Expert: Jim Kason - 9/28/2008

Question
This movie must have been based in the '40s. The opening scene involves a woman whose husband was killed in the war gives birth & the baby dies. She becomes a Nanny for a couple who join the Foreign Legion.  She becomes attached to the child & fights for custody, & loses, after the couple returns at the end of the war.  The main character ends up becoming Nanny to numerous children & finally a housekeeper in a hospital.  At the end the meets a young doctor who turns out to be the boy she had fought to keep.  He arranges a reunion on Xmas eve with all the kids she had cared for over the years.  I've never met anyone who remembers this moveie.  It was a tearjerker.

Answer
Hi Ann,

I think that the film you're referring to might be The Wald/Krasna production, "The Blue Veil"
released in 1951.  It had an all-star cast, led by Jane Wyman,...with Charles Laughton, Joan Blondell, Agnes Moorehead, Natalie Wood, Richard Carlson and Don Taylor.

It was an American version of a French film, and unfortunately has Never been released on
VHS or DVD, or even shown on any TV network,  because of copyright problems.  Any
copies existing and being offered on-line are terrible, blurry copies.   So, if the copyright problems are ever solved, we may finally see a decent DVD .

Info on the movie can be found at:   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043350/

Jim Kason