The Long, Hot Summer (1958)
Directed by Martin Ritt
Produced by Jerry Wald
Based on stories by William Faulkner
Screenplay written by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr.
Starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Orson Welles, and Angela Lansbury
I won’t lie, Paul Newman is the main reason The Long, Hot Summer tops my movie lists. Not only is he a pleasure to look at on screen but his Southern drawl and bad-boy attitude make him quite swoon worthy. Regardless of what originally caught my attention, The Long, Hot Summer is actually full of a number of talented actors and actresses and a story line that drawls you in whether you want it or not. The movie is what makes me watch it again and again.
The story starts with Paul Newman’s character, Ben Quick (how awesome is that name?) under ‘trial’ for barn burning. You learn that Quick has a bit of a reputation as a barn burner and a barn burner is apparently ‘the meanest, lowest creature there is’. I could think of meaner, lower ones, but I guess everyone has their personal levels. Anyway, Quick escapes from the lack of evidence and the next scene is him walking down a deserted road and you instantly know two things: one, he’s the ‘hero’ and two, he’s not much of one. Your suspicions are confirmed when he hitches a ride with the prim Clara (Joanne Woodward) and the wilder Eula (Lee Rimick). The conversation is edgy with innuendo and an unspoken tension develops almost immediately between Clara and Ben while the oblivious Eula provides comic relief. Clara can sense the danger of Ben, despite his best attempt at appearing harmless and affable. Her wariness of him seems to simultaneously amuse and annoy Ben.
The girls drop him off at the small town of Frenchmen’s Bend, “the most nowhere place in the state of Mississippi” according to the flighty Eula. When asking about work, Quick is directed to the Varner plantation. Once again, he runs into the aloof Clara and her friend Agnes as they rest on the porch. Their conversation prior to Ben’s arrival is quite funny with its cynical one liners and exchanges. You also meet Jody, Clara’s brother and Will Varner’s only son. He’s an amiable but simple fellow and when he meets Quick, it reminds the audience of a lion tolerating a not too bright gazelle. Jody doesn’t even know enough to be concerned. The two agree for Quick to take over a small tenet farm.
Another tense scene follows between Clare and Quick when she brings a rug that he tracked mud on out to his small shack in order for him to clean it. This is their first conversation ‘alone’ together and Clara is willing to be less than socially polite.
Quick: That’s a lot of fuss to be makin’ about a rug, lady. If it’s the rug that’s botherin’ ya.
Clara: What else would it be?
Quick: You correct me if I’m wrong, but I have the feeling I rile you. I mean, me being so mean and dirty and all.
Clara: You’re being personal with me. I’ll be personal with you. I’ve spent my whole life around men who push and shove and shout… and think they can make anything happen just by bein’ aggressive. I’m not anxious to have another one around the place.
The two part with much left unsaid and the next day Will Varner arrives home. Orson Welles did a marvelous job of making Varner a blustering, crafty old man, a force of nature to either withstand or evade. His dialogue and his attempt at a Southern drawl almost makes him unintelligible in some scenes but his motivation comes across with his expression and physical action. Welles had to wear a fake nose during the production and whenever he sweated it would fall off. You can feel his frustration and I don’t think he had to act very much to achieve the emotion.
Varner’s motivation is made clear with the reunion of his children. He has met his mortality in his recent stay at the hospital and he wants a family line to continue his memory. He questions Eula about maternity dresses and berates Clara for not socializing and mingling before bearing down on Jody with a ruthlessness that shows he pulls no punches for family. Only when he learns the identity of who recently rented the tenet farm does he leave with as much thunder and hellfire as when he arrived.
Will Varner, in his own words as he introduces himself to Quick: ”I’m the big landowner and chief moneylender in these parts. I’m commissioner of elections and veterinarian. I own the store and the cotton gin… and the grist mill, the blacksmith shop. It’s considered unlucky for a man to do his tradin’or gin his cotton… or grind his meal or shoe his stock… anywhere else.”
The two men recognize each other for what they are:
Varner: “You’re a young, dangerous man. I’m an old one.”
Varner is impressed by the qualities in Quick that he recognizes in himself- ambition, ruthlessness, and cleverness. Quick is given an opportunity to impress Varner by selling off a herd of horses for him. If he does well, Varner will advance his position to shop clerk. You can see the wheels turning in the old man’s head as he takes in all the angles and you know that it won’t be that simple.
