Close to My Heart (1951)

Gene Tierney and Ray Milland play the Sheridans, a married couple unable to have a biological child. They visit an adoption agency to make inquiries and start the ball rolling. Then, they ... See full summary »

Director:

William Keighley

Writers:

James R. Webb (novel), James R. Webb (screenplay)

Stars:

Ray Milland, Gene Tierney, Fay Bainter

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ray Milland	...	Brad Sheridan
Gene Tierney	...	Midge Sheridan
Fay Bainter	...	Mrs. Morrow
Howard St. John	...	I.O. Frost
Mary Beth Hughes	...	Arlene
Ann Morrison	...	Mrs. Barker
James Seay	...	Everett C. Heilner / Edward C. Hewitt
Baby John Winslow	...	Baby Danny (as Baby John)
Eddie Marr	...	Taxi Driver Dunne

Storyline

Gene Tierney and Ray Milland play the Sheridans, a married couple unable to have a biological child. They visit an adoption agency to make inquiries and start the ball rolling. Then, they learn of a child abandoned at a local police station. The loving and very lovely Midge (Tierney) is determined to adopt the young boy, no questions asked; Brad (Milland) insists on learning about the boy's heredity and his parentage. The Sheridans learn the boy's father may be a murderer. Will there be a baby for Midge? (The film is based on a novel by James R. Webb, entitled "A Baby for Midge.")

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Plot Keywords:

baby | nature versus nurture | nursery | paternity revealed | maternity revealed | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Sheridan's car is a 1951 Ford Custom Deluxe convertible coupe.

User Reviews

Tierney and Milland have trouble being adoptive parents...

This rather obscure little film from '51 must have been one that attracted GENE TIERNEY, given the circumstances of her private life wherein her own parentage problems came about when her pregnancy resulted in a child born mentally retarded. She puts her heart and soul into her performance here, as the obsessive wife who "must" have a child to call her own regardless of where the child comes from. Hubby RAY MILLAND is more realistic about things and wants to know the background of any infant they adopt.

While she falls completely in love with the adopted infant boy, Milland, who is a newspaper columnist, decides to do his own research into the baby's real parents. Therein, the story takes a few melodramatic turns before the domestic problems are ironed out.

FAY BAINTER is excellent as the head of an adoption agency who wants to make sure both parents are right for the child. Her scenes with Tierney are sensitively played and well scripted. Tierney looks ravishing and there is no trace of the illness which would overtake her career in a few short years.

Milland has some good moments, especially toward the end when he has his final confrontation with Bainter, insisting that he's no longer holding the baby's criminal father as a factor in not signing the final adoption papers, having met with the man in prison and realizing that heredity is not going to poison the child.

Although the presentation is an intelligent enough one, there is the flavor of a Lifetime TV movie to the production (by today's standards), and it verges on being daytime soap opera in quality more than once. But fans of Gene Tierney and Ray Milland will like their performances in this one.

A nice background score by Max Steiner helps, as does the direction of William Keighley.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Baby for Midge

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1