Would an older actress have been better in High Noon

[stuart.uk]

I admit not to being a great fan of Grace Kelly, but thought her best film was High Noon. However, I wonder if an older actress would have been better in the role of Amy Kane. In the 1950s it seems audiences wanted to see younger actresses oppisite older actors, rather than the classical actresses of the 30s and 40s. Hopefully, in the modern day cinema that's not so much the case with the likes of Helen Mirren Judi Dench and Shirley Maclaine still at the top of their game.

However, to get back to High Noon. I actually think an older actress would have been more effective than the young Miss. Kelly. It could be argued that you couldn't have a middle-aged woman getting married in the film, unless she was a widow, on the screen. However, I beg to differ. (In other films you had Maureen O'Sullivan in The Tall T and Katie Hepburn in The African Queen. Besides which, Amy was a quaker and I would image it would quite common for a woman of that religion to take a husband late in life.

I also think an older actress might have been more effective in the scenes with Kane's ex-mistress as played by Katy Juardo. Image an older, but more innocent Amy up against the younger, but more experienced Helen.

As to actresses, who might play the role, I would look back to some of Gary Cooper's leading ladies from the 30s and 40. Personally I'd pick Helen Hayes (A Farewell To Arms), as I think as an actress she'd be more likely to show Amy's vunerablity. I think Jean Arthur for example might have to strong a persona for such a role

[mrsl]

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Stuart:

I agree as far as having an older woman. I've posted a few times now about how I feel regarding Coop and his MUCH younger leading ladies. I was never a great fan but, I do admit he was a fine actor. Actually he only did a few movies with younger ladies, Audrey Hepburn was also much too young, as was Grace Kelly, but even though she was the same age as those two, Suzy Parker had the style, talent, and sensibilities to carry off being a younger lover as in 10 North Fredrick. In the late 40's and the 50's Gary's ladies were Patricia Neal, Teresa Wright, Rita Hayworth, and others closer to his age, so when he started with the younger ones, it really stood out. Of course Rita was already showing signs of her drinking making her haggard looking, and droopy eyed yet she was supposed to be a femme fatale but in For Whom the Bell Tolls they tried to make Ingrid Bergman look and act younger, so if that's what they wanted, they should have gotten a younger girl. I'll never understand these casting directors.

The part of Amy however, was not really vital to the story to have a great actress. She was mainly there for moral support which she did not give, so it made her more important than she would have been normally. And her gentle and serene attitude was so far different from Coop's personality in the movie, one couldn't help but wonder how these two ever got together, and after her actions, why would he stay with her?
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[stuart.uk]

Anne

Clearly a younger actress was required for Love In The Afternoon and North Ten Fredrick. Funnily enough the actresses you metioned like Teresa Wright and Patrica Neal (Neal in actual fact was pretty close to the same age as George Peppard in Breakfast At Tiffany's, where she was supposed to be an older woman) were also a fair bit younger than Cooper, which is why I suggested Helen Hayes for High Noon. Madeline Carroll was another about his age who worked with him in Northwest Mounted Police.

In the remake of High Noon, Amy was a much stronger character, killing Frank Miller to save her husband's life

[charliechaplinfan]

I agree about High Noon, Grace did seem to young and different to be his wife but it's in Love in the Afternoon which the difference really stands out, I feel for Gary Cooper because the film would have benefitted from the casting of William Holden or some other of his generation, Audrey Hepburn is superb in the part, it fits her like a glove. I think there's only Cary Grant who carried off a screen pairing with so young an actress and even then he was uncomfortable about it.

[stuart.uk]

Alison

Chaplin and Claire Bloom. Astaire I think got away with it with Garland, Hepburn and Charisse because he appeared so young at heart. The same could be said on Gene Kelly.

Cooper was supposed to make Arizona with Jean Arthur, but pulled out and was replaced by 23-year-old William Holden. Remarkably the 40-year-old Arthur also got away with it, as it wasn't really acceptable in the 40s to have a much older actress oppisite a young actor. Anne mentioned Ingrid Bergmen, who I thought was great in The Yellow Rolls Royce with the younger Omar Sharif

Holden himself did Breezy with Kay Lenz in the 70s

[charliechaplinfan]

Jean Arthur never looked her age. Chaplin and Claire Bloom worked because it was doomed and on such shaky foundations to begin with, I love Limelight BTW.

[mrsl]

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Stuart:

Well, beat me with a wet noodle, because I didn't check my facts, but went on looks only. Teresa Wright and Patricia Neal both looked older than they were apparently. Wright was perfect for the Gehrig story, and Neal for the Fountainhead. I didn't look up their ages however. Even the director wanted Coop desperately for the part in 'Afternoon', which is confusing because he had to have the lighting guy work double hard to project the proper lighting on Coop to hide the wrinkles and tired look.

Some men, like Cary Grant and Sean Connery can easily get away with playing opposite younger ladies. Up to 12 years ago in Finding Forrester, using any style of hair piece Connery still cut a sexy and very attractive figure. Both men were late into their 60's before they had to turn to fathers and uncles roles, but with the proper leading lady, they could both still hold up a romantic leading role. The difference is, they accepted age gracefully - with Grant making fun of himself during the love scenes in North by Northwest.

Most men have 20 years over women to play romantic parts, as long as they use sense and don't think they will be forever young. There is a lot to be said for senior love stories, and even for May September, bur May December is getting a little too much.
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[stuart.uk]

Anne

Teresa Wright in the 40s seemed to be able to play older women in the likes of Pride Of The Yankees, but also played teenage action heroine Charlie in Shadow Of Doubt and of course she was Greer Garson's daughter in law in Mrs. Miniver. She also played a young wife married to Marlon Brando in The Men.

Spolier

I thought she was great as a love interest for Ben Cartwright in an episode of Bonanza. Sadly Ben had to kill her son in self defence, so he decided to call of the wedding. Of course the attidude then was none of the Cartrights would have been allowed to marry into a long term relationship (Joe was married for 6 months in Forever, before being widowed), but given she was prepared herself to kill her son after discovering he was a killer, could a wedding not have taken place just the same. Talking of age, Ida Lapino was a love interest for Ben's son Adam in an earlier episode

[JackFavell]

I just saw her in Track of the Cat and she was absolutely great. I think she got better the older she was and that's saying a lot.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Currently, Ingrid would be considered a "cougar" in relation to her stint in The Yellow Rolls Royce and her affections concerning Sharif, but I somehow believe she would secretly relish it.

Down here in Texas, it was "normal" for an older, well-established professional man to marry a "pretty, young thing" when the frontier was being settled. In retrospect, Cooper was able to perpetuate his myth much longer than he might have otherwise, even if he had been in another profession. Case in point, his role opposite Audrey Hepburn in the highly shadowed man in the corner of every room in Love in the Afternoon. Coop was 55, Hepburn 27 or 28. But there are still many highlights in that sweet version of "dark shadows."

[JackFavell]

Personally, Sue Sue, I would take Coop at any age, he was a tall drink of water right up to the end.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

I would, too. I know if I took one look into those sparking eyes I would be lost! And so tall.......