Mr. X or Mr. Y: Tough Choice, Ain't It?
Very often it's quite hard for the female lead to choose between two characters (the hardest choice was faced by Loretta Young's character in Rachel and the Stranger (1948), in my opinion). The same tough choice regularly presents itself for the viewer -- who to root for. It's just as difficult sometimes as to choose between two leading men. Here are some examples from the Golden Age Hollywood.
(Of course, I listed only those films where I personally have trouble making a choice.)
Take your pick!
(Of course, I listed only those films where I personally have trouble making a choice.)
Take your pick!
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- DirectorGeorge CukorStarsCary GrantKatharine HepburnJames StewartWhen a rich woman's ex-husband and a tabloid-type reporter turn up just before her planned remarriage, she begins to learn the truth about herself.Cary Grant or Jimmy Stewart?
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsGary CooperBurt LancasterDenise DarcelDuring the Mexican Rebellion of 1866, an unsavory group of American adventurers are hired by the forces of Emporer Maximilian to escort a countess to Vera Cruz.Gary Cooper or Burt Lancaster?
- DirectorArchie MayoStarsTyrone PowerAnne BaxterDana AndrewsA submarine lieutenant and his commander fall in love with the same girl.Tyrone Power or Dana Andrews?
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsGary CooperBarbara StanwyckOscar HomolkaA group of professors working on a new encyclopedia while living in a Manhattan mansion take in a mouthy nightclub singer who is wanted by the police to help bring down her mob boss lover.Dana Andrews or Gary Cooper?
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsHumphrey BogartAudrey HepburnWilliam HoldenA playboy becomes interested in the daughter of his family's chauffeur, but it's his more serious brother who would be the better man for her.William Holden or Humphrey Bogart?
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsGregory PeckJean SimmonsCarroll BakerA New England sea captain in the 1880s arrives at his fiancée's sprawling Texas ranch, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between two families over a valuable patch of land.Gregory Peck or Charlton Heston?
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsHumphrey BogartIngrid BergmanPaul HenreidA cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.Humphrey Bogart or Paul Henreid?
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsJoan CrawfordDana AndrewsHenry FondaA commercial artist having an affair with a married attorney becomes involved with a returning soldier and must choose between the two.Henry Fonda or Dana Andrews?
- DirectorNorman FosterStarsLoretta YoungWilliam HoldenRobert MitchumA widowed farmer takes an indentured servant as his new wife, but the arrival of his old friend threatens their burgeoning relationship.William Holden or Robert Mitchum?
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsRichard WidmarkHenry FondaAnthony QuinnA famous gunman becomes the marshal of Warlock to end a gang's rampages, but is met with some opposition by a former gang member turned deputy sheriff who wants to follow only legal methods.Henry Fonda or Richard Widmark?
- DirectorLewis MilestoneStarsBarbara StanwyckVan HeflinLizabeth ScottA man is reunited with his childhood friend and her husband who believes he knows the truth about the death of her rich aunt years earlier.Van Heflin or Kirk Douglas?
- DirectorHenry KingStarsTyrone PowerMadeleine CarrollFreddie BartholomewAn honest broker saves the day.Tyrone Power or George Sanders?
- DirectorStanley DonenStarsCary GrantDeborah KerrRobert MitchumVictor and Hilary have guided tours in their English mansion. A US oil tycoon "bumps" into Hilary during a tour and charms his way into her heart. Meanwhile, Hattie pursues Victor.Cary Grant or Robert Mitchum?
- DirectorErnst LubitschStarsMarlene DietrichHerbert MarshallMelvyn DouglasA woman and her husband take separate vacations, and she falls in love with another man.Herbert Marshall or Melvyn Douglas?
- DirectorRichard ThorpeStarsRobert TaylorElizabeth TaylorJoan FontaineA knight seeks to free the captive King Richard and put him back on the throne.Robert Taylor or George Sanders?
- DirectorVincente MinnelliStarsKatharine HepburnRobert TaylorRobert MitchumMiddle-aged bride Ann Hamilton soon begins to suspect that her charming husband is really a psychotic who plans to murder her.Robert Taylor or Robert Mitchum?
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsRock HudsonKirk DouglasDorothy MaloneAt a Mexican ranch, fugitive O'Malley and pursuing Sheriff Stribling agree to help rancher Breckenridge drive his herd into Texas where Stribling could legally arrest O'Malley, but Breckenridge's wife complicates things.Rock Hudson or Kirk Douglas?
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsHenry FondaSusan StrasbergJoan GreenwoodA young woman arrives in New York City determined to become a great theatrical star, but discovers that her goal may not be as easily attainable as she had hoped.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsClark GableJane RussellRobert RyanTwo brothers discharged from the Confederate Army join a businessman for a cattle drive from Texas to Montana where they run into raiding Jayhawkers, angry Sioux, rough terrain and bad weather.