I Remember Mama (1948)

Director:

George Stevens

Writers:

Kathryn Forbes (novel)
John Van Druten (play)

Release Date:

17 March 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family

Tagline:

You'll just love...MAMA!

Plot:

The ups and downs of a Norwegian immigrant family, circa 1910.

Plot Keywords:

Immigrant | 1910s | Love | Uncle | Boarder

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Irene Dunne	...	Martha 'Mama' Hanson
Barbara Bel Geddes	...	Katrin Hanson
Oskar Homolka	...	Uncle Chris Halverson
Philip Dorn	...	Lars Hanson
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Jonathan Hyde (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Edgar Bergen	...	Peter Thorkelson
Rudy Vallee	...	Dr. Johnson
Barbara O'Neil	...	Jessie Brown
Florence Bates	...	Florence Dana Moorhead
Peggy McIntyre	...	Christine Hanson
June Hedin	...	Dagmar Hanson
Steve Brown	...	Nels Hanson
Ellen Corby	...	Aunt Trina
Hope Landin	...	Aunt Jenny
Edith Evanson	...	Aunt Sigrid

Runtime:

134 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Norwegian | Latin | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

Greta Garbo turned down the role of Martha around the same time she also rejected the lead in Alfred Hitchcock's The Paradine Case (1947). She is reputed to have commented, "No murderesses, no mamas."

Goofs:

Continuity: When the aunts are sitting at the table drinking coffee, Jenny is on the right and Sigrid are on the left. After Jenny asks, "Where are the children?" and gets up, she and Sigrid have switched places.

Quotes:

Katrin Hanson: [reading the novel that she's just finished] "For long as I could remember, the house on the Larkin Street Hill had been home. Papa and Mama had both born in Norway but they came to San Francisco because Mama's sisters were here, all of us were born here. Nels, the oldest and the only boy, my sister Christine and the littlest sister Dagmar but first and foremost I remember Mama".

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Enfant Terrible: A Conversation with Patty McCormack (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Sovnen

Self-sacrificing matriarch leads immigrant family to prosperity

The timeless story of the sacrifices a mother makes to assure her family (especially her children) always have everything they need is a best selling novel, a charming Broadway Musical, and best-known as the star-studded 1948 movie classic.

Irene Dunne plays "Mama", the matriarch of a Norwegian immigrant family in early 1900's San Francisco. She and "Papa" are poor, but proud, raising several "American born" children. A repeated statement that they "won't have to go to the bank" eventually is revealed as a "white lie" told by Mama so the children wouldn't worry about the family's financial state. There really was no "bank".

The narrator is a teenage girl (wonderfully played by Barbara Bel Geddes), giving the viewer an insight into her extended family, often sharing funny moments, but also showing very touching scenes. A young Ellen Corby ("Grandma Walton") is wonderful as Aunt Trina, who is not taken seriously by her relatives, but gains respect when she is courted and wed by a man who loves and treats her well.

The film introduces each family member individually, then describes the person, until the viewer seems "at home", knowing everyone well. The film climaxes with the lead character (Bel Geddes) reading the introduction to her first published book ("I Remember Mama"). -- This film is a delight to watch from beginning to end. Be sure to keep a box of Kleenex within reach! This film has my highest recommendation!