The Blue Veil (1951)

Louise Mason is a young widow who fills her empty life with the task of becoming a children's nurse. As the years pass, and the widow tries to find her own place in life, her young charges,... See full summary »

Director:

Curtis Bernhardt

Writers:

François Campaux (story), Norman Corwin

Stars:

Jane Wyman, Charles Laughton, Joan Blondell

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jane Wyman	...	Louise Mason
Charles Laughton	...	Fred K. Begley
Joan Blondell	...	Annie Rawlins
Richard Carlson	...	Gerald Kean
Agnes Moorehead	...	Mrs. Palfrey
Don Taylor	...	Dr. Robert Palfrey
Audrey Totter	...	Helen Williams
Cyril Cusack	...	Frank Hutchins
Everett Sloane	...	District Attorney
Natalie Wood	...	Stephanie Rawlins
Vivian Vance	...	Alicia
Carleton G. Young	...	Henry Palfrey
Alan Napier	...	Prof. George Carter
Warner Anderson	...	Bill Parker
Les Tremayne	...	Joplin

Storyline

Louise Mason is a young widow who fills her empty life with the task of becoming a children's nurse. As the years pass, and the widow tries to find her own place in life, her young charges, the children of various employers, grow and soon find themselves ready to face the world. When it seems that she will be alone, the nurse finds that her 'children' have ideas of their own in regards to helping their beloved mentor.

---

Plot Keywords:

widow | maternity ward | single mother | remake | nanny | 

---

Taglines:

Who is the real Mother of this Child? The woman who gave it life... or the woman who gave it love?

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 January 1952 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Das Herz einer Mutter

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wald/Krasna Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Jerry Wald hoped to coax Greta Garbo out of retirement for this role. He was unsuccessful.

---

Connections

Edited into Falcon Crest: Desperation (1987)

---

Soundtracks

"Daddy"
Written by Bobby Troup
Sung by Joan Blondell

User Reviews

53 years old and still going strong

After searching for 21 years I finally got a copy, albeit not a great one, but at least I got to see it. Jane Wyman as the self sacrificing nursemaid makes your heart break and eyes water as she puts her "children" ahead of her for her entire life. After losing her own baby shortly after birth and being a widow with no skills, she goes to an employment agency where she is encouraged to take a 2-3 week stint with a new born. Understandably she is hesitant but accepts and in what will become a pattern for her, has to move on to new children. The last one is a heartbreaker, after raising a child for 8 years, she has to give him back to his mother and stepfather who finally resurfaced after spending time in England during and after the war. Now she is elderly, and winds up cleaning in a school just to be around children. When her eyesight fails, the doctor she goes to turns out to be one of her "children". She recognizes his name and tells him who she is. He invites her to his home for dinner the next week where he gives her the greatest surprise imaginable. I recommend doing whatever you have to in order to see this movie.