The Children's Hour (1961)
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- Not Rated
- 1h 48min
- Drama, Romance
- 19 Dec 1961 (USA)
- Movie
- Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 1 win & 7 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
Audrey Hepburn | ... |
Karen Wright
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Shirley MacLaine | ... |
Martha Dobie
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James Garner | ... |
Dr. Joe Cardin
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Miriam Hopkins | ... |
Mrs. Lily Mortar
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Fay Bainter | ... |
Mrs. Amelia Tilford
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Karen Balkin | ... |
Mary Tilford
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Veronica Cartwright | ... |
Rosalie Wells
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Mimi Gibson | ... |
Evelyn
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Debbie Moldow | ... |
Student
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Diane Mountford | ... |
Student
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William Mims | ... |
Mr. Burton
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Sallie Brophy | ... |
Rosalie's Mother
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Hope Summers | ... |
Agatha - the Tilford Maid
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Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
Jered Barclay | ... |
Grocery Boy (uncredited)
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Paul Bradley | ... |
Parent at Piano Recital (uncredited)
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Stuart Hall | ... |
Mourner (uncredited)
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George Holmes | ... |
Mourner (uncredited)
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Pete Kellett | ... |
Taxi Driver (uncredited)
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Florence MacMichael | ... |
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
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George Mayon | ... |
Parent at Piano Recital (uncredited)
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Harold Miller | ... |
Parent on Visitor's Day (uncredited)
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William H. O'Brien | ... |
Funeral Assistant (uncredited)
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Ed Prentiss | ... |
Head of Hospital (uncredited)
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Leoda Richards | ... |
Parent at Piano Recital (uncredited)
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Kelly Smith | ... |
Little Girl (uncredited)
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Directed by
William Wyler |
Written by
Lillian Hellman | ... | (play) |
John Michael Hayes | ... | (screenplay) |
Lillian Hellman | ... | (adaptation) |
Produced by
Walter Mirisch | ... | executive producer (uncredited) |
Robert Wyler | ... | associate producer |
William Wyler | ... | producer |
Music by
Alex North |
Cinematography by
Franz Planer | ... | director of photography (as Franz F. Planer) |
Editing by
Robert Swink |
Editorial Department
Hal Ashby | ... | assistant film editor (as Wm. Hal Ashby) |
Casting By
Lynn Stalmaster | ... | (uncredited) |
Art Direction by
Fernando Carrere |
Set Decoration by
Edward G. Boyle |
Costume Design by
Dorothy Jeakins |
Makeup Department
Emile LaVigne | ... | makeup artist |
Frank McCoy | ... | makeup artist |
Joan St. Oegger | ... | hair stylist |
Production Management
Allen K. Wood | ... | production manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert E. Relyea | ... | assistant director |
Jerome M. Siegel | ... | second assistant director |
Art Department
Frank Agnone | ... | property |
Sound Department
Don Hall | ... | sound editor (as Don Hall Jr.) |
Fred Lau | ... | sound |
Buddy Myers | ... | sound re-recordist |
Gordon Sawyer | ... | sound (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Willoughby | ... | special still photographer (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Irene Caine | ... | wardrobe |
Bert Henrikson | ... | wardrobe |
Ruth Stella | ... | wardrobe |
Music Department
Richard C. Harris | ... | music editor |
Alex North | ... | conductor |
Victor Arno | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
Israel Baker | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
Frank Beach | ... | musician: trumpet (uncredited) |
Herman Clebanoff | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
John Clyman | ... | musician: trumpet (uncredited) |
Don Cristlieb | ... | musician: bassoon (uncredited) |
Vince De Rosa | ... | musician: french horn (uncredited) |
Ossip Giskin | ... | musician: cello (uncredited) |
Louis Kaufman | ... | musician: violin solos (uncredited) |
Alfred Lustgarten | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
Edgar Lustgarten | ... | musician: cello (uncredited) |
Peter Mercurio | ... | musician: bass (uncredited) |
Abe Most | ... | musician: clarinet (uncredited) |
Richard Nash | ... | musician: trombone (uncredited) |
Alex North | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
Edward B. Powell | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
Paul Shure | ... | musician: violin (uncredited) |
Eleanor Slatkin | ... | musician: cello solos (uncredited) |
Ann Stockton | ... | musician: harp (uncredited) |
Urban Thielmann | ... | orchestra contractor (uncredited) |
Raymond Turner | ... | musician: piano (uncredited) |
Robert Van Eps | ... | musician: piano (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
John Franco | ... | script supervisor |
