For Bryant Washburn and Mina Gombell, life as middle-class parents has brought them two wonderful children, a boy and a girl who are decent and respectful and filled with great potential. However for daughter Jean Parker, her good fortune and promising future is only shortly lived as she soon finds herself in the family way with a boyfriend who has no intention of marrying her, having not received the facts of life from her parents and especially kept in the dark about women Lee secrets from her very proud mother. Family doctor Willard Mack cakes matters in hand, removing her from her home when he finds out the truth and sending her to a place where unwed mothers can have their children and privacy and dignity. But a visit with her parents has Parker distraught and this turns to tragedy as Gombell remains emotionally distant, setting husband Washburn against her and creating more guilt for the already fragile Parker.
This is truly an emotional story of one girl's failings in reaching womanhood, and it is made clear that the writer is on her side and not the side of the parents, particularly the mother. In fact, the older men get more respect than the older women, with Parker's friend, a young Betty Grable, getting the same treatment from her mother who finds out she is dating Parker's brother.
Certainly, this is now viewed as an exploitation film but back in the day it was a warning to parents to be honest with their children in regards to the facts of llfe that the previous generation could not understand as the younger generation faced different challenges. performances are sincere and the writing is good, and veteran black character actress Louise Beavers has a few great moments, one particularly on the phone with her boyfriend where she discusses plans to go to the movies. While the film does end on a tragic note, there was a sense of irony as Dr. Mack gets a great exit line that might be seen by some as misogynistic, what is similar in nature to Lewis Stone's exit line in "Grand Hotel".
This is truly an emotional story of one girl's failings in reaching womanhood, and it is made clear that the writer is on her side and not the side of the parents, particularly the mother. In fact, the older men get more respect than the older women, with Parker's friend, a young Betty Grable, getting the same treatment from her mother who finds out she is dating Parker's brother.
Certainly, this is now viewed as an exploitation film but back in the day it was a warning to parents to be honest with their children in regards to the facts of llfe that the previous generation could not understand as the younger generation faced different challenges. performances are sincere and the writing is good, and veteran black character actress Louise Beavers has a few great moments, one particularly on the phone with her boyfriend where she discusses plans to go to the movies. While the film does end on a tragic note, there was a sense of irony as Dr. Mack gets a great exit line that might be seen by some as misogynistic, what is similar in nature to Lewis Stone's exit line in "Grand Hotel".