Come Back, Little Sheba

Starring:Burt Lancaster, Shirley Booth, Terry Moore, Richard Jaeckel, Philip Ober, Edwin Max, Lisa Golm, Walter Kelley, Peter Leeds, Virginia Hall, Ned Glass, William Haade, Beverly Mook, Anthony Jochim, Virginia Mullen, Kitty McHugh, Paul McVey
Director: Daniel Mann
Studio: Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Description

After a shot gun marriage, Lola loses the couple's baby and relies for comfort on her dog, Sheba, who has run away, while Doc is a recovering alcoholic who blames Lola for his dropping out of medical school. Though still depressed and bitter about their past, the couple rents out a room to a young woman named Marie and while Marie brings happiness and young love into their home, she also brings old ghosts reminding Doc and Lola of their misfortunes.

Customer Reviews:

Come Back, Little Sheba.......2007-06-25

Based on a William Inge play, the wondrous "Sheba" soars on the strength of character actress Booth's wrenching portrayal of the lonely, used-up Lola, a role for which she deservedly won Best Actress over established stars Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, and Susan Hayward. Lancaster is clearly too young for the part of Doc, but bless him, he still brings it off in the end, with his drunk scenes particularly frightening. Overall though, watch this for Booth- she will literally break your heart.

Anyone who suffered with alcoholism in the family should see this.......2007-05-22

As a young girl I saw this movie knowing the absolute inside messages it was relaying to the audience. The holding of secrets and the constant approval seeking. Excellent work by Shirley Booth as a co-dependent desparately trying to make sense out of the situation she had placed herself into. The main character's dreams of the dog, how excellent was that. Anyone who has suffered in a home of alcoholism has to see this movie. It tells everyone's story to the letter.

Shirley Booth is amazing..........2007-05-12

I've been trying to find a copy of a CBS Playhouse version of "A Loss Of Roses" that starred Shirley Booth without success. So this performance helps fill that void. Most people that know Shirley Booth (and I'm talking about from the "old" days) as Hazel the tv maid. She was great and funny and sweet in that role but seeing her in projects like "Sheba" and as "The Matchmaker" (long before "Hello, Dolly") is a joy and a must see for anyone serious about good, solid, detailed acting work...and Burt Lancaster is great too...

See this! It won't change your life but will definitely enhance it. Enjoy!

Lost dreams and failed ambitions..........2007-04-26

Come Back, Little Sheba stands as a fine work of art by director Daniel Mann. The story takes place in the Delaney household. The Delaneys suffer relatively silently from the deep pain and despair that they feel over Mr. Delaney, or "Doc," as his wife Lola calls him, never finishing medical school and Lola Delaney not being the "model" housewife they both wish she were. Burt Lancaster turns in a tremendous performance as "Doc" Delaney, the bitter medical school dropout who blames his wife for his personal failings which include alcoholism and an extremely callous personality. Moreover, there's no secret why Shirley Booth won her Oscar for Best Actress of 1952 for her role as Lola Delaney. Her performance commands your attention as she masterfully portrays the character of Lola Delaney struggling with her own issues while trying to keep their marriage as stable as possible.

Unfortunately for the Delaneys, their fragile world is turned upside down when they rent a room to young college student Marie Buckholder, who stirs feelings of true passion in Mr. Delaney and motherly feelings in Lola Delaney. Eventually the Delaneys must confront their true yet previously unacknowledged feelings not just within themselves but also to each other. They try to deal with the pain of their rather serious issues resulting in their lives not working out the way they hoped it would. Lola Delaney has the extra burden of having to accept the loss of their dog Sheba; Lola had been very attached to Sheba who represented for her the child she never had. In addition, all this takes place as Marie, the young boarder for whom "Doc" develops feelings, enjoys her youth as she flirts with a muscle boy and studies at a nearby university.

Will Marie and "Doc" Delaney ever share romantic time together? Will the Delaneys deal successfully with their problems? Can "Doc" Delaney stay away from drink when the going gets rough as he realizes that Marie cannot really replace his dowdy and aging wife Lola? What might happen if he did revert to drinking again? Will Sheba be found and returned to Lola Delaney? No spoilers here, folks; you'll have to watch the movie to find out!

Burt Lancaster and Shirley Booth portray Doc Delaney and Lola Delaney with a great deal of sensitivity; they throw themselves into their acting roles do deeply that you will be convinced by their acting every step of the way through the picture. Burt Lancaster's acting in particular leaves you on the edge of your seat at all the right moments during this film. Moreover, Terry Moore positively shines as the young Marie Buckholder who makes "Doc" Delaney (or, Mr. Delaney) experience romantic passion for the first time in many years.

The choreography exceeds my expectations with many characters moving about the screen in several scenes, all of them doing what they were directed to do so well at all times. The cinematography reflects good judgment; the camera gets moved about very deftly by Daniel Mann and his crew to portray the exact image and conjure up the precise emotions they want their audience to experience at all times.

Unfortunately, the DVD comes without any extras. The most you get is a scene selection feature which of course is standard on just about all commercially released DVDs of today. The movie stands so strong, however, that is disappointment is comparatively minor and I will only take off one star for this problem to make this a four star DVD review.

I highly recommend this film for classic movie buffs and people who enjoy superlative dramatic performances.

Powerful drama........2006-09-07

This is a powerful drama. Lancaster plays a sort of Jeckyll and Hyde character named "Doc": calm and refined when sober, angry and dangerous when drunk. The scene in which, drunk, he attacks his wife, Lola, is harrowing. I've seen few scenes to beat it in terms of intensity and believability. Doc buries his disappointments in drink and harbors a deep suspicion of women's sexuality. Indeed, he is obsessed with female purity; thus the fact that Lola was pregnant before their marriage weighs heavily on him, and Doc, like Lola's father, never forgives her for this sexual "mistake." Booth, as Lola, is heartbreakingly poignant. The dominant symbol in the film, Lola's lost dog, Sheba, represents Lola's lost self: her youth and her dreams. Because she has no where to go when Doc becomes "sick" again, she is forced to resign herself to being a housewife who whitewashes her problems just like she gives her wooden ice box a fresh coat of paint.

"You're all I have," Lola says to Doc at the end of the film. "You're all I ever had." Booth's genius in that scene is most evident. I once read that Inge, the author of the play on which this film is based, was an alcoholic himself and believed that each woman should always stand by her man. But one look at Booth's performance makes it clear that Booth didn't think so. Booth's Lola is desolate at the end of this film. Her mother and father won't take her in and her neighbor's only advice is "keep busy." This, Lola will do, as she must, as she has no choice, but at a high cost.

The first time I saw this film I was 12 or 13 years old. I'm 50 now. I just watched it again tonight. I cried.

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