Close to My Heart (1951) User Reviews (17)

Adoption During the Early Baby Boom Years

[alonzoiii-1 · 7/10 · 20 August 2010]

Housewife Gene Tierney cannot have a baby, and does not want to wait two years until the adoption agency makes one available to her. Columnist Ray Milland, on the other hand, goes into passive-aggressive mode, when Tierney, acting on a tip from a friend, offers to adopt a baby simply dropped off at the local police station. Will Milland's zealous attempts at finding out the true parentage of the baby cause Faye Bainter's quietly authoritarian adoption agency to determine that Milland and Tierny are unfit to hold little baby Danny CLOSE TO MY HEART?

1951 was one of the peak years of the baby boom, and this movie is a fascinating window into an era in which a woman wanting "a baby for every room" was not thought to be unusual. Tierney, in her single-minded desire to get herself a nice newborn baby right now, without delay, feels more than a little neurotic, to this modern viewer's eyes. Bet she was viewed as just normal, back then. Milland, who seems to have no problem being childless, appears to be the more normal character, even when he gets a little obsessed about finding out where this baby he's adopting actually came from. I think the movie makers were trying to get us to think he was the weird one. Faye Bainter, who plays the caseworker from the adoption agency, does a dead on interpretation of a sweet-seeming, but ultimately rather cold bureaucrat.

The quality of the acting is exemplified towards the end, when Milland comes home to a quietly angry Tierney. The dynamic of a somewhat oblivious husband who suddenly realizes he may have totally destroyed his relationship, and an equally oblivious wife who has manipulated herself into thinking divorce for the first time in her life, is rarely this realistically portrayed.

This is worth seeing, mostly for the acting, and the unusual for the day subject matter. If you want noir or tough guys, though, look elsewhere. This is almost the 50s equivalent of a movie that would play on Lifetime.

A sentimental journey through nurture versus nature

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 15 March 2017]

I remembered this movie from years ago, and somehow I had it stuck in my mind that James Stewart played the husband - it was the kind of role he was good at, especially the emotional closing scenes, but instead it is Ray Milland as journalist Brad Sheridan and Gene Tierney as Midge Sheridan. The opening scene shows a doctor telling Midge that she will never be able to have a child. She takes the news hard, but then she and her husband of four years begin looking for a baby.

They go to an adoption agency - actually Midge does - and is told there is a two year waiting list by the sympathetic head of the agency, Mrs. Morrow (Fay Bainter). But they get a tip about a foundling left at a police station, and Midge goes to visit him. She goes to visit every day at the orphanage, bathes him, cares for him, brings him dolls. Eventually the Sheridans get permission to take him home with them in hopes it will lead to adoption. They name the child "Danny" in the meantime.

Midge doesn't care who his parents are, but Brad is not so sure, especially when he finds out about an adopted boy who became a criminal in spite of being brought up in a good adoptive home. Mrs. Morrow is worried that if Brad finds out his parentage is "bad" that he will never treat Danny like a true blank slate. However, part worry over the possible mental heritage of Danny, part the natural curiosity of a blood-hound reporter has him chasing leads to find out how Danny came to be abandoned and who did the abandoning. What does he find out? Watch and find out.

This really is a sentimental journey, and you have to leave your modern sensibilities on hold to enjoy this little story from 66 years ago. How can a middling journalist afford a house that looks like a bank president's on one salary? Why does Midge go to the doctor to learn of her infertility AND to the adoption agency alone? Why does Midge dress to the nines to clean house and handle the baby? Doesn't Mrs. Morrow have anything better to do than to follow Brad's search for Danny's parents? You are just going to have to forget about these questions.

The acting here is quite good, and Ray Milland shows a side of his acting chops as a normal family man that he seldom got to do over at his home studio of Paramount. As usual, Max Steiner's score sets just the right mood. Do note that not everybody in the 50s agreed with what this film was trying to say about criminology here. For an alternate view watch 1956's "Bad Seed".

What a mean adoption agency!

[David-240 · 7/10 · 18 July 1999]

This is a pretty good little film about a couple adopting a baby. It works best when it is looking at the couple at home dealing with the new child, or when they adopt a puppy as a substitute. This is all quite charming and although Gene Tierney is a little cloyingly sweet at times (and I might add ravishingly beautiful), Ray Milland is very good. Where the film is less successful is when it traces Milland's search for the baby's real parents - this all becomes a tad melodramatic. And Fay Bainter's oh-so-well-meaning adoption agency supervisor comes over as so mean and heartless in her treatment of Tierney that the film becomes unbelievable. She tortures the poor woman! Milland's final impassioned monologue to Bainter is impossible for any actor to play but Milland has a good stab at it. Overall very entertaining.

