''Ann Vickers'' is a 1933 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

romantic drama Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

directed by John Cromwell and starring Irene Dunne and Walter Huston. It is based on the novel of the same name by

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American writer and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States (and the first from the Americas) to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was ...

Plot

After a military officer (

Bruce Cabot Bruce Cabot (born Étienne de Pelissier Bujac Jr.; April 20, 1904 – May 3, 1972) was an American film actor, best remembered as Jack Driscoll (character), Jack Driscoll in ''King Kong (1933 film), King Kong'' (1933) and for his roles in films ...

) gets Ann Vickers ( Irene Dunne) pregnant and leaves her, she and friend Malvina Wormser (

Edna May Oliver Edna May Oliver (born Edna May Nutter, November 9, 1883 – November 9, 1942) was an American stage and film actress. During the 1930s, she was one of the better-known character actresses in American films, often playing tart-tongued spinsters. ...

) go to Havana, where she gives birth, though the child dies soon after. Feeling conflicted and regretful, Ann devotes herself to social work, taking a job in a women's prison. However, when she tries to improve the conditions there, she loses her job. She instead writes a book about the harsh realities of the prison and begins a romance with a married judge, Barney Dolphin ( Walter Huston). Though progressive in his views, Dolphin is caught taking bribes and is sentenced to prison. Ann, once again pregnant, supports herself by writing until Dolphin is released a few years later. Finally, Ann, Dolphin, and their child are reunited.

Cast

* Irene Dunne as Ann Vickers * Walter Huston as Barney Dolphin *

Conrad Nagel John Conrad Nagel (March 16, 1897 – February 24, 1970) was an American film, stage, television and radio actor. He was considered a famous matinée idol and leading man of the 1920s and 1930s. He was given an Academy Honorary Award in 1940 and ...

as Lindsey Atwell *

as Captain Resnick *

as Malvina Wormser * Sam Hardy as Russell Spaulding * Mitchell Lewis as Captain Waldo *

Murray Kinnell Murray Kinnell (24 July 1889 – 11 August 1954) was a British-born American actor, recognized for playing smooth, gentlemanly, although rather shady characters. He appeared in 71 films in the USA between the pre-code era of 1930 and 1937. He wa ...

as Dr. Slenk *Helen Eby-Rock as Kitty Cognac *

Gertrude Michael Lillian Gertrude Michael (June 1, 1911 – December 31, 1964) was an American film, stage and television actress. Biography The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl H. Michael, she was born in Talladega, Alabama. She graduated from Talladega High s ...

as Mona Dolphin * J. Carroll Naish as Dr. Sorelle *

Sarah Padden Sarah Ann Padden (16 October 1881 – 4 December 1967) was an English-born American theatre and film character actress. She performed on stage in the early 20th century. Her best-known single-act performance was in ''The Clod'', a stage pr ...

as Lil * Reginald Barlow as Chaplain * Rafaella Ottiano as Mrs. Feldermans * Wally Albright as Mischa Feldermans (uncredited) * John Cromwell as Sad-Faced Doughboy (uncredited)

Controversy

In the novel, Ann Vickers is a

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

advocate and reformer who has two

extramarital affairs An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of ...

, each time becoming pregnant though unwed. The original screenplay, following Sinclair Lewis's novel, had her obtaining an abortion, but the story was changed so that she gives birth to a child who dies. The

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...

for the 1933 film was approved by the

Production Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the ...

only when RKO Radio Pictures also agreed to make Vickers an unmarried woman at the time of her affairs, thus eliminating the issue of

adultery Adultery (from Latin ''adulterium'') is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal ...

. The reaction of leading American Roman Catholics to the content in this film and '' The Sign of the Cross'' led to the formation in 1934 of the

Catholic Legion of Decency The National Legion of Decency, also known as the Catholic Legion of Decency, was a Catholic group founded in 1934 by Archbishop of Cincinnati, John T. McNicholas, as an organization dedicated to identifying objectionable content in motion pictu ...

, an organization dedicated to identifying and combating what it viewed as objectionable content in films, usually by threatening a boycott.

Footnotes

References

*Hopwood, Jon C. IMDb. ''John Cromwell: Biography.'' https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0188669/bio?ref_=nm_sa_1 Retrieved August 9, 2020.

External links

* * * {{John Cromwell American romantic drama films American black-and-white films Films based on American novels Films based on works by Sinclair Lewis Films directed by John Cromwell RKO Pictures films 1933 romantic drama films Films with screenplays by Jane Murfin 1933 films 1930s American films 1930s feminist films