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Ann Sheridan is a nightclub singer who gets involved with a straitlaced, married doctor in "Nora Prentiss" - and the consequences are interesting indeed. The doctor is played by Kent Smith, well-remembered by yours truly as the husband of Simone Simon in "Cat People." Though he never reached big movie stardom, Smith enjoyed a 40+ year career in film, on radio, and TV. In this, he's regimented and by the book, partly helped by his equally disciplined wife, played by another favorite of mine, Rosemary DeCamp, a wonderful actress. One night, Prentiss ends up in his office with a mild injury, and from then on, the good doctor can't imagine life without her and what he's been missing. Conflicted about asking his wife for a divorce, one day, an opportunity drops into his office, and nothing is the same again.

This is an intriguing film, but it takes a little bit too long to get to the point. The ending by '40s standards took me by surprise. Though Sheridan is nothing like Kay Francis, they both are women associated with a certain era - you can't think of Francis without thinking of her in those flowing '30s gowns and outfits - and you can't think of Sheridan without tailored suits and shoulder pads. They went along well with her earthy quality and low speaking voice. The overall effect was of someone who had been around the block but still had her dignity and self-respect. Photographed by James Wong Howe in this film, she looks marvelous. Though IMDb doesn't state if she did her own singing in "Nora Prentiss," if she didn't, the voice matched her speaking voice perfectly and sounded great.

Kent Smith is very good as the pent-up, frustrated doctor. One criticism would be that most of the time, doctors look at bodies clinically and aren't usually embarrassed by the site of a woman's knee, as Smith is in one of the opening scenes. However, he's very effective, as are Robert Alda and the always reliable Bruce Bennett in smaller roles.

This film apparently did a lot for Sheridan's career, which is understandable. Very good movie.

Awfully frank thriller about a chance meeting between a doctor working late one night and a singer who gets a bad scrape in a minor accident hooking up into a extra-marital(for the doctor) relationship that heads South in a hurry. Kent Smith, the male lead from Cat People and Curse of the Cat People, plays Dr. Talbot rather nicely I thought. He portrays a man who has worked hard his whole life and sacrificed his "life" for his job and family. Ann Sheridan plays the genuinely nice singer who appeals to the doctor not only because of her beauty but her ability to see him for who and what he is. She does a phenomenal job in what really is a complex role. The rest of the cast is pretty decent. Bruce Bennett may come off miscast as a doctor, but Robert Alda as a night club owner and Rosemary DeCamp as Talbot's wife both excel. While not really a mystery - or a very ingenious one as we know what is going on early on, this picture really depicts what at once seems quite harmless and its transformation into something very harmful. Director Vincent Sherman is more than adequate behind the camera. Some might say this really isn't film noir - I can see some of their points - but this is noir all the way for me: the suggestive black and white cinematography, the voice-over narrator, the man being changed by the "dame," and the ending that is bittersweet. The biggest problem with Nora Prentiss is the title. Ann Sheridan was the box office grab - and this grabbed a lot of tickets - but she is not the star of the movie nor is her character the central character. Kent Smith is the star and a more appropriate title should have been selected. Hmmm...maybe, "The Cheating Surgeon" or "The Doomed Affair." Definitely needs more thought!

. . . Ann Sheridan, that is. And they didn't call her the "Oomph Girl" for nothing.

She's worldly (mostly underworld) straight- forward, knows the score, and completely direct. What's more, you believe and trust her . . . nothing underhanded here.

At one point she, as Nora Prentis says, "I may not have been handled with care, but I'm not shop-worn." That about sums her up.

There's no other quite like Sheridan, and she can make a wisecrack in a flash, partly for levity and partly to hold off wolves. Furthermore, it works pretty much all the time.

In "Nora Prentis" Sheridan's perfectly cast as a nightclub singer who walks into an affair with a married man. Kent Smith is fine as her suitor. Vincent Sherman's the competent director, and James Wong Howe's the fine photographer.

We're treated to Ann's beautiful contralto voice (in a lovely ballad, "Who Cares What People Say") and to the rest of Warner Bros. stock company, including Robert Alda.

"Nora Prentis' " characters work because they're endowed with both strong and weak qualities. No one's clearly victim or villain here, just quite ordinary people who get trapped in tragic circumstances.

A shy family man (Kent Smith) meets a sultry but classy nightclub singer (Ann Sheridan), and despite the man's lovely wife (Rosemary DeCamp) and two sweet kids, he soon begins having an affair. It's a pretty standard set up, but the strength of the film is in its first hour, where we see the tension between family and lover, get shots on location in San Francisco from James Wong Howe, and enjoy strong performances from the cast.