Tierney and Milland have trouble being adoptive parents...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 26 April 2011]

This rather obscure little film from '51 must have been one that attracted GENE TIERNEY, given the circumstances of her private life wherein her own parentage problems came about when her pregnancy resulted in a child born mentally retarded. She puts her heart and soul into her performance here, as the obsessive wife who "must" have a child to call her own regardless of where the child comes from. Hubby RAY MILLAND is more realistic about things and wants to know the background of any infant they adopt.

While she falls completely in love with the adopted infant boy, Milland, who is a newspaper columnist, decides to do his own research into the baby's real parents. Therein, the story takes a few melodramatic turns before the domestic problems are ironed out.

FAY BAINTER is excellent as the head of an adoption agency who wants to make sure both parents are right for the child. Her scenes with Tierney are sensitively played and well scripted. Tierney looks ravishing and there is no trace of the illness which would overtake her career in a few short years.

Milland has some good moments, especially toward the end when he has his final confrontation with Bainter, insisting that he's no longer holding the baby's criminal father as a factor in not signing the final adoption papers, having met with the man in prison and realizing that heredity is not going to poison the child.

Although the presentation is an intelligent enough one, there is the flavor of a Lifetime TV movie to the production (by today's standards), and it verges on being daytime soap opera in quality more than once. But fans of Gene Tierney and Ray Milland will like their performances in this one.

A nice background score by Max Steiner helps, as does the direction of William Keighley.

A rather forward treatment of adoption for a 1951 release

[mollytinkers · 6/10 · 20 January 2022]

If anything, this film is a good example of what it means to take something into context. There was a serious stigma of adoption around, as well as long before, the decade/century this film was made. I admire it for its attempt to debunk it.

Milland's performance is adequate, although I agree with another reviewer who finds it difficult to like his character. What surprised me is Tierney's performance. I think her range as an actress was sadly discounted, especially after the success of Laura and Leave Her To Heaven. She proves in this movie, at least to me, she was capable of just about any role; and Night And The City is excellent proof.

If you're a fan of supporting actress Fay Bainter, this is a must-see.

Doorstep Baby

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 9 August 2015]

Uncommonly beautiful California housewife Gene Tierney (as Midge) is devastated. Doctors have told Ms. Tierney she will not be able to bear children. Being a "stay at home mom" is out of the question, so "Post" newspaper columnist husband Ray Milland (as Brad Sheridan) buys Tierney a puppy. The dog is precious, but it's not the same as having a baby. "Life is more than just babies," explains Mr. Milland, "we can be footloose." But Tierney is still teary-eyed. Milland suggests the couple adopt a child, and Tierney beams. Alas, the waiting time could take two years. Their luck changes, however, when abandoned baby John Winslow (as Danny) is mysteriously left on a police station doorstep...

Even before she sees him, Tierney is immediately attached to the baby. But Milland wants to know more about the child. His desire to investigate baby Danny's possibly unstable background puts a strain on the Sheridan relationship. Adoption specialist Fay Bainter (as Mrs. Morrow) wonders if Milland displays the proper level of fatherly love. "Close to My Heart" is a good looking production, much like a soap opera with one storyline. Director William Keighley gives it a classic look. The intriguing part of the story involves Milland pondering the "nature vs nurture" question. He hopes "bad blood" is not inherited. The resolution is satisfying and baby "Danny" delivers a cute, natural performance.

****** Close to My Heart (1951-10-10) William Keighley ~ Ray Milland, Gene Tierney, Fay Bainter, John Winslow

Entertaining nature versus nurture joust as husband grapples with adopted son's dark parentage

[Turfseer · 6/10 · 6 January 2023]

Despite an A-list cast, I was about to give up on Close to My Heart because it was quite slow-moving and nothing much was happening in the first half-hour.

Gene Tierney plays Midge Sheridan, a housewife, unable to have children with her newspaper columnist husband Brad (Ray Milland). They adopt a dog which is about the extent of the excitement until Midge finally suggests adopting a child.

Brad is lukewarm about the idea, but Midge finds out about a foundling left on the doorstep of a police precinct. Things start to get interesting!

