The Goddess (1958) | Directed by John Cromwell

A lonely, emotionally neglected girl grows up chasing the dream of Hollywood glamour. She changes her name, remakes her image, and becomes a major movie star adored by millions. But fame doesn’t fix what’s broken inside, and her private life spirals through damaging relationships, isolation, and a mounting psychological crisis.

Genre: Drama (Hollywood stardom character study; often discussed alongside film noir-era “fallen idol” dramas)

Director: John Cromwell

John Cromwell (1886–1979) was an American stage-trained director who became a respected Hollywood craftsman from the early sound era onward. He directed acclaimed dramas and literary adaptations and was known for actor-focused storytelling and emotional realism. His credits span decades, with notable films including Of Human Bondage (1934) and The Prisoner of Zenda (1937). The Goddess is one of his later films and reflects a more modern, psychologically driven style of late-1950s drama.

Star Cast:

Kim Stanley as Emily Ann Faulkner / Rita Shawn

Lloyd Bridges as Dutch Seymour

Steven Hill as John Tower

Betty Lou Holland as Laureen Faulkner

Bert Freed as Lester Brackman

Elizabeth Wilson as Harding

Joan Copeland as Alice Marie

Joyce Van Patten as Hillary

Joanne Linville as Joanna

Patty Duke as Emily Ann (age 8)

At the time, it drew attention for its serious, unsparing look at the machinery of celebrity and the inner costs of stardom, with particular praise for Kim Stanley’s intense performance and Paddy Chayefsky’s writing. In later years, reactions have stayed divided: some viewers admire its ambition and rawness, while others find it heavy, solemn, and uneven in pacing. It remains a “talked-about” drama rather than a universally loved classic.

Fun Facts:

Screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky, and it received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

Kim Stanley’s performance is often singled out as the film’s powerhouse element; the movie is built around her in a near-total character focus.

Patty Duke appears as the lead character in childhood, years before her best-known starring roles.

The film is structured in distinct sections (often described as three “portraits”) tracing the character’s evolution from girlhood to celebrity.

Music is by Virgil Thomson, a notable American composer whose involvement is a little unexpected for a Hollywood “star-system critique” drama.

The story has long been compared to real-life Hollywood biographies; different critics have linked it to multiple mid-century star narratives rather than a single exact model.

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