The Great Man's Lady
| The Great Man's Lady | |
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1942 Theatrical Poster
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| Directed by | William A. Wellman |
| Produced by | William A. Wellman |
| Written by |
Viña Delmar (short story) Seena Owen (story) Adela Rogers St. Johns (story) W. L. River |
| Starring |
Barbara Stanwyck Joel McCrea Brian Donlevy |
| Music by | Victor Young |
| Cinematography | William C. Mellor |
| Edited by | Thomas Scott |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.1 million (US rentals) |
The Great Man's Lady is a 1942 American western film directed by William A. Wellman, and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea. The film is based on the short story "The Human Side" by Viña Delmar.
A statue is being dedicated to the late founder of Hoyt City, and reporters from around the country have gathered, speculating that "the old lady's going to talk." When the anticipated "old lady" does not appear at the event, they rush to her home. She is centenarian Hannah Sempler (Barbara Stanwyck), who lives in an old mansion among the skyscrapers of Hoyt City. As she confronts the press who have barged in, a photographer says, "Hold it, Mrs. Hoyt!" She replies that her name is Hanna Sempler, and refuses to answer their questions as to whether she and Hoyt had been married, which as another reporter says, would make him a bigamist. The intruders leave, having learned nothing to prove or disprove the many rumors, but Hannah is persuaded to tell her story to a young female biographer who lags behind. She reminisces about her experiences with Ethan Hoyt (Joel McCrea) in the American West.
In 1848, a teenaged Hannah Sempler is squired by her wealthy father's associate, Mr. Cadwallader (Lloyd Corrigan), but she is not interested. Hannah meets and flirts with a young pioneer and dreamer, Ethan Hoyt, who comes to her home seeking financial backing from her father (Thurston Hall) in order to build a city in the western wilderness. Her father rejects Ethan's proposal, stating that it is too risky. Hannah, however, falls in love with the young man, and quite impulsively, they elope and head west. The first years of their marriage are not easy, but the couple are happy. When Ethan loses all his money and possessions in a drunken gambling spree to Steely Edwards (Brian Donlevy), Hannah wins back his losses and befriends Steely, who accompanies the couple to Sacramento, where they hope to strike it rich mining.
In Sacramento, Hannah and Ethan spend less time together, with Ethan working long hours in the mines. One day, Hannah discovers silver on Ethan's boots, carried from the Virginia City mine where he had been working. Hannah knows she is pregnant, but does not reveal this to Ethan, knowing he would never leave her behind in that condition. Instead she encourages Ethan to go to Virginia City and find his fortune in the silver mines. Thinking his wife wants him gone so she can be with Steely, Ethan leaves her with no intention of returning.
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