La Femme au voile bleu

Long before I saw my first TV (in the hardware store window on Main Street), Family Night at the drive-in theater was a huge treat. If the movie happened to be a "tear-jerker" - so much the better! I only saw "The Blue Veil" one time (almost 50 years ago) but I still rate it as my all-time favorite two-hanky movie (followed closely by "Imitation of Life"). I have looked for it on video but have not found it..... I wonder if it is as good as my memory of it... I'd bet "YES!".

The Blue Veil is truly a movie classic. I, too, have searched for it on TV and tape and have not been able to locate it. Is there any way one can request its availability from RKO or elsewhere? Rarely has there been a film with so many star performers! I would like to know the names of the child stars who added so much to the story.

The movie is discussed in the biography called Jane Wyman; the actress and the woman, by Lawrence J. Quirk, and published by Dembner Books in 1986. Since the story covers a 50 year period, the fantastic job of aging Miss Wyman is remarkably accomplished. The book discusses this and other facts of the movie as well as Wyman's many other stellar roles in such films as The Yearling.

Rumor has it that Hollywood wanted Bette Davis and Greta Garbo for the heroine in The Blue Veil, but neither lady would have been as good a choice as Jane Wyman. Normally I don't even like Jane Wyman, but in this tearjerker, she does a fantastic job and completely earned her Oscar nomination.

Jane stars as a war widow who seeks employment as a nanny after her baby dies shortly after the delivery. Her first job is taking care of Charles Laughton's infant son, and she learns to enjoy her work so much that Charles proposes, hoping to make her a permanent fixture in the family. Jane refuses, and when he marries someone else, she knows she won't last long in the house. The story continues, in a seemingly unrelated string of vignettes as Jane ages and travels from family to family. If you think it's just another O. Henry's Full House, you're going to be quite mistaken. Keep watching and keep your Kleenexes handy.

Joan Blondell was nominated for an Oscar for her supporting role in the film, but I have no idea why. Her daughter is played by Natalie Wood, and foreshadowing her future role in Gypsy, Natalie grows up in the shadow of her mother's love of showbiz. Joan sings a little and wiggles her shoulders in a semi-burlesque number, but that's about it. I don't know why she was singled out.

A wonderful touch to the story is that in every household Jane visits, when it's time for her to leave, the children in her care don't want her to go. It's very sad, and I'm sure you'll wish, as I did, that she stayed forever at someone's house, but she's just an employee who has to move on to where her work is needed. I can't stress enough how wonderful Jane is in this film. She's warm and loving, but at the same time, her early sadness in the film is always hiding behind her face. You can tell she's thinking of her own baby with every child she cares for. As the film continues and she becomes an old woman, she moves slower, changes her voice, and shows she's tired of life's struggles. My dad walked in and asked, "Who's that?" I said it was Jane Wyman and he said, "But who's the old lady?" Rent this drama to find out what she can really do. It's easy to see why it was her favorite role.

I just thought of this movie and decided to check out IMDb. How wonderful to see that others had the same memories of this movie as I did. I was a little kid when I saw this movie (we had Million Dollar Movie in Los Angeles, too!), and I remembered crying for hours afterward. Although I haven't seen it since, it still sticks in my mind. Please! Whoever! Get this movie out on DVD!

Interestingly, I don't remember Natalie Wood being in the movie. I was so young when I saw it, she hadn't crossed my radar yet. So, now I do want to see it again just to see her. To me she was one of the best child actors ever -- similar in nature to Christina Ricci's early roles.

But, of course, this is Jane Wyman's movie. In my memory, she was better here than in "So Big" or "Johnny Belinda." Ah, I'm getting misty-eyed right now.

"The Blue Veil" is an excellent movie. Even though it hasn't been shown for years on TV, that's where I first saw it. The cast is excellent (especially Jane Wyman) and you follow her through many different homes as she cares for many different children. The ending is great! Really well done.