She Couldn't Say No (1954)

Very well executed

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Otto Preminger's 1952 film noir, "Angel Face," is credited as being British actress Jean Simmons' American film debut. "Angel Face" had Simmons starring alongside Robert Mitchum in a story about sexual obsessions, murder, and insanity. However, RKO had already teamed-up Mitchum and Simmons for this silly film which was actually shot before "Angel Face," but not released until two years later. Upon seeing both of them as part of TCM's marathon birthday tribute to Ms. Simmons, it's very understandable why this film was put on the back-burner to allow "Angel Face" to be her American debut. "She Couldn't Say No" was just too lightweight (and terrible) a vehicle to be her introduction to American audiencesThe plot: "Corby Lane" (Simmons) is a 21 yr old oil heiress who has just returned home to the United States after spending years in English finishing schools. (Apparently, the producers felt that they had to explain Ms. Simmons' English accent.) With her inheritance in hand, she decides her first order of business is to pay back a debt of gratitude to the inhabitants of a tiny, rural Arkansas town who did her a kindness when she was a small child. So, she sets-out in a fancy new vehicle and designer wardrobe to Progress, Ark. where she intends to play secret Santa for all its long-term residents.Of course, her good intentions lead to all sort of unintended consequences with her learning some harsh lessons about cause-and-effect. A lot of lessons are taught to her by the ultra-smooth town doctor, "Robert Sellers" (Mitchum), who quickly both exasperates her and charms her seamed stockings off.The residents of Progress, Ark. are Hollywood archetypes of rural "hayseeds" played by a who's who of then Hollywood character actors who specialized in playing folksy, country bumpkins such as Edgar Buchanan and Arthur Hunnicutt. They sit on the porch of the general store, drink moonshine, and barter in pigs and chickens.Mitchum looks decidedly uncomfortable playing a down-home, country doctor who extols small town values while repeatedly lecturing Miss Lane about her "idiotic" attempts to help the local yokels. (Today, most of Mitchum's dialogue would be decried as "man-splaining.") Dr. Sellers comes across as smug and condescending. Yet, he has no problem attracting seemingly every good looking young women in the vicinity including Miss Lane.This was supposed to be a frothy romantic comedy. The comedy was to be provided by Ms. Simmons playing a fish-out-of-water and by showing the "humorous" consequences of her misguided attempts to be generous, but instead they only garner maybe a few tepid chuckles. Meanwhile, her scenes with Mitchum were supposed to generate the romance, but instead Dr. Sellers' constant lecturing her as to her "idiocy" makes one wonder why she didn't just tell him off.The ONLY reason to watch this utterly forgettable film is Jean Simmons. Essentially, it's a little over 90 minutes of her looking absolutely adorable which she does extremely well. Anytime she's not in a scene, the film just dies and unfortunately there are too many scenes without her. (I think she looks unbelievably cute with short hair, but clearly the producers of "Angel Face" did not which is why she wore an ill-fitting wig for that film.)In sum: Jean Simmons' beauty can overcome a lot of faults, but it cannot overcome this film's throwaway, feather-light plot and Mitchum's miscasting. I gave it an extra star because Ms. Simmons was just so incredibly cute.

I do enjoy watching vintage films that feature actors such as Kirk Douglas and Robert Mitchum is non gangster roles, but it does seem to a bit stretched to believe Mitchum as a small time country doctor.Jean Simmons is a wealthy socialite who travels to the small town of Progress in Arkansas to do good deeds for the citizens who helped her out when she was an infant. She does this by sending money in envelopes to the townsfolk, a bit ill thought out as this brings in people from out of state who also think they will come into riches from an anonymous benefactor. Simmons should had listened to her lawyers who told her to build a library.Along the way she crosses swords, wits and falls in love with Mitchum's country doctor. I think the film does not really work as a romantic comedy, Mitchum is fine as the easy going kind hearted doctor, But Simmons comes across as too snooty and superior and the film is not that funny.

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

This whimsical movie is set in a fictitious town in Arkansas called Progress. Places such as Little Rock and Pine Bluff are mentioned. Then in one part one of the locals talks about the location being a few miles northwest of Little Rock which would place it somewhere around Mayflower or Conway, Arkansas. The countryside depicted in the movie looks a whole lot like southern California. Possibly one reason the name Progress was chosen was not only to cater to the stereotype at the time of Arkansas as a backward hillbilly state but also because the "Natural State's" slogan in those days was "Land of Opportunity." Being a native Arkansawer (Arkansan), I was pleased to see a fellow Arkansan, Arthur Hunnicutt, and someone from Missouri, Edgar Buchanan, in the cast. Hunnicutt is buried in Greenwood, Arkansas, near Fort Smith. He was a wonderful character actor and added authenticity to the film. "She Couldn't Say No" teamed Jean Simmons and Robert Mitchum once more and the pairing works fairly well, not as good as Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer but better than some of the other female partners assigned him over the years. Both Simmons and Mitchum were top of the line Thespians and much under appreciated, even today. The title is weak and keeps many from watching a somewhat clever and entertaining flick.I agree with one of the IMDb reviewers that not enough time is spent by director Lloyd Bacon developing the theme of media sensationalism once the press gets word that an anonymous donor has given the 200 residents of Progress money (the exact amount is not revealed but it was obviously a large sum). There's an old W.C. Fields movie "If I Had A Million" and an early TV series "The Millionaire" that dealt with how a million dollars given to strangers would change their lives and rather than making their dreams come true would usually alter their dreams in negative ways. So there was much potential in the basic theme of "She Couldn't Say No" that was never realized. The idyllic sporting life lived by the country doctor is exploited in interesting ways, especially when trying to hook the big fish in the creek. It blends well with the romantic attachment between the country physician, Dr. Robert Sellers (Mitchum), and the high society lady with a British accent,Corby Lane (Simmons). The repartee between the two is at times humorous, especially in the beginning when Dr. Sellers thinks she's a crazy patient who may have escaped from a mental ward. Digger, a forerunner of Opie, adds a little depth to Dr. Sellers' character and tends to be an asset. All in all this Howard Hughes throwaway is a good one to catch.