Newlywed Kate Judson Lawrence can't consummate her marriage due to her husband's homosexuality. She has a night with former love Mike Flanagan. Her husband dies in a car wreck and she becomes pregnant. While she and her baby are disowned by her mother in-law, she insists on keeping the name Anthony Judson Lawrence. Tony (Paul Newman) grows up to be a hard working man and law student. He meets socialite Joan Dickinson (Barbara Rush) over a minor fender bender at his work site. While at a party with his upper crust college roommate Chester A. Gwynn (Robert Vaughn), he runs into Joan again. Her father convinces him to join the family law firm and postpone their marriage. Heartbroken, she decides to marry another.
This is a fine melodrama and it doesn't hurt to have leading man Paul Newman. Adapted from a novel, it certainly has a lot of plot. It would help to distill the plot more to its essentials. Vaughn did get an Oscar nomination. Tony's character may be more compelling if it's performed as a more driven man. There is a darkness in the role that remains untapped. It would also help if Joan wouldn't marry another so quickly. She's too quick to judge. The movie keeps pushing his overly driven ladder climbing but he's not doing anything that outrageous. He does certain things and certain things happen to him. None of it is that crazy. While he does take another's job, that guy is no innocent. The wealthy Mrs. Allen walked into his office. It's not like he tracked down a big Dickinson client. It would be more poetic and compelling if he is more aggressive in his career. That would add to the thematic conflict between personal happiness and the pursuit of position. Overall, this is a fine melodrama with a great actor but it's not one of the greats.
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