This might well be a true story from Ruth Gordon's point of view but to see it in the movie strains credulity. Talk about self-glamorisation... Jean Simmons, one of the most beautiful stars of all, as Ruth Gordon? And Ruth might well have dumped a boyfriend convinced she was going to be a great actress. But did he look like Anthony Perkins or more like, say, Hume Cronyn? Too much like that movie The Enchanted Cottage.
shareAre you saying a different actress should have been cast in the role; someone less attractive? I didn't think Ruth was a particularly glamorous role. Whatever she actually looked like, she was an uncertain, awkward girl, self-conscious girl. In the Enchanted Cottage, the characters 'saw' things differently than they really were. That wasn’t the case here.
Ruth was confronted by roadblocks and faced discouragement many times; when she went to see the actress, when her father first learned of her plans, and when she was getting ready to leave, but she didn’t let any of that stop her. Ruth wasn’t delusional. She knew she wasn’t a natural in looks or talent; she knew it would be hard work; an uphill struggle, yet she never gave up.
You seem to also take issue with the casting of Fred. I don’t know what the problem is. You do know there are attractive young men in small towns, right? Is it his attraction to Ruth that’s the problem? People are not only attracted to each other on the basis of looks. I don’t think Fred’s looks have anything to do with the story. Then again, maybe Perkins was cast because of his looks.
Ruth turned down a guy who was attractive and had a lot to offer; not some random shlub who had nothing going for him. That should show the strength of her convictions. She demonstrated on many occasions that she liked Fred including when he left that last day. She lingered at the window watching him leave. For a moment, she’s overcome with sadness; probably wondering if she’s doing the right thing but the drive inside her to be on the stage is more powerful. She has to do what she’s called to do.
Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]