Sheridan especially is delightful, with the perfect mix of flirtation and principles, romance and world-weariness. At one point she tells the doctor that "I may not have been handled with care, but I'm not shopworn," meaning she's been around and had lovers, but she's not easy. Seeing her perform her first number in a flouncy little sheer top, and warbling lines like "As long as he desires his arms about me, who cares what people say?" between a few tears in her second is wonderful; I love her voice. Her hats are pretty wild too, especially late in the film.

The film has a softness to it for a noir, but that's something I kind of liked, and there's certainly darkness in just how quickly the family man begins forgetting his own kids. There's another man involved (Robert Alda, Alan's father), which adds an interesting wrinkle. Unfortunately, however, the film scuttles itself with a ludicrous ending. The final 15 minutes defy belief and the film tries to put a happy face on them besides, both of which were mistakes, which dropped my rating a bit. It's still enjoyable though, and if for nothing else, watch it for Ann Sheridan.

**SPOILERS** Straight laced at his practice as a big city, San Francisco, doctor and wonderful family man Richard Talbot, Kent Smith,has never done anything more serious in his life then being late at his doctors office. That was all to change when one evening going to his car he ran into singer Nora Prentiss, Ann Sheridan. Nora has a fainting spell falling on the street and bruising herself. Bringing Nora up to his office Richard after treating her starts to slowly fall madly in love with Nora. That leads to him throwing away his very successful practice his family, wife and two children, and later even his life, which in the movie he loses twice. Where in the end Richard faces the California gas chamber for first degree murder. The movie "Nora Prentiss" is about a mans obsession. That obsession leads him into such depths of depression and depravity that he destroys everything he held near and dear to himself in order to keep the woman, Nora Prentiss, that drove him into this madness and in the end loses her as well. Nora for her part is totally unaware of how far her lover was willing to go to keep her from disappearing out of his life. Spending money like crazy on Nora and using the excuse of working late at the office so that his wife Lucy, Rosemary DeCamp, won't suspect his almost nightly lateness from home Richard is still very reluctant to divorce his wife, on what possible grounds? Then like heaven sent a patient of his Walter Bailey, John Ridgely, who not only fits Richards hight and weight but is even Richard's age,43, pops into his office one night and collapses and dies from a heart attack! Going to call the police to pick up the body Richard get this bright idea to switch identities and thus bury his past, as Dr. Richard Talbot, and start a new life as whoever he chooses with who he feels is the love of his life Nora Prentiss. Nora who was leaving for New York for a job as a singer at the Sea Gull Cafe run by her very close friend and former employer Phil Dinardo,Robert Alda, runs into Richard who excitedly tells Nora that he's divorcing his wife and within weeks when his divorce papers go through they'll be able to get married. Rchard in fact disposed of Bailey's body with his wedding ring on him to make it look like he was the one who was killed. In New York living like a fugitive from the law Richard has Nora becomes a bit annoyed of his constant secrecy and avoidance of people. It soon gets to the point where she's forced to live with Richard in a hotel room and only having her job at Phil's nightclub as the only contact with the outside world. Richard, now calling himself Robert Tompson, for his part constantly keeps up with the news back home in San Francisco and learns that his "death" is being investigated by the police as a murder suspect with evidence found at his office; The cops found a letter of divorce that he partly burned that's interpreted as a blackmail note. Also at the accident scene the police found a can of gasoline with his fingerprints on it. Richard finally lose it when he finds Nora, who by then he already confessed what he did, in her dressing room with Phil! That has him go into a jealous rage and attacks the startled nightclub owner. This causes the police to chase Richard all through the streets of Manhattan ending up in a fiery accident in Central Park with his face badly burned. With Phil not pressing charges and Richard getting a face-over, plastic surgery, it now looks like he and Nora can finally get married and put his life as Doctor Richard Talbot behind him. It's then his being fingerprinted by the police for car theft and those fingerprints matched those back in San Franciso on the can of gasoline come up as a match! This made Richard the number one suspect in his own murder! how's that for ultimate justice. Now with nothing to look forward to with his wife and family as well as Nora out of his life forever Richard, or as he's known now as Robert Thompson, can only sit in his dark prison cell and count the days leading up to his scheduled execution. He can also see what a mess he made of his life by reaching for something that he should have known was well out of his reach Nora Prentiss.

