The Country Girl
Released in December 1954 by 20th Century Fox. Music by Harold Arlen. Lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Written and directed by George Seaton, adapted from the play by Clifford Odets. Produced by William Perlberg. Cast included Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and William Holden.
Producer William Perlberg asked Ira and Harold Arlen to add some select songs to this adaptation of Clifford Odets’ 1950 Broadway play about an alcoholic musical-comedy star attempting a comeback. Though the songs aren’t necessarily the focus of the film, at least one — “Dissertation on the State of Bliss” — features a fine performance by Crosby and Jacqueline Fontaine. Grace Kelly unexpectedly won the Best Actress Oscar at the 1955 Academy Awards for her role as Crosby’s harried wife.