Paula

Paula (1952)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Interesting but too overly dramatic film about a wife (Loretta Young) who suffers her second miscarriage and is about to give up on life when another tragedy strikes. While speeding to a meeting, she runs over a seven year old boy who becomes deaf to the wreck. Another man takes the boy to the hospital so the police don't know who hit him but the woman feels so guilty that she adopts the boy so that she can try and teach him to speak again. However, the police are still on the hunt for who hit the boy and the boy eventually remembers who it was. This film could have been a lot better had they toned down the crying moments. By crying moments I mean that this is one of those films that tries to make you cry every five minutes, which becomes quite annoying after a while. The scene where Young learns she lost her second baby is heartbreaking but other moments don't come off as good. Young is very good in her role, which requires her to be a snob, a heartbroken mother and a woman trying to do what's right with both the child and the law. Kent Smith is also very good as her husband who at first doesn't want to take in a mute child. The film loses some steam in the final act as things turn very stupid during one scene where the man who drove the kid to the hospital shows up at Young's house and starts a fight. The ending is predictable but touching.

One night, Paula Rogers, with her car, accidently runs over little David, a 7-years old boy running away from the orphanage. The last thing David sees before fainting is the fancy necklace of Paula, who, after stopping her car, is leaning over him to get him first aid.

David, because of the accident, loses the power of speach, and he needs proper rehabilitation in order to speak again. Due to a series of circumstances, Paula doesn't tell the police, but is designated to be the speaking and spelling teacher for little David, whom she and her husband John guest in their house and intend to adopt.

All goes well for some times, but one day David sees again Paula wearing the fancy necklace of the night of the accident, recognizes her (so the film makes us believe) as his hit and run driver, and begins to hate her.

But, wait a minute: David hasn't seen (so the film showed us) the face of the driver who run over him, but only the face (and the necklace) of the first woman who came to his rescue. So it is simply not possible that he recognizes her. A little but important blunder, that casts a heavy weight upon a movie which - apart from that - is quite likeable (and I won't tell you how it develops).

Loretta Young is in the title role as the wife of a college dean who, after several miscarriages, learns she will never have children. On her way to a formal event, she accidently hits a little boy (Tommy Retting) on a dark road, and before she can find out if he's okay, a nasty local yokel (Will Wright) shows up, calls her a reckless woman driver and whisks the kid away. Wright likes the spotlight as 'the guy who saved the orphan', , telling reporters the driver was a drunk society woman, and describing her car. Young is torn between her worry about the boy and concern that any breath of 'scandal' can hurt her hubbie's career.

She volunteers at the hospital, and arranges with her doctor (Alexander Knox) to help him learn to speak again and she devotes herself to him. She and her husband decide to adopt the boy, and one night Young is dressed for a dinner out..and wearing the same distinctive necklace as the night of the accident. Little Retting recognizes it..and knows she's the one who hit him. He tries to tell others, but his speech is still limited..and Young knows he knows. What does she do? Confess? Knox knows too, but is aware that Young really loves the boy, and returning him to an orphanage would be a mistake. Knox's MD character is a bit confusing in the film..he's a friend/obgyn/pseudo psychologist/speech therapist...hmmm.

There's a little twist when Wright shows up at Young's home, ranting about the boy, but a heart warming ending. Young is fine in her role, Kent Smith as her husband is pretty dull. I put this a step above the 'woman's pictures' of the time because there is some suspense involved...at one point, Young says to the boy 'you can't tell anyone because you can't talk' in a cool, almost menacing tone...to scare him or to prod him to try harder? Or both? Not bad at all...

For a lack of truth in advertising, take a look at the movie poster. It's got a picture of Young in a skimpy low cut dress and says "If you were Paula would you have stopped?" Ahem. I think quite a few men who bought tickets were probably disappointed that this turned out to be a "motherhood is good film".

Loretta Young loses her baby and is told in the hospital that she will never be able to have children. Dr. Alexander Knox, who was so brilliant in "Wilson" tells her this. She is married to college dean Kent Smith. The latter never had much sex appeal or appeal of a leading man in any of his pictures.

While driving to join Smith at a pre-promotional party for him, Young accidentally hits 7 year old Tommy Rettig of "Lassie" fame. Rettig, with those sad eyes of his, evoked a lot of emotion here as he is unable to recover from the accident.

Not admitting to the police that she did this, Young instead volunteers at the hospital and takes in the boy and suddenly becomes a speech pathologist. She is guided by Knox who suddenly is an expert in this field anyway.

Young and Rettig pull out emotional stops in this film. You may want to question the criminal justice system in the nonetheless happy ending.

Loretta Young stars as the wife of University professor Kent Smith. Life seems wonderful; however Ms. Young is told, after a second miscarriage, she can never have children. Later, she is speeding home, after some event, and hits a child with her car. A truck driver (also on the road) takes the boy, and leaves the desperate woman wondering what injuries she's caused.

"Paula" begins as a seemingly routine Loretta Young drama, but keep your eye on the picture for a grabber. The story becomes very interesting as circumstances make Young a dramatic hit-and-run driver. The story builds suspense in several ways -- beginning as Young searches for the boy she hit, while the police search for Young.

Although it's a great story, the script becomes more and more sentimental -- by the end, it's so maudlin you'll want to scream (if you're not crying). Tommy Rettig is notable as the boy; in fact, he is Young's co-star. Mr. Rettig also played one of Lassie's famous owners (Jeff). Young and Rettig do well, but they would be even better after a realistic script re-write. The film has some unexpected depth, and raises some interesting crime/punishment questions; perhaps, its flaws could be addressed in a modern re-make.

***** Paula (1952) Rudolph Maté ~ Loretta Young, Tommy Rettig, Kent Smith