I was meant to be an actress! A cast of splendid talents - Spencer Tracy, Jean Simmons, Teresa Wright and screen-debuting Anthony Perkins - who know well the siren song of the stage bring brio to this comedy about a 17-year-old (Simmons) who yearns to be a star. Her father (Tracy) loves his daughter... but an actress? He suggests the no-glamour, no-disappointment life of a Physical Education teacher. One family, two forces: irresistible on her side and unmovable on his. Based on Ruth Gordon's hit autobiographical play and directed by George Cukor (Adam's Rib), The Actress boasts heart, charm and lots of laughs, including Tracy at his comic best in a sequence that has him vaulting over a pommel horse. And losing his pants.

THE ACTRESS is based on YEARS AGO, one of several autobiographies by actress/playwright Ruth Gordon. Jean Simmons stars as blossoming teenager Ruth Gordon Jones, who is determined to become a famous stage star despite the objections of her stubborn ex-sea captain father Clinton Jones (Spencer Tracy). Papa wants Ruth to become a physical-education instructor, but she wants none of this. With the covert help of her understanding mother (Teresa Wright), Ruth seeks out stage work--any stage work. Ultimately, it is Papa who dips into the Jones family's limited coffers to bankroll his daughter's first big break. THE ACTRESS represented the movie debut of Anthony Perkins, here cast as Ruth Gordon Jones' gawky boyfriend.