My Forbidden Past

Robert Mitchum and Ava Gardner are star-crossed lovers in this steamy tale of a woman scorned, set in 1890s New Orleans. Wrongly believing Barbara Beaurevel (Gardner) had stood him up on the eve of their elopement, Dr. Mark Lucas (Mitchum) has returned from South Africa accompanied by Corinne (Janis Carter), a woman he married on the rebound. Determined to win him back, Barbara bribes her cousin (Melvin Douglas) to break up the marriage, coldblooded scheme that ends in death and the doctor suspected of murder. Based on Polan Banks' 1947 novel, Carriage Entrance, My Forbidden Past was directed by Robert Stevenson (Jane Eyre) and features the first and only teaming of Mitchum and Gardner. Borrowed from M-G-M, Gardner was one of Hollywood's most ravishing stars, her earthy sensuality combining with Mitchum's smoldering cool to create a rare on-screen chemistry that still sizzles today.

• drama