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Much of this movie is fiction, but the fact remains that Edna Gladley was a pioneer in the field of nursery care and adoption and her work to strike the description "illegitimate" from birth certificates as well as insure that these children could inherit from their adoptive parents has changed many lives for the better. Edna was born in Milwaukee; her father died when she was very young; she never had an adopted sister who was herself illegitimate. Because Edna suffered from respiratory disease she was sent to Fort Worth, Texas, when she was seven years old to live with her aunt and uncle. She and her husband Sam were married in Gainseville after which they moved to Wolfe City where they bought a mill to manufacture Gladiola brand flour. They were childless.

Edna began her work in helping impoverished and homeless children soon after moving to Wolfe City where she started a crusade to clean up the county poor farm during which she arranged to have homeless children moved to the Morris Children's Home and Aid Society in Fort Worth. She joined the Society's Board in 1910. She then made trips to settlement houses in Chicago and New York City to study their methods; when she returned she set up a day nursery for working mothers (the movie has her setting up the nursery first when in fact this happened seven or eight years after she became involved in child welfare issues).

As in the movie, Sam's business failed in 1924 whereupon they moved to Fort Worth where Edna continued her work in child welfare. In 1927 she was named superintendent of the Texas Children's Home and Aid Society. Sam died in 1935 after rebuilding his business. Edna spent the rest of her life advocating for children, concentrating on placing homeless and abandoned children with adoptive families. She also expanded the Society to provide health care for unwed mothers and an adoption service for their children. The Society later bought a maternity hospital that it named the Gladney Center.

I loved Greer Garson in this movie, she is strong, brave and gracious. I just wish the director and producers of this movie had used a script that portrayed the real life of Edna Gladney rather than resorting to the fictitious adopted sister who kills herself and inventing a non-existent son who dies in an accident to explain her motives. Edna was her own person who was genuinely involved in her life's work from her early 20s until she died in 1961 -- the movie didn't need these made-up people to explain why she became involved in child welfare issues.

Edna Gladney was a true inspiration, very ahead of her time and a pioneering figure in the adoption and nursery care field, with a great story worth telling. 'Blossoms in the Dust' is very notable for being the first of eight pairings with Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon, both fine actors with a legendary partnership at the time. Mervyn LeRoy did do his fair share of great films, especially 'Random Harvest', 'Gold Diggers of 1933' and 'Waterloo Bridge'.

'Blossoms in the Dust' is a beautifully made, beautifully acted and intelligently written film. It is not perfect, but it manages to make the subject accessible, inspiring and worth investing in, at the time where biopic-like films could be too dry and conventional. 'Blossoms in the Dust' also does very well in showing how great a woman in her field Gladney was, while still making her a real person/character and not just an icon. While LeRoy and Pidgeon did even better work than this, Garson's role here for me is one of her best.

It is a shame that the early tragedies weren't dwelled upon enough, near glossed over and too come and go. It is good that the film didn't want to be too serious, but the early tragedies in my mind are crucial to how Gladney came to be the way she became and it would have provided even more depth.

Maybe there could have been fewer characters, figuring out who was who with the children was not always easy.

However, 'Blossoms in the Dust' is a gorgeous looking film, espeically the sumptuous interiors and the Technicolor which is the epitome of first rate. The music is stirring and richly orchestrated, without being excessively melodramatic. LeRoy directs with utmost professionalism and class throughout and never lets things get dull or dry. The acting is very good, while the supporting cast are all dependable with Felix Bressart and dignified Marsha Hunt standouts Pidgeon and especially Garson make more memorable impressions. Pidgeon is a charming presence but this is Garson's film, a nuanced and bold performance that never rings false and wholly successful in making Gladney come over as a real person and not a caricature.

The script is intelligent and sincere, that climactic speech is uplifting and makes one want to stand up and cheer but it is also a tear-jerker. The truly inspirational line "there are no illegitimate children. There are only illegitimate parents" is a line for the ages. The story is always engaging and beautifully told, it has such a warm heart and upbeat quality, while also being very moving without being over-sentimental and compassionately respectful to Gladney, her trials and her achievements. It is not an easy subject to make interesting if one has no prior knowledge about Gladney and her pioneering work, but her story is told accessibly and being someone who has had to overcome a lot it inspired me greatly. It warmed my heart and moved me too, especially later on.

Concluding, very, very good and blossoms in its beauty. 8/10.

