A FEATHER IN HER HAT had a pretty good cast of actors--particularly Basil Rathbone and Louis Hayward. However, no matter how good they were, the film was severely hampered by a sickeningly sweet plot. Trust me--this is very tough going, though unlike other self-sacrificing mother films (such as STELLA DALLAS), this one never really seems realistic and the film seems way too sentimental for most tastes (particularly diabetics).
The film starts off very strangely. A mother wants a man about the house in order to be a good cultural and masculine influence to civilize the little urchin. So, she does what any woman in a similar situation would do--heads to Skid Row and picks an erudite alcoholic (Rathbone) to accompany her home to take on the father's role. Then, very abruptly, the film cuts to decades later. The child is now an adult (Louis Hayward) with impeccable manners and grace despite growing up in the poorer part of London. And, on his 21st birthday, his mother announces that the boy is NOT her biological son but he's the unwanted child of a mother and father of quality--though their exact names are not given as they apparently wanted to remain anonymous. On top of that, Hayward is told that there is 1000 pounds in the bank (a huge sum for 1935) so that he can now move to a nicer part of town and hang out with the swells (i.e., rich folks).
Once at his new home, Hayward is pursued by two ladies--one he grew up with who is poor and appears far older than Hayward (though they are supposed to be the same age) and a pretty rich lady. At the same time, Hayward thinks he might be able to ascertain who his biological mother is--while still remaining devoted to his very long-suffering step-mom. Of course there are some twists, but in general the film really plays up how long-suffering and noble the lady is who raised Hayward--so much so that she seems unreal. No one is THAT noble! On top of this, while Rathbone is a lovely actor, here he doesn't seem to have much to do and by the end of the film he just wanders off--perhaps because he had no idea what to do next!! Ironically, Hayward's character is supposed to be a playwright. However, Hayward is supposed to be such a gosh-darn good writer that he shoots to fame at the end of the film and yet the actual plot and dialog of this film seems second-rate and silly. The film just seems ridiculous and impossible.
The film starts off very strangely. A mother wants a man about the house in order to be a good cultural and masculine influence to civilize the little urchin. So, she does what any woman in a similar situation would do--heads to Skid Row and picks an erudite alcoholic (Rathbone) to accompany her home to take on the father's role. Then, very abruptly, the film cuts to decades later. The child is now an adult (Louis Hayward) with impeccable manners and grace despite growing up in the poorer part of London. And, on his 21st birthday, his mother announces that the boy is NOT her biological son but he's the unwanted child of a mother and father of quality--though their exact names are not given as they apparently wanted to remain anonymous. On top of that, Hayward is told that there is 1000 pounds in the bank (a huge sum for 1935) so that he can now move to a nicer part of town and hang out with the swells (i.e., rich folks).
Once at his new home, Hayward is pursued by two ladies--one he grew up with who is poor and appears far older than Hayward (though they are supposed to be the same age) and a pretty rich lady. At the same time, Hayward thinks he might be able to ascertain who his biological mother is--while still remaining devoted to his very long-suffering step-mom. Of course there are some twists, but in general the film really plays up how long-suffering and noble the lady is who raised Hayward--so much so that she seems unreal. No one is THAT noble! On top of this, while Rathbone is a lovely actor, here he doesn't seem to have much to do and by the end of the film he just wanders off--perhaps because he had no idea what to do next!! Ironically, Hayward's character is supposed to be a playwright. However, Hayward is supposed to be such a gosh-darn good writer that he shoots to fame at the end of the film and yet the actual plot and dialog of this film seems second-rate and silly. The film just seems ridiculous and impossible.