Well played Women’s Weepie: Incurable Disease division, loses altitude fast when a cure is miraculously found in the last reel. Loretta Young is a rich young thing left deaf after a bout of meningitis; Barry Sullivan the family vetted fiancé holding fast to his promise; Susan Hayward the selfish kid sister out to nab the groom for herself; Alan Ladd a principled doctor from the wrong side of the tracks with a major class-conscious chip on his shoulder and a sideline in experimental treatments for the deaf. Can this romantic quadrangle sort itself out before Young & Sullivan take their mismatched walk down the aisle? Gooey as this sounds, the emphasis on class & ethics lend tart appeal to the inevitable. With mutual sparks of attraction between Young & Ladd nicely caught by cinematographer Daniel Fapp. (Ladd especially dashing in white lab jacket.) Too bad no one saw the perfect resolution staring them right in the face: Loretta fakes recovery (with mirrors, lip-reading and Ladd’s help) to discover the truth of Sullivan’s wayward affections, leaving Ladd & Young to get together with hope of a cure . . . someday. Alas, the other intriguing element in the package is co-scripter Raymond Chandler. Yep, the L.A. noir P.I. master fresh from DOUBLE INDEMNITY and, presumably, finishing off his Paramount contract on this less than congenial material. Chandler not exactly known for pat romantic leanings or for cleaning up plot problems!
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