She Couldn't Say No (1954)

I just couldn't get over the character of Jean Simmons being portrayed as someone you were supposed to care for, but during the entire film she treats everyone she meets with such a superiority complex. A town of less than 200, and she's honking her horn for a bellboy at a boarding house, calling a doctor on an emergency Bell, simply because she wants to talk to him. It goes on and on, and in the end she gets the guy and comes out on top? Her little speech to explain why she was giving away money, was meaningless and going nowhere, until Mitchum diverts everyone's attention with a punch to a spectator. Terrible stuff. Robert Mitchum is essentially wasted trying to counterpunch her irritating character. Again, not my cup of tea

Some published reviews of this picture roast it as an inane waste of time, but having seen the film prior to reading those reviews, I was quite surprised. Although there is nothing magnificent about the movie, and it has its far-fetched quotient, it is nonetheless quite a lovely little picture. The awkwardness of the set-up is almost completely outweighed by the believability and lovability of most of the characters. I'm generally of the opinion that Robert Mitchum can do no wrong, but I was unprepared for the calm and masculine sweetness of his performance in a role that might normally have gone to Robert Young or Robert Cummings. Jean Simmons is much more interesting in roles where she can smolder a little, but she's almost adorable here. And the supporting cast, especially Arthur Hunnicutt, is both true to small-town life and quite excellent at depicting well-drawn and individual characters. And my goodness, whatever happened to Eleanor Todd, the cutie who yearns for Mitchum's affections? She apparently appeared in one other film, also with Mitchum. She's really attractive and interesting in what might otherwise have been a cardboard role. Nice little surprise, this picture.

Jean Simmons goes to Progress, Arkansas where she rock and rolls all night and parties every day. Oops! wrong Jean Simmons. Actually Jean does do a little partying in Progress upon her arrival. Progress, Arkansas is a sleepy small town of 200 people and almost all of them character actors. Jean plays a spirited young rich woman who wants to give the citizens gifts and money because they saved her life when she was a child. Her gifts and money cause turmoil in the town. Mitchum plays the level headed town doctor. This may be the only film in his long career where he had to run a fair distance while wearing fishing waders. Come to think of it, Mitchum never really ran much in his films. He maybe did a short dashes in the many war pictures he made, but he never had to do a sustained run. Now Dustin Hoffman, there's an actor who ran a lot in his films. He ran in "The Graduate" and in "Marathon Man." I think he may have even ran a bit in "Tootsie." Anyway, I really liked the premise of "She Couldn't Say No" but I wish the film would have explored the disintegration of the town a little more after their economic windfall. It seemed like the troubles that Simmon's character wrought were resolved too easily as well. I still found the movie to be fairly amusing and entertaining.

This is one of those movies that is improbable but fun, with one of the most important features (in my opinion) for a movie - it is entertaining.Bob's pairing with Jean Simmons is almost as good as his pairing with Deborah Kerr, although the chemistry is different; perhaps more paternal on his part.I am, admittedly, a big Mitchum fan, but I won't buy a movie just because he is in it. The other actors in this film do a fine job and help give it a little more substance than the plot would have otherwise.If this ever comes out on dvd, I'm buying it!