Louisa is so cute! I'd never heard of this movie before, and I'm so glad I discovered it. Nowadays, it's more common for romances to feature a middle-aged couple, but back in 1950 it was practically nonexistent. Spring Byington plays the title character, a devoted mother to Ronald Reagan, and a grandmother to Piper Laurie and Jimmy Hunt, who finally steps out of her comfort zone and puts herself back on the market. Spring got typecast as a ditz, but there were a few movies (including her debut as Marmee in Little Women) where she got to actually act out a full character. In this comedy, she has no trouble taking center stage and keeping the audience's interest. She's fun, she's flirty, and it doesn't matter that she's fifty - she's the center of a love triangle!
Charles "Piggy" Coburn and Edmund "Santa" Gwenn play her very different suitors. While Piggy is a millionaire (and her son's boss), Santa is a penniless grocery store owner. Piggy can pick her up in a limousine and take her to the opera, but Santa can only take her on a humble picnic in the park. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, and it'll tug you in both directions until the end when she makes her decision - or will she? Spring is independent, confident, and although she values her family's opinion, she realizes the ultimate choice is hers alone to make. If you want to see an unusual romance from the time period, I'd definitely recommend Louisa.
Charles "Piggy" Coburn and Edmund "Santa" Gwenn play her very different suitors. While Piggy is a millionaire (and her son's boss), Santa is a penniless grocery store owner. Piggy can pick her up in a limousine and take her to the opera, but Santa can only take her on a humble picnic in the park. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, and it'll tug you in both directions until the end when she makes her decision - or will she? Spring is independent, confident, and although she values her family's opinion, she realizes the ultimate choice is hers alone to make. If you want to see an unusual romance from the time period, I'd definitely recommend Louisa.