WHITE BANNERS (1938)

MARY POPPINS meets STELLA DALLAS in this emotionally effective adaptation of a typically aspirational story from religion-grounded ‘pop’ novelist Lloyd C. Douglas.  Sticky stuff, if less so than his better known titles (MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION/’35 & ‘54; THE ROBE/’53), it’s much less pushy with its philosophy (something about everything turning out for the best if viewed as a long game), and certainly goes down easier thanks to superb work by three of its four leads.  Fay Bainter (double Oscar nominated this year, she won ‘Supporting’ for JEZEBEL, but surely for this, too), an all but homeless door-to-door salesperson, who knocks at the pinch-penny home of school-teacher/inventor Claude Rains & family one wintry day, only to sell herself as budget-conscious housekeeper.*  Rains, with help from bright/bratty student Jackie Cooper, the richest kid in town, finally has his breakthru with an electric ‘icebox’ idea only to see Cooper lose the patent the same night he lets Rains’ daughter catch pneumonia.  That’d be Bonita Granville, a drag on the film with perky overplaying; the rest of the cast all fine under Edmund Goulding's reticent approach (with nicely unforced 1919 period touches) and great portraitist cinematographer Charles Rosher taking just as much care on these unglamourous character actors as he did with big stars.  Extra nice turns from Kay Johnson as a delicate Mom & James Stephenson making a big impression after a late appearance as out-of-town mystery man/investor.  (Stevenson set for a Ronald Colman sort of career only to die three years later, only 52.)  It’s a quiet gem of a picture if you don’t mind the sentiment.  A bit more tough-minded (i.e. killing off a character or two) and this could have been a minor classic.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID/LINK: Unlike Granville, who never lived up to her debut in William Wyler’s THESE THREE/’36, Cooper was making a go of his teenage transition from A-list child star to Hollywood all-rounder having just jumped from M-G-M to Monogram, from Warners to Universal in his last four films.  Still on or behind the screen for another five decades. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2017/05/these-three-1936.html

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY/SPOILER(?): *Though the film holds back on the motivation behind one of the leads, it’s easy to imagine the story playing out in even better fashion if you know the secret from the beginning.  It really dials up the emotion for you weepie heads.  (Hands please.)  No SPOILER here, but should you want to risk knowing all and maximize the emotional content, most plot descriptions, even the cursory one on IMdB, give it away.