I have no idea how 1955 audiences reacted to that scene, but it is SO over the top hammy today.
And O/T, but in Indianapolis, people chip pieces of John Dillinger's tombstone, too. The joke is that some people don't realize that John Dillinger Jr. was the gangster. His dad's headstone also gets chipped. Just not as much.
Hammy?
...or why I never come to Free Republic for acting tips.