Fay Bainter plays the main character, and she is surrounded by a great cast that includes Claude Rains, Kay Johnson, Bonita Granville, Jackie Cooper and James Stephenson.
It's another one of those tearjerkers like STELLA DALLAS and TO EACH HIS OWN where the mother gave up a child due to a set of difficult circumstances (in this case, she was unwed). And years later she comes back into her child's life, when she takes a job as a housekeeper. She is very poignant in the scene when she admits to being the mother of a boy (Cooper) that was adopted by a neighbor family.
Fay Bainter received an Oscar nomination as Best Actress for this picture, but she also had a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in JEZEBEL the same year. She won in the supporting category, probably because Warner Brothers was pushing Bette Davis as the lead in JEZEBEL and it would be some sort of consolation for Bainter to not go home empty-handed. Though I think her work in this film deserved the Oscar over Davis. It's a pitch perfect performance that wisely avoids scenery chewing and over the top histrionics.
Fay Bainter and Claude Rains were paired again a year later in DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS. They play opposite each other very well.
It's another one of those tearjerkers like STELLA DALLAS and TO EACH HIS OWN where the mother gave up a child due to a set of difficult circumstances (in this case, she was unwed). And years later she comes back into her child's life, when she takes a job as a housekeeper. She is very poignant in the scene when she admits to being the mother of a boy (Cooper) that was adopted by a neighbor family.
Fay Bainter received an Oscar nomination as Best Actress for this picture, but she also had a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in JEZEBEL the same year. She won in the supporting category, probably because Warner Brothers was pushing Bette Davis as the lead in JEZEBEL and it would be some sort of consolation for Bainter to not go home empty-handed. Though I think her work in this film deserved the Oscar over Davis. It's a pitch perfect performance that wisely avoids scenery chewing and over the top histrionics.
Fay Bainter and Claude Rains were paired again a year later in DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS. They play opposite each other very well.