Come Back, Little Sheba (1952)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Shirley Booth had already won a Tony for William Inge's focus on a married couple's problems when she made her film debut with the movie version (for which she won an Academy Award). "Come Back, Little Sheba" is a hard-hitting look at the couple's sexual frustration (apparently a common theme in Inge's works) and inability to be what was supposed to be the "proper" husband and wife. Although it has the feel of a play, there are some intense scenes. Along with Booth, Burt Lancaster turns in an outstanding performance, as expected.All in all, a fine piece of work. It's a shame that Shirley Booth only starred in a few movies after this.

Playright William Inge had something of a penchant for the catalyst, employing them to good effect in Picnic, Bus Stop and, of course, in this play. Whilst Tennessee Williams is arguably a better dramatist he doesn't always translate to the screen as well as Inge who had four solid successes with the three mentioned above plus The Dark At The Top Of The Stairs, even Ted Williams didn't hit like that. It is, of course, Shirley Booth - in her film debut - who carries the film though Burt Lancaster is solid in support playing much older than his real age. Trivia buffs will relish the fact that Humphrey Bogart lobbied for the part of Doc and was nearer to the correct age than Lancaster; this is only trivia if you know that Booth made her stage debut in 1925 opposite Bogie. This is a fine film that stands up well after more than sixty years.

If nothing else - I think that this stark, sad, and very despairing drama (that touches on such subject matter as - alcoholism, bad marriages, loneliness, and youthful lust) is well-worth a view since it gives the spectator a very clear idea of the distinctive and dynamic acting-styles of the early-1950s.In particular - This 1952 film (which was adapted from a stage play of the same name) seems to exemplify that era of movie-making quite commendably as it attempts to faithfully portray "realism" without the usual Hollywood fluff & glamour thrown into the mix.Yes. This film contains its fair share of both terrific, as well as terrible moments - But, in the long run, I'd say that it hit its intended mark more often than it missed.54 years old at the time, actress Shirley Booth was, to me, quite believable in her part as Lola Delaney, the gabby, frumpy, lonely wife of Doc Delaney, a secretly resentful, recovering alcoholic.This would be Booth's first film as an actress (though she had performed on stage for many years prior). For her in-depth portrayal as Lola, she won an Oscar for "Best Actress".

'Come Back Little Sheba' is the story of a recovering alcoholic's (Lancaster as 'Doc Delaney') falling off the wagon, then back on again. His lapse is prompted by the appearance of a student lodger (Moore as 'Marie') whose flirting with a bad boy (Jaeckel as 'Turk') arouses Doc's lust and jealousy. Presumably because this was 1952, there is a lot of understatement of the passions that actually might be going on, but the scenes of Turk assaulting Marie, and Doc spewing his bitterness at Lola (Shirley Booth) are still powerful, and Burt's struggle not to pick up the bottle is good.Shirley Booth's performance is slightly over the top, and there's never any doubt that you're watching a stage performance, but it's a professional, consistent turn. The trouble is that Burt Lancaster's acting for the screen in a much more restrained way, and you do wonder what a cool, if wooden, dude like him is doing with a somewhat irritating frump like Lola (in spite of her implausibly being referred to as 'Pretty Lola' more than once). At first I was expecting Lola to be the one reaching for the booze as soon as Doc had gone to work, but alas there are no such twists or deconstructions in this movie. It's straight down the line, and the only suspense comes from wondering when Doc is going to reach for that Bourbon he's kept in the kitchen for a year. When he does, sparks fly gratifyingly enough.The teen characters and their plot are straight out of a McGraw-Hill public information short, often forgetting to act properly (see Bruce in the dinner scene), and while Lola's phone call to her mother telling of her unhappiness is effective, Doc's return and the resumption of suburban bliss is very weak and relies on sentimentality.'Come Back Little Sheba' portrays an abused woman's mundane heroism and does enough to get by, but whether you enjoy it will depend on whether you buy Shirley Booth's old-school performance. In 1952 it was probably quite moving; in 2012 it's a little bit grating.