Blossoms in the Dust

Blossoms in the Dust

Blossoms in the Dust theatrical release poster

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Produced by Irving Asher
Mervyn LeRoy
Written by Anita Loos
Starring Greer Garson
Walter Pidgeon
Felix Bressart
Music by Herbert Stothart
Cinematography Karl Freund
W. Howard Greene
Edited by George Boemler
Production
company
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release dates
  • June 26, 1941 (1941-06-26) (New York City)[1]
  • July 25, 1941 (1941-07-25) (USA)
Running time
 99 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $1,112,000[2]
Box office $2,658,000[2]

Blossoms in the Dust is a 1941 American Technicolor film which tells the true story of Edna Gladney who takes it upon herself to help orphaned children to find homes, despite the opposition of the "good" citizens who think that illegitimate children are beneath their interest. It stars Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Felix Bressart, Marsha Hunt and Fay Holden.

The movie was adapted by Hugo Butler (uncredited), Anita Loos and Dorothy Yost (uncredited) from the story by Ralph Wheelwright. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Irving Asher.

Story

The story is a highly fictionalized telling of the story of Edna Gladney, an early advocate for the rights of illegitimate children in Texas.

Edna Kahly (Greer Garson) and her adopted sister, Charlotte (Marsha Hunt), are to be married. But, when Charlotte's mother-in-law-to-be discovers that Charlotte was a foundling, she declares the wedding must not occur, and Charlotte kills herself from shame. Meanwhile, Edna falls for a brash cashier, Sam Gladney, at the bank, and eventually marries him and moves with him to his home state of Texas.

Sam Gladney has a flour mill in Sherman, Texas, and at first the couple has an idyllic life, though after a difficult delivery Sam is told Edna must have no more children. Several years later, their son dies, and Sam's effort to replace him with a foundling fails. But the little girl's story touches Edna's heart, and she starts a day care center for the children of working women.

Sam's business fails, and they must auction off all their possessions. The local women take over the day care center, and Sam and Edna move to Fort Worth, Texas, where he has a job in a mill. Edna starts a home for orphans and illegitimate children, and works hard to find them appropriate homes, matching parents to child by interests and inclinations. When a young woman comes to try to donate a large sum of money, Edna worms the young woman's story out of her, and discovers she is in a similar situation to poor Charlotte. After insisting the girl's fiancé won't care that she is illegitimate, she decides to campaign to have the word illegitimate removed from Texas birth certificates.

After succeeding in her quest, Edna faces one more trial—the little crippled boy she has raised from an infant and nursed back to health finds a new home at last. She is reluctant to let him go, but at last realizes it is for the best, and, as she tends to the two newest foundlings, brought to her door by a policeman, the music comes up and the End title card comes on the screen.

Cast

Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon

Reception

When the film premiered at Radio City Music Hall, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote, "There is a shade too much of shining nobility in this film, too often tiny fingers tug deliberately on the heartstrings. And the dramatic continuity seems less spontaneous than contrived. The career of Mrs. Gladney is drawn out over a tedious stretch of time. But it is an affecting story and one which commands great respect ... As pure inspirational drama with a pleasant flavor of romance, 'Blossoms in the Dust' should reach a great many hearts."[3]

Variety called the film "a worthy production on which much care has been showered by Mervyn LeRoy and others, but it is questionable as to draft. Though meritorious as to production value, cast and background, plus being in color, the picture fails to impress as being big." The review also called the film "a trifle over-done on occasion."[4]

Film Daily wrote, "Mervyn LeRoy is at his directorial best here, and makes the most of the fine screenplay fashioned by Anita Loos ... Greer Garson's performance is rousing, and that of Walter Pidgeon, as her husband, as inspiring as will be found in any '40-'41 picture."[5]

John Mosher of The New Yorker wrote, "The subject matter receives very conventional treatment of the inspirational order, with an occasional tear, and, of course, a sad smile here and there."[6]

Blossoms in the Dust placed tenth on Film Daily's year-end poll of 548 critics naming the best films of 1941.[7]

Academy Awards

Wins[8][9]
Nominations

Box Office

According to MGM records the film earned $1,272,000 in the US and Canada and $1,386,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $552,000.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "The Broadway Parade". Film Daily (New York: Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc.): 2. June 23, 1941.
  2. 1 2 3 The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  3. ↑ Crowther, Bosley (June 27, 1941). "Movie Review - Blossoms in the Dust". The New York Times. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Blossoms in the Dust". Variety (New York: Variety, Inc.). June 25, 1941. p. 16.
  5. ↑ "Reviews of New Films". Film Daily (New York: Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc.): 6. June 23, 1941.
  6. ↑ Mosher, John (June 28, 1941). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker (New York: F-R Publishing Corp.). p. 53.
  7. ↑ "GWTW Captures Critics' Poll". Film Daily (New York: Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc.): 1. January 14, 1942.
  8. ↑ "The 14th Academy Awards (1942) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2014-02-28.
  9. ↑ "NY Times: Blossoms in the Dust". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-14.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blossoms in the Dust (film).
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, March 09, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.