Additional Crew
Leon Charles | ... | dialogue coach |
Clarence Marks | ... | assistant to producer |
Wayne Fitzgerald | ... | title designer (uncredited) |
Jean-Étienne Siry | ... | poster designer (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- The Mirisch Corporation (presents)
Distributors
- United Artists (1961) (United States) (theatrical) (as United Artists An MGM Company)
- United Artists (1962) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1962) (Argentina) (theatrical) (as Artistas Unidos)
- United Artists (1962) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1962) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Dear Film (1962) (Italy) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1962) (Japan) (theatrical)
- Rey Soria (1969) (Spain) (theatrical)
- Rai 2 (1978) (Italy) (tv)
- MGM Home Entertainment (1990) (United States) (VHS) (pan and scan)
- NHK-BS2 (1992) (Japan) (tv)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2002) (United States) (DVD)
- Fox Video Japan (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
- MGM Network (2009) (India) (tv)
- Seven Films (2011) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Kino Lorber (2014) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- Arthaus (2020) (Germany) (DVD)
- Arthaus (2020) (Germany) (Blu-ray)
- Artaire Films (2020) (Spain) (VOD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
Plot Summary |
Karen Wright and Martha Dobie have been best friends since college. Now, together they own Wright and Dobie School for Girls with twenty students. They are working hard as headmistresses and teachers to grow the school and make it profitable. Karen is engaged with the local doctor Joe Cardin, who is the nephew of the powerful and influential Mrs. Amelia Tilford. The spiteful liar Mary, who is Amelia's granddaughter and a bad influence to the other girls, is punished by Karen after telling a lie. While this is happening Martha has an argument with her snoopy aunt Lily Mortar in another room. Lily accuses Martha of being jealous and having an unnatural relationship with Karen. Mary's roommate Rosalie Wells overhears the shouting and tells Mary what Mrs. Mortar had said about her niece. The malicious Mary accuses Karen and Martha of being lesbians to her grandmother and Amelia spreads the gossip to the parents of the students who quickly withdraw them from the school. Karen and Martha lose a lawsuit against Amelia and have their lives destroyed. Further, Karen calls off her engagement with Joe when he asks her if what was said about Martha and she was true. The lie ends in a tragedy. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
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Taglines | One of Broadway's greatest hits...becomes powerful, adult screen drama! See more » |
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Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Box Office
Budget | $3,600,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
Trivia | Veronica Cartwright (Rosalie) said in an interview that she and the other children were told not to hang around with Shirley MacLaine on set because she "cursed a lot". They all did, however, because they thought she was "cool" and "very generous". She also became Cartwright's mentor throughout the making of the film. See more » |
Goofs | Upon learning that Mrs. Tilford is telling everyone in town she's a lesbian, Martha Dobie (a schoolteacher who should know the difference) threatens to sue her for libel (which pertains to printed defamation of character), rather than slander (oral defamation). However, later in the film, "slander" is used correctly. See more » |
Movie Connections | Featured in Homo Promo (1991). See more » |
Soundtracks | Loch Lomond See more » |
Quotes |
Martha:
There's always been something wrong. Always, just as long as I can remember. But I never knew what it was until all this happened. Karen: Stop it Martha! Stop this crazy talk! Martha: You're afraid of hearing it, but I'm more afraid that you. Karen: I won't listen to you! Martha: No! You've got to know. I've got to tell you. I can't keep it to myself any longer. I'm guilty! Karen: You're guilty of nothing! Martha: I've been telling myself that since the night I heard the child say it. I lie in bed night after night praying that it isn't true. But I know about it now. It's there. I don't know how, I don't know why. But I did love you! I do love you! I resented your plans to marry. Maybe because I wanted you. Maybe I've wanted you all these years. I couldn't call it by name before, but maybe it's been there since I first knew you. Karen: But it's not the truth, not a word of it is true! We've never thought of each other that way. Martha: No, of course you didn't. But who's to say I didn't. I'd never felt that way about anybody before you. I've never loved a man. I never knew why before, maybe it's that. Karen: You're tired and worn out. Martha: It's funny. It's all mixed up. There's something in you, and you don't know anything about it because you don't know it's there. And then suddenly, one night a little girl gets bored and tells a lie, and there, for the first time, you see it. Then you say to yourself, did she see it? Did she sense it? Karen: But you know it could have been any lie. She was looking for anything to... Martha: But why this lie? She found the lie with the ounce of truth. Don't you see? I can't stand to have you touch me! I can't stand to have you look at me! Oh, it's all my fault. I have ruined your life and I have ruined my own. I swear I didn't know it! I didn't mean it! Oh, I feel so damn sick and dirty I can't stand it anymore! See more » |