The team of Charles Brackett and Walter Reisch take on this family melodrama, directed by Edmund Goulding, from a Broadway play. It's black and white CinemaScope and some old timey stars like Ginger Rogers and Michael Rennie with new names like Warren Berlinger.
Rogers left her first husband for Rennie, losing custody of her daughter who is now a teenager. She turns up and causes trouble. The bias of the film is in favour of the mother though it doesnt' demonise the teen, even if she is a bit grumpy.
The film is very reasonable. Perhaps too reasonable. Everyone is basically decent - Rogers, new husband Michael Rennie, old husband, old husband's new fiance, the girls at school, neighbour Berlinger, the girl. This film needed villains! For the girl to be a real bitch, or the other girls at school to be bitches, or the father to be a prick, or Rennie.
It's done with warmth, class and understanding -well made just a little dull. Brackett's Fox films lacked the acid of Billy Wilder. They all were intelligent and sensitive. Just didn't have the same oomph.
Some lovely moments like Rennie and Rogers dancing outside as the kids next door have a party. Berlinger's drag racer is quite a funny creation and I was nicely surprised he dumped the girl at an end.
The heart of this is in the 1930s more than the 1950s but it has charm. One of Rogers' better later roles. But too civilised.
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