This is a decent Claudette Colbert film but its plot is very unusual to say the least. It begins with an unmarried Claudette going to a charity hospital to have a baby!! This certainly is NOT typical of most of her films and it's obvious by this plot device that this must be a Pre-Code film. That's because films made after the tougher Production Code were enacted would never have allowed the main character to have a baby out of wedlock. Such happenings wouldn't be seen again in films until the 1960s and beyond.
Soon after the baby is born, struggling Claudette finds she can't afford to take care of the child so she regrettably puts it up for adoption. Years later, she's now a successful torch singer AND she stumbles into a career as a children's radio personality. Despite her life going so well, the film gets very weepy as Claudette is being torn apart by the absence of her child. In fact, she spends most of the rest of the film pining and searching for the girl. Not surprisingly, by the end of the film she has gotten both the child AND the girl's birth father--leading to a contrived but very emotionally charged ending (have a Kleenex nearby).
Overall, it's a good but odd film. This sort of long-suffering mother role is more like what you might expect from Barbara Stanwyck and it seemed strange having Colbert in such a role. Negatives include a rather contrived plot and tons of pathos--which might turn some off. Positives are Colbert's performance as well as a touching finale. While not a must-see or one of her best films, it's worth a look.
Soon after the baby is born, struggling Claudette finds she can't afford to take care of the child so she regrettably puts it up for adoption. Years later, she's now a successful torch singer AND she stumbles into a career as a children's radio personality. Despite her life going so well, the film gets very weepy as Claudette is being torn apart by the absence of her child. In fact, she spends most of the rest of the film pining and searching for the girl. Not surprisingly, by the end of the film she has gotten both the child AND the girl's birth father--leading to a contrived but very emotionally charged ending (have a Kleenex nearby).
Overall, it's a good but odd film. This sort of long-suffering mother role is more like what you might expect from Barbara Stanwyck and it seemed strange having Colbert in such a role. Negatives include a rather contrived plot and tons of pathos--which might turn some off. Positives are Colbert's performance as well as a touching finale. While not a must-see or one of her best films, it's worth a look.