Come Back, Little Sheba

1953 1h 36m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 46

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A mismatched couple's marital problems come to the surface when the husband develops an interest in their pretty boarder.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Burt Lancaster
Doc Delaney
Shirley Booth
Lola Delaney
Terry Moore
Marie Buckholder
Richard Jaeckel
Turk Fisher
Philip Ober
Ed Anderson
Edwin Max
Elmo Huston
Lisa Golm
Mrs. Coffman
Walter Kelley
Bruce Cunningham

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Daniel Mann
Writers: Ketti Frings
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

73 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

AWARDS

Did you know

Directed by Daniel Mann, shot by James Wong Howe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Franz Waxman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Burt Lancaster and Shirley Booth and Terry Moore carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0044509 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 46 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Daniel Mann directs. James Wong Howe behind the camera. Franz Waxman scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

173 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Daniel Mann, shot by James Wong Howe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Franz Waxman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Burt Lancaster and Shirley Booth and Terry Moore carry the top of the cast.
5IMDB entry: tt0044509 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
6Only 46 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
7Classified under 36 themes, including "dreams", "marriage", "housewife", "postman".

The technical file

Cinematography: James Wong Howe
Original score: Franz Waxman
Costume design: Edith Head
Makeup / hair: Wally Westmore
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Come Back, Little Sheba (1953)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Actress

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Daniel Mann

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-05-08
★ 7/10
I'd never heard of this film until I stumbled upon it today, and boy - what a stumble. Shirley Booth turns in one of the most intense performances I have ever seen. "Lola" is married to recovering alcoholic "Doc" (Burt Lancaster) and they live a meticulously ordered life with her the housewife and he at the hospital. As the story transpires, we learn a little more of what has driven them to their current scenario whilst she yearns for companionship. To that end she rents out their spare room to student "Marie" (Terry Moore). Initially, "Doc" isn't sure, but he takes a shine to the girl - if not to her all-American boyfriend "Turk" (Richard Jaeckel). She seems set on him, though, and as his paternal concern for her choices starts to mount his need for that lone bottle sitting in the cupboard starts to mount too! It's only really in the last fifteen minutes that the story all falls into place and we realise just why both of these characters are as they are. Lancaster plays his role in a measured and entirely convincing fashion as he foils the almost perfect effort from an entirely convincing Booth who elicits sympathy and exasperation in almost equal measure. What's also quite effective here is that the story isn't full of contrived pitfalls and disasters. It's a story of humanity with it's roots in a plausible scenario (of the time, anyway) that has provided these two, perhaps despite themselves, with a true and lasting affection. It's much more of a drama than a romance, and really is worth an hour and half of your time.

Production companies