EDWARD, MY SON (1949) B/W 112m dir: George Cukor

w/Spencer Tracy, Deborah Kerr, Ian Hunter, James Donald, Mervyn Johns, Leueen MacGrath, Felix Aylmer, Walter Fitzgerald, Tilsa Page, Ernest Jay, Colin Gordon, Harriette Johns, Julian D'Albie, Clement McCallin

Story of a man who builds a fortune for his son through some shady deeds is a compelling film.

From Variety 's review of the film: "Transformation of the stage play [by Robert Morley and Noel Langley] to the screen has widened the appeal of the original and given it the impetus of movement. There is never any doubt that Edward, the son of the Boults, is a spoiled child as his parents rise in the social strata. Arnold Boult is the proud father whose conception of love for his offspring is to anticipate his every wish. ...

"Skillful direction has brought this play to the screen with full dramatic force. There is no letup in its intensity and it moves surely and swiftly from one dramatic phase to another. Spencer Tracy as Arnold Boult dominates the screen with a forceful portrayal of the ambitious man who allowed nothing to stand in the way of his determination to reach the top rung of the ladder.

"Deborah Kerr [Oscar-nominated as Best Actress] displays remarkable ability in transforming the character of Evelyn from the demure happy young woman to the embittered, drunken and miserable wife. Ian Hunter gives a warm, understanding study of the family doctor, who is unable to hide his love for Mrs. Boult."

From the Turner Classic Movies website (www.tcm.com),this article about the film by Frank Miller:

"Edward, My Son (1949) marked a distinct change of pace for stars Spencer Tracy and Deborah Kerr. For the latter, it was an unusually solid dramatic role during her years under contract to MGM, where she was mostly cast to provide class to the studio's line-up of light comedies and epics. For Tracy, the role marked a rare villainous turn, his first since the 1941 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. During the course of the film, he commits arson, drives his wife to drink and drives another man to suicide, all in his efforts to secure his son's future. And in the process, he turns the son into a monster.

"The story had started as a play in London, co-written by and starring Robert Morley, who was best known for comic performances. He had chilled audiences in the role, however, providing narration that links events from the child's birth through adulthood. And in a gimmick that guaranteed audience interest, he did it all with out ever showing the title character.

"Director George Cukor saw the wisdom of that choice and decided to stick as close to the original as possible. The only major change was turning Tracy's character from an Englishman to a Canadian so the star would not have to adopt an accent. And though Tracy worried about tackling the unsympathetic role at first, he soon warmed to the opportunity, later confessing to Cukor that 'It's rather disconcerting to me to find out how easily I play a heel.'

"As Tracy's drunken wife, a role that had made Peggy Ashcroft a major stage star in London, Cukor considered Tracy's frequent co-star and off-screen love, Katharine Hepburn, but the two stars were sensitive about working together too often. Then Deborah Kerr, who had come to MGM from London two years earlier, campaigned for the role.

"Kerr had been a major dramatic actress in England and had recently won the New York Film Critics Award for two of her last British films, Black Narcissus (1947) and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943). After a few colorless roles at MGM, she campaigned to play Tracy's wife. The result was a powerful performance that brought Kerr her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress .... Though her devastating drunk scenes brought praise from critics and colleagues, she got a very different reaction from her mother. 'I'm sure it's very good acting, dear,' she wrote in a letter to Kerr, 'but I just don't like to see you like that.'"