Mrs. Parkington
Encyclopedia
Mrs. Parkington is a 1944 drama film
. It tells the story of a woman's life, told in flashbacks, from hotel maid to society matron. The movie was adapted by Polly James
and Robert Thoeren from the novel by Louis Bromfield
. It was directed by Tay Garnett
and starred Greer Garson
and Walter Pidgeon
.
During her family's bickering Susie begins to have flashbacks of her own humble beginnings; she was a chambermaid at her mother's modest guesthouse. It was there that she met the wealthy Major Augustus Parkington and following her mother's death they marry. Shortly after the marriage Susie is introduced to Baroness Aspasia Conti, a French aristocrat and close friend of Augustus, who helps Susie pick out clothes, accessories and even a house. Susie, originally grateful for Aspasia's help, soon grows tired of her interference in her marriage and announces that she is pregnant by her husband. An elated Augustus holds a ball to celebrate, but his happiness turns to fury when a great number of people refuse to attend due to Augustus' feud with a wealthy businessman. His rage upsets Susie, and when she runs after her husband to comfort him she stumbles and miscarries their baby. In his anger Augustus blaims his neighbours for Susie's miscarriage and vows to get revenge.
Four years pass and it transpires that Augustus has managed to put many of their neighbours out of business on Wall Street. After one of their neighbours, Mrs. Livingstone, fills Susie in on her husband's deeds and pleads with her to speak to Augustus about putting her husband out of business, Susie leaves her husband and moves in with Aspasia. Several weeks pass before Augustus begs his wife to return home, revealing that he has been unsuccessful in his mission to put the Livingstones out of business. Susie then informs him that she has been financially supporting the Livingstone's business and his vendetta with their neighbours has got to stop. Augustus agrees and the couple reunite.
Their marriage faces further troubles, however, when the Parkingtons' son Herbert dies. Susie becomes a recluse for a year and Augustus takes to their country home in England. Aspasia manages to convince Susie to fight for her marriage which, with the Prince of Wales' help, she does. Following this Aspasia reveals that she will be leaving the Parkingtons' and moving back to Paris as she is dying. She also reveals to Susie that she has always been in love with Augustus, to which Susie shocks her by revealing she knows. After Aspasia departs for France, Augustus and Susie have a heart-to-heart discussing their family; where Augustus reveals that despite loathing those who receive money without deserving it their children will lack for nothing as long as they know the value of money.
It is at this point Susie realises her misgivings with her family; they have rejected her offer to bail Amory out for fear of losing their inheritance, meaning that he will be sent to prison. Seeing how distraught Jane is, having lost both her father and her lover, Susie makes the decision to bail Amory out anyway and tells Jane to follow her heart and go after Ned. Her family flee the home in disgust after learning they will be cut off by their mother, whilst Susie gleefully decides she will return to her childhood home at the guest house and start again.
for Best Actress
and Agnes Moorehead
for Best Supporting Actress
. Moorehead also won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
. It tells the story of a woman's life, told in flashbacks, from hotel maid to society matron. The movie was adapted by Polly James
Polly James
Polly James is an award winning British actresswith a varied career in theatre, film, television and radio spanning nearly 40 years...
and Robert Thoeren from the novel by Louis Bromfield
Louis Bromfield
Louis Bromfield was an American author and conservationist who gained international recognition winning the Pulitzer Prize and pioneering innovative scientific farming concepts.-Biography:...
. It was directed by Tay Garnett
Tay Garnett
Tay Garnett was an American film director and writer.Born in Los Angeles, California, Garnett served as a naval aviator in World War I and entered films as a screenwriter in 1920. He was a gagwriter for Mack Sennett and Hal Roach, then joined Pathé and began to direct films in 1928...
and starred Greer Garson
Greer Garson
Greer Garson, CBE was a British-born actress who was very popular during World War II, being listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top ten box office draws in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946. As one of MGM's major stars of the 1940s, Garson received seven Academy Award...
and Walter Pidgeon
Walter Pidgeon
Walter Davis Pidgeon was a Canadian actor, who starred in many motion pictures, including Mrs...
.
Synopsis
Susie Parkington, an elderly society matron, is surrounded by her many relatives at her stately home at Christmastime, with the exception of her beloved great-granddaughter Jane. When Jane does appear she informs her great-grandmother that she plans to elope with Ned Talbot, her father's employee who wishes to take her away from her family and their way of life. Susie arranges a meeting with Ned, where he reveals that Jane's father Amory is being questioned for fraud and he planned to take Jane away in order to hide her from the truth. Susie sends Ned away, telling Jane to forget about him, and after hearing her grandson-in-law's side of the story makes the decision to pay off Amory's debts ($31 million) much to her family's disgust, as it will mean that they will lose their inheritance.During her family's bickering Susie begins to have flashbacks of her own humble beginnings; she was a chambermaid at her mother's modest guesthouse. It was there that she met the wealthy Major Augustus Parkington and following her mother's death they marry. Shortly after the marriage Susie is introduced to Baroness Aspasia Conti, a French aristocrat and close friend of Augustus, who helps Susie pick out clothes, accessories and even a house. Susie, originally grateful for Aspasia's help, soon grows tired of her interference in her marriage and announces that she is pregnant by her husband. An elated Augustus holds a ball to celebrate, but his happiness turns to fury when a great number of people refuse to attend due to Augustus' feud with a wealthy businessman. His rage upsets Susie, and when she runs after her husband to comfort him she stumbles and miscarries their baby. In his anger Augustus blaims his neighbours for Susie's miscarriage and vows to get revenge.
