Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Martin Bradley Shirley Booth was 54 when she won the Academy Award as Best Actress for her performance as Lola in the screen version of William Inge's "Come Back, Little Sheba". It was also her screen debut in a role that had previously won her a Tony on the stage and, quite frankly, she was magnificent. It launched her on a short-lived movie career and a slightly longer career on television. It's a fine film, well directed by Daniel Mann and adapted by Ketti Frings and it has three other good performances from Burt Lancaster as the alcoholic Doc, Terry Moore as the young lodger who, unwittingly, is the cause of Doc's hitting the bottle again and Richard Jaeckel as the athletic stud Moore is dallying with. Admittedly Lancaster, who at 39 was 15 years younger than Booth, isn't really right for his role, (he was too young for starters), but he handles it very effectively. Nevertheless, this is Booth's show. If she had never done anything else on screen she would still have earned her place in the pantheon of great performances.

flarepilot Look Carefully at the scenes involving the automobile, in some scenes the passenger side front windshield is missing to allow for better filming without glare.Beyond this, the movie is a fine example of real film making. Shirley Booth is incredible. At the ambassador east hotel in chicago, they named all the booths after famous celebrities. One of the booths is simply named: SHIRLEY.I seem to recall that DOC is actually a chiropractor though he wanted to be a medical doctor.There is a non musical version of "HELLO DOLLY" called, "THE MATCHMAKER" and Shirley Booth is wonderful in this film too. Far better than Barbara Streisand in the musical version.

Dalbert Pringle If nothing else - I think that this stark, sad, and very despairing drama (that touches on such subject matter as - alcoholism, bad marriages, loneliness, and youthful lust) is well-worth a view since it gives the spectator a very clear idea of the distinctive and dynamic acting-styles of the early-1950s.In particular - This 1952 film (which was adapted from a stage play of the same name) seems to exemplify that era of movie-making quite commendably as it attempts to faithfully portray "realism" without the usual Hollywood fluff & glamour thrown into the mix.Yes. This film contains its fair share of both terrific, as well as terrible moments - But, in the long run, I'd say that it hit its intended mark more often than it missed.54 years old at the time, actress Shirley Booth was, to me, quite believable in her part as Lola Delaney, the gabby, frumpy, lonely wife of Doc Delaney, a secretly resentful, recovering alcoholic.This would be Booth's first film as an actress (though she had performed on stage for many years prior). For her in-depth portrayal as Lola, she won an Oscar for "Best Actress".

bob-790-196018 She talks too much, she's sloppy, she spends her days longing for her lost puppy, her lost youth, and the fantasy worlds portrayed on daytime radio. Why is it, then, that my heart aches for Lola Delaney? In part, because playwright William Inge understands the loneliness and repression that afflict many ordinary lives, but mostly because Shirley Booth brings Lola so vividly to life.There is much not to like in this film, starting with the miscasting (widely noted by reviewers) of Burt Lancaster as Lola's husband Doc. In spite of the gray touch-up at his temples, Lancaster looks too young, strong, and vigorous to be Lola's husband, let alone a recovering alcoholic.Also out of place in this story are the young people, played by Terry Moore and Richard Jaeckel, who get a lot of screen time. While Lola and Doc are complex characters that one takes seriously, Marie and Turk are stereotypical older teens. Terry Moore's character is, however, something of a tease, which may be why she was nominated for a supporting actress Oscar.Another problem is the ending, with its abrupt shift to a more hopeful outlook, with Lola changing her ways and Doc suddenly tender--this after chasing after her with a kitchen knife a few weeks earlier.Nevertheless, the film is well worth seeing--for Shirley Booth.