Picnic (1955)

 

Picnic - 1955

Coming up next is 1955's "Picnic", a film about a man who arrives in a small town and disrupts the lives of those he meets.

The film's cast includes William Holden, Kim Novak, Betty Field, Susan Strasberg, Cliff Robertson, Arthur O'Connell, Verna Felton, Reta Shaw, Nick Adams, Rosalind Russell, and Elizabeth Wilson.

Hal Carter is a drifter who arrives in a small town in Kansas by train.  He's just passing through on his way to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he has a job lined up.  Finding himself unemployed after getting out of the army and having a failed Hollywood career, he has to bum rides to get to his destination.

In this quiet town resides Mrs. Flo Owens with her two daughters, Madge and Millie.

It's on eldest daughter Madge that Flo pins all her hopes and dreams.  When Madge tells her mother that she expects too much from her because she's only nineteen, Flo replies with, "And next summer you'll be twenty, then twenty-one, and then forty."

Also residing with the Owens girls is Miss Rosemary Sidney, a middle-aged spinster schoolteacher.

The day of Hal's arrival is also the day of the town's annual Labor Day picnic.  The culmination of which will be the crowning of the "Queen of Neewollah".  The whole town seems to come out for the event.

There are games and activities of all sorts for the members of the younger generation.

And there are even events for the older folks to get involved in.  The whole crowd enthusiastically cheers on Mrs. Helen Potts as she gives the balloon blowing contest her all.

That night in a very solemn ceremony, the new "Queen of Neewollah" is announced.  No surprise, it's the very pretty Ms. Madge Owens.

Hal watches Madge from the shoreline as she is borne by a swan-shaped paddle boat to the landing.  They manage to get out a very shy "hello" to each other as she passes.

They spend the evening dancing together, and everybody remarks on how nice a couple they are.

Everyone, that is, except Rosemary Sidney.  Jealous of the attentions that Hal is paying to Madge, she drunkenly slanders him and causes the entire town to turn against him, including Madge's mother, Flo.

Nothing anyone can say diminishes Madge's affection for Hal.  They sneak off and spend the rest of the evening together.

Before he leaves for Tulsa the next day, Hal begs Madge to follow him later so they can be married.  Flo, naturally, pulls her daughter in the opposite direction.

Flo later talks with her neighbor Mrs. Potts, who helped Hal when he first came to town by letting him work for some breakfast.  Mrs. Potts feels that Hal is a good man and won't hurt Madge.  Flo is still very resistant.

The good word of Mrs. Potts is all it takes for Madge to make her decision.  They hug goodbye.  All the while Flo is still trying to talk her daughter out of it, even as she watches her walk off.  When Flo comments to Mrs. Potts that there is so much she wanted to tell Madge and never got around to it, Mrs. Potts says, "Let her find out for herself, Flo."

Madge heads to a bus, which will carry her to Tulsa and a new life with Hal.

Cast rundown:

   William Holden..................................Hal Carter

   Kim Novak........................................Madge Owens

   Betty Field........................................Flo Owens

   Susan Strasberg................................Millie Owens

   Cliff Robertson...................................Alan Benson

   Arthur O'Connell................................Howard Bevans

   Verna Felton......................................Helen Potts

   Reta Shaw.........................................Irma Kronkite

   Nick Adams.......................................Bomber

   Rosalind Russell.................................Rosemary Sidney

   Elizabeth Wilson.................................Christine Schoenwalder

And that's it for Picnic.  William Holden was very nervous about his dance scenes with Kim Novak in the movie.  Hoping that they would cut the dance scenes altogether, Holden demanded an additional $8,000 in salary.  The studio paid out, and he was forced to do the scenes, though he was allowed to be drunk for them to calm his nerves.  The studio also wanted Rosalind Russell to be promoted for an Academy Award for her performance as Rosemary.  However, the actress refused to be considered for a "supporting" category, and the scheme was abandoned.  It was felt that she would have won the award had she cooperated.

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