Lucy Gallant (1955)

I watched this film...all the way through...but I didn't like it. It seems to me that if there were ever a man and a woman that didn't belong together it was the two main characters in this film, played by Wyman and Heston. Aside from that, and I admit I can't put my finger on it, this film just feels off-target to me. Like when I play pool and every shot is about one inch off the mark. And although I'm a man, it appeared to me that Charlton Heston wouldn't have been a good kisser at all.The basic story line...at least for a while...seems okay. Wyman is traveling by train through Texas and gets laid over in a cow town that is becoming an oil town. She gets the idea to go into a store for ladies fashions and makes a hit of it. Meanwhile she falls in love with a ranch owner who eventually becomes an oil man. But, oil and water don't mix and Wyman and Heston always seem at odds. And frankly, I have to align with Wyman's character here. Heston plays a mild bully. In the end, she -- unfortunately -- bows to his idea of what a wife should be. What a shame.Interestingly, Texas Governor Allan Shivers and fashion designer Edith Head both appear as themselves near the end of the film.There's nothing wrong with the performance of Jane Wyman here. It's the film that's off. But despite Wyman's strength as an actress, I'd have no desire to wade through this again.Charlton Heston apparently disliked his performance here...and I concur. To be frank, I was never impressed with Heston in romantic films. Despite being in several of the great films of the era, (and "Ben-Hur" is in my top 5), I'm not sure Heston's acting ability was very broad.Claire Trevor is here, and I liked her in her role. There just should have been much more of her! The wonderful Thelma Ritter is here...basically playing Thelma Ritter...and she's as fascinating to watch here as in any other film! William Demarest, usually an interesting character actor, doesn't fit here. And Wallace Ford (as her husband) has little to do beyond drinking whiskey.I don't know that I've ever seen a Jane Wyman film that I felt quite this negative about. Not bad though...a single miss in her most productive years.

My approval of The Lucy Gallant Story may be slightly tilted as I am a distant cousin to Gov. Allan Shivers and was only 2 years old when he took the Governor's seat. Beside the thrill of seeing a branch of the family tree in the movie, this is an excellent old film and I wanted a copy in my library. My search led me to: http://www.lovingtheclassics.com/Lucy-Gallant-1955/prod_1590.html The copy I received is of good quality and reasonably priced. This post is for those of you that mentioned a desire to own a good copy and your 20 year old VHS recording of the show is wearing out. Sincerely, Shelton R. Shivers

Lucy Gallant stars Jane Wyman and Charlton Heston have a great rapport in this wonderful movie. I have been trying to buy the VHS for 20 years. Is this web site saying the title is changed to Oil Town in 2005? thats very strange...i keep thinking that Jane Wyman has blocked releasing it. Perhaps it will be released on her passing. What a fun and well written movie!!! I cant wait to see it again...its NEVER on TV or cable... what a waste...check it out everyone, its a winner. Jane plays a jilted bride with her designer clothes for the honeymoon . Her train to New York is stopped in Texas with motor problems and she gets her luggage off, and finds that the women around the station are dying to buy good clothes, and she starts selling them right there, and thus begins a very successful department store very like Neiman Marcus. Charlton Heston falls in love with Jane, and what sparks from this as in Bogie and Bacal! They should have made more movies together, great performances all around. see it.

Have heard of this film for quite some time and finally got the chance to view it on tape (probably from AMC). I think the film captures the boomtown feel very well-instant population with lack of lodging or goods =business opportunities. While the film undoubtedly contains many truthful elements concerning the oil boom in Texas ( and even Governor Shivers playing himself ), it does seem just a bit stagy, although Jane Wyman's performance is actually quite good. I found it very intriguing that for the time period when the film was made, a woman was portrayed as virtually building her own business from the ground up without any real help from the man (or men) in her life. The real reason I had heard about the film previously is the "high fashion comes to Texas" bit, with Edith Head behind the creations. As usual, Edith does not disappoint. The designs, especially during the fashion show sequence, are amazing. It's no wonder that Edith Head was so sought after in Hollywood as a costumer for films (most notably for Alfred Hitchcock). She was a real talent. I am in total agreement that this film needs to be released on DVD, as I don't believe that it has ever even been on VHS at any point.