A Feather in Her Hat (1935) DVD-R

Starring Pauline Lord, Basil Rathbone, Louis Hayward, Billie Burke, Wendy
Barrie, Thurston Hall, Nan Bryant, J. M. Kerrigan, David Niven
Directed by Alfred Santell

Print: black/white
Runtime: 72 min.
Genre: drama
Print Quality: B

Legendary stage actress Pauline Lord made but a few films, but was
always worth watching whenever she took command of the screen. In
Feather in Her Hat, Lord plays cockney storekeeper Clarissa Phipps, who
worries that her son Richard will grow up being ashamed of her humble
vocation. Thus, she loftily pretends that she's not Richard's mother, and
that the boy is actually the offspring of a prominent theatrical family. Upon
reaching adulthood, Richard (Louis Hayward) becomes a prominent
playwright, confident that the stage is in his blood, while Clarissa secretly
sells her store at a loss to finance Richard's first production. Only on her
deathbed does Clarissa reveal the truth — and happily, Richard isn't
ashamed of her in the least, and indeed is prouder of her than ever. Basil
Rathbone contributes a fascinating characterization as a gin-swilling,
unshaven remittance man.