A Vanity Project for Sinatra; MacLaine saving light
Some Came Running is clearly a vanity spotlight for Frank Sinatra. He plays himself the entire time, and while that can be OK for actors like some singers turned actors (eg Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga)- here it feels almost too contrived. Sinatra plays his scenes like he's biting his tongue the entire time, and based on reports that he had a viscous temper- you can tell the set was probably not pleasant.
With that being said, there's a lot to like here. Shirley MacLaine, who should have been a supporting actress nominee vs lead, has a lot of life in her hooker with the heart of Gold routine that would take her through the next 2 decades of movies, minus her best works in The Children's Hour (1961) and Terms of Endearment (1983, Oscar winner). Dean Martin however, seems like he's competing with Sinatra to be the coolest dude in the room. And they competed like this off set too.
The production design is flawless. The costumes are nice. I loved the neighborhood he returns too, and yet it still feels like it's all taking place on a back studio lot. Sinatra, who won an Oscar for acting in From Here to Eternity (a much better performance) plays most the movie drinking and handing out dollar bills to prove he's "a man's man". The best line he gets centers around his drinking. When the school teacher asks him if he drinks a lot, he quips "only when I have money."
Some Came Running was directed by Vincent Minnelli (An American in Paris, Meet Me In St Louis)- who was renown for bringing such beautiful aesthetic values to his pictures. In 1958, he directed another movie, Gigi, that is completely different from Some Came Running- and won Best Picture and his (long overdue) directing Oscar.
I can appreciate Some Came Running as a sort of Reunion Movie for Frank because back in the 50s and 60s he was the most famous entertainer of his time. But I still feel he had the whole cast and crew on eggshells. Only MacLaine's feisty presence elevates this otherwise depressing story.
FINAL GRADE: B