Joel McCrea and Irene Dunne are Dave and Christina Phelps, newlyweds. They return to the family home, and things go wrong right away. at the very first tea they have together, Mother Phelps (Laura Crews... was Aunt PittyPat in Gone with the Wind !) makes it very clear she doesn't want sonny boy moving to new york. but the newlyweds have already accepted work there, and plan to move there pronto. Crews steals the first twenty minutes of the film, lecturing the new wife on how things should be. she can't even get excited when the couple announces they are having a baby. It's good. shades of this in Queen Bee, where Joan Crawford's character has to control every move of each member of the family. In Silver Cord, even the other son's girlfriend, Hester, points out how rude they have been to Christina. and then has a breakdown. the real test will be to see if Dave can stand up to his mother... stay tuned! family drama. Crews chews up the wallpaper, stealing every scene she's in, which is exactly the point. even saying "remember my bad heart." Directed by John Cromwell; he made some biggies... Anna and the King, Algiers, of Human Bondage, Double Harness, Dead Reckoning. some fun connections here -- Crews and Dunne made three films together over the years. and of course, the actress playing Hester, Frances Dee, met and married Joel McCrea on this very film! so much talking. you can tell it started as a play. written by Sidney Howard.. who had also worked on Gone With the Wind... speaking of Aunt PittyPat !
Review of The Silver Cord
