to Chicago and gets himself infected with false notions of a successful career. Here John Twist's adaptation and Mr. Wise's direction are unsure, and the acting by all and sundry has a specious and artificial quality...As a consequence of its downward tangent toward the end, the whole picture loses force. The poignance of the mother's disappointment in her dearly loved son goes awry. Even so, the performance of Miss Wyman holds up right through to the end, and the character she sets throughout the first part stands firm amid the flow of glycerin tears. Radio Times rated the film three out of five stars and commented "The tale's a mite old-fashioned for today's tastes, but under skilled editor-turned-director Robert Wise the Warner Bros gloss is not too intrusive, and there are nicely honed performances from big Sterling Hayden and lovely Nancy Olsen in support." TV Guide rated the film three out of four stars and added "A good production, but a bit inflated, So Big commits the same error as the 1932 picture in that it stuffs a quarter of a century and many characters into not enough time." The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) had a special preview in Washington of the highly influential group in 1953, and it was a big hit with the toppers. According to Mrs. Dean Gray Edwards, chairman of the m.p. division of the Federation, they were "enchanted with the splendid filming of the Edna Ferber novel. Several said they had never seen a finer picture and that this is the type of picture greatly needed today." The millions of women who create the Federation will receive that message, and the Independent Exhibitors Film Bulletin claims that will assure a pre-sold audience. They also recommend a similar preview for all feminist types of movies to women's groups. On October 3, 1953, Harrison's Reports wrote "Despite its length, this remake of Edna Ferber's prize-winning novel is only a fair drama...The trouble with this third version is that it lacks unity of plot -- it wanders all over the lot, and is packed with details which, for the most part, are tiresome. Another drawback is the fact that the spectator feels sympathy for the boy characters in the first half of the picture, but finds it difficult to transfer his affections to them in the second half, where they are shown as grown men. Still