My Foolish Heart | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Mark Robson |
Produced by | Samuel Goldwyn |
Written by |
Julius J. Epstein Philip G. Epstein J. D. Salinger (short story) |
Starring |
Dana Andrews Susan Hayward Kent Smith Lois Wheeler Jessie Royce Landis |
Music by | Victor Young |
Edited by | Daniel Mandell |
Production
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Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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98 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
My Foolish Heart is a 1949 American film which tells the story of a woman's reflections on the bad turns her life has taken. The film was directed by Mark Robson and stars Dana Andrews and Susan Hayward.
Adapted from J. D. Salinger's 1948 short story "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut", this remains the only authorized film adaptation of Salinger's work; the filmmakers' infidelity to his story famously precluded any possibility of film versions of other Salinger works, including The Catcher in the Rye. The film inspired the Danish story Mit dumme hjerte by Victor Skaarup.
After being disappointed, according to biographer Ian Hamilton, when "rumblings from Hollywood" over his 1943 short story "The Varioni Brothers" came to nothing, J. D. Salinger did not hesitate when independent producer Samuel Goldwyn offered to buy the film rights to "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut." His agent Dorothy Olding later explained this uncharacteristic relinquishing of control with the simple statement that “we thought they would make a good movie."
Indeed, "a good movie" would seem to have been implied by the production’s pedigree, which included Oscar-winning actress Teresa Wright and Casablanca screenwriters Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein. (Some years earlier, Salinger had actually referenced Casablanca in his 1944 short story "Both Parties Concerned"; one of its characters, upon learning his wife has left him, re-enacts the "Play it, Sam" scene from the film with an imaginary pianist.) However, the eventual film, renamed My Foolish Heart and with Susan Hayward replacing Wright at the last minute, was critically lambasted upon its release.