Review Date 1/15/2018

PLEASE BEWARE OF SOME REVIEWERS THAT ONLY HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE NO AGENDA! I REVIEW MOVIES & SPECIALS AS A WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN! I HAVE DISCOVERED MANY GEMS IN MY QUEST TO SEE AS MANY " C H R I S T M A S " MOVIES AS I CAN.

Now Someone keeps reporting my reviews. I guess they are jealous because I do tell the truth. I want to point out that I never make snide remarks about actors weight or real life sexual orientation. If there acting is terrible or limited "I talk about that". If a story is bad "I will mention that" So why am I being "picked on"? IMDB? When one of my reviews gets deleted IMDB will not even tell me what someone found offensive. Well on to this review.

I have never herd of this film it was part of 4 DVD pack of what Warner Brothers Stated as " Four Holiday Classic Films".

Well if it was never in the pack I would never would have watched it. I think Warner Brothers thinks this film qualifies as a "Christmas Movie" because the first scene and last ends on "Christmas". Truth be told both scenes together are no more then about 10% of the screen time. he story is a highly fictionalized telling of the story of Edna Gladney, an early advocate for the rights of illegitimate children in Texas.

Edna Kahly (Greer Garson) and her adopted sister, Charlotte (Marsha Hunt), are to be married. But, when Charlotte's mother-in-law-to-be discovers that Charlotte was a foundling, she declares the wedding must not occur, and Charlotte kills herself from shame. Meanwhile, Edna falls for a brash cashier, Sam Gladney, at the bank, and eventually marries him and moves with him to his home state of Texas.

Sam Gladney has a flour mill in Sherman, Texas, and at first the couple has an idyllic life, though after a difficult delivery Sam is told Edna must have no more children. Several years later, their son dies, and Sam's effort to ease the pain she still endures by trying to get her to adopt a foundling fails. But the little girl's story touches Edna's heart, and she starts a day care center for the children of working women.

The film is good not great but it is highly enjoyable. It is also a study on how this country treated children who came into this world with a single mother. It also shows how adoption was looked down upon. Very sad.

Now what is great about this film is that it does keep you glued. It also shows a young girl becoming a full fledged woman who takes on the government and forces them to look at what labels do to people and how labels follow you from cradle to grave.

Not for everyone. Most people under 40 might get bored. Adults who like to see a story unfold will be in for a treat.

Well worth watching!

"There are no illegitimate children, only illegitimate parents" what a great line. Greer Garson is wonderful in this movie. She really does a great job portraying Edna Gladney. Living in Fort Worth, were Edna Gladney's home is still in operation, and working in the Court house, this movie really made an impact on me. I have seen old adoption records actually signed by Edna Gladney. What a wonderful lady - she changed the world! What a wonderful movie - get it and watch it, you'll love it!

"Blossoms in the Dust" is a biographical message movie about the plight of illegitimate children in the early 20th century and the stigma they faced from the get go because of the sins of their parents.

This film might as well have been called "The Greer Garson Show," because it is all about her. She plays Edna Gladney, a woman who made a crusade of finding loving adoptive homes for outcasts. She's lovely and committed in the role, and earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for it. I believe this was the first time she was paired with Walter Pidgeon, and he's pretty good too as a cocky Texan who charms her and then marries her, but he very definitely stands in Garson's shadow for most of the film.

Cedric Gibbons, Urie McCleary, and Edwin B. Willis won the Oscar for their color art direction, and this is one of the rare films from the early days of Technicolor that looks gorgeous rather than garish. The film was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Color Cinematography.

Grade: B+

This is a wonderful, heart warming, fantastic movie to see. Greer Garson is splendid in this movie, and it will really touch your heart. This movie has a special meaning for me, as I was adopted from the famous Edna Gladney Home in Ft. Worth, Texas. Edna Gladney personally handed me to my new adoptive parents. She called them that morning and told them she had the most beautiful baby girl ready for them to bring home. I have watched this movie so many times, and wow, what a movie! Just love Greer Garson, she is a splendid and talented actress. One more note, if it hadn't been for Edna Gladney and her crusade, I most likely would have been an orphan. She did a lot for unwanted babies.

Edna marries Texan Sam Gladney, operator of a wheat mill. Edna discovers by chance how the law treats children who are without parents and decides to do something about it. She opens a home for foundlings and orphans and begins to place children in good homes, despite the opposition of "conservative" citizens, who would condemn illegitimate children for being born out of wedlock.

I watched this because it was shot by Karl Freund, the greatest cinematographer of all time. Nothing really stood out for me as being memorably photographed, though.

