Three Secrets

Superior Melodrama
An interesting tale and an early directorial effort from Robert Wise. When a young boy is the sole survivor of a mountain plane crash, three women begin to wonder if he's the child each gave up for adoption. While waiting for the news, the women all look back on their lives. We discover the reasons behind their decisions to give their sons up, and what their lives have been like up to this point. This is similar in some ways to the plot device used in A Letter to Three Wives, which also deals with the pasts of three women, however this film is much more somber in tone. It doesn't have the crackling, witty dialogue, which made Wives so memorable. The suspense is quite good, with all three stars doing excellent work here. It's fun seeing Eleanor Parker, Patricia Neal, and Ruth Roman all of whom would go on to be major stars during the 1950s; it's a wonderful showcase for their dramatic talents. If you like films with good character studies, Three Secrets is for you.

Secrets revealed
I have always liked this movie and have been looking for it a couple of years; glad it has finally been released. It has been under the radar, but I think deserves more notice than it has received. The three women are each afraid to have their "secret" revealed. Eleanor Parker had a boyfriend in the Army (I believe played by Arthur Franz) who goes away and, presumably, gets killed. Ruth Roman and Patricia Neal each have equally sad stories revolving around their "secrets." Patricia Neal is a well-renowned reporter who travels to the mountaintop to cover the story. All the reportors hole up in a closed-for-the-season resort, and that is where the movie action takes place, in flashbacks. In one scene in the movie, two of the mothers-to-be actually share the same doctor's waiting room. Of course, they don't know each other. This is a good little movie with a good big cast. By the way, I liked Ruth Roman's story the best.

A Woman"s Baby is trapped aboard a plane that may crash! 3 mothers show up at the site? Whose baby is it & who'll reclaim it?
Ruth Roman, Patricia Neal and Eleanor Parker give sterling performances in this Warner Bros. noir whose ending will surprise you! Yes, it may be more of a woman's noir film, not as thrilling as MILDRED PIERCE, but emotionally moving just the same. See it!

Dr. Ronald Schwartz, Manhattan

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