Main Cast: Montgomery Clift, Robert Ryan, Myrna Loy, Dolores Hart, Maureen Stapleton
Release Year: 1958
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
Plot
For his film directorial debut, producer Dore Schary selected a longtime pet property: Miss Lonelyhearts, Nathaniel West's trenchant 1933 novel. Montgomery Clift delivers a haunting performance as journalist Adam White, assigned by his cynical editor Adam Shrike (Robert Ryan) to take over a newspaper advice column. Signing himself Miss Lonelyhearts, White is appalled by the human misery pouring out of the letters sent to him (one of his correspndents was born without a nose), but Shrike insists that anyone who'd write to such a column is fake. To find out for himself, White looks up one of the correspondents, unhappily married Fay Doyle (Oscar-nominated Maureen Stapleton). His pity for the seriously disturbed Fay nearly leads to tragedy (in the novel, there's no "nearly"). Meanwhile, Shrike tries to contend with his own tottering marriage to his wife Florence (Myrna Loy). In additional to shortening the title to Lonelyhearts, Dore Schary made a number of radical changes in the original, adding an overabundance of "meaningful" dialogue and softening the character of Florence Shrike. Purists were enraged by Schary's liberties, while critics carped at his perfunctory direction; audiences, however, seemed to like the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Nathanael West's novel on which this film was based was adapted for the screen in 1933 as Advice to the Lovelorn starring Lee Tracy. It was made by 20th Century Pictures and distributed by United Artists, directed by Alfred L. Werker from a screenplay by Leonard Praskins. The film was more of a comedy-drama than this version.
In 1957, the novel was adapted into a stage play entitled Miss Lonelyhearts by Howard Teichmann. It opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre on October 3, 1957 in a production directed by Alan Schneider and designed by Jo Mielziner. It ran for only twelve performances.
Plot summary
The story opens on the small town street. A man throws a bundle of papers onto the sidewalk from the back of a truck labeled "Chronicle". Clift is sitting in a bar when a woman offers him a drink. He refuses, telling her how alcohol seems to be poisonous to him. After a talking with her for a while he finds out that she is married to the editor of the paper where he is hoping to work. The editor shows up to meet his wife only to find her talking to Monty. When he asks how Monty found him, Monty says, "I heard that there was a bar where newspaper people hang out. I came here since it is the closest to the Chronicle, the only paper in town." The Mrs. tells that Monty can write and that he deserves the chance to prove it. Ryan says, "O.K., so write!" Clift hems and haws momentarily, but then delivers the following story: "The Chronincle is pleased to announce the addition of a new member to our staff. He met the Editor in Chief, who went so far as to insult his own wife in an effort to provoke the new staff member. Instead of punching the editor in the face, he accepted a position on the paper.