The issues presented were interesting -- illegitimacy and the stigma on birth certificates, passports, and more. The characters in the film made the claim that the records are there to promote the sanctity of the home. Gladney rightly points out that what someone's parents did should not affect the child -- it is not their fault.

Bonus for a Wisconsin viewer like me: Gladney was born on January 22, 1886 in Milwaukee.

Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Marsha Hunt, Felix Bressart, and Fay Holden star in "Blossoms in the Dust," a 1941 film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and nominated for several Oscars.

This is the story of Edna Gladney, an incredible woman who founded The Gladney Center for Adoption and worked tirelessly on behalf of children who were orphaned, disadvantaged, or physically challenged. She helped have 10,000 babies adopted, revolutionized adoption law and practices, and helped remove what was once the stigma of adoption.

Though the beginning of the story shows Gladney living at home with her parents and her adopted sister, in truth, Gladney's mother sent her to live with an aunt and uncle at a young age. It's unlikely the character of Charlotte (Marsha Hunt) was real. In the film, it's Charlotte's situation that is one of Gladney's inspirations to pursue her work. Edna's courtship with Sam Gladney, however, is correct in the movie.

The rest of the film is the usual biopic, with events telescoped and combined.

The bottom line, though, is that this is a wonderful film that requires a box of tissues to get through. Greer Garson is luminous as Edna, showing her as kind, passionate, tough, and loving; of course, she and Walter Pidgeon are terrific together as always. The children are beautiful and will pull at your heartstrings.

Typical MGM fare, with the high production values and color. Edna Gladney certainly did make blossoms in the dust. If you can, rent this, or don't miss it if you see it on TCM's schedule.

Given this IS a good movie and I saw it before when I was very young but I just watched it again and was dumbfounded when I saw the literal black makeup they put on the actress Theresa Harris who played Cleo and another actress who played a bit-part! I realize this movie was made in 1940, but seriously how can anyone in good conscious watch it without being totally distracted by the awful makeup they used?? My heart goes out to the memory of Theresa Harris who was not that color in real life! Watch her in "Out of the Past" so that her true complexion and talent are seen.

Just wonderful - powerful enough to move anyone. The fact that this is a true story makes it even more remarkable. Greer Garson deserved the nomination for Best Actress - she covers decades in the life of Edna Gladney who varies from romantic girl to society hostess to earth-shaker.

Greer Garson delivers a strong performance as Edna Gladley, the woman became an advocate for parentless children, establishing a home that facilitated thousands of adoptions, and battling for the dignity of those born out of wedlock.

Sentimentalism drips from every scene, but the welfare of children is a sentimental subject. Garson's performance earned an Oscar nomination. But what makes this film so watchable is its basis in fact.

Watch for a Walter Pidgeon as the man who loved Edna and supported her mission. Felix Bressart plays Dr. Max Bresler, a physician who helped Edna through his practice and his friendship.

In real life, Mrs. Gladney's efforts to improve society were even more expansive than shown in the film. But one gets a sense of her dedication and drive.

I enjoy the occasional weepie as much the next man, but this flick is really borderline. Tragic strikes and strikes and strikes - it is relentless. Suicides, deaths in accidents etc. Etc. - the only things missing are a murder and a pandemic. Notwithstanding that, the film is well-directed and mostly well-acted. Greer Garson is convincing, though I found Walter Pidgeon's character relatively underdeveloped. Felix Bressart makes a nice doctor. Still, a bit of comic relief - just occasionally - would have been most welcome. It would have made for a better picture.

I loved this movie, which was a tear-jerker, but a movie of great joy and happiness also. Edna Gladney is played beautifully by the lovely and talented redhead actress Garson Greer. There is much tragedy, death, and sadness that Edna needs to overcome, but her courage and determination allow her to overcome these obstacles. She is the heroine of the film, develops a love -- AND RESPECT -- for children, and at the end establishes a home for foundlings (children abandoned by their parents). She becomes an activist, rallies others around her, and lobbies successfully to have the Texas legislature strike the word "illegitimate" from all birth records of such children, freeing them from the documented stigma of unknown parentage and/or illegitimacy. Such children in the 1800s and early 1900s were regarded as the dregs of society, shunned and considered unmarriageable by the proud and righteous upper classes. I admired the attractive, redheaded Greer Garson, and adored the precious children whom she rescued from a tragic fate. The movie is filmed in splendid striking color, (one of the few Greer Garson movies in color). One of the things that I liked most is the skillful script, and the beautiful color scenes, where the full faces of the characters would be shown to fill the entire movie screen. This movie was very colorful and moving. And the words and sentiments of the abandoned children were heart wrenching. As of October 2011, this film was not available at Netflix, neither on DVD nor as streaming video. I saw it first on VHS cassette borrowed from the public library. Even on VHS, this movie is lovely and memorable. You do not want to miss this movie! Get to see it any way you can. It was so touching to me that I went and placed a special order to obtain my own copy on DVD from Amazon. This movie can be watched over and over again.

