt committed,
realizing that, once emotionally healed, he may no longer need her.
Autumn
Leaves begins with the soft voice of Nat King Cole singing
the title song, and ends the same way. Perhaps it signifies life
coming full circle, or perhaps it's only a tune. That is open to
individual debate. Joan Crawford took on the role of Millie Hanson
in the midst of a few films which have since been regarded as undeserving
of her presence, namely Johnny Guitar and Queen Bee.
As previously mentioned, many actors and actresses of Hollywood's
Golden Age found scripts to be less than stellar when television
became a major vehicle. Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper
and Bette Davis were just a few who felt the effects of a changing
industry. Nevertheless, this performance was further proof that
Crawford refused to go quietly. Quite similar to her Mildred Pierce,
Crawford played Millie as a martyr of sorts. She was willing to
jeopardize her own personal happiness for the greater good, realizing
that in doing so, she might drive herself deeper into the void of
a painful existence. Whereas Crawford sacrificed in Mildred
Pierce for her daughter Veda, she would do the same here for
Cliff Robertson's Burt Hanson. Robertson is best known to the current
generation as "Uncle Ben Parker" in the new Spiderman
films. However, he began in the early 1940s with a string of television
appearances and a few uncredited parts which spilled over in the
1950s. Autumn Leaves was only his second real
film role, aside from a smaller appearance in 1955's Picnic
with William Holden and Kim Novak. Robertson played Burt as a fragile
"grown-up child" who teetered on the fine tightrope between
co-dependency and Multiple Personality Disorder. It would undoubtedly
be a break-out performance for him, as he continued to secure roles
nearly every year afterwards. Robertson would appear in a 1996 television
documentary titled Joan Crawford: Always the Star and again
in 2002's Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star. Despite
Crawford's legendary status and Robertson being a virtual newcomer,
the two had great on-screen chemistry and made this film another
benchmark in both of their careers. The real-life age difference
between Crawford and Robertson worked well in personifying their
respective characters. Crawford once again displayed her unparalleled
dramatic abilities, while managing to slip a few comedic wisecracks
into the mix.