The Most Precious Thing in Life

The Most Precious Thing in Life is a 1934 American pre-Code film directed by Lambert Hillyer^[1] and starring Richard Cromwell, Jean Arthur, Donald Cook, Anita Louise, and Mary Forbes.^[2][3][4]

The Most Precious Thing in Life
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Lambert Hillyer Robert Margolis
Written by	Ethel Hill Dore Schary Travis Ingham
Produced by	Robert North
Starring	Richard Cromwell Jean Arthur Donald Cook Anita Louise Mary Forbes
Cinematography	John Stumar
Edited by	Richard Cahoon
Production company	Columbia Pictures
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date	June 5, 1934 (1934-06-05) (United States)
Running time	67 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The film tells a story about secret and selfless maternal devotion with elements of Madame X (1929) and Stella Dallas (1937).^[5] It is Jean Arthur's third film with Columbia.

Plot

Ellen Holmes, a girl from an ordinary family, marries a rich, yet spoiled, boy from a snobbish family. The pair has a son, but soon Ellen finds herself ousted from the life of her husband. However, she rediscovers her son years later.^[6][7][8]

Cast

• Richard Cromwell as Chris Kelsey
• Jean Arthur as Ellen Holmes, also known as Biddy and Babe
• Donald Cook as Bob Kelsey
• Anita Louise as Patty O'Day
• Mary Forbes as Mrs. Kelsey
• Jane Darwell as Mrs. O'Day
• Ben Alexander as Gubby Gerhart
• John Wray as Carter [Head janitor]
• Ward Bond as Head coach
• Dutch Hendrian as Assistant coach
• Paul Stanton as Mr. Kelsey
• Greta Meyer as Mrs. Svenson
• Samuel S. Hinds as Dean
• Maidel Turner as Dean's wife

References

1. Goble, Alan (8 September 2011). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. p. 875. ISBN 978-3-11-095194-3. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
2. "MOST PRECIOUS THING IN LIFE (1934)". Turner Classic Movies. tcm.com. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
3. "Most Precious Thing in Life (1934)". UCLA. cinema.ucla.edu. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
4. "Most Precious Thing in Life". FilmAffinity. filmaffinity.com. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
5. Landazuri, Margarita. "Most Precious Thing in Life (1934)". Turner Classic Movies. tcm.com. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
6. "Most Precious Thing in Life". AFI. afi.com. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
7. Corliss, Richard (8 April 2014). Mom in the Movies: The Iconic Screen Mothers You Love (and a Few You Love to Hate). Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-3826-0. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
8. Conklin, John E. (10 January 2014). Campus Life in the Movies: A Critical Survey from the Silent Era to the Present. McFarland. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-7864-5235-4. Retrieved 9 September 2021.

External links

• The Most Precious Thing in Life at IMDb