The next scene shows Clara visiting her sometimes caller Alan Stewart (Richard Anderson) at his beautiful, elegant estate. Alan is a true gentlemen and quite proper and genteel- everything Clara’s father is not. The contrast between the two, as well as between Quick, is blatant. Clara shines here though and you have to wonder what is wrong with Alan that he can’t see, or accept, what Clara is clearly offering. You get a sense of ‘momma’s boy’ when his mother walks onto the scene and the audience knows right away Alan is no threat to Quick, much to Clara’a disappointment.
The next day Quick goes to town sell the horses and finds them wild, unbroken, and dangerous. Realizing Varner cheated him, he’s determined to see the deal through. He shows off his skill of salesmanship while Varner watches from Minnie Littlejohn’s (played by a young Angela Lansbury) front porch. Minnie is nearly as big a character as Varner, though much more pleasant and amusing. You get a sense that while Varner thinks he runs the show, she really has it all under control. She reveals her plans of matrimony to a shocked Varner:
Minnie: I made plans, Will. Matrimonial plans.
Varner: Matrimonial plans. Now, you ain’t ever heard me say the word….”matrimony.”
Minnie: Now, I’m willin’ to overlook that.
Meanwhile, Quick manages to sell all the horses to gullible townsfolk, much to Clara’s disapproval. As soon as the gates are open, the horses take off and the poor folks who parted with their money now find themselves with no horse. Varner, impressed by Quick and needing a quick retreat from the persistent Minnie, takes him to a decrepit old mansion from the Civil War, telling him if he plays his cards right, all this could be his. Quick is not impressed, but takes note of the place and of the legends of possibly buried treasure on the grounds. Varner also invites him to dinner, which leads to the next scene.
Dinner is an awkward affair, with thinly veiled barbs from Varner to anyone who presents themselves as a target, but mainly at the elegant Alan Stewart. The exchange between Stewart and Varner causes no end of discomfort for Clara, who is just as impatient with Alan as her father but not wanting to show it. Quick throws another tangle into the mix with Jody’s jealousy emerging, practically provoked by Varner. The meal makes most dysfunctional families look sane. They retire to the front porch for drinks and listen to the young boys from town cat call for Eula. Clara is particularly upset and you can sense her frustration at her life, causing the catalyst for the next scene and the conversation between her and Alan. She makes her desire for him and romance clearly known but he shuts her down offhandedly by complimenting her as a “nice, quiet, self-contained girl”. Schmuck.
Alan leaves early and Varner is called away by Minnie’s maid, leaving Clara and Ben alone on the dark porch. They circle one another warily and Quick makes the proposition Clara’s been secretly wanting but not daring enough to accept.
Ben: Let’s go get in that old Lincoln car of yours and go plow up the countryside. Let’s go holler off a bridge good and loud.
Clara: There’s been enough commotion tonight.
Ben: You want quiet? Let’s go find us a needle in a haystack.
Clara: Mr. Quick, those are all lovely, colorful suggestions… but I’m afraid if I started out to follow you… I would hear the starch in my petticoat begin to rustle… and I’d know I was out of character.
Ben: Get out of character, lady. Come on. Get way out.
Flustered, Clara sends him off and finds herself now having to deal with her father. Varner is not happy with Clara’s lack of amorous prospects- it doesn’t bode well for his plans of immortality through his descendants. Clara pleads with him to look at her as a person and not a broodmare but he’s resolved. He makes it clear that Clara needs to make a move with Alan or Varner will have Quick make a move, whether she wants it or not.
The next day at the store Quick faces trouble with Jody when an older woman asks for her money back for the horse her husband bought. Jody tries to take advantage of the situation to turn the townsfolk against Quick, but fails when Quick handles it with customer service charm. When faced with stronger opposition, Jody turns tail and runs, retreating back to the house and a confused Eula. Even she fails to boost his confidence, leaving him bitter and alone.
That night Clara walks by the store and finds the light still on. She enters and finds Quick still working. The scene is the climax of the tension that has been building between the two. Quick seduces Clara into a kiss and she lets him, but they both underestimate their reactions to it. In a last ditch effort to escape, Clara tosses out the one insult that would get Quick: Barn burner. In Quick’s heated reaction, his first truly emotional scene, you see how much the name coming from Clara hurt him. He runs her off and Varner catches the end of their conversation and is astute enough to read between the lines. He reveals his plan of marriage to Clara to Quick and Quick is surprised, but agreeable, given the money is substantial enough anyway. He insists on taking ownership of the old mansion from earlier immediately. Varner agrees and talks him into moving into the main house.
