Best Actress: Shirley Booth

 There's so much to unpack with Come Back, Little Sheba.

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It's about a missing dog, an alcoholic doctor, a frumpy housewife and a college girl who awakens the temptations of the doctor despite her not doing anything to stoke it. But it's also a tender portrayal of a woman who has lost everything, and maybe doesn't want to accept it? Or already has and we're just seeing the paint chip away as everything comes to the surface. 

This was also notable, at the time, for its realistic portrayal of alcoholism and recovery, and features one of the earliest (if not the earliest?) depictions of Alcoholics Anonymous in media.

It's a very tight story, adapted from the play of the same name, which also starred Shirley Booth. In fact, this was her film debut! She won a Tony for her portrayal of Lola Delaney and made the transition over to the film; according to reports, Bette Davis was the back-up in case Shirley couldn't appear in the film, but I'm glad it worked out. 

The story does get claustrophobic, in my opinion. All the tension simmering below the surface reaches a boil at the end, and Shirley is so skilled at ensuring you never lose empathy for Lola and all the hard knocks life has delivered to her. 

Shirley won so many awards for Come Back, Little Sheba. If this was her film debut, imagine the talent she'd been curating her entire career up to this point. 

Shirley was nominated against Joan Crawford (Sudden Fear), Bette Davis (The Star), Julie Harris (The Member of the Wedding) and Susan Hayward (With a Song in My Heart). I've seen The Star, but I'm inclined to believe that Shirley deserved her win. 

DID I LIKE COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA? Enh. Shirley was great, though!

Did you like Come Back, Little Sheba? What are your thoughts on Shirley Booth's Oscar win? 

Keep up with all my Rewatching the Best Actresses posts here.