Everyone in this small Kansas city desperately needs a picnic. Down and out, Hal Carter (William Holden) just rolled into town off a freight train in search of his rich college buddy, Alan Benson (Cliff Robertson), with the hope that Alan's old man, who owns a lucrative grain company, will offer him a job. First, however, Hal stumbles upon Alan's beautiful girlfriend, Madge Owens (Kim Novak), and they click from the moment their eyes first meet, forcing Madge to question her relationship with Alan, which can't be much. Madge's kid sister, Millie (Susan Strasberg), is the family intellectual and strongly resents that Madge attracts so much attention based solely on her looks, which Millie considers superficially shallow. Flo, as the single mother of the girls, is worried about her ability to raise them, but it's probably too late to be fussing about that by now. And what about Miss Rosemary (Rosalind Russell), the local high school teacher who has boarded in Flo's rooming house for what seems to be forever? Frustrated that her confirmed bachelor boyfriend, Howard Bevans (Arthur O'Connell), refuses to propose to her, Rosemary sadly observes life passing her by. Even the goofy paper boy (Nick Adams) is unfulfilled as Madge won't give him the correct time of day, let alone anything else.
That big, community gala can't come soon enough, but instead of providing relief to these folks, it becomes a tinder box from where all of their very human disappointments and frustrations explode into the deceptively tranquil Kansas atmosphere. And then comes that sizzling summer dance to the intoxicating "Picnic" theme song, written by George Duning, that impressed me so much as a seven year old kid glued to his tiny, transistor radio in 1956. Holden and Novak insisted that they couldn't dance a single step, so never, ever underestimate the magical powers of Hollywood.
Regrettably, many of you young whippersnappers can't appreciate the painstaking efforts of a gifted photographer, James Wong Howe, to produce such a remarkable tribute to 1950's rural America, which we will never experience again, as he surely accomplished here. I have always appreciated the effective use of transportation modes, especially trains, by film directors, and Joshua Logan, with the help of Mr. Howe, provides one of the best transportation scenes in cinematic history at the end of this movie, but I will say no more about it.
Why do so many reviewers believe that Holden at age 37 was too old for the part of drifter Hal Carter? At the ripe old age of 69, I'm still drifting through life, but I'll never catch Kim Novak along the way. I already know that by now. What totally lacks credibility for me is Hal's and Alan's friendship, regardless of their ages. Upon what was that based? Speaking for myself, I could never keep up with the rich kids in college and didn't even try. And what's the bit with Holden and Robertson feeling the urge to shave their chests? I always thought that women found hairy chests sexy, but what would I know?
Aside from her physical beauty, Kim Novak always intrigued me by the undefinable mystique that lied beyond her outward loveliness. In my humble view, she was only permitted to make the best use of her seductive charm here and as Judy Barton two years later in "Vertigo". And guess where Judy Barton's hometown was? Salina, Kansas, where much of this film was produced. With thousands of towns all over America, that could not have been mere coincidence, could it?
Holden and Novak make an irresistibly attractive couple, and I thank Mr. Logan for having the guts to go with Holden over the other options. The rest of the cast is outstanding as well, especially Russell and O'Donnell, who will always be among my favorites. Two unforgettable scenes are Russell's drunken, exasperated eruption and the moment of O'Connell's realization that, at long last, he has been helplessly corralled by Miss Rosemary and will soon be headed to that long overdue Ozarks honeymoon in the same black 1950 Fordor that was owned by Tom and Betsy Rath in "Man in the Grey Flannel Suit", produced in the same year. They can't keep a good, solid car down for long, can they?
That big, community gala can't come soon enough, but instead of providing relief to these folks, it becomes a tinder box from where all of their very human disappointments and frustrations explode into the deceptively tranquil Kansas atmosphere. And then comes that sizzling summer dance to the intoxicating "Picnic" theme song, written by George Duning, that impressed me so much as a seven year old kid glued to his tiny, transistor radio in 1956. Holden and Novak insisted that they couldn't dance a single step, so never, ever underestimate the magical powers of Hollywood.
Regrettably, many of you young whippersnappers can't appreciate the painstaking efforts of a gifted photographer, James Wong Howe, to produce such a remarkable tribute to 1950's rural America, which we will never experience again, as he surely accomplished here. I have always appreciated the effective use of transportation modes, especially trains, by film directors, and Joshua Logan, with the help of Mr. Howe, provides one of the best transportation scenes in cinematic history at the end of this movie, but I will say no more about it.
Why do so many reviewers believe that Holden at age 37 was too old for the part of drifter Hal Carter? At the ripe old age of 69, I'm still drifting through life, but I'll never catch Kim Novak along the way. I already know that by now. What totally lacks credibility for me is Hal's and Alan's friendship, regardless of their ages. Upon what was that based? Speaking for myself, I could never keep up with the rich kids in college and didn't even try. And what's the bit with Holden and Robertson feeling the urge to shave their chests? I always thought that women found hairy chests sexy, but what would I know?
Aside from her physical beauty, Kim Novak always intrigued me by the undefinable mystique that lied beyond her outward loveliness. In my humble view, she was only permitted to make the best use of her seductive charm here and as Judy Barton two years later in "Vertigo". And guess where Judy Barton's hometown was? Salina, Kansas, where much of this film was produced. With thousands of towns all over America, that could not have been mere coincidence, could it?
Holden and Novak make an irresistibly attractive couple, and I thank Mr. Logan for having the guts to go with Holden over the other options. The rest of the cast is outstanding as well, especially Russell and O'Donnell, who will always be among my favorites. Two unforgettable scenes are Russell's drunken, exasperated eruption and the moment of O'Connell's realization that, at long last, he has been helplessly corralled by Miss Rosemary and will soon be headed to that long overdue Ozarks honeymoon in the same black 1950 Fordor that was owned by Tom and Betsy Rath in "Man in the Grey Flannel Suit", produced in the same year. They can't keep a good, solid car down for long, can they?