The baby (named Danny) becomes a ward of the court assigned to a Probation Officer. An adoption agency run by a tough-as-nails director Mrs. Morrow (Fay Bainter) places the child temporarily with a woman who looks after abandoned infants and Midge starts visiting the child and begins bonding with him.

Morrow informs the Sheridan's there's a two year wait and it's likely another couple will claim the child before them. Morrow and the adoption agency are wary of foundlings as there's a recent case of adoptive parents who raised a child that became a criminal and recently murdered a police officer.

Morrow doesn't like the idea that Brad intends to investigate Danny's parentage as in her mind once adoptive parents discover a parent has a criminal background, they will end up treating the child differently (the case of the adopted boy who became a criminal is attributed to the "passive-aggressive" attitude of the adoptive parents).

Luckily the Sheridan's get the chance to adopt little Danny after they're moved up on the adoption list due to other prospective parent's dislike of the idea of adopting foundlings.

Brad doesn't seem to know whether he'll reject Danny if he finds out if one or both parents were criminals-it's more natural curiosity and a desire to promote his newspaper column (much to Midge's chagrin he begins writing about the search for Danny's mother).

The bulk of Act II is split between Brad's search for the parents and Midge's interaction with the cute-as-a-button Danny (played by Baby John Winslow).

I am not going to chronicle how Brad discovers who Danny's parents are but suffice it to say he obtains leads and interviews interesting characters who lead to other interesting characters. It is established early on that the mother is deceased.

The dark moment at the end of Act II emerges when it's discovered that Danny's father is a murderer on death row at San Quentin. While Brad visits him there, Mrs. Morrow acting on a judge's order takes back custody of Danny, devastating Midge.

Her decision to take the child back is based on the assumption that because Brad failed to sign the adoption papers for final custody before leaving (with the knowledge that the child's father is a murderer), he had already made up his mind that he did care to be a parent to the child in the future.

I found it difficult to believe that Midge would capitulate so easily to the cold Mrs. Morrow and basically agree with her characterization of Brad as a parent rejecting the adopted boy. A normal mother would have contacted the husband and told him to return immediately to fight to regain custody.

The contrived scenario is designed to allow for Brad's late hour heroics in which he returns and makes an impassioned speech to Mrs. Morrow that she had pegged him all wrong--that he wanted to keep the child despite knowing that the father was a murderer.

It's the old nature versus nature argument and the film scenarists clearly come down on the more liberal "nurture" side by depicting Brad as a man who refuses to condemn a child on the basis of who his father was. The narrative ends with a predictable happy ending!

I had to watch the pivotal climactic scene over several times since the plot description in Wikipedia claimed that Danny's father was not the murderer but his brother now dead.

I do not believe this is correct. The warden "introduces" Brad to the brother, but it's not made clear whether he's an inmate or lives in the area. I don't know where they got the idea that the brother is dead and that he was the father.

The murderer explained to Brad that he liked to read books and that's how perhaps the mother (who was a librarian) became attracted to him. When she learned he was a criminal, she left him.

The brother is introduced during Brad's conversation with Mrs. Morrow to illustrate the fact that he and the murderer's other siblings were good people and that proved heredity had nothing to do with Danny's father going bad.

Rather it was the bad environment that Danny's father had to endure that turned him into a criminal not because of a genetic disposition. Thus, Brad proved to Mrs. Morrow that he did not buy the idea that Danny would turn out bad due to heredity and could accept his son as a veritable "tabula rasa."

Ray Milland finally proves his mettle as a fine actor only after beginning his quest to track down the parentage of his adopted son. Aside from the contrived distrust of her husband and emotional capitulation to the adoption agency head once her child Is taken away, Gene Tierney is convincing as a caring mother bonding with her child.

I was not impressed with everything in Close to My Heart, but if you can get past the lugubrious beginning, this is a reasonable entertaining flick.

Close to My Heart...And Baby Makes ****

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 15 August 2010]

Something very different for stars Ray Milland and Gene Tierney in this 1951 film-"Close to My Heart."

As a childless couple, Mrs. Sheridan (Tierney) wants desperately to adopt a baby when she is told that she cannot have children. From the beginning, Milland is hesitant and when they find out that a child has been abandoned at a police station, the reporter instinct in Mr. Sheridan (Milland) to find out where this child came from almost proves deleterious in their attempt to finally adopt this baby.

