Trailer—Cass Timberlane

Cass Timberlane

Until my mom decided to check this out from the library, I didn't even know of it. Spencer Tracy and Lana Turner are a judge and a, well I already forgot if Lana was even working for living when they met which was at a trial in which she was on the stand defending someone. They get along well early on and there's quite a few charming scenes with them at a baseball game she pitches on while he plays the umpire. There's also a cute cat who Spencer keeps despite his allergic reaction to him. Then the pic devolves into some melodrama that proves too much for me and makes the ending a little unbelievable. It's also a bit too long at a little under two hours. Still, I say give Cass Timberlane a look if you're a fan of either or both.

Cass Timberlane is one of the only movies in which I don't detest Spencer Tracy. In fact, I actually like him in this film. He's a respectable judge who falls in love with the beautiful yet low-class Lana Turner. In a particularly touching scene, Lana miscarries their child, and Spence is tasked with telling her. He holds her hand and speaks tenderly, an emotion he rarely showed in his performances. As you might expect, since Spence is older, cultured, and moral, and his bride is not, they have marital problems. Spence is frequently embarrassed by Lana's ignorance and free-spiritedness, and Lana is often bored by his stodginess. Before long, a younger man, Zachary Scott, catches her eye. But, in order to find out how this well-done drama turns out, you'll have to rent it. And since it's one of the only Spencer Tracy movies I like, I recommend that you do.

I am exhausted! The plot inches along to the point to being excruciating, then the characters do a complete 180. Then the plot inches along again and out of the blue they make another 180. This lousy script isn't worthy of the fine actors playing it. When I watch a film with Lana Turner, I expect tawdriness, camp or both. This just plain STUNK.

As much as I love Spencer Tracy, there wasn't much he could do with this boring, predictable, overly preachy script. Not to mention how ironic it is to hear him expound the virtues of fidelity when he had numerous affairs, the most famous being Katharine Hepburn, while still married. Lana Turner is lovely, but I just couldn't get into the story line. I think it started out as a good idea: Cass Timberlane (Tracy) marries a younger woman (Turner) from the supposed "wrong side of the tracks", much to the chagrin of his snobby friends. Can they make the relationship work or not? If they would have developed the story more, and preached less, I think it may have worked. Instead it is just a two-hour sermon, more or less. Well, at least there is a cute kitty included in the picture.

Spencer Tracy tries hard to breathe life into this rather dull tale of a middle-aged judge marrying a younger woman. Lana Turner is hopeless as the wife, unable to give the character any of the internal conflicts that are supposed to motivate the action. Zachary Scott is boring as her love interest. An occasional spark comes from the under-utilised but strong supporting cast. Mary Astor is completely wasted - she would have played Lana's role beautifully a few years earlier. There's a couple of great cats in it, and the production design is excellent (Cedric Gibbons was a genius!), but overall this is over-talky tedious stuff.

Spencer Tracy was getting quite old when he made this one. He can still show some power here in his lead role as a stubborn judge with the young girl friend. He does a good job with a challenging script. Lana Turner as the love interest is very effective here. Considering the film's script, she does well too. There are sparks in the cast besides. I think in this case Tracy deserved better script. That seemed to hurt him in his last films. Are there better Tracy films? Yes, but this one is pretty good. Judge Timberlane may not chop down trees but he does Dispense Jusice with authority from the bench.

Ginny Marshland (Lana Turner) testifies in front of Judge Cass Timberlane (Spencer Tracy). Despite a twenty years difference and a cat allergy, they fall in love and the rich conservative judge marries the tomboy working class girl. They drift apart and she finds herself connecting more with his friend Bradd Criley. The basic problem is that I don't buy their chemistry. The twenty years difference is a problem although it's less so back in the day. Mostly, I don't buy Lana Turner. She's young and playing baseball by the rail tracks. She doesn't look like it. Her hair is always curled up and done. She doesn't fit her character. I don't buy their courtship. This feels like a realistic take on a romance novel. I just don't see the chemistry despite the top notch actors. Without chemistry, it's a slow grind.

I seem to be a dissenting voice, looking at the other comments on this film. I didn't find it tedious at all. It is a warm, leisurely paced story. Spencer Tracy turns in a sterling performance as a judge who holds firm to old-fashioned values, though his commitment to friendship does blind him to his friends' shortcomings. Lana Turner does OK as a woman from "the wrong side of the tracks" who loves the judge but mistakes his principles for a lack of courage. There are some weak points in the film. Zachary Scott is not convincing at all as the cad who seduces Jenny away from her husband. There is a slightly cardboard quality of the scenes with the judge's society friends. And the subplot of friends wanting the judge to fix a trial in their favor slides so much into the background that it might as well not be in the film at all. But on the whole, I found this to be one of the better May-December romance films I have seen.