Dodsworth
Here is a picture that was marked for greatness before it was ever screened!
1936 | 101m | English
Popularity: 3 (history)
| Director: | William Wyler |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Sinclair Lewis, Sidney Howard |
| Staring: |
| A retired auto manufacturer and his wife take a long-planned European vacation only to find that they want very different things from life. | |
| Release Date: | Sep 23, 1936 |
|---|---|
| Director: | William Wyler |
| Writer: | Sinclair Lewis, Sidney Howard |
| Genres: | Drama, Romance |
| Keywords | soulmates, husband wife relationship, industrialist, snob, retirement, drifting, love affair, divorcee, older woman younger man relationship, selfishness, ocean voyage, drifting apart, starting over, fling, marital crisis, europe vacation, wealthy couple, middle aged couple, kindred spirit, chance reunion |
| Production Companies | United Artists, Samuel Goldwyn Productions |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 09, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Walter Huston | Sam Dodsworth |
| Ruth Chatterton | Fran Dodsworth |
| Paul Lukas | Arnold Iselin |
| Mary Astor | Edith Cortright |
| David Niven | Captain Clyde Lockert |
| Gregory Gaye | Baron Kurt Von Obersdorf |
| Maria Ouspenskaya | Baroness Von Obersdorf |
| Odette Myrtil | Renée de Penable |
| Spring Byington | Matey Pearson |
| Harlan Briggs | Tubby Pearson |
| Kathryn Marlowe | Emily Dodsworth McKee |
| John Payne | Harry McKee |
| Bobby Barber | Italian Taxi Driver (Uncredited) |
| Wilson Benge | Steward on Queen Mary (Uncredited) |
| Ted Billings | Man on Railroad Platform (Uncredited) |
| Eugene Borden | Baggage Carrier at Train Station (Uncredited) |
| Horace B. Carpenter | Motor Company Employee (Uncredited) |
| Gino Corrado | American Express Clerk (Uncredited) |
| Jean De Briac | Official (Uncredited) |
| Helen Dickson | Tourist (Uncredited) |
| Jack George | Orchestra Leader in Vienna (Uncredited) |
| Fred Malatesta | Waiter (Uncredited) |
| Beatrice Maude | Mary (Uncredited) |
| Louis Mercier | French Railroad Conductor (Uncredited) |
| Inez Palange | Teresa (Uncredited) |
| John Picorri | Clerk (Uncredited) |
| Pat Somerset | Englishman (Uncredited) |
| William Wyler | Violin Player in Dance Orchestra (Uncredited) |
| Sam Harris | Ship Passenger (Uncredited) |
| John Barclay | Ship Passenger (Uncredited) |
| Steve Carruthers | Ship Passenger (Uncredited) |
| Bess Flowers | Ship Passenger (Uncredited) |
| J.C. Fowler | Ship Passenger (Uncredited) |
| Herschel Graham | Ship Passenger (Uncredited) |
| Loretta Russell | Ship Passenger (Uncredited) |
| Alphonse Martell | Ship Passenger (Uncredited) |
| Edmund Mortimer | Ship Passenger (Uncredited) |
| Harold Miller | Ship Passenger (Uncredited) |
| George Nardelli | Ship Passenger (Uncredited) |
| Dale Van Sickel | Ship Passenger (Uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Sinclair Lewis | Novel |
| Ray Binger | Special Effects |
| Peter Gowland | Stand In |
| Omar Kiam | Costume Design |
| Oscar Lagerstrom | Sound Recordist |
| Paul Widlicska | Props |
| Edward B. Powell | Orchestrator |
| Sidney Howard | Screenplay |
| Richard Day | Art Direction |
| Edmond F. Bernoudy | Assistant Director |
| Daniel Mandell | Editor |
| Rudolph Maté | Director of Photography |
| Alfred Newman | Music Director, Original Music Composer |
| Robert Wyler | Additional Writing |
| William Wyler | Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Merritt Hulburd | Associate Producer |
| Samuel Goldwyn | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 46 | 123 | 20 |
| 2024 | 5 | 101 | 123 | 79 |
| 2024 | 6 | 52 | 111 | 21 |
| 2024 | 7 | 18 | 31 | 6 |
| 2024 | 8 | 14 | 24 | 10 |
| 2024 | 9 | 10 | 18 | 7 |
| 2024 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 12 | 31 | 7 |
| 2024 | 12 | 10 | 18 | 6 |
| 2025 | 1 | 9 | 16 | 6 |
| 2025 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Trending Position
The title of this doesn't help it much: it sounds like it ought to be about a butler in a grand old English stately home but Walter Huston ("Sam") is superb, as the millionaire motor car industrialist who sells his company and sets off with wife "Fran" (Ruth Chatteron) to "do" Europe. Even on the bo ... at, where she meets the rather suave, dapper David Niven ("Capt. Lockert") it starts to become clear that their marriage, though on the face of it loving, is not strong. When they get to Paris and she meets Paul Lukas ("Iselin") that becomes even more evident and soon "Sam" is doing all he can to keep the wife he loves from divorcing him. This is quite a slow burn of a story; but it isn't dull. The rapport between the two stars is tenderly and honestly performed; she the slightly younger woman looking for what ever life (and wealth) can offer; him the more settled man who wants to get back to family, home and hearth. There are a few gentle twists to the story and the ending, I found to be somewhat vindicating. This has made the transition from stage to screen well; William Wyler has managed to lose much the rigidity theatrical cross-overs can present on the big screen, and there is a nice cameo from Maria Ouspenskaya towards the end that really does put a fly in the ointment.