Of Human Hearts (1938)

Synopsis: Life in the Ohio River valley on the eve of the U.S. Civil War is hard for the Wilkins family. Ethan Wilkins (Walter Huston) is a stoic preacher who endures great hardship and poverty to set an... Life in the Ohio River valley on the eve of the U.S. Civil War is hard for the Wilkins family. Ethan Wilkins (Walter Huston) is a stoic preacher who endures great hardship and poverty to set an example for his parishioners. But his son, Jason (James Stewart), cannot understand his father's constant sacrifices; he bitterly resents his stern leadership and dreams of escaping his impoverished household and becoming a doctor. He wants to travel east to study medicine, and with the secret consent and monetary support of his sweet, self-sacrificing mother (Beulah Bondi in an Oscar-nominated performance) he is able to fulfill his dreams. Jason becomes a great surgeon, driven and self-obsessed, who virtually ignores his family. When he enters the Civil War as a medic he meets a great man (John Carradine) who reminds him to value the one person who made his dreams possible. Clarence Brown's searing drama was based on the story BENEFITS FORGOT by Honore Morrow. [More]

Starring: Walter Huston, James Stewart, Gene Reynolds, Beulah Bondi

Starring: Walter Huston, James Stewart, Gene Reynolds, Beulah Bondi, Guy Kibbee, Charles Coburn, John Carradine, Ann Rutherford

Director: Clarence Brown

Director: Clarence Brown
Producer: John Considine
Screenwriter: Bradbury Foote
Composer: Herbert Stothart

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