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Frank Sinatra plays an unhappy writer and WWII veteran who has trouble readjusting to life in his scenic Indiana hometown. The screenplay, based on a novel by James Jones, gets lackadaisical in the middle, but Vincent Minnelli does a good job capturing both the quaint and stifling qualities of small-town life. Sinatra is good, but he’s easily outshined by his colorful costars. Shirley MacLaine is charming as a loving but dimwitted floozie, and Dean Martin nearly steals the show as a gambling alcoholic. MacLaine received an Oscar nomination, as did costars Arthur Kennedy and Martha Hyer.

On a side note, the film was shot in my old stomping ground of Madison, Indiana, where the Ohio Theatre still plays Some Came Running once a year. You can see the theatre’s marquee in the movie’s climax — it looks the same way today that it did all those years ago.

Oscar Nominations: Actress (Shirley MacLaine), Supporting Actor (Arthur Kennedy), Supporting Actress (Martha Hyer), Costume Design, Song