Our Very Own ** (1950, Ann Blyth, Farley Granger, Joan Evans, Jane Wyatt, Ann Dvorak, Donald Cook, Natalie Wood) – Classic Movie Review 8783

Director David Miller’s good-hearted, sentimental drama 1950 Our Very Own is lovingly crafted but largely wastes the talents of Ann Blyth, Farley Granger and a 12-year-old Natalie Wood.

Blyth goes through the motions as Gail Macaulay, a teenager who discovers that she has been adopted and therefore thinks that she is not her adoptive mother Jane Wyatt’s very own. Worse still, young Blyth finds her real mother Mrs Lynch (Ann Dvorak) at the wrong end of town, but, happily, then finds comfort in the arms of nice, gleamingly handsome young Chuck (Granger).

Farley Granger stars as the gleamingly handsome young Chuck.

Alas, this soggy saga of Middle American life did nothing for anyone’s career, but it does boast some charm, a nice 1950 period atmosphere and several appealing performances. Wood plays Blyth’s younger sister, Penny. Also in the cast are Joan Evans as Joan Macaulay, Jane Wyatt as Mrs Lois Macaulay, Donald Cook as Fred Macaulay, Martin Milner, Gus Schilling, Phyllis Kirk, Jessica Grayson (in her final film), Rita Hamilton, Ray Teal and Harold Lloyd Jr.

Our Very Own is directed by David Miller, runs 93 minutes , is made by The Samuel Goldwyn Company, is released by RKO Radio Pictures (1950), is written by F Hugh Herbert, is shot in black and white by Lee Garmes, is produced by Samuel Goldwyn, scored by Victor Young and designed by Richard Day.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8783

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com