Half Angel

The plot of the movie was imaginative- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in reverse, gender as well as personality (Loretta is almost Mr Hyde while awake and Dr Jekyll in subconscious). Unlike what has been mentioned several times, (even by her screen father), it isn't sleep walking but schizophrenia and hence the plot is believable, including her failure to remember what her subconscious personality did, in detail. But she did remember, and tried to hint on screen, that she had been doing some thing naughty. The movie would have been excellent had a few gaps had been filled up and ironed out. She did knew her childhood sweetheart (John Raymond), but her reason of dislike isn't clear (which could have been clarified just in a few short dialogues, say with her colleague nurses). Quite a few other fillers would have made it into excellent movie. I give it above average in Plot, Loretta and Cotten - roles as well as execution, but that had been highly negated by the execution and also realization of both the doctor- who should have (and as it comes out did) guess but didn't take sufficient measures and more by her father, who obviously knew Raymond (he was the gardener of their family), as well as that the kids shared something sweet. He could have been a more pragmatic person say as the uncle in Katie Did It.

I really like Loretta Young films. I think she was a great actress in her time. I would like to see more of her films such as Paula, Half Angel, etc. I really hope that some of her rarely seemed films such as Paula and Half Angel...is available on video tapes.

It's hard for me to imagine that even Production Code audiences of 1951(note the newly- weds' unlikely twin beds) found this silly exercise anything more than occasionally titillating. I guess the movie was intended as a romantic comedy. The premise of a woman (Young) with two distinct personalities depending on whether she's sleepwalking may have sounded promising, but the result plods along in uninspired fashion minus either bounce or charm. Apparently, supporting players like Backus and Max are supposed to provide the chuckles, but it's really only Irene Ryan as nurse Kay who comes through in lively fashion. From his credits, it looks like director Sale was a much better writer than director or comedy coach.

It also looks like Young is having a good time vamping it up in the wanton half of Nora's split personality. The overt sexuality probably comes as welcome change from her typical good girl roles. However, despite the good-humored approach, the result is more ludicrous than funny. Nonetheless, she does get to model 1951's latest fashions, a big thing for Young as her TV show attests. Unfortunately, that fine actor Joseph Cotten is reduced here to little more than a male manikin in a clearly secondary role.

To me, the most intriguing aspect is what blacklisted film-noir and scheduled director Jules Dassin (Brute Force, 1948; Thieves Highway, 1949) would have done with the goofy premise and a very proper Young. If ever there was a mismatched movie pair, this is it. So it's no surprise that one of the two (Dassin) ended up having to leave the project (according to IMDb). Anyway, it's still a curious question what the highly serious Dassin would have done with such frothy material. Whatever the result, it's bound to be more interesting than this unfortunately forgettable 80 minutes.

Loretta Young is a "Half Angel" in this 1951 comedy starring Joseph Cotten, Cecil Kellaway, Jim Backus and Irene Ryan.

The beautiful Miss Young plays Nora, who by day is a very professional-looking nurse and by night a glamorous seductress. Apparently she has a split personality, and when her conscious mind goes to sleep, Nora's other personality wakes up and drops in on an old school chum who is now an important attorney (Cotten).

Her mystique, her allure, her seductiveness make him crazy. Every time he spots the daytime starched nurse Nora, he happily approaches her and throws his arms around her - only to get slapped in the face. Nora is engaged to be married to someone else and besides, she has no memory of these nighttime escapades.

One of the reviewers on this site complained about the holes in the plot. This is the kind of film that doesn't hold up well under much - or any - scrutiny. It's a fantasy and has to be enjoyed as such.

Nitpicking about how fast a trial is docketed and why someone receives a subpoena is like saying that tapping red rhinestone shoes together will never take you back home.

At 38, Loretta Young is absolutely gorgeous, as she always was and remained for the rest of her life. Huge eyes, a face the shape of a cameo, beautiful hair, slim figure - as if any of it is really hidden by a nurse's cap and uniform.

For Nora the wild one, she wears her hair down and a flashy seafoam-colored dress. Which brings me to the film's color. It's very reminiscent of a Better Homes and Garden book from the '50s that I used to look at as a child - very bright colors and lots of them. I found the use of color in the film quite unusual.

A light comedy is strange casting for Joseph Cotten, but for my money, he pulls it off.

This isn't a wildly funny movie, but it is an amusing one, and the psychiatric plot is in line with the post-war interest in the subconscious so prevalent in films of that era.

This film takes the fluff approach, which movies like "The Snake Pit," "The Dark Past" and "Spellbound" did not. Loretta fans will love it.

The plot to "Half Angel" is insane and impossible to believe. But should that stop you from watching it? Maybe not. After all, some of the best old rom-coms of the classic era of Hollywood had completely ridiculous plots...such as in "Bringing Up Baby" and "My Favorite Wife" as well as "The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer".

Nora (Loretta Young) is an extremely conventional and a bit straight-laced lady. She's going to be married soon, so you'd think she was very happy...and she is on the surface. However, subconsciously she is NOT happy and longs to be wild, carefree and in love. But she is not aware of this and this side of her only starts appearing when she goes to sleep at night. She begins sleepwalking as this other personality and soon completely captivates John (Joseph Cotten). However, John knows little about this mystery woman....she was in his life and then just disappeared! So he frantically looks all over town for her. Eventually, he finds Nora...and she has zero recollection of him. In fact, she even presses charges when she thinks he's taking liberties with her, a stranger! What's next? See this odd film.

This movie works because of the actors...period. The plot is ridiculous but Joseph Cotten and Loretta Young were such wonderful professionals that they were able to bring it across and make it fun as well. Overall, fun and enjoyable...and silly.