Uma Rival Perigosa

Navy nurse Claire Trevor comes from a broken home. She is afraid to fall in love, but she falls for Navy doctor Ralph Bellamy. He, however, is haunted by his first wife, who died giving birth to their crippled daughter, Anne Howard. Miss Trevor tries to run away, but eventually returns and marries him on those terms. However, while she is away with Ann, getting her therapy that will let her walk, Bellamy meets glamorous Kathleen Burke and they become an item.

For those of us used to seeing Bellamy as the guy who loses the leading lady to Cary Grant or Fred Astaire, it's a pleasant surprise to see him at the tail end of his starring phase, opposite the redoubtable Miss Trevor, tromping on Ben Lyon's love for the leading lady and making him like it. Lyon would make for more American movies for Poverty Row companies over the next two years, then move to Britain where he and his wife, Bebe Daniels, would become major radio and television stars.

It's pretty much a programmer of a weeper, directed by the durable Allan Dwan at the trough of his 50-year career. He would bounce back a couple of years later, with a couple of Shirley Temple movies.

Even though there's not much to this movie, it's pleasantly eked out with dependable talent like Jane Darwell, George Irving and Jonathan Hale and some nice comedy. If you're in the mood for a picture where people are low-key miserable, this will fill an hour nicely.