The Long, Hot Summer (1958)

I find it impossible to believe this isn’t another straight-up Tennessee Williams adaptation featuring Paul Newman. All drawn-out Mississippi drawls, extra large estates, and familial dramas, it even contains the stereotypical bloated patriarch, here played with extra ham and bad makeup by Orson Welles. Newman is all sparkle and charm as the alleged criminal who comes to town, who ends up driving a further wedge into the father-son relationship between Welles and Anthony Franciosa. It’s great as always to see Paul’s chemistry with Joanne Woodward, though I really wish someone would have ruffled up her hair at some point during the movie. Though under-utilized, Angela Lansbury and Lee Remick bring quality to their small roles.