The Children's Hour (film)

The Children's Hour is a 1961 film adaptation of the play of the same name written by Lillian Hellman. It was directed by William Wyler and stars Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, and James Garner in the leading roles.

Plot summary

Martha Dobie (MacLaine) and Karen Wright (Hepburn), who met when they were seventeen and in school together, co-own a school for girls. Karen is engaged to Joe (Garner), a doctor, and when they finally decide on a date to wed, because the school is finally making a profit, Martha becomes jealous. After overhearing a series of quarrels, a vindictive child named Mary spreads a rumor that the two women are involved in a lesbian affair. Martha and Karen's livelihood is ruined as the girls are taken away, the school is closed, and even Joe begins to question Martha and Karen's relationship.

Production

The play was originally filmed under the title These Three in 1936 but the strictures of the Production Code resulted in an adaptation of the story into a conventional heterosexual love triangle. By 1961 the Code allowed for the alleged lesbian affair between Hepburn's and MacLaine's characters but references to it were allusionary and non-specific. In an interview for the documentary The Celluloid Closet (1996), Shirley MacLaine said she and Hepburn never talked about their characters' alleged lesbianism. She also claimed Wyler cut some scenes hinting at her character's love for Hepburn because of concerns about press reaction to the film. The movie was James Garner's first film after suing Warner Bros. to leave the television series Maverick and break into movies. Wyler broke an unspoken blacklist by hiring Garner and the actor appeared steadily in films and television shows over the following decades. Miriam Hopkins, who plays Aunt Lily Mortar in the 1961 film, had starred as Martha Dobie in These Three, the earlier screen adaptation of the play.

Cast

• Audrey Hepburn as Karen Wright (the teacher)
• Shirley MacLaine as Martha Dobie
• James Garner as Dr. Joe Cardin
• Miriam Hopkins as Mrs. Lily Mortar
• Fay Bainter as Mrs. Amelia Tilford
• Karen Balkin as Mary Tilford
• Veronica Cartwright as Rosalie Wells
• Mimi Gibson as Evelyn(age 13)
• Debbie Moldow
• Diane Mountford
• William Mims as Mr. Burton
• Sally Brophy as Rosalie's mother
• Hope Summers as Agatha (Tilford's maid)

Awards and nominations

The film was nominated for five Academy Awards in 1962, including Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Fay Bainter). It was also nominated for three Golden Globes in the same year, including Best Motion Picture Director and Best Motion Picture Actress - Drama (Shirley MacLaine).

Excerpt

Martha: There's always been something wrong. Always, just as long as I can remember. But I never knew what it was until all this happened. Karen: Stop it Martha! Stop this crazy talk! Martha: You're afraid of hearing it, but I'm more afraid than you. Karen: I won't listen to you! Martha: No! You've got to know. I've got to tell you. I can't keep it to myself any longer. I'm guilty! Karen: You're guilty of nothing!

External links

• The Children's Hour - a film review
• The Children's Hour at the Internet Movie Database
• After Ellen.com review
• James Garner interview at Archive of American Television