review for Goodbye, My Fancy on AllMovie

Relatively lightweight despite a few stabs at making a statement, Goodbye My Fancy is at least notable for giving Joan Crawford the chance to star in a traditional romance rather than the heavy, sometimes embarrassing melodramas that marked her career in the 1950s and turned her into a caricature of herself. Crawford's performance is not totally successful -- she doesn't seem totally at ease with the role and arguably was miscast -- but the relative simplicity of her work here is a refreshing change of pace, and she of course still has that identifiable Crawford way with a line. The star is not helped by a screenplay that offers too little in the way of originality; its support for free speech are commendable but predictable and come across as preachy. The main romantic triangle is not given a fresh twist, and Robert Young is rather dull as the man who once inspired such passion in Crawford. Frank Lovejoy is better as the man who wants her now, but Eve Arden is the only member of the supporting cast who really makes the film come to life.