Three Secrets (1950)

Three women who secretly gave their new-born sons up for adoption in 1945, wonder if the 5-year old survivor of a plane crash, named in the local newspapers, is their long-abandoned son.

Director:

Robert Wise

Writers:

Martin Rackin, Gina Kaus

Stars:

Eleanor Parker, Patricia Neal, Ruth Roman

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Eleanor Parker	...	Susan Adele Connors Chase
Patricia Neal	...	Phyllis Horn
Ruth Roman	...	Ann Lawrence
Frank Lovejoy	...	Bob Duffy
Leif Erickson	...	Bill Chase
Ted de Corsia	...	Del Prince
Edmon Ryan	...	Hardin
Larry Keating	...	Mark Harrison
Katherine Warren	...	Mrs. Connors
Arthur Franz	...	Paul Radin

Storyline

A five-year-old boy is the sole survivor of a devastating plane crash in the mountains of California. When the newspapers reveal the boy was adopted and that the crash occurred on his birthday, three women begin to ponder if it's the son each gave up for adoption. As the three await news of his rescue at a mountain cabin, they recall incidents from five years earlier and why they were forced to give up their son.

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Plot Keywords:

mountain | sole survivor | rescue | california | adoption | 

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Taglines:

Don't judge these girls until you know their Three Secrets.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Billy Bevan.

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Goofs

When Susan walks through the camp at the base of the mountain, the filming crew is briefly reflected on a car window. A man wears a white t-shirt while another is wearing a checked shirt.

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Quotes

Bob Duffy: Just for a moment there I thought you were a human being.

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Connections

Referenced in The Carol Burnett Show: The Hollow Hero/The Family (1975)

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Soundtracks

I Get a Kick out of You
Written by Cole Porter
Played often during the Phyllis Horn segment

User Reviews

Three Secrets - The Story of Real People

A young boy is the sole survivor of a plane that went down in the mountains and a rescue mission of mountain-climbers are on their way to get him. The news flash reveals that today is his birthday and that he had been adopted through a certain agency. When Eleanor Parker hears this, she loses it, as she had given her baby up five years ago and that today would have been his birthday. She never told husband Leif Ericson. She hightails to the site where the press is stationed near the mountains. There she meets Patricia Neal and Ruth Roman, who both had used the same agency to give up their babies on the same day. Through the device of flashbacks, we are allowed the story of each and how each came to this point of their lives. This is excellent little film with great actresses for the lead roles, fleshing out the characters and making them three-dimensional. I grant you actresses like Bette Davis, Susan Hayward, and Joan Crawford has guts, but no one could quite deliver a line like Patricia Neal with her sarcastic coyness. And, Ruth Roman is one tough cookie, too. But the story is what really takes center stage with a taut pace and the outdoors being used to good advantage by the film's director. But who's baby is it? We are told, but there is more to it than any happy ending. The film reflects the struggles, loves, and yes secrets of three women, who were existing in a world and trying to come out a survivor, and that's what makes this film successful: the story of people. People are the story.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rock Bottom

Filming Locations:

Lone Pine, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,400,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

United States Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1