Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)

 Come back Little Sheba is not really my kind of movie.  Based on the award-winning Broadway play, it stars Oscar winning Best actress Shirley Booth as a middle-age housewife trying to keep her loser husband "Doc" (Burt Lancaster) off the bottle. Its a short 97 minutes and only has 2 other significant characters - a young female lodger (well played by Terry Moore) and her boyfriend.

Its somewhat downbeat and the language seemed like 2nd rate Tennessee Williams but  it kept my interest.  However, its lost some of its punch, given the change in sexual mores and attitudes toward Alcoholism.

Summary:  Thank God for Shirley Booth - she made the whole thing watchable. But if you're a fan of the actors or William Inge, you might give it a look.

Post Script: Burt Lancaster
Lancaster's performance is best described as "adequate".  On the plus side, athletic 39 y/o Burt convincingly plays an alcoholic 50 y/o - and doesn't embarrass himself.  But there's no chemistry between him and Booth, and he lacks the emotional depth to add anything to the part.  The role calls for pathos and except for Kirk Douglas there's nobody with less "pathos" then Burt Lancaster.  The role really should've gone to:  Fred March, Tracy, Bogart or even Cagney.