Dr. Richard Talbot's teenage daughter runs to the kitchen window one morning and joyfully declares "It's Spring. Something's stirring." Later, when the good doctor is applying a bandage to the injured knee of a shapely chanteuse named Nora Prentiss, we are left in little doubt as to what that 'something' is!

This film is yet another variant on the theme of 'amour fou' which is capable of raising one to the heights and dragging one to the depths. As this tragic but highly implausible tale unfolds, credibilty is stretched to the utmost but Vincent Sherman somehow succeeds in covering most of the plotholes. Mr. Sherman is an extremely capable director and he is fortunate here to have Anton Grot's production design, the evocative cinematography of James Wong Howe and Franz Waxman's dramatic score.

It is customary to dismiss actor Kent Smith as being rather bland but he surprised me in this and engages our sympathy as the hapless doctor whose slow descent into the abyss is painful to behold. Suffice to say this is essentially a vehicle for Ann Sheridan whose role was expanded by order of Jack Warner. What can one say of Miss Sheridan? She combined oodles of 'oomph' with what one critic has described as 'no nonsense pragmatism.' She left us far too early but is still here thanks to the magic of film.

The forgotten Warner Brothers melodrama "Nora Prentiss" was one of the biggest hits of Ann Sheridan's career. Finely directed by Vincent Sherman who guided Joan Crawford and Bette Davis in several hit films, this is a sad, haunting yet somehow realistic story about a married doctor (a great performance by Kent Smith) who fatefully bumps into a nightclub singer (Sheridan) and soon falls madly in love with her. His illicit love of Sheridan leads to his downfall. Some may find the plot a bit contrived but an excellent script and the superb heartfelt performances of Sheridan and Smith make it work beautifully. THe ending is quite a knockout.

I'm surprised that no one has picked up on the fact that Nora Prentiss is merely an updated version of Theodore Dreiser's classic Sister Carrie. Since Dreiser had died a couple of years before, he didn't pick up on it or Warner Brothers would have had a libel suit on its hands.

Sister Carrie was set in the turn of the last century and dealt with Victorian mores. Even in post World War II America, it seems that not much has changed. Respectable and proper Kent Smith is a forty something doctor, married with two children, in a respectable middle class rut. He's about to break loose for some big life crisis. The catalyst for that is Ann Sheridan in the title role. Sheridan is a sultry night club singer who gets hit by a cab and is treated in Kent Smith's nearby office.

Had the film been made at Columbia, Rita Hayworth would have been ideal for the lead. But Ann Sheridan does do a good job and even does her own singing. Hayworth would have made the film a classic.

The film does descend into melodrama though moving far afield from the social commentary that Theodore Dreiser had in mind. But Kent Smith's character's degradation is as complete as Dreiser's George Hurstwood.

I would recommend seeing this film and the film that Sir Laurence Olivier and Jennifer Jones did, Carrie, and comparing the two versions.

Ann Sheridan gives an effective performance as the title character who has not had much luck when it comes to love. Unfortunately her luck only gets worse.

Kent Smith's character Dr. Talbot completely turns his life inside out and upside down in order to be with Ann Sheridan. (If there is anyone worth turning your life inside out for, it's Ann Sheridan ;-).

A worthy entry in the Film Noir canon, Nora Prentiss reveals two characters desperate to find happiness...but at what cost?

This film also has one of my favorite lines from a movie poster:

Would You Keep Your Mouth Shut If You Were Nora Prentiss?

Nora Prentiss (1947) : Brief Review -

Now this is how you make a film noir on an extramarital affair to prove that femme fatale is a mistake of a man, not woman. Joseph Von Sternberg made the German classic "Der blaue Engel" (1930) and set the formula of the femme fatale in the most devastating way. The film showed us the most horrible consequences of female acid, but have we ever thought of a man being responsible for his own destruction? Maybe some did, but a major section of the audience took the film home as a lesson to themselves and mostly stamped it as a Femme Fatale burn. Then comes "Nora Prentiss," a film that showed that the man was wrong in the first place. A married doctor falls in love with a club singer, which takes away all the dignity and peace from his life. Well, it's a simple story as you read it, but there comes the intelligence of writers Paul Webster and Jack Sobell, who showcase that the man was at fault for falling in love with a woman. A dignified doctor with two children should not go outdoors for love after almost 20 years of marriage. Also, going hysterical and obsessive was not suitable for a doctor's IQ. That's the biggest plus to writing. On the other side, the club singer is kind and loyal to him, even in the worst case. That's some change for a female character involved in an extramarital affair, isn't it? Even though I personally don't like these illicit things, I liked them here because the conclusion proved them wrong. I have seen many films that glorify these indecent things too. It's like, beat the indecent things until you find some decency in the end. And there is a nice twist in the end, which is quite surprising and innovative. The courtroom trial was one of its kind, followed by words of self-realization, which gives it a fulfilling end to prime film noir. I didn't expect Kent, Ann and Vincent to deliver such a fine noir, but I must admit, I am surprised.. for good. One thing, why was it named after Nora? Why not Richard Talbot?!