Now with Quick closer than ever, Clara and Jody both have to deal with him more directly. There’s a heart wrenching scene between Jody and Varner as a son looks for some sign or acknowledgement of affection from his father but is deeply disappointed. Jody sinks into a depression leaving Clara alone to stand against their father as well as the persistent Mr. Quick. The next day at the Church bazaar he bids a winning bid of $50 for her picnic basket. The two share a tense conversation rather than a picnic and Clara makes a stand.
Clara: Mr. Quick, I am a human being. Do you know what that means? It means I set a price on myself, a high, high price. You may be surprised to know it… but I’ve got quite a lot to give. I’ve got things I have been savin’ up my whole life… things like love and understanding and… and jokes and good times and good cooking. I’m prepared to be the queen of Sheba for some lucky man… or at the very least, the best wife that any man could hope for. Now, that’s my human history… and it’s not gonna be bought and sold… and it’s certainly not gonna be given away to any passin’ stranger.
Ben: All right. Then run, lady. And you keep on runnin’! Buy yourself a bus ticket and disappear. Change your name, dye your hair, get lost! And then maybe… just maybe… you’re gonna be safe from me.
Alan steps in to take her back to the bazaar, ending the conversation and Clara once again attempts to incite some kind of emotional confirmation from him. She is disappointed and ultimately accepts that Alan Stewart is not the man for her. Meanwhile, Jody takes advantage of Quick’s seclusion and attempts to force him out of town with a gun. Quick proves too clever for the simple Jody though, and tricks the boy into following him to the old mansion to search for buried treasure. They find a bag of silver dollars and Jody buys the property from Quick outright. Varner later finds his son, digging madly into the ground looking for more treasure, and he quickly realizes Quick’s swindle. Jody is devastated by the humiliation and the sight of his father’s pity is too much for him. He runs away, promising retribution.
Varner returns home, saddened by his failure of a son, and finds a tired Clara. He mistakenly believes her statements about ‘things being settled’ with Alan as confirmation they were to be married and his spirits are so lifted, you can tell Clara doesn’t have the heart or strength to set him right. The next day Varner takes himself over to the Stewarts to celebrate with his supposed future son-in-law and make weddings plans, but is outraged when Alan and his mother tell him the truth. Varner snaps, loading into his car and driving like a fiend, first to the store to order Quick in his best suit and then to Clara to order her to get there and say just one word: Yes.
The old man returns home and a servant tells him that a mare recently foaled in the barn and he goes to take a look at the new foal. Jody, looking haggard and tortured, watches as his father disappears into the barn alone. In a desperate, maniacal move, Jody shuts his father in the barn and sets fire to it. Varner quickly realizes whats going on and pleads with his son to release. It’s a tense moment and you wonder if Varner ends up dying in the hell he most likely will be going to, but Jody repents and lets him out. In his own twisted way, Varner respects Jody’s decision to attempt to murder him and then release him. He proclaims his son has returned and can take his place again as his right hand. I have to wonder if the old man was just catering to the psycho in order to not have to worry about any more homicidal attempts, but I guess it wraps things up neatly.
The townsfolk, seeing the smoke and hearing about Varner’s barn being set fire, need little excuse to charge and convict Quick of the crime. Let’s just ignore the fact that he’s been in the store the whole time and nowhere physically near the barn, but whatever. A group of men approach him, ready to be Quick’s judge, jury, and executioners. Quick, feeling fatalistic and tired of running, refuses to give ground until Clara pulls up in her speedboat of a car and orders him to get in. They make a quick escape and arrive just in time to see the end of the barn burning. Quick becomes physically ill at the sight and must leave. A curious and concerned Clara follows him and he reveals his difficult and lonely past as the barn burner’s son. Clara is sympathetic and you can sense a change in their relationship with the revelation. Quick decides that since Clara saved his life, he could at least give back her’s and he decides to not go through with the marriage.
He proves his resolve by refusing Varner outright and scolding him for their wicked transgressions and selfish plans for others. The movie ends rather abruptly with Clara following Quick into the house and interrupting his packing with a repeat of his own monologue from the picnic. The two embrace and while it’s a little rushed, their happily ever after feels genuine. The last scene is of the smug Varner, who realizes that all of his dreams are coming true. You simultaneously hate him and are pleased right along with him.
Some might not appreciate the romance of Ben and Clara (my husband didn’t get it at all) but romance readers will recognize and appreciate the trope of a rake tamed by the lady. This was the first partnership of Newman and Woodward, who would later become actual husband and wife. The movie is entertaining and makes you want to drink a cold glass of lemonade while sitting on a porch swing.