Milland is obsessed with finding out about the baby's parents. An article about a wealthy couple whose adopted child grew up to be a thief doesn't help matters either.

In other words, we're talking about the old story of heredity versus environment.

As the head of the adoption agency, Faye Bainter gives a well-stated supporting performance. She knows what it takes to be parents. She realizes that Milland's knowledge of the baby's parents will make him a suspecting father and she takes appropriate steps to prevent the adoption.

Milland's appeal to Bainter when he discovers who the father of the child is, is most appealing and rather poignant.

Sentimental but not sappy, but still familiar.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 17 January 2024]

A typical women's magazine story gets the big screen treatment in this mother love tale of the issues of hopeful adoptive parents (Gene Tierney and Ray Milland) who have different feelings about the past of the natural parents of the child they wish to adopt. Tierney feels satisfied that unconditional love will make the child grow up just fine while Milland is insecure over the bloodline. Adoption agent Fay Bainter is supportive but by the books, and Milland's actions have her convinced that the courts will rule against them.

An interesting study of the adoptive process with many legal issues discussed, plus the whole process of even being considered as a candidate. Somber at times with troubles erupting between the mostly happy couple, yet lighthearted with the inclusion of the family dog whose adoption dominates the first reel. Howard St. John portrays Milland's understanding boss. He's not always the perfect husband to the fragile Tierney, but he's a well crafted character, with Tierney equally excellent. Unique in many ways, but somewhat depressing.

Near remake of "Penny Serenade"

[HotToastyRag · 5/10 · 31 July 2021]

Ray Milland and Gene Tierney star in a near remake of Penny Serenade. They can't have children and explore the avenue of adoption. In the Beulah Bondi role of the agency inspector, Fay Bainter takes over. If you've seen her in Journey for Margaret, you know she can come across as concerned for children very well. This one has a couple of differences, mostly to do with Gene's character versus Irene Dunne's original version. Irene is sweet and deep-feeling, but Gene seems incredibly insincere and impulsive.

Everything out of Ray's mouth is hilarious and witty, adding a refreshing comic element to the story. I happened to agree with his side of the argument about adoption, but unfortunately, Hollywood took Gene's side. She's made out to be a natural mother who can't resist the baby in question, but I didn't believe her for a second. As is the case with many couples who have a great relationship, once child-rearing enters into the mix, fights and incompatibilities float to the surface. Ray and Gene were happy at the start of the movie, but when she becomes obsessed with the idea of adopting this particular baby, it strains their marriage. This movie also tackles the nature vs. Nurture debate that has stumped experts through the ages. If you have a strong opinion one way or the other, you might not like the message of the film. And while it's not as good as the original version, if you like the cast, you might want to give it a shot.

An interesting story, but it's sure easy to dislike Brad through much of the film!

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 2 August 2015]

"Close to My Heart" is not necessarily an easy film to watch. It deals with infertility issues and is a very good film, but it might be very tough for folks struggling with this to watch the movie. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Ray Milland plays Brad Sheridan and Gene Tierney his wife, Midge. After being married for several years, they need to face facts--she is infertile and cannot have a child. She is interested in adopting, though it's obvious Brad isn't thrilled by the idea. He goes along with it but he never seems excited by the prospect.

The wait list for adopting a baby is quite long, but an opportunity arises to POSSIBLY get a baby sooner. Danny was abandoned at a local police station and no one know about his parents. Midge is thrilled to adopt the lovely boy but once again Brad just seems uncertain...mostly because he is worried about the sort of biological parents the child might have. Being a reporter, Brad starts investigating leads...trying, for his own peace of mind, to find out more about the baby. All during this time, the baby is living with the Sheridans and Midge is in love with the little bundle of joy. Brad still has cold feet...and this worries the woman from the adoption agency. She's ready to recommend to the court that the adoption NOT go through due to Brad's apparent ambivalence. What's next in this film? Give it a look and find out for yourself.

I like this film for several reasons. The biggest is that it's unique and I cannot recall ever seeing another film like it (except, in an odd way "Bedtime for Bonzo" with its similar nature versus nurture theme). I also really liked Tierney's acting. She was really convincing and I admired her ability to do such a film considering her history of severe depression and her own issues with having a severely disabled child. I kept wondering how hard all this must have been....but she sure was great and pulled it off well. It is a bit schmaltzy, but I loved it. Overall, a surprisingly good film--one that will grab you and rip at your heart repeatedly. In fact, you might just want to watch this one with some Kleenex nearby.

