The beautiful, naïve daughter of a costume seamstress in New York City falls for an older, already-married architect; his rival in society circles, a young multi-millionaire, hopes to woo the girl away, talking her into marriage, but her unwavering affections for his competitor drive him to murder. True life crime case from 1906--Hollywoodized but not energized by 20th Century Fox--comes to the screen a stilted roundelay that may have proved delicious. As part-time model and showgirl Evelyn Nesbit, Joan Collins (stepping in for Marilyn Monroe, who turned down the role) is lovely and touching at times, but seems to have been wiped clean of a personality; only at the very end does she get to show a self-satisfied sparkle. As the two men obsessed with her, Ray Milland and Farley Granger are dull (Granger, pancaked to a fare-thee-well, more so). The supporting players tend to show up the stars, particularly Frances Fuller playing Milland's very patient wife and Glenda Farrell as Collins' mother, a wise old bird. The censors likely curtailed the more sensational aspects of the triangle--and what we have left is unhappy soap opera. The picture looks good in CinemaScope, and has a camp montage of Collins suffering a nervous breakdown while ocean waves and laughing dancers roll across the screen, but it is neither exceptional nor exciting. The story was partially revisited in the 1981 film "Ragtime". ** from ****
