Pilgrimage (1933)

Information from IMDb

Plot Summary
Hannah Jessop fears being abandoned by her son Jim,
and she doesn't approve of his romance with Mary Saunders.
When Hannah discovers that Jim and Mary plan to wed, she sends her son off to fight in WWI, unaware that Mary is carrying his child.
For many years, Ford specialists such as Tag Gallagher and Joseph McBride
have been singling out this uncharacteristic melodrama
as one of the master's unsung masterpieces.

Full Cast
Henrietta Crosman ... Mrs. Hannah Jessop
Heather Angel ... Suzanne
Norman Foster ... Jim 'Jimmy' Jessop (Hannah's son)
Lucille La Verne ... Mrs. Kelly Hatfield
Maurice Murphy ... Gary Worth
Marian Nixon ... Mary Saunders
Jay Ward ... Jimmy Saunders (Suzanne and Jimmy Hessop's son)
Robert Warwick ... Major Albertson
Louise Carter ... Mrs. Rogers
Betty Blythe ... Janet Prescot
Francis Ford ... Mayor Elmer Briggs
Charley Grapewin ... Dad Saunders
Hedda Hopper ... Mrs. Worth (Gary Worth's mother)
Frances Rich ... The Nurse
Ann Brody ... Woman with Mrs. Goldstein (uncredited)
William Burress ... Mr. Goldstein (uncredited)
AndrÈ Cheron ... Shooting Gallery Proprietor (uncredited)
Ruth Clifford ... Schoolteacher (uncredited)
Marcelle Corday ... French Woman Paying Cabbie (uncredited)
James Donlan ... Barber (uncredited)
Bess Flowers ... Restaurant Extra (uncredited)
Edward Gargan ... Marty, Reporter (uncredited)
Mary Gordon ... Mrs. MacGregor (uncredited)
Si Jenks ... Jimmy Gish, Station Agent (uncredited)
Claude King ... Ship Captain (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack ... New York City Mayor (uncredited)
Margaret Mann ... Mrs. Quincannon (uncredited)
Alphonse Martell ... Frenchman at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
Greta Meyer ... Mrs. Haberschmidt (uncredited)
Frank Moran ... Sergeant on Train (uncredited)
Frances Morris ... Nurse (uncredited)
Jack Mower ... Soldier at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
Sarah Padden ... Mother Of MIA (uncredited)
Inez Palange ... Mrs. Carlucci (uncredited)
Shirley Palmer ... Nurse (uncredited)
Jack Pennick ... A Minute for Each Cedar soldier (uncredited)
Beatrice Roberts ... Sick Nurse (uncredited)
Rosa Rosanova ... Mrs. Goldstein (uncredited)
Harry Tenbrook ... Soldier on Train (uncredited)
August Tollaire ... Villager (uncredited)
Adele Watson ... Mrs. Simms, Hannah's Neighbor (uncredited)
Leo White ... Floorwalker at Fashion Show (uncredited)

Writing Credits
Barry Conners writer
Henry Johnson uncredited
Philip Klein writer
Dudley Nichols dialogue
Basil Woon uncredited
I.A.R. Wylie story "Pilgrimage"

Original Music
R.H. Bassett (uncredited)

Cinematography
George Schneiderman

John Ford directed this emotional drama,
which was a considerable change of pace from the
westerns and war pictures for which he was best known. Hannah Jessop (Henrietta Crosman)
fears being abandoned by her son Jim (Norman Foster),
and she doesn't approve of his romance with Mary Saunders (Marian Nixon).
When Hannah discovers that Jim and Mary plan to wed, she sends her son off to fight in WWI,
unaware that Mary is carrying his child. Jim is killed in combat just as Mary is giving birth,
and while Hannah is crushed by the loss of her son, she cannot forgive Mary
or abide her grandson, Jim, Jr. (Jay Ward).
Years later, Hannah is prodded into joining a group of women who lost their sons
in the war on a visit to the battlefields of Europe; en route,
she meets Mrs. Hatfield (Lucille La Verne), whose warmth and gracious acceptance
of her misfortune forces Hannah to take a look at herself and her attitudes
~ Mark Deming, Rovi

User Review

Quote

11 August 1999 | by Michael Morrison (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
"Pilgrimage" works at several levels.

It is "a woman's film" in that it is very emotional.

It presents a cast of superb actors, generally unknown to modern audiences, with the exception of Heather Angel, whose role is actually small despite her second billing.

It is a surprise, too, because its director was John Ford, much better known for such action pictures as "The Searchers" and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," or such dark melodramas as "The Informer."

There is a remarkably talented child actor who grew up to become the daddy of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Jay Ward.

Marian Nixon, billed down the list, but with a strong and important role, is not only beautiful, but poignant and touching. She deserves to be considered in the pantheon of great actresses who didn't quite make the top ranks.

Perhaps because of the lack of major names, perhaps because of the time frame of the action, perhaps because of the weepiness of the plot (which I do not say in a pejorative sense), "Pilgrimage