"East Side, West Side"; the title, of course, refers to New York but this is no "Street Scene" and there's hardly a tenement in sight. This is Manhattan and these are the socialites whose apartments overlook the park and the river. Yes, we're in high society where James Mason is married to Barbara Stanwyck but is inclined to dally with Ava Gardner and yes, this is a star-filled Manhattan that also includes the likes of Van Heflin, Cyd Charisse, Gale Sondergaard, (as Stanwyck's mother despite being only eight years older), as well as a certain former First Lady. Mervyn LeRoy directed and Isobel Lennart wrote the screenplay from Marcia Davenport's best-selling novel. It's also a very studio-based New York and the tale, which also involves murder, never rises above the level of soap-opera. The classy cast just about saves it.
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