A good film for a Sunday afternoon, or any other time if you're busy on Sunday.

None of the scenes are dragged out, even the death scenes are treated briefly. Nothing is going to get in the way of the narrative, beginning with a woman overcoming bereavement by taking in the unwanted children an orphans of Texas.

The film then goes on the challenge the very language we use when it comes to these children, with Edna Gladney rejecting the words 'orphan' and 'illegitimate'.

'There are no illegitimate children, only illegitimate parents', she boldly announces to the Texan senate.

And so Gladney's local endeavour becomes a political, state-wide one, and though she never falters in her moral drive, her initial loss is evoked once again in the most cherished of her foundlings.

Fast-paced, fade-outs and an all round good story.

This teamed Pidgeon and Garson for another guaranteed weepie like Mrs Miniver. It is very much of its time-the most glaring example of which is its treatment of the black characters who appear here. The maid and manservant are very much in the "stepinfetchit" mode. "Yassum" abounds as the main response of these characters. I feel embarrassed for them and ashamed that no-one thought to question this attitude towards black actors/characters. The film itself has its heart in the right place and the other more liberal ideas here must have made its audience think at the time. Garson gives a good performance but her character is a little too good to be true. If you can get past the inherent racism contained herein, its a fairly entertaining and interesting biopic if not quite the absolute truth.

I found this to be a fast-moving, compassionate (supposedly) true-life story of a woman who helped babies get homes to live in while fighting to have the word "illegitimate" stricken from all record books since it was unfairly penalizing the children.

The three lead actors in the film - Greer Garson, Walter Pigeon and Felix Bressart - are all fun to watch. Garson gives a great speech to Congress near the end of the movie. It's also a nice color film, something that wasn't made much in 1941.

Story-wise, the early tragedies are not dwelled on in here. In fact, they come and go quickly and that's nice because it makes this more of an upbeat movie with a positive message. That's the intent, so why dwell on the negatives?

The only negatives, in my opinion were too much usage of the word "darling," to the point where it's annoying, and the last scene is drawn out a bit too much. But, overall, it's a very powerful movie and guaranteed to bring tears to anyone's eyes. It should appeal to most people. I would like to see this put on a DVD.

A Greer Garson film from 1941. Based on a true story of Edna Gladney, we follow this Wisconsin socialite as she & her adopted sister (more on that later) are engaged to a couple of local beaus but when an out of state Texan rolls into town & their lives, played by Walter Pidgeon, Garson's world is turned upside down as this wheat entrepreneur (through a series of letters) wins her heart over & they soon agree to marry but no sooner than the words 'I do' emerges from her lips than tragedy strikes when her sister is dumped by her man because she's found to be undesirable (hence why she was put up for adoption & considered beneath the gentry). Never knowing this, the sister, distraught, takes her own life but Garson & Pidgeon forge on & make a life for themselves in Texas but again fate intervenes when their own son (birthed through difficult means causing her to be barren henceforth) dies tragically sending Garson into a funk which it appears she'll never grow out of but when her pediatrician brings an orphan to their home, Garson (who at first rejects her) soon welcomes the idea which sends her into a fit of philanthropy by opening up a day care center for the workers of their factory which she personally runs. Time passes & the business goes under (Pidgeon does also...we never know why) but Garson's determination to keep her orphanage going (under the auspices of providing new families for her children) soon becomes the fulcrum of her life as she champions to change the attitudes of future adopters to abandon the stigma of 'tainted' children since some take that moniker as a sign of shame. Garson, the grand dame of 40's cinema, is in her element here; steadfast, loyal to a fault & a paragon of decency which rises above director Mervyn LeRoy's schmaltz when Garson's crusade really gets going, even arguing her stance in front of the Texas legislature. Gladney would've been proud by the portrayal. Perennial tough guy Marc Lawrence shows up as a heel of dad out to give Garson grief.

BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1941), directed by Mervyn Leroy, with screenplay by Anita Loos, stars Greer Garson in one of her finest acting performances still early in her career. Making an impressive movie debut in GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS (MGM, 1939), leading to the literary screen adaptation of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (MGM, 1940), along with a couple of light comedies opposite Robert Taylor (REMEMBER (1939) and WHEN LADIES MEET (1941)); BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST is certainly one, along with her Academy Award win for MRS. MINIVER (1942) to be very much associated with the Garson name as well as her on-screen personality. Labeled a biography, which states, "This is the story of a great woman and of the great work she is doing for humanity: her name is Edna Gladney, and she lives in Fort Worth, Texas. We dedicate this picture to her," BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST follows the pattern of many current bio-pics mixing fact and fiction, but in true MGM essence, a Technicolor film with great style and appeal.

The Story of Edna Gladney starts at the turn of the century Wisconsin where Edna Kahly (Greer Garson) and her half-sister, Charlotte (Marsha Hunt), are both to celebrate their engagements: Edna to Damon McPherson (John Eldredge), Charlotte to Alan Keats (William Henry). At the engagement party comes Sam Gladney (Walter Pidgeon), a bank cashier employed by Edna's father (Samuel S. Hinds), who, earlier, at the bank, meets her for the first time and regardless of her exposed engagement ring, tells Edna she's going to marry him. Finding Sam arrogant, his appeal pleases her enough to become his wife and move with him to Texas. As for Charlotte, she learns from her future mother-in-law (Kathleen Howard) that she's nameless foundling with an unknown father, and because of this cannot marry her son. Charlotte's suicide, along with the loss of Edna's child (Richard Nichols) and husband become a series of unpleasant circumstances leading to Edna Gladney's greatest achievements in life: Taking in tagged orphans of all different backgrounds; and opening a Texas Children's Home and Aid Society where she cares for children of working mothers as well as finding proper homes for orphaned ones. Aside from saving a woman (Fay Helm) whose personal troubles echo that of Charlotte's, and realizing she hasn't died in vain, Edna moves forward by fighting for children's rights, speaking on their behalf, taking the word "illegitimate" off birth certificates, and changing the term, "orphans" to "our children." While successful in those issues, her biggest problem is making the supreme sacrifice by having a special orphan so dear to her released under her care and into a home of a troubled couple after losing a child of their own. Others members of the cast include: Fay Holden (Mrs. Kahly); Clinton Rosemond (Zeke); Pat Barker (Little Tony); George Lessey (Mr. Keats), Theresa Harris (Cleo), and Cecil Cunningham (Mrs. Marcus Gilworth).

Unlike the life stories of Thomas Edison or Madame Curie (a role Garson would eventually play in 1943), the name of Edna Gladney is forgotten and totally unfamiliar by anyone today. Based on its presentation, it's forgivable to mistake BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST as a fictional story with "soap opera" overtones. It's also easy compare this along with MGM's fact-based story of BOYS TOWN (1938) starring Spencer Tract as Father Flanagan, a priest with a goal of building a place for homeless boys. Regardless of similarities between BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST and BOYS TOWN, each have become splendid achievements in their own rights. There are certain moments in BLOSSOMS where it becomes corny now and then, but thanks to the sensitive portrayal by Garson, it appears better than it seems. Once seen, it's hard to forget her courtroom plea to those famous words, "There are no illegitimate children. Just illegitimate parents!" Or her telling the judge (Henry O'Neill) she's ready to go to jail for not revealing the name of the family who adopted a child belonging to the mobster-type father (Marc Lawrence) who gave him up years ago; or listening to "Home on the Range" theme song underscored during the Garson-Pidgeon love scenes.

Aside from Garson's well-deserved Academy Award nominated performance, BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST also marks her first of eight feature films opposite her most perfect screen partner, Walter Pidgeon. The Garson-Pidgeon combination certainly worked wonders here and subsequent movies to follow, including another Garson favorite, MADAME CURIE (1943). They were as right together as Garson was for "Auntie Edna" Gladney. After Pidgeon's character is gone early in the story, Felix Bressart takes over through much of the proceedings as the family doctor, Max Bresler, who offers both humor and straight-forwardness through the necessary sensitive moments.

Formerly available on video cassette, and later onto DVD from Turner Home Entertainment, BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST shows on Turner Classic Movies where the legend of Greer Garson (1904-1996) and name of Edna Gladney (1886-1961) and her early accomplishments for children's rights live on through the course of television revivals. (***1/2).