Some Came Running (1958)

Plot  Based on the James Jones Best Seller. Dave Hirsh (Sinatra) a writer and WW II vet comes back to his Indiana hometown in 1946 and becomes involved with a "Ginny" a sad-sack tootsie (Shirley MacLaine) and a gambler (Dean Martin).

Better than I expected - yes, its kinda of a Soap Opera/Melodrama but the cast - and the 50s Indiana location make it interesting. Just misses being a classic due to (i) being too long (137 minutes), and (2) miscast actors in the lead roles.

Sinatra does a good job at portraying Hirsh as a tough, hard-drinking combat vet, with a talent for writing, but he's incapable of displaying any real in-depth emotion or conflict. He's supposed to be deeply in love with an unattainable school-teacher and be crushed when she spurns him - but "old blue-eyes" just can't convincing act that. He always seems on the verge of saying "dames are a dime a dozen" and leaving for the nearest bar. The part really called for Brando, Dean ( had he lived) or Clift (before his accident).

The same is true of "Ginny" -  MacLaine  is good at portraying her as a goodhearted girl - but she's incapable of expressing the vulnerability and sweetness needed. And like most Hollywood movies they mistakenly equate ignorance or lack of education with intelligence. MacLaine over-emphasizes the characters stupidity. You wonder what Geraldine Page  - or a truly great actress - would have done with the role.

Summary:  Despite its flaws, a strangely compelling movie.   Rating **1/2