My Son, My Son

My Son, My Son (1940), based on the novel by Howard Spring, tells of a self-made man (Brian Aherne) who is determined to give his son (Louis Hayward) all the luxuries he was never able to enjoy while growing up. Spoiled, selfish and uncaring, the son creates havoc with the lives of those around him -- including his father when he tries to steal the older man's beautiful companion (Madeleine Carroll). Opting for a more uplifting ending than that of the novel, the movie allows the son to find redemption after the outbreak of World War I.

Released by United Artists, My Son, My Son won an Oscar® nomination for John DuCasse Schulze in the category of Best Art Direction, Black-and-White. (The winners that year in that category were MGM's Cedric Gibbons and Paul Groesse for Pride and Prejudice.) The previous year Schulze had been nominated for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (along with Edward G. Boyle) for The Son of Monte Cristo (1940).

Schulze (1876-1943), who was born in Illinois, began his career as an art director in the early 1920s. Among his 30-odd credits are such titles as The Last of the Mohicans (1936), The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) and Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941).

Producer: Edward Small
Director: Charles Vidor
Screenplay: Lenore J. Coffee, from novel by Howard Spring
Cinematography: Harry Stradling, Sr.
Production Design/Art Direction: John DuCasse Schulze
Original Music: Edward Ward (uncredited)
Editing: Fred R. Feitshans, Jr., Grant Whytock
Costume Design: William Bridgehouse, Helen Taylor
Cast: Brian Aherne (William Essex), Madeleine Carroll (Livia), Louis Hayward (Oliver Essex), Laraine Day (Maeve O'Riordan), Henry Hull (Dermont O'Riorden), Josephine Hutchinson (Nellie Moscrop Essex).
BW-115m.

by Roger Fristoe