Main Cast: Deborah Kerr, John Kerr, Leif Erickson, Edward Andrews, Darryl Hickman
Release Year: 1956
Country: US
Run Time: 122 minutes
Plot
1956's Tea and Sympathy is a diluted filmization of Robert Anderson's Broadway play. The original production was considered quite daring in its attitudes towards homosexuality (both actual and alleged) and marital infidelity; the film softpedals these elements, as much by adding to the text as by subtracting from it. John Kerr plays a sensitive college student who prefers the arts to sports; as such, he is ridiculed as a "sissy" by his classmates and hounded mercilessly by his macho-obsessed father Edward Andrews. Only student Darryl Hickman treats Kerr with any decency, perceiving that being different is not the same as being effeminate. Deborah Kerr, the wife of testosterone-driven housemaster Leif Erickson, likewise does her best to understand rather than condemn John for his "strangeness." Desperate to prove his manhood, John is about to visit town trollop Norma Crane. Though nothing really happens, the girl cries "rape!" Both John's father and Deborah's husband adopt a thick-eared "Boys will be boys" attitude, which only exacerbates John's insecurities. Feeling pity for John and at the same time resenting her own husband's boorishness, Deborah offers her own body to the mixed-up boy. "When you speak of this in future years...and you will...be kind." With this classic closing line, the original stage production of Tea and Sympathy came to an end. Fearing censorship interference, MGM insisted upon a stupid epilogue, indicating that Deborah Kerr deeply regretted her "wrong" behavior. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Plays and films that deal with daring subject matter tend not to age well. This is especially true of films; a play thought to be dated can be revived in a startling new production that sheds new light on it, but a film is frozen forever on celluloid, with all its flaws (and assets) intact. Tea and Sympathy was considered very bold in its day, commenting as it does on homosexuality, notions of masculinity and femininity, and the loneliness that can exist between two people in a typical marriage. Now, the topics are no longer fresh, which harms the film; however, Robert Anderson's skillful and sensitive writing manages to shine through the basic subject matter. Vincente Minnelli does a fine job, directing the actors to savor small and telling moments. He also allows a considerable amount of sexual tension into the film, something Minnelli tended to treat with kid gloves. The cast serves the material very well. Deborah Kerr was born to play the role, bringing essential warmth, generosity and sadness to the role. The audience aches as it watches her discovering truths about herself and her marriage that are difficult to take. John Kerr hits all the right notes as the misunderstood boy, and Leif Ericson is fine, if a bit overblown, as the husband. Not a classic, there's still a good deal to admire in Tea and Sympathy. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Norma Crane - Ellie Martin; Dean Jones - Ollie; Jacqueline De Wit - Lilly Sears; Tom Laughlin - Ralph; Ralph Votrian - Steve; Steve Terrell - Phil; Kip King - Ted; Jimmy Hayes - Henry; Richard Tyler - Roger; Don Burnett - Vic; Robert Alexander - Pat; Paul Bryar - Alex; Del Erickson - Ferdie; Sol (Saul) Gorss; Harry Harvey, Jr.; Mary Ellen Hokanson - Mary Williams; Byron Kane - Umpire; Ron Kennedy - Dick; Peter Leeds - Headmaster at Bonfire; Dale Van Sickel - Burly Man; Robert Ellis - Boy; Peter Miller - Pete
Tom Robinson Lee, a 17-year old student at a boy's prep school, is at odds with the other boys who like sports, talking about girls, and listening to pop music. Tom prefers classical music, reads books, can sew, goes to the theater, and generally seems to be more at ease in the company of women.
The other boys torment him for his "unmanly" qualities and call him "sister boy", and he is treated ruthlessly by his father, Herb Lee, who believes a man should be manly. Only Al, also a student at the prep school, treats Tom with any decency, perceiving that being different is not the same as being emasculate. This turbulence is noticed by Laura Reynolds, the young wife of the House Master Bill Reynolds. She tries to build a connection with the young man, eventually even falling in love with him, presumably because of his similarity to her first husband John, who was killed in World War II.
The situation escalates when Tom visits the local prostitute to dispel the rumors about his sexuality, but is unable to have intercourse with her. This failure prompts him to attempt suicide and he also has to leave the school because of his visit with her. He and Laura eventually have sex, prompting Laura to leave her husband.
The film opens and closes ten years into the future, when the adult Tom, who is now a successful writer and also married, visits his college at a reunion.
Analysis
The character of Tom can be interpreted to be either homosexual or maybe just a somewhat effeminate heterosexual. Since the Hays code was in effect when the film was produced, this possibility of a double reading was probably intentional. While some believe the central message of the film is that it is OK to be different, others interpret the story to be a surrender to conformity, since Tom turns out to be straight, or "normal."
In addition to Tom, the movie also features two other characters whose possible homosexual tendencies are delineated in such a subtle way that their portrayals may have been under the radar for 1950s audiences as well as censors: The first character is Tom's roommate, who, while a jock, does not have any experiences with girls nor apparently any eagerness to make them and who also defends Tom in a way that suggests sexual attraction. Being too simple-minded to enjoy Tom's pursuits like classical music or to consciously recognize his own hidden motivations, he is also somewhat protected from closer scrutiny by his surroundings as he seems to be like the other boys at the surface.
The second character is Bill, Laura's second husband, who seems to have lost all sexual interest in his wife after their first few weeks of marriage and now prefers to be together with her as little as possible in lieu of hanging out "with the boys". It is suggested that Bill also experienced a sexual identity crisis in his teenage years and at one point he even jokes that his outward appearance of heterosexual masculinity is a built-up façade. In the play, there is also a final confrontation between him and Laura about his latent homosexuality. So while Tom Lee is the obvious target for harassment because of his actual or presumed homosexuality, the movie also presents other characters who have "adapted" to society's expectations despite their apparent sexual inclinations.
References
The Beck song Sexx Laws refers to song in the line thank them for the tea and sympathy.
