If the New York Times review is any indication, this movie was a complete flop. This is confirmed by the fact that it wasn’t released on DVD or VHS, at least not that I can tell. If you want to watch this movie, you’ll have to look for it on TCM. That’s how I ended up watching it, at four in the morning when I couldn’t sleep.

I find it a little strange that the film hasn’t been released on DVD. It is the first film that married couple Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner appeared in together. It’s also the inspiration for the name of an 80’s band. I’m sure you can guess which one.

The plot is a little complicated – Salome has a baby out of wedlock with an aspiring musician named Chad. He’s poor, so she leaves him and her little town. On the way to New York, she meets Tony, who she soon marries. Tony and his sister, Catherine, are rich and bored out of their minds. Salome doesn’t tell Tony about the pregnancy, and Catherine decides to quit school and move in with the newlyweds. Meanwhile, Chad starts becoming famous, and makes friends with Ruby, an alcoholic jazz singer in a downward spiral.

The acting isn’t the greatest, but then again, neither is the writing. The pseudo-Southern drawls are horrific. Someone gets beaten up with a whip. Alcohol is consumed in mass quantities. Wrists are slit, paternity is questioned. It’s pure melodrama.

Okay, so maybe I don’t find it so strange that it’s never been released on DVD. Still, it’s definitely worth catching one night when you can’t sleep.