What's up with the actors playing the Cheevers? Helene Millard, who plays Mrs. Beth Cheever was born in 1906. Robert Montgomery, playing her son Doug/Jack was born in 1904! Mom is two years younger than her son? I don't know who did the casting for this, but they must have known people would notice.
shareThe whole point was that Mrs. Cheever kept herself youthful looking while Lally's mother allowed herself to become frumpy and overweight.
shareHaving watched the movie and not looked at the actors ages, I wuold not have known. Their real ages do not matter, as long as their looks fit the roles then need. I don't think in 1929 they were thinking about people checking IMDB, lol.
Age is really unimportant. There will always be people that look young or old for their ages, and what is more important is that it comes across the way the director wants on the screen.
Horse puckey. There is never ever a male actor who is cast as the father of a daughter older than himself or asked to play the love interest of someone 25 years older than he. It is always women who are cast in roles for women decades older than their true age--because of Hollywood's pernicious belief that females ought not to age--if they cared, they'd stay younger than their children!
The only thing frumpy about the wife here were her ill-fitting dress, poor-fitting underwear and grey hair--and her wandering husband had hair not just greying but white as can be! The mistress had as much extra weight on her behind, she just wore undergarments that smoothed her figure and while Lally's mom dresses in long-sleeved black dresses, while the mistress wore sleeveless dresses of bright colors and patterns. And the mistress had her hair dyed platinum blonde and styled, and wore makeup.... Finally, the mistress was bossy, not in teary "woe is me" mode---because no one stole her beloved husband, breaking up her family. She did that herself.
I was thinking this was a misprint myself, but imdb has Helene Millard's birth and death dates, so she could not be mid 40's as I thought she was. I did notice they did no close ups of her or let you get a good look at her or else it would be obvious she was younger than Norma Shearer! She usually was shot at a distance or with her back to the camera.
Norma was very youthful looking for many years..she aged quite well..Better than Bette or Joan.
share[deleted]