Youngblood Hawke

This soap opera based on a Herman Wouk novel is entertaining in its meandering way but suffers from a less than riveting lead actor, James Franciscus.

Franciscus was a decent actor and certainly movie star handsome but not charismatic enough to carry a big budget film. Although he was quite effective as a series lead in Longstreet and several other shows the character of Youngblood Hawke required a more compelling actor than he. Warren Beatty, who was originally cast but bowed out or George Peppard would have worked much better in the star spot.

As it is the attractive but bland Franciscus is surrounded by high quality actors who all act rings around him. The little known Genevieve Page is cast in the trickiest part as an unhappily married woman who falls for Hawke. Even though she's a bit too young for the role her air of world weariness suits sad Frieda, she makes quite an impression and you miss her when she's off-screen.

The film is loaded with a variable kaleidescope of outstanding performers in every role. Suzanne Pleshette and her volcano of hair are terrific as Hawke's editor, even in her relatively brief screen time she makes something out of a standard part. Same goes for Mildred Dunnock, Eva Gabor, John Dehner and Don Porter all of whom are handed stock characters but still manage to stretch those characters with entertaining portrayals.

Another two old reliables who add some dash to this overlong stew are Mary Astor as a renown stage actress searching for a new vehicle and thinks she sees it in Hawke's novel. This was her penultimate screen appearance, she played a key role in Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte later that year then retired permanently, she imbibes her handful of scenes with a class and mastery that only the best actors are able to do with cameo appearances. The other is Edward Arnold as a critic who is both friend and foe, he obviously knows he has one of the better roles in the film and clearly relishes his opportunity. By word and gesture he makes Quentin Judd a memorable character.

This was also almost the end of the line for director Daves, that master of the overblown cinematic soap, and is right in his wheelhouse but his pacing seems rather off. The film is at least 20 minutes too long and is oddly in black and white. While all his other films of this type, A Summer Place, Rome Adventure etc, were in rich Technicolor with sweeping vistas which would have helped here he and cinematographer Charles Lawton Jr. use the shadows indigenous to black & white effectively.

Not anywhere near a great film but the cast makes it worth checking out.

Of all the melodramas Delmer Daves made in the sixties,"Youngblood Hawke" is perhaps the least interesting ;it was probably intended to match the scale and the duration of "Parrish",James Franciscus replacing Troy Donahue -who in "Susan Slade " was also a writer who finally found an editor .Suzanne Pleshette was Donahue's co-star in "Rome adventure".Daves ,who ditched westerns ,his forte in the fifties,is on home ground.But there is something hollow in this success story:unlike "Parrish" ,the movie drags on -you could easily cut 30 min-and French Genevieve Page's (and her deep voice)role is too underwritten to justify the tragedy that happens to her -compare to Ingrid Bergman's one in Rosselini's "Europe 51" to see what THAT tragedy means.

Even social criticism -overnight success whereas your books ,if we are to believe the critics ,are nothing but novelettes- does not ring true for we know little or almost nothing of the writer's literary talents.

James Franciscus had the role of his career (yes, even greater than Beneath the Planet of the Apes!) as a Kentucky truck driver who comes to New York City to make it as a novelist. I'm not being facetious about Franciscus: he never looked more handsome, and he plays his role with a disarming blend of cockiness and vulnerability. He has perhaps the most soulful and expressive eyes of any blond-haired actor in the movies.

Suzanne Pleshette plays his patient editor with her usual warmth and intelligence, and Genevieve Page is elegant and fascinating as the society woman who "keeps" him. Edward Andrews is witty and menacing as a literary critic, and Mary Astor is totally believable as a veteran stage actress. Everybody shines in the all-star cast.

Delmer Daves took Herman Wouk's mammoth bestseller (what's new?) and wisely made some changes in his screen adaptation. In the novel, Youngblood Hawke is a brawny, average looking man where Daves gives us a beautiful, cerebral hero. Now for a glossy, unabashed soap opera, eye candy can sure help 137 minutes pass a little more pleasantly! Another of Daves' departures from the novel is in permitting more of the leads to remain alive by the end; by doing this, Daves is giving us our cake and letting us eat it. Frankly, I *devour* it on average of once a month!

This film was the last of Delmer Daves' potboiler masterpieces - an enormously entertaining blend of class and trash.

James Fransiscus was Mr. Novak on TV and landed the star role in this film after Jack Warner fired Warren Beatty from this film.. Beatty after 2 weeks of rehearsals on the WB Lot refused to sign his contract. Warner exploded and banned Beatty from the WB Lot. In a jam Warner picked James Fransiscus to star in this film directed by Delmer Davis with a great cast that included Suzy Pleshette and lovely French actress Genevieve Page. I recall Rita Hayworth one of the biggest stars in movies during the 40's and 50's and Queen of the Columbia Lot had to test for the role eventually played by Ms. Page. James Franciscus was at the time of filming son in law of famed director Bill Wellman.

Troy Donahue was the star of Delmer Daves: Summer Place, Pasrish, Susan Slade and Rome Adventure why wasn't he cast as Youngblood Hawke? Troy was at the time a huge star at WB.

This is a fine film with top notch WB production values. After Beatty left the film the studio decided to film it in black and white rather than color.

I have a feeling the back story of this film's production would be more intriguing than the film itself.

In the popular subgenre of "cads are irresistible" comes another perfect Paul Newman vehicle: Youngblood Hawke. By 1964, there were plenty of competing actors, and Warren Beatty had been signed to play the heartless bad boy with a charming Southern accent. When he dropped out, Stuart Whitman, George Peppard, and Terence Stamp were considered before James Franciscus was cast. What a cutie pie! If you have pictures of Randolph Scott and Richard Chamberlain on your wall, you'll be in love once you see this movie.

James plays a backwater hick who's written a novel. It's unrealistic, but his dream becomes a reality as his book quickly gets snatched up by a publisher, Lee Bowman, and editor, Suzanne Pleshette. He starts off wide-eyed and innocent, but once fame and fortune go to his head, he turns into a selfish cad. He starts up a torrid affair with Genevieve Page, which really isn't interesting. Not only is there no motivation in the script, but Genevieve carries no chemistry in her performance. James's character is incredibly unlikable, since he constantly makes the wrong choice and hurts people who try to love him. He's also quite spineless. Whenever someone criticizes his work, he agrees with them, and whenever Genevieve crooks her finger, he succumbs even when he's vowed not to. Even though she's a married woman with children. When Genevieve suggests James enter into a business deal with her husband, Kent Smith, he agrees. When she sets him up in a penthouse suite, he quickly ditches the place Suzanne had found for him earlier in the film.

Since sections of the film are a bit uneven, I can only imagine that the original novel is quite lengthy and complicated. After all, it's a Herman Wouk book. The running time is long, but I'm sure swaths of the novel were cut out. This isn't really a movie I'd care to watch again, but if you think James is cute, you'll probably want to watch it. Suzanne fans will be wasting their time since she's made out to be the undesirable one; and I can't imagine anyone being a fan of Genevieve.