Cast overview, first billed only: (courtesy of the
imdb)
Lana Turner .... Holly Parker
John Forsythe .... Clay Anderson
Ricardo Montalban .... Phil Benton
Burgess Meredith .... Dan Sullivan
John Van Dreelen .... Christian Torben
Virginia Grey .... Mimsy
Warren Stevens (I) .... Michael Spalding
Carl Benton Reid
Teddy Quinn .... Clay Jr. (boy)
Frank Maxwell .... Dr. Evans
Kaaren Verne .... Nurse Riborg
Joe De Santis .... Carter
Frank Marth .... Detective Combs
Bing Russell .... Sergeant Riley
Teno Pollick .... Manuel Lopez
Jeff Burton (I) .... Bromley
Jill Jackson (I) .... Police Matron
Constance Bennett .... Estelle Anderson
Keir Dullea .... Clay Anderson Jr.
Madame X (filmed in 1966) was a good tear-jerker of a movie starring Lana Turner as Madame X/Holly Parker and John Forsythe as her socialite husband, Clay Anderson. Clay was a wealthy man who was well into politics and money. They lived in a lovely estate with his mother (Bennett) and their son Clay Jr. Clay Sr. was often away from home, which caused Holly much loneliness.
Inevitably, she was pursued and romanced by a bachelor by the name of Phil Benton (Montalban). Holly meets with Benton one night to tell him that the romance is over, she wants to discontinue their relationship and settle down with her husband in Washington (where he had been rising politically). Benton, pursuing her down the stairs of his home, falls and accidentally dies. She flees the scene only to be implicated in the "murder" by her mother-in-law (who had had her tracked, and taken away a scarf she had left behind).
Estelle Anderson blackmails Holly into disappearing, to save the reputation of Clay and Clay Jr. Holly wraps herself in alcohol and unsavory men with the blackmail money. Years later, she runs across a con man who discovers her real identity when she drunkenly confesses to him her story. He attempts to blackmail her and in return, she murders him with his own gun.
She discovers the identity of her legal representative and decides that, to protect him from the truth, she refuses to reveal her own identity and signs her papers with an "X".
This movie was terrific. My father had been bothering me to watch it for years, though neither of us had been able to find it in rental. One day just a few months ago, this very movie appeared on television. I watched it and initially I could not understand why my father insisted I have a box of kleenex handy. Boy did I ever need it. I recommend this movie one hundred percent.