Main Cast: Lana Turner, John Forsythe, Ricardo Montalban, Burgess Meredith, Constance Bennett
Release Year: 1966
Country: US
Run Time: 100 minutes
Plot
Lana Turner takes the lead in the seventh film version of Alexandre Bisson's glossy soap opera. Holly Parker (Turner) is married to respected diplomat Clay Anderson (John Forsythe), but his busy schedule prevents them from seeing each other very often. Distracted and lonely, Holly allows her head to be turned by carefree playboy Phil Benton (Ricardo Montalban), who dies in a freak accident during an assignation. In a panic, Holly contacts her mother-in-law, Estelle Anderson (Constance Bennett) and asks what she should do. Estelle, a joyless woman who has never cared for her daughter-in-law, tells Holly that unless she wants to destroy her husband's life and career, she should flee the country and never return. Tearfully, Holly follows Estelle's advice, leaving behind her young son. Many years later, Holly has fallen on hard times; addicted to drugs, she scrapes out a meager living as a prostitute in a cheap hotel in Mexico. Devious criminal Dan Sullivan (Burgess Meredith) tries to involve Holly in a blackmail scheme; at the last minute, she finds out that Clay is the target, and she kills Sullivan. She cannot afford to hire a lawyer to defend her, so she is assigned a dedicated young public defender, whom she soon recognizes as her son, Clay Anderson, Jr. (Keir Dullea). Not wanting Clay, Jr. to know her true identity, Holly is tried as "Madame X," but she has trouble keeping her composure given the trial and her mixed joy and shame at seeing her son. Madame X was Constance Bennett's first film in 12 years and the last she would ever make; she died of a cerebral hemorrhage shortly after completing her work on the picture, nine months before it was released. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Keir Dullea - Clay Anderson, Jr.; John van Dreelen - Christian Torben; Virginia Grey - Mimsy; Warren Stevens - Michael Spalding; Carl Benton Reid - Judge; Teddy Quinn - Clay, Jr. as a Boy; Frank Maxwell - Dr. Evans; Kaaren Verne - Nurse Riborg; Joe de Santis - Carter; Frank Marth - Detective Combs; Bing Russell - Sgt. Riley; Teno Pollick - Manuel Lopez; Jeff Burton - Bromley; Jill Jackson - Police Matron; Neil Hamilton - Party Guest; Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr. - Patron; Duncan McLeod - Official; Mark Miranda - Mexican Boy; Ruben Moreno; Richard Tretter - Merchant Marine; Byrd Holland - Cronyn, the Butler; Brad Logan; George Dega - Man; Paul Bradley - Dancing Extra
Credit
Alexander Golitzen - Art Director, George C. Webb - Art Director, Jean Louis - Costume Designer, David Lowell Rich - Director, Miton Carruth - Editor, Frank Skinner - Composer (Music Score), Bud Westmore - Makeup, Russell Metty - Cinematographer, Ross Hunter - Producer, Howard Bristol - Set Designer, John McCarthy - Set Designer, Walter Hammond - Special Effects, Jean Holloway - Screenwriter, Alexandre Bisson - Play Author
A lower class woman, Holly Parker (Turner), marries into the rich Anderson family. Her husband's mother (Constance Bennett) looks down on her and keeps a watchful eye on her activities. Due to her husband's frequent and long trips abroad, Holly forms a relationship with a well-known playboy (Ricardo Montalbán). When her lover accidentally dies, and only her mother-in-law knows she is innocent, the latter blackmails her into disappearing into the night during a planned boat trip, leaving her husband (John Forsyth) and young son thinking she has died.
She then slowly sinks into depravity all over the world, only to be brought back to America under false assumptions by a "friend" (Burgess Meredith) who plans on blackmailing her family. When she realizes that the man intends to reveal who she is to her son, she shoots the man to stop him. The police arrest her and refusing to reveal her identity, she signs a confession with the letter "X." As fate would have it, the court assigns a defense attorney who happens to be her long-lost son (Keir Dullea).
In the scene where Holly is being driven up to the mansion, the path leading up is not as long as it looks. It was just shot over and over to appear longer.
Coincidentally, Holly is the name of a former girlfriend of Hugh Hefner, the mansion's owner.