By the way, if you DO watch it, watch the very final scene...that child's expression is priceless!

Likeable Characters Absurd Plot

[lesliepancoast · 6/10 · 11 January 2022]

The length to which adoption agency, police and the newspaper man go with regard to the baby is beyond absurd - not believable. Takes it down a huge notch. Ridiculous.

Has some merit! I emphasize "some"!

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 11 September 2017]

Producer: William Jacobs. Copyright 2 November 1951 by Warner Brothers Pictures Inc. No New York opening. U.S. release: 3 November 1951. U.K. release date: March 1952. Australian release: 4 July 1952. 8,124 feet. 90 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: After adopting a foundling, a young husband searches for the baby boy's parents in order to allay his fears that the child may have inherited bad traits.

COMMENT: Not quite as tedious as I remembered it. Fay Bainter is a bore and all her scenes could well be drastically cut but Gene Tierney (in a wardrobe supervised by husband Oleg Cassini and attractively lit and made-up) is attractive, whilst Ray Milland (other than in his climactic scene with Miss Bainter in which he breaks down most unconvincingly) gives his usual smooth performance.

Mary Beth Hughes has only two scenes but she gives a stunning portrayal — as does James Seay in his one scene at the climax. Despite its realistic setting, the plot seems somewhat melodramatic and contrived.

Keighley's direction comes over as smoothly undistinguished as do the other credits. Production values rate no highly than moderate. The expository and establishing scenes are rather slow. The first half- hour should have been trimmed drastically.

I want to purchase 'Close to My Heart." I saw it a long time ago and enjoyed it very much.

[gulfhorn · 10/10 · 28 January 2005]

Please help me to purchase this movie, if it is available. Ray Milland and Gene Tierney were excellent and the plot was played very well. I checked once to purchase the movie but was told it wasn't available for some reason or another. It has been 30 years since I saw it, I have always wanted to see it again. I have told my wife and kids about ti as well, and they too want to see it. I hope someone will be able to let me in on whether or not and where I can buy the VHS or DVD copy. This movie was based on a reporter and his wife's challenge to adopt a baby. When someone mentions to the reporter, Ray Milland, that he needed to be careful as to not get a bad seed, he almost ruins the happy moment.

Thanks

Adoption is Beautiful!

[JenExxifer · 10/10 · 9 January 2022]

I give this movie 10 stars because I appreciate a storyline that promotes adoption!

I think adoption is a beautiful thing and I like that the wife character in this movie wasn't hung up on the idea that she had to give birth to a baby in order to be a mother.

I don't fault the husband character for his investigative work to research the abandoned baby's background; and while his quest for the truth causes friction, I like that it results in marital growth rather than separation.

I recommend this movie for anyone who enjoys the actors (Ray Milland and Gene Tierney) along with a happy ending. Thanks to TCM for airing it!

The question if it is right to search for the truth if it is bound to cause problems and pains.

[clanciai · 9/10 · 1 June 2020]

Gene Tierney and Ray Milland make a very good couple in this adoption melodrama bringing up all the controversies and problems of adoption, which gives the audience a refreshing portion of afterthought concerning the attitude to small children and their upbringing at large. According to the adoption rules, the adopting parents must not pry into the story of the child's parents, which Ray Milland as a father candidate can't resist doing, as he is a columnist and is used to finding out about people. This risks the entire adoption procedure and puts Gene Tierney at great pains, since she so earnestly wants the child and already has grown to love it. It's a great script, there are several problematic adoption films like this, and they all present labyrinths of problems, hardships and ordeals and make the adopting parents go through great pains to reach anywhere, but usually they all end happy - as they are usually made in Hollywood. The question is what it really looks like in reality. Is it right to search for the truth if it is bound to cause problems and pains? That's a very difficult question, but at least it's never wrong.

How Not To Act Towards Adoptive Parents

[lm362 · 10/10 · 23 May 2017]

This movie did good showing how adoption agencies should not treat adoptive parents. Brad(Ray Milland) had a right to find out the parentage of the baby he and wife, Midge(Gene Tierney) was to adopt. Caseworker(Faye Bainter), did not want Brad to find out anything about the baby's parents. Wasn't that her job? Brad wrongly worried that if one or both parents were bad, the baby would be too.