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THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES – Frank Skinner

October 30, 2023 Leave a comment

GREATEST SCORES OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Original Review by Craig Lysy

The 1851 novel The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne was first adapted to the screen in 1910 by Universal Studios. In 1939 studio executives decided to remake the film, believing a retelling of its gothic tale of a self-destructive family consumed by greed would be well-received by the public. It was conceived to be a B-film offering and so Universal assigned one of its B-film producers, Burt Kelly, to oversee production with a small budget of $178,000. Joe May was tasked with directing and Lester Cole was hired to write the screenplay. Despite its small budget, a fine cast was assembled, including; George Sanders as Jaffrey Pyncheon, Margaret Lindsay as Hepzibah Pyncheon, Vincent Price as Clifford Pyncheon, Nan Grey as Phoebe Pyncheon, Dick Foran as Matthew Holgrave, and Gilbert Emery as Gerald Pyncheon. Read more…