A stage director and an aspiring actress find romance working together, until he becomes a solo success and she quickly morphs into a jealous, domineering python. José Ferrer directed and stars in this rather inefficient and artificial soap opera, adapted from Joseph A. Kramm's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. The dramatic thrust of the flashback-oriented material seems to be absent: all we have to look forward to is the shattering of the man's self-confidence by his over-controlling spouse. June Allyson campaigned for the role of the villainous wife; she does a commendable job, but she's a hard worker here rather than a convincingly cast actress. After preview audiences disapproved of the tough original ending, it was softened to appease Allyson's fans. Nifty titles design by Saul Bass. ** from ****
Review of The Shrike
