The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing (1955)

52% of users liked it
(99 ratings)

This 1955 period piece recreates the notorious events surrounding the murder of architect Stanford White by Harry K. Thaw. This famous homicide, later immortalized in E.L. Doctorow's novel Ragtime, transpired on the Winter Garden roof in full view of countless theater patrons. Joan Collins stars as… More This 1955 period piece recreates the notorious events surrounding the murder of architect Stanford White by Harry K. Thaw. This famous homicide, later immortalized in E.L. Doctorow's novel Ragtime, transpired on the Winter Garden roof in full view of countless theater patrons. Joan Collins stars as Evelyn Nesbit Thaw, a single showgirl who grows enamored with the married White (Ray Milland). He takes her to his posh Manhattan loft and enjoys a dalliance with her that includes pushing her on the red velvet swing of the title. Later, Evelyn gets courted by Harry Thaw (Farley Granger, who - after whisking her off to Europe and wheedling her into marriage - suddenly turns out to be a complete nutcase, driven around the bend by violent jealousy and rage. He grows incensed at the memory of her affair with White, and decides to to take drastic action by shooting the architect; in the wake of the murder, Thaw builds a fantastic legal defense that permanently alters his fate. Few of the facts in this tawdry soaper are true to history, because, as Bosley Crowther famously pointed out in his Times review, Evelyn Nesbit Thaw was still alive at the time of this production and the filmmakers probably feared a libel suit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 49 min.
Directed By: Richard Fleischer
Written By: Walter Reisch, Charles Brackett
Genres: Drama, Romance, Classics

In Theaters: Oct 1, 1955 Wide
On DVD: Jul 10, 2007

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It never caught my interest despite the juicy sensationalist story it promised to tell.
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
A commentary by Aubrey Solomon that kicks in only during select scenes is one of
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
Little more than a competently acted and shot costume drama, it is neither a film of the ages or for the ages; it is a film that has, however, aged, and poorly.

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Cast

            Ray Milland as Stanford White

            Joan Collins as Evelyn Nesbit Thaw

            Farley Granger as Harry K. Thaw

            Luther Adler as Delphin Delmas

            Glenda Farrell as Mrs. Nesbit

            Frances Fuller as Mrs. White

            Phillip Reed as Robert Collier

            Gale Robbins as Gwen Arden

            James Lorimer as McCaleb

            John Hoyt as William Travers Jerome

            Harvey Stephens as Dr. Hollingshead

            Emile G. Meyer as Greenbacher

            Richard Travis as Charles Dana Gibson

            Harry Seymour as Arthur

            Ainslie Pryor as Sport Donnally

            Kay Hammond as Nellie

            Betty Caulfield as Alice

            Jack Raine as Mr. Finley

            Helen Van Tuyl as Mrs. Jennings

            Paul Glass as Assistant Stage Manager

            Paul Power as Van Ness

            Fred Essler as Leopold Boerner

            Ivan Triesault as Maitre D'

            Raymond Bailey as Judge Fitzgerald

            Charles Tannen as Court Clerk

            Edmund Cobb as Judy Foreman

            James Conaty as Rev. McEwen

            Marjorie Hellen as Flora Dora Girl

            Diane Du Bois as Flora Dora Girl

            Suzanne Alexander as Flora Dora Girl

            Steven Darrell
            
            Edith Evanson as Josie

            William Forrest as Simpson

            Sam Harris as Old Man at Show

            Stuart Holmes as Old Man at Restaurant

            Carolee Kelly as Margaret

            Henry Kulky as Warden

            Leslie Parrish
            
            Robert F. Simon as Stage Manager

            Cornelia Otis Skinner as Mrs. Thaw

            Max Wagner
            
            Oliver Cross as Head Steward
See full cast

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