Claudia (1943)

Child bride Claudia Naughton has made life difficult for her husband David because she can't stand living so far away from her mother. She's also afraid her husband doesn't find her ... See full summary »

Director:

Edmund Goulding

Writers:

Rose Franken (play), Morrie Ryskind

Stars:

Dorothy McGuire, Robert Young, Ina Claire

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dorothy McGuire	...	Claudia Naughton
Robert Young	...	David Naughton
Ina Claire	...	Mrs. Brown
Reginald Gardiner	...	Jerry Seymour
Olga Baclanova	...	Madame Daruschka
Jean Howard	...	Julia
Frank Tweddell	...	Fritz
Elsa Janssen	...	Bertha

Storyline

Child bride Claudia Naughton has made life difficult for her husband David because she can't stand living so far away from her mother. She's also afraid her husband doesn't find her desirable enough. To remedy both situations, she sells their farm to an opera singer so they'll have to move back to the city near her mother, and she tries to make her husband jealous by flirting with a neighbor. Eventually, Claudia has to learn to grow when she discovers that she's about to become a mother and that her own mother is gravely ill.

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Plot Keywords:

child bride | architect | parental death | connecticut | party line | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 February 1943 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Claudia, a Esposa Moderna

Filming Locations:

Stage 3, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dorothy McGuire's movie debut.

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Connections

Referenced in Biography: Jennifer Jones: Portrait of a Lady (2001)

User Reviews

Wholesome, Sweet, Refreshing and Inspiring Movie...

I rate this movie highly not necessarily for its cinematographic values (it is no "Citizen Kane") but for its depiction of the values and principles that guided our American ancestors. America was engaged in the cruelest war it has faced since the Civil War. Husbands and sons are suffering on foreign lands, news are censored, military operations are "blacked-out"; families back home need something to believe in, beliefs to cling on to especially when they are mourning the loss of loved ones. Rural Connecticutt, the scenery, the community, the house in which Claudia lived, feel like a breath of fresh air to the viewer and makes us forget our sorrows.

Hollywood produced many movies to help in America's war effort, directly (propaganda) or indirectly (fostering our countries' ideals). This is one of these movies. It reveals, by ricochet perhaps, the beauty of American life, the kindness of people, the innocence of love in its broad meaning. Despite the rationing and the tragedy of the war years, it offered our parents, hope that life could be and was beautiful, that these principles were worth fighting for. It also projected an ideal for the population to emulate, a code of conduct so to speak. This way of thinking/living was spread all over the country through thousands of community theaters. It helped guide a generation long gone in the aftermath of the great depression and the lean war years ahead.

In our modern society where trouble, murder, and sins of mankind get front page in the news and create constant fear and lingering anxiety among us, movies like "Claudia" and its sequel bring comfort and peace in our minds. This film reminds us of who we once were, loving individuals who cared for one another. It brings us back at a time when we, Americans, cared for one another, when we would pick-up hitch-hikers, when we would lend money to friends, when the local bank would help you out of financial difficulty. Our country stood for something and provided relief and shelter to the rest of the world.

I give my appreciation to the director, the writers and the cast who made this movie, a model of Americana for us to follow. I also appreciate all the film lovers who take the time and effort to enlighten the users of IMDb with their details and comments about the movies they review. May God Bless America!

Signed: A Disabled Veteran of the War against Terrorism.