Expert: Jim Kason - 4/5/2008

Question
I saw a black-and-white movie on TV a couple years ago and can't remember who's in it or what it's called, but here's an approximation of the plot: Girl meets guy, and they fall in love, but there's something wrong with the girl so the guy rejects her. Maybe she's too "common" or has a bad past? She's kinda messed up about it for awhile and gets into drinking, I believe, but then she runs into this guy again and he feels sorry and sticks by her this time.

Somewhere in here she learns that she has this fatal disease. It starts by her not being able to feel different textures very well - I distinctly remember a scene in a doctor's office where she's blindfolded and given a couple objects of different textures. One's rough and one's smooth, but to her they feel the same. The doctor tells her it's fatal, and she'll know she's near the end when her vision starts going.

I think at this point she's about to marry the guy, so she doesn't tell him. (Maybe she does tell him later though?) They get married, and he's a doctor searching for a cure for something. Near the end of the movie, he's heading out for a meeting or conference or something where he's going to present his research, a big discovery I think. Just before he leaves, she starts to complain that it's getting dark. Her housekeeper or somebody knows what that means, but the girl decides to keep this from her husband so he can go tell the world about his medicinal discovery. Near the end she can barely see him at all, but she pretends she's fine and urges her husband to go with an inspiring speech. He leaves and she goes upstairs to her room to die quietly.

Anyway, the poignancy of the ending was my favorite part, and I haven't been able to track this down. I'd appreciate any help! Thank you!

Answer
Hi Sarah,
The story-line you've described is almost identical (except for a few differences) to one of my Favorite classic Bette Davis films of the late 1930's called "Dark Victory". It also starred George Brent and Geraldine Fitzgerald, with Humphry Bogart in a small role (before he became a big star.
However, in this film, the girl (Bette) is rich and spoiled, and changes after she meets George.

At the end, she and her best friend are planting flowers in the garden, when Bette remarks that it's getting cloudy and very dark.  She sends her husband off to his conference, finds her way up to her bedroom, and to the voices of a choir of angels and the Warner Bros. orchestra, dies peacefully.  Quite a "tearjerker".

I think the film was remade years later, but perhaps with a different title.  Hope this helps.
Jim K