Four years pass and it transpires that Augustus has managed to put many of their neighbours out of business on Wall Street. After one of their neighbours, Mrs. Livingstone, fills Susie in on her husband's deeds and pleads with her to speak to Augustus about putting her husband out of business, Susie leaves her husband and moves in with Aspasia. Several weeks pass before Augustus begs his wife to return home, revealing that he has been unsuccessful in his mission to put the Livingstones out of business. Susie then informs him that she has been financially supporting the Livingstone's business and his vendetta with their neighbours has got to stop. Augustus agrees and the couple reunite.
Their marriage faces further troubles, however, when the Parkingtons' son Herbert dies. Susie becomes a recluse for a year and Augustus takes to their country home in England. Aspasia manages to convince Susie to fight for her marriage which, with the Prince of Wales' help, she does. Following this Aspasia reveals that she will be leaving the Parkingtons' and moving back to Paris as she is dying. She also reveals to Susie that she has always been in love with Augustus, to which Susie shocks her by revealing she knows. After Aspasia departs for France, Augustus and Susie have a heart-to-heart discussing their family; where Augustus reveals that despite loathing those who receive money without deserving it their children will lack for nothing as long as they know the value of money.
It is at this point Susie realises her misgivings with her family; they have rejected her offer to bail Amory out for fear of losing their inheritance, meaning that he will be sent to prison. Seeing how distraught Jane is, having lost both her father and her lover, Susie makes the decision to bail Amory out anyway and tells Jane to follow her heart and go after Ned. Her family flee the home in disgust after learning they will be cut off by their mother, whilst Susie gleefully decides she will return to her childhood home at the guest house and start again.
Awards
Garson was nominated for Academy AwardsAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
and Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Robertson Moorehead was an American actress. Although she began with the Mercury Theatre, appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences...
for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
. Moorehead also won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.
Cast
- Greer GarsonGreer GarsonGreer Garson, CBE was a British-born actress who was very popular during World War II, being listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top ten box office draws in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946. As one of MGM's major stars of the 1940s, Garson received seven Academy Award...
as Susie Parkington - Walter PidgeonWalter PidgeonWalter Davis Pidgeon was a Canadian actor, who starred in many motion pictures, including Mrs...
as Major Augustus Parkington - Edward ArnoldEdward Arnold (actor)Edward Arnold was an American actor. He was born on the Lower East Side of New York City as Gunther Edward Arnold Schneider, the son of German immigrants Carl Schneider and Elizabeth Ohse.-Acting career:...
as Amory Stilham - Agnes MooreheadAgnes MooreheadAgnes Robertson Moorehead was an American actress. Although she began with the Mercury Theatre, appeared in more than seventy films beginning with Citizen Kane and on dozens of television shows during a career that spanned more than thirty years, Moorehead is most widely known to modern audiences...
as Baroness Aspasia Conti - Cecil KellawayCecil KellawayCecil Lauriston Kellaway was a South African-born character actor.Cecil Kellaway spent many years as an actor, author, and director in the Australian film industry until he tried his luck in Hollywood in the 1930s. Finding he could get only gangster bit parts, he got discouraged and returned to...
as Edward, Prince of Wales - Gladys CooperGladys CooperDame Gladys Constance Cooper, DBE was an English actress whose career spanned seven decades on stage, in films and on television....
as Alice, Duchess de Brancourt - Frances RaffertyFrances RaffertyFrances Rafferty was an American actress, dancer, World War II pin-up girl and MGM contract star.-Early life:Frances Anne Rafferty was born in Sioux City, Iowa, the daughter of Maxwell Lewis Rafftery, Snr...
as Jane Stilham - Tom DrakeTom DrakeTom Drake , born Alfred Sinclair Alderdice in Brooklyn, New York, was an American actor. Drake made films starting in 1940 and continuing until the mid-1970s, and also made TV acting appearances....
as Ned Talbot - Peter LawfordPeter LawfordPeter Sydney Ernest Aylen , better known as Peter Lawford, was an English-American actor.He was a member of the "Rat Pack", and brother-in-law to US President John F. Kennedy, perhaps more noted in later years for his off-screen activities as a celebrity than for his acting...
as Lord Thornley - Dan DuryeaDan DuryeaDan Duryea was an American actor, known for roles in film, stage and television.-Early life:Born and raised in White Plains, New York, Duryea graduated from White Plains Senior High School in 1924 and Cornell University in 1928. While at Cornell, Duryea was elected into the Sphinx Head Society...
as Jack Stilham - Hugh MarloweHugh MarloweHugh Marlowe was an American film, television, stage and radio actor.Marlowe was born Hugh Herbert Hipple in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and began his stage career in the 1930s at the Pasadena Playhouse in California. Marlowe was usually a secondary lead or supporting actor in the films he...
as John Marbey