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

It's a shame to see some fine actors engage in such a mixed-up melodrama. They struggle to make the story acceptable. It can't be done. I began to write a summary of the plot. It's so awful I deleted it. Try, and you'll see. Let's just skip to the creepiest parts. Dr. Richard Talbot, indulging a midlife crisis, finds Nora, a young woman who, inexplicably, finds him attractive. Richard wants to ditch his humdrum life. He doesn't ask for a divorce. Why? He can't inflict the devastation, so he says, the pain that he will cause his family, loving wife and children. His teenage daughter hugs him so, so tenderly. She is so upset when he almost misses her birthday. He can't bear to do it. So, what does he do? He abandons them. (Now he'll miss all her birthday parties.) He fakes his death. He flees, in the middle of the night, forever. He leaves them more than devastated, thinking he is dead. What a monster! Obviously, his family's feelings meant nothing. He's heartless, self-absorbed, and a coward. Face the wife and children? He'd rather have the pleasure of imagining their tears, tender teenage daughter included, mourning for him. They'll endure a monstrous farce of a funeral. They will weep, no doubt, over a coffined, crisply-calcinated corpse that isn't his corpse. He'll be far away in a new life. That's it for Richard Talbot, as far as I am concerned. He's despicable. Yet the movie insists that we find him sympathetic, so we can feel sorry for him at the end. Really?

It gets worse. Richard and Nora escape to New York. He lies. He tells her he is awaiting his divorce papers. But he's terrified they will be recognized. He forces her to hide in a hotel. She's bored. He confesses the whole thing. She's OK with it. She won't leave him. The clear, the obvious, the only thing to do is to move. Go somewhere. Go to Canada. Go to Tahiti, to North Dakota. Go somewhere, anywhere where you won't meet old acquaintances. Then live in blissful anonymity. No. They stay in New York. Now he hides in the hotel and she goes out in public. He gets bored, and jealous, and drunk. I won't even go into what follows. At this point I've given up on the plot. Finally, Richard is arrested for the crime he didn't commit. Now, of course, the moral thing to do, if he had any morals, is to quit the subterfuge, own up to his trick. He and Nora could still go off to some foreign shore and live their love. But no. Richard, craven and self-centered as always, won't identify himself. Imagine, he tells Nora weepily, imagine the reproaches, the looks of hatred I'd get from my former family. How could I live with them? (You won't live with them, Richard; they'll kick you out on your ear.) He swears Nora to silence. He ruins her, as surely as he had ruined his wife and adoring daughter. He condemns her to hold within her a terrible secret. She will drift through a life of loneliness and sadness. Then he can wallow in self-pity while he orchestrates another farce, in the courtroom. The only way to redeem this stuff would be to have Nora blurt out the secret just before the jury comes in with its verdict. That would crush his ego. That I would have liked.

It's a shame to see good actors saddled with bad material. Usually I like Kent Smith ("Cat People," "The Spiral Staircase"). He is bland and flat in this role. Frankly, I don't see what Ann Sheridan's Nora sees in him to begin with. Ann Sheridan does succeed, because she was a very fine actress, in transcending the material as far as humanly possible. Nora is not much of a femme fatale. She's rather pathetic, and that at least lets us sympathize with her. The performance that stands out is that of Rosemary DeCamp. She invests the put-upon wife with a quiet dignity. And she provides a touch of extraordinary acting. In the courtroom scene, the lawyer asks: look at the accused as say whether you recognize him. She stares intently and curiously. Watch carefully. For an instant, just an instant, her eyes light up with recognition. She knows who he is. Then the light goes out and she says no. It's incredibly subtle. She has seen through the plot. She could save him. She sends him to perdition. Or maybe it's just me. Maybe I want to see that message in her look because he deserves a ticket to the netherworld.

