Shirley Jones is perhaps one of the most underrated actresses in Hollywood. After Gantry, she was unable to achieve the success she deserved after her Oscar nab. Watch The Partridge Family and see for yourself - her performances are solid on T.V. as well. Kudos to you Ms. Jones for making Elmer Gantry the classic it is!
shareI agree. It's hard to play a cheap hooker without looking foolish or cartoonish. She played it well: sexy, yet vulnerable. Hard but with a conscience. Did I mention Sexy?
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In what way was Shirley Jones "unable to achieve success"? An A-level leading film star for a decade [1955-1965, with ELMER GANTRY falling directly in the middle], followed by 40 years splitting her time between family, theatre, concerts, film and television. 50+ years of success and counting - not too shabby! :)
Cheers!
Though Burt Lancaster gave a fantastic performance and Jean Simmons played her role well, Shirley Jones really made this film memorable for me. It's great to see how diverse she was- previously, I had only seen her in Carousel..!
shareI thought Shirley Jones was excellent in The Music Man - at least as good as she was in Elmer Gantry. I think the prostitute role just garnered her more attention than the much-tamer Marian the librarian.
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