Splendor in the Grass (1961)

It's 1928 in oil rich southeast Kansas. High school seniors Bud Stamper and Deanie Loomis are in love with each other. Bud, the popular football captain, and Deanie, the sensitive soul, are "good" kids who have only gone as far as kissing. Unspoken to each other, they expect to get married to each other one day. But both face pressures within the relationship, Bud who has the urges to go farther despite knowing in his heart that if they do that Deanie will end up with a reputation like his own sister, Ginny Stamper, known as the loose, immoral party girl, and Deanie who will do anything to hold onto Bud regardless of the consequences. They also face pressures from their parents who have their own expectation for their offspring. Bud's overbearing father, Ace Stamper, the local oil baron, does not believe Bud can do wrong and expects him to go to Yale after graduation, which does not fit within Bud's own expectations for himself. And the money and image conscious Mrs. Loomis just wants Deanie to get married as soon as possible to Bud so that Deanie will have a prosperous life in a rich family. When Bud makes a unilateral decision under these pressures, it leads to a path which affects both his and Deanie's future.

Cast and Crew:

Director(s):

Elia Kazan

Writer(s):

William Inge

Starring:

Natalie Wood, Pat Hingle, Audrey Christie, Barbara Loden, Zohra Lampert, Warren Beatty, Fred Stewart, Joanna Roos, John McGovern, Jan Norris, Martine Bartlett, Gary Lockwood, Sandy Dennis, Crystal Field, Marla Adams, Lynn Loring, Phyllis Diller, Sean Garrison, Martin Abrahams, Jim Antonio, Lou Antonio, Buster Bailey, Frances Beck, Godfrey Cambridge, Carlos Cortés, Dolores Costello, Robert Downing, Andrew Duggan, Ivor Francis, Larry Gaynes, Hoke Howell, William Inge, Phoebe Mackay, Charles Matthews, Jennifer Merin, Kermit Murdock, Conrad Nagel, Charles Robinson, Eugene Roche, Mark Slade, Iris Whitney, Lincoln Kilpatrick

Producer(s):

William Inge, Elia Kazan, Charles H. Maguire

Release Info:

Release Date: October 10, 1961 (USA) | Length: 124 min | Genre: Drama | Certificate: Approved | Note(s): The black people in this film only appear for a moment. Above is the NYC premiere date. The film had a limited viewing on August 25, 1961 (USA). Thanks to the guys over at the Black Film History Group, I was able to identify Lincoln Kilpatrick as the other chauffeur standing to the right of Godfrey Cambridge. Next I should take a stab at identifying the guy to his left.

Media:

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External Links

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