The rap on Kent Smith was that he was duller than dried cement. Probably that's why he was cast here as the emotionally repressed doctor. The doc is so colorless and unemotional in the early scenes, we see why wife Lucy (DeCamp) has withdrawn into her own bubble. Then too, his household appears to run on the proverbial dime, with only daughter Bunny (Hendrix) showing any real spark. Of course, all of this is necessary background to his eventual transformation once he meets sexpot Prentiss (Sheridan). From dutiful husband to reluctant philanderer to obsessed lover and finally to repentant criminal, Smith brings off the stages in low-key effective fashion, and I expect more than a few married spouses left the theater unsettled by what they had seen lurking under the doctor's calm exterior.

All in all, it's a grim little film, depicting a civilized man's descent into emotional darkness. I'm not sure why it's titled after Prentiss since the doctor is for all intents and purposes the main character. But Sheridan does get to show a lot of leg and mature appeal, although her character seems not very plausible once the doc becomes a burden. Someone called the movie a "woman's noir", and with its soap-operish overtones, the description seems to fit. Then too, noirish elements surface in those dark entrapment scenes, especially in the hotel room, (but why do they have separate rooms after they've run away together?). And especially noirish is heart patient Walter's existential lament amidst the big city-- if he dies, he wonders, who would know or care. The scene passes quickly, but is chillingly revealing.

The movie's underrated, probably because of Smith and the unrelentingly grim atmosphere. I just wish someone had scrubbed Alda's smarmy nightclub owner. He's totally unbelievable and compromises what could have been a memorably atmospheric very last shot. Nonetheless, it's an engrossing little morality tale, as long as you're not feeling too depressed.

The gorgeous Ann Sheridan is terrific in anything and surely even better in nothing, but she was about the only good thing in this mediocre noir soaper that was pretty unbelievable overall, but I guess the flawed story could happen in a million years, maybe.

A wimpy and conservative married doctor is smitten with a hot nightclub singer and the resulting affair causes his boring but orderly marriage and life to go to hell....how many times have we already seen that same old story, but we always buy into it thinking...."this time it will be different"...but it never is in stories based on the 40's movie fairytale of selective morality where some players are mortally damaged but others with equal or greater guilt are winners.

The story was on shaky ground almost from the beginning and needed some implausible and reality-challenged twists to stay on track, and of course it ended badly for the wimp doctor, who gradually changed into a madman under the pressure of his guilt, but ended OK for the hot chick. I said selective morality earlier because Sheridan's sincere effort to take a married man away from his wife was oddly not punished here, as the doctor was the story's chosen fall guy and nothing was going to change that plot imperative. Quite a stretch there, but the story had a lot of implausible plot angles thrown at us, some of which were nearly laughable and made the film much less involving than it could have been with a bit more realism in it. And, the actor who played the leading man was OK as a doctor and mild mannered nice guy(wimp)but only as those, as he didn't have the presence or magnetism to be a tough guy later and was by far the weakest link in this obvious Sheridan vehicle. Oh, Alan Alda's dad was pretty good as the nightclub owner in an easy role.

The great movie tune of "Who Cares What People Say" sung by Sheridan was by far the best thing about this film.....and it should be seen just for her heartfelt and sad rendition of that truly romantic love song. Who wouldn't love her after hearing that?

'Nora Prentiss' had a lot to it that made me want to watch it. Its biggest draws were that it was film-noir mixed with drama, being someone who has always absolutely loved film-noir, and a very interesting idea for a story, one that had the potential to stir a fairly wide range of emotions if done right. Some good talent in front of and behind the camera, with as good a technical crew as one could get, composer Franz Waxman and lead actress Ann Sheridan.

Found myself really liking 'Nora Prentiss'. It is not flawless by any stretch and one can see where those that weren't so enamoured with it are coming from with their criticisms. 'Nora Prentiss' was one of those films that disturbed, moved and entertained me, and in a good way and not many films recently have made me feel like that in such a way. That's one of the reasons as to why the rating given has been given, as well as it having a good deal to admire elsewhere. With what didn't quite work for me, which was actually not much at all, not being minor criticisms, the rating could have been lower, but couldn't bring myself to do so with the good things being done so well.

Personally do feel that 'Nora Prentiss' was a little on the overlong side by about twenty minutes or so. The story did start to feel slightly over-stretched later on.

It is one of those in a way leave your brains behind kind of films. Genuinely did enjoy the film, but the latter did become a bit too silly and melodramatic, which did increase until it became somewhat ludicrous.

However, 'Nora Prentiss' looks great. The production design is full of atmosphere and is also quite sumptuous, while the editing never felt disjointed or chaotic instead flowing smoothly and even more impressive was the moody and beautiful to watch photography that enhanced the noir-ish atmosphere with ease. Waxman's score is not one of his best, but it is haunting and at times suitably stirring. Vincent Sheridan's directing is more than capable, allowing the film to never become dull.

The script was tight enough and didn't ramble, it provoked thought and was sometimes witty. The story mostly gave me chills when in its more disturbing moments, where there is far from diluted suspense, the chemistry between Sheridan and Kent Smith didn't ring false to me and there are real moments of poignancy. Didn't find myself bored and while the film does lose its way in the latter stages the ending is memorable. The cast are fine with Robert Alda, father of the better known Alan, giving the supporting turn that stuck out the most. Smith may seem bland to some, only from my perspective because Sheridan has the stronger character that dominates quite rightly. Actually think he did very well and brought enough intensity and nuance without being overwrought or too lightweight, the character's descent/degregation required a lot of both and Smith does just about convincingly in that. 'Nora Prentiss' is Sheridan's film and she is just excellent in every regard, she also has two solos in the film and she absolutely sizzles in both.

Overall, well done with many great elements but got over-stretched, due to over-length, and too silly later on. 8/10

I caught this movie on TV the other night and was mesmerized. A man is so taken with a girl that he fakes his own death, gives up a lucrative career and forsakes his children. Didn't he ever think of divorce? Ann Sheridan gives a memorable performance and ends up happy with yet another man that always loved her. She seems never to be without a suitor. A pitiful end for the good doctor, yet one cannot help thinking he was kind of stupid to do what he did. Then again, being in an unhappy marriage makes anyone act irrationally at times. I enjoyed this period piece. Kent Smith as the doctor is all right, not the best actor, but the picture is called Nora Prentiss. I enjoyed it. See it for yourself next time it is on television. I wouldn't mind watching it again.

I thought this film noir was excellent. I really felt the anguish Talbot goes through because he did NOT kill anyone but got himself into a terrible situation just because of love. I can understand how wanting to love someone could make a person turn his whole life upside down. It gave everyone around him awful consequences. Guilt pulled them down.

Ann Sheridan and Kent Smith gave first rate performances. The direction and atmosphere make this a superior film noir even if it perhaps was made as a B movie. The sets and the costumes contribute to the feeling.

It's interesting to see how far Hollywood could go at the time to show sin and people committing crimes. The main characters, all though lovers, never share a bedroom. They are respectable to the end.

Though labeled a film noir drama, this film doesn't really qualify for that genre. For one thing, the femme fatale, Nora Prentiss, is not really a femme fatale. She is a thoughtful, caring woman, who truly loves the good Doctor Talbot and earnestly tries to do what is best for him. She is played to perfection by the wonderful actress Ann Sheridan. Though Talbot loves her too, it is a more selfish, possessive kind. The one who sincerely loves her is her manager, Phil Dinardo, played with knowing skill by Robert Alda, but Nora does not return his love. He is more of a helpful long-time friend who is always there for her, even if she usually does not reciprocate.

Unfortunately, two of the main parts are given rather perfunctory readings by two ho-hum actors of the period, Kent Smith as Dr. Talbot and Bruce Bennett as his partner, Dr. Merriam. Too bad more capable Thespians were not assigned those roles, especially the key one of Dr. Talbot. Rosemary DeCamp is excellent in her cold hearted portrayal of the good doctor's nondescript wife. The viewer wonders how Dr. Talbot has tolerated her for all those years.

The story is exceptional, very complex yet realistic. Most of us have had one little event, at the time seemingly insignificant, drastically alter our workaday lives, sometimes for the good, other times for the bad. In this film it is an accident that occurs right in front of Dr. Talbot. Being a physician, he rushes to the aid of a pretty young nightclub singer, has her taken to his office, and proceeds to treat her. From that time on, the entire fabric of his life is changed. What twists and turns until the denouement! Director Vincent Sherman permits no cop out at the end.

This is one of those pictures where everything counts, including the music and the photography, to accentuate the main theme. Listen to the music and to the lyrics of the songs Nora Prentiss sings, in particular "Who Cares What People Say?" Cinematographer James Wong Howe blends San Francisco photography and crisp black and white interior shots into the story settings to emphasize the mood and the importance of a particular scene. Note for example how what look to be bars on Nora Prentiss' sweater in the lodge sequence indicate the happiness the two lovers are enjoying may be short lived.

The title is not a good one. Automatically one thinks of "Nora Prentiss" as a chick flick. It is not. There is little melodrama and not much sentiment. It is brash and harsh most of the way.