L'orfana senza sorriso

An opening reads, "Near the end of the last century, in the Canadian Province of Quebec an Orphanage burnt to the ground. By the grace of God and the courage of the sisters not one child was hurt. But when the noses were counted, one little girl was missing…." That missing nose belongs to adorable orphan Donna Corcoran (as Patsy), who accidentally set the fire. When she is found, kindly nun Agnes Moorehead (as Josephine) and the other sisters set out to find homes for the children. Stopping in Scourie, they are sad to learn the town is overwhelmingly Protestant. Off on her own again, young Corcoran decides to set her goldfish "Harold" free. He was named after the man in the song, "Hark the Harold Angels Sing". Along comes beautiful Greer Garson (as Victoria). She falls in motherly love with Corcoran...

With many rooms in her mansion, the childless Ms. Garson decides to adopt Corcoran...

But the child is Catholic and may stymie the political career of husband Walter Pidgeon (as Patrick J. McChesney)...

"Scandal at Scourie" could have used a more worldly title. It's a cute family film, immaculately produced by Edwin H. Knopf...

The former box-office favorite is as good as ever - arguably, Garson is even better in her post-1940s roles. The luscious cinematography by Robert Planck and gorgeous soundtrack by Daniele Amfitheatrof give it a storybook quality. "Green Sleeves" and "Frère Jacques" are employed very well. Director Jean Negulesco knows how to use his resources. The scene with Garson running through town to a barber shop is a highlight, and Mr. Negulesco guides Corcoran, freckle-faced Tony Taylor (as Edward) and the children nicely. The message of religious tolerance is admirable. Still, while the ingredients are all present, "Scandal at Scourie" has no real depth. A couple of scenes with Garson and Mr. Pidgeon privately discussing their marriage, faith and presumed inability to have children would have given the film an edge.

******* Scandal at Scourie (1953-05-17) Jean Negulesco ~ Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Donna Corcoran, Tony Taylor

"Scandal at Scourie" is the eighth and final pairing of Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Up until this film, this pairing pretty much guaranteed the film would be a success as they were very popular together. However, the film lost money...and I assume at least some of this is due to the atypically nasty character played by Pidgeon...who usually played decent guys.

The story begins in French Quebec. An orphanage has burned down and the nuns are forced to find homes for the kids throughout the neighboring provinces. At Scourie*, in Ontario, a childless mother (Greer Garson) meets one of these children when their train stops in the town. Victoria McChesney (Garson) is so taken with Patsy (Donna Corcoran) that she insists on adopting the girl...even though the child has been raised Catholic and the McChesneys are Protestants. In order to convince the nuns to allow Patsy to remain with them, she promises to raise the child Catholic...while she and her husband remain Protestants. Now today, this all would be no big deal. But in late 19th century Canada, this must have been a big scandal...raising a child of a different faith. What is to become of all this? See the film.

While enjoyed the movie and felt that Garson and Corcoran were wonderful in the story, I was very surprised that MGM would make Pidgeon such an unlikable jerk during much of the film. He plays Garson's husband and seems more concerned about folks' opinions than anything else. And, as a result, the film lacks the likability of the other Garson/Pidgeon pairings. It's a shame, as otherwise I liked the film...though the sound effects they used for the goldfish were strange and alien...which made little sense.

*I looked and there is no city in Ontario by the name of Scourie and assume it was just made up for the movie.

It doesn't get more juvenile than the plethora of 1940s Hollywood movies that depict Caucasians and their conflicts with syrupy sweetness. Don't get me wrong; I'm a sucker for Our Vines Have Tender Grapes and, of course, Pollyanna. But the only thing that really saves this kissy-kissy is director Negulesco.

I recommend this one only for extremely diehard fans of Garson. Her cohort Walter is so-so but effective. Unsurprisingly, the children in the cast propel the storyline.

It's important to consider that the biggest conflict presented is protestant vs. Catholic. And that's not a spoiler. Might seem more than tame now, but it was notable then.

Book yourself a dentist appointment before you watch Scandal at Scourie, because it'll most likely give you a cavity. This Disney-esque family flick is very corny, but if you like movies like Our Vines Have Tender Grapes, you might like it. It's the last of the eight movies Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon made together, so it might be worth a viewing just to support the lovely couple.

They're a childless couple who enjoy a prominent position in a small Canadian town. When a group of orphans arrive by train, the nuns in charge try to pawn them off - sorry, find the children homes. Greer falls in love with a sweet little girl, Donna Corcoran, and against Pidge's wishes, she brings Donna home and arranges adoption proceedings. It was a very tricky move on her part, but her husband's reluctance is the least of her worries. Donna is a Catholic, and nearly the entire town (including Greer and Pidge) are Protestants. As part of the adoption, Greer vows to honor Donna's religion and raise her as a Catholic. All of a sudden, she's serving fish for Friday dinner, and she's walking into the wrong church on Sunday! That certainly is a scandal.

Personally, I like Blossoms in the Dust. But that's a very heavy drama, and it's not one you can watch on a Saturday afternoon and enjoy yourself. If you like the idea of Greer and Pidge helping orphans, but you'd rather skip the tragedy, you can try this "knock-off". But call your dentist.

Garson/Pidgeon made a film in 1941 called "Blossoms in the Dust," about Edna Gladney, who was a social worker who championed "baby rights." Principally, that film is about stopping the use of the word "illegitimate" on a baby's birth certificate, which cruelly branded a person for life.

This film deals with religious bigotry, and does so effectively. Both films demonstrate that when people take a respectful, but firm stand for something, they can achieve a worthy result. It is a moral picture as one has mentioned, and is well done. People have paid a price to effect vital change. That's a worthy theme.

I have wondered in each case, whether Greer Garson had an interest in the cause. She would have had more choices of films during these periods, I would think. In any event, as usual, she did a good job.

The only time I thought she was actually bad in something (a couple of her films themselves were weak) was in her depiction of Eleanor Roosevelt in "Sunrise at Campobello" with Ralph Bellamy as FDR. The accent and manner were pretty awful -- no, really awful.

But this is a good film. TCM shows it fairly regularly, as part of a Walter Pidgeon birthday salute or for Greer Garson, etc.