Angel Baby (1961 film)

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Angel Baby is a 1961 American drama film directed by Paul Wendkos. It stars Salome Jens, George Hamilton, and Mercedes McCambridge and marks Burt Reynolds’s film debut.

Plot in simple terms:
- Angel Baby is a girl from the rural South who has been mute since she was eight.
- Her mother takes her to a tent revival led by preacher Paul Strand. Paul heals Angel’s muteness, and Angel feels God has called her to join his ministry.
- Angel receives a lot of attention, which makes Paul’s wife Sarah feel jealous. Paul’s preaching includes dramatic scenes with actresses playing temptresses.
- Angel falls in love with Paul. He begins to question his own marriage, and Angel starts her own traveling ministry with help, though she struggles to attract followers.
- A shady businessman, Sam Wilcox, tries to use Angel to sell his medicines by staging fake healings. The ruse is exposed during a violent confrontation at the revival, and the tent collapses. Angel becomes mute again.
- Later, in a small town store, people want Angel to heal their lame son. She initially says she cannot heal him, but then she performs a final miracle. Her faith in herself is damaged, but many others still believe in her.

Production notes:
- The film was based on the 1954 novel Jenny Angel by Elsie Oakes Barber. Rights were bought after a previous deal with Columbia Pictures fell through, and Madera Productions released it through Allied Artists.
- Filming began in April 1960 in Florida. Hubert Cornfield started the shoot but fell ill; Paul Wendkos finished directing. Only a tiny amount of Cornfield’s footage remains.
- The project was partly driven by George Hamilton’s desire to do more serious films. Burt Reynolds later joked that Hamilton beat him up during filming.
- Angel Baby was shown at the Venice Film Festival. Critics had mixed feelings: Variety called the drama heavy-handed, while Sight and Sound praised it as crisp and well-acted.