The Long, Hot Summer

Ben Quick, a sullied outsider accused of arson and conning his way through towns, rides into a sunbaked Mississippi burg seeking shelter and a stake in its swelling fortunes. He quickly slides into the inner circle of the powerful Varner clan, charming matriarch Will Varner's brood and wounding the pride of rivals with a blend of charm and menace. The debutante Clara Varner finds herself drawn to the rakish stranger, while Jody Varner and the rest watch with suspicion as Ben's bold appetite unsettles the town's carefully laid social order. Ben's past acts become a catalyst for his courtship of Clara and for the wary scrutiny he invites from the Varner men, setting the town on edge. The town itself becomes a character, its shuttered stores and dusty streets reflecting the simmering tensions.

Directed by Martin Ritt and released in 1958, The Long Hot Summer adapts William Faulkner's Mississippi world into a contemporary drama, with a screenplay by Faulkner, Harriet Frank Jr, and Sammy Cahn. The production pairs acclaimed actors and anchors the adaptation in a classic Southern mood.

Notable for marking the first screen pairing of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, the film helped spark their long-lasting romance and set a benchmark for on-screen chemistry in mid-century drama. Orson Welles's dominant Will Varner and the sun-drenched Southern mood left a lasting imprint on late 1950s cinema.

Critics praised the performances, noting the taut energy that comes from a clash of social classes and a man who uses charm to bend people to his will. The story probes ambition, loyalty, and the uneasy line between attraction and manipulation in a Southern town.

Box office figures for The Long Hot Summer are not readily documented, but the film was a notable release for 20th Century Fox and contributed to the early star power of Newman and Woodward, influencing subsequent screen partnerships.