{"id":49737,"date":"2020-08-09T14:25:50","date_gmt":"2020-08-09T21:25:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=49737"},"modified":"2022-09-25T18:59:30","modified_gmt":"2022-09-26T01:59:30","slug":"my-son-john-1952","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=49737","title":{"rendered":"My Son John (1952)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;What&#8217;s happened to my boy?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Poster-198x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-49739\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Poster-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Poster-178x270.jpg 178w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Poster.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA devoutly Catholic couple (Dean Jagger and Helen Hayes) are happy to visit with their two Korea-bound sons (Richard Jaeckel and James Young), but distressed when their third son, John (Robert Walker), shows up late and appears to reject his family&#8217;s morals. Could a stranger (Van Heflin) Jagger and Hayes meet during a fender-bender actually be investigating Walker for subversive activities?\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cold War <\/li>\n<li>Dean Jagger Films<\/li>\n<li>Helen Hayes Films<\/li>\n<li>Leo McCarey Films<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptation<\/li>\n<li>Richard Jaeckel Films<\/li>\n<li>Robert Walker Films<\/li>\n<li>Small Town America<\/li>\n<li>Spies<\/li>\n<li>Suffering Mothers<\/li>\n<li>Van Heflin Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nLeo McCarey &#8212; best known for helming a variety of audience favorites, including <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=18877\"><em>Duck Soup<\/em> (1933)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=11333\"><em>The Awful Truth<\/em> (1937)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=30613\"><em>Love Affair<\/em> (1939)<\/a> [as well as its remake <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=30622\"><em>An Affair to Remember<\/em> (1957)<\/a>], and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=12180\"><em>Going My Way<\/em> (1944)<\/a> &#8212; also directed this Cold War-era curiosity, notorious for being Robert Walker&#8217;s last film before his premature death at just 32 years old. It&#8217;s too bad things went awry for this flick, given it starts off with a surprisingly powerful punch, nicely highlighting the tensions that can arise between parents and their grown children when their political and\/or religious views have diverged: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes-1024x630.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"394\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-65402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes-1024x630.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes-768x472.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes-439x270.png 439w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes.png 1475w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8212; a phenomenon that&#8217;s never gone away, and is perhaps at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/politics\/2018\/03\/01\/the-generation-gap-in-american-politics\/\">a current zenith<\/a>. Hayes&#8217; performance (her first on-screen in nearly two decades) is heartwarming and natural; indeed, all the actors were apparently asked to improvise, with a resulting authenticity that feels rare in a film of this kind (though apparently it drove Walker crazy; see <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tcm.com\/this-month\/article\/276077%7C0\/My-Son-John.html\">TCM&#8217;s detailed article<\/a> for more information on this and other aspects of the film&#8217;s production). <\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the storyline about the Red Scare as an omnipresent force in the hearts and minds of small-town America suffers from lack of clarity and\/or credibility in a couple of key areas &#8212; primarily the &#8220;coincidence&#8221; between Heflin&#8217;s &#8220;accidental&#8221; meeting with Hayes and Jagger and his true identity, as well as Walker&#8217;s critical involvement with an unseen female character shown only in a newspaper article. Meanwhile, the kludging in of footage of Walker from <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=7314\"><em>Strangers on a Train<\/em> (1951)<\/a> is decidedly jarring, as are (laughably so) the final moments taking place in a university hall. Again, this is too bad, since the film otherwise possesses some enduring power as a tale of generational divides, parental suffering, and Communist hysteria.   <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Helen Hayes as Lucille Jefferson<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes2-1024x609.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"381\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-49740\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes2-1024x609.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes2-300x178.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes2-128x76.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes2-768x457.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes2-454x270.png 454w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Hayes2.png 1509w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Harry Stradling&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography-1024x632.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"395\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-49741\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography-1024x632.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography-300x185.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography-768x474.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography-438x270.png 438w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography.png 1473w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography2-1024x607.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"379\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-49742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography2-1024x607.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography2-300x178.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography2-128x76.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography2-768x455.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography2-455x270.png 455w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/My-Son-John-Cinematography2.png 1503w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but it&#8217;s worth a look for Hayes&#8217; performance and for its historical noteworthiness. Listed as a Camp Classic (!) in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0044941\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1952\/04\/09\/archives\/the-screen-in-review-helen-hayes-returns-to-films-in-my-son-john.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/84402\/my-son-john#articles-reviews?articleId=276077\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s3947john.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=12876&#038;aff=13L\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;What&#8217;s happened to my boy?&#8221; Synopsis: A devoutly Catholic couple (Dean Jagger and Helen Hayes) are happy to visit with their two Korea-bound sons (Richard Jaeckel and James Young), but distressed when their third son, John (Robert Walker), shows up late and appears to reject his family&#8217;s morals. Could a stranger (Van Heflin) Jagger and Hayes meet during a fender-bender actually be investigating Walker for subversive activities? Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Cold War Dean Jagger Films Helen Hayes Films&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=49737\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49737"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87659,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49737\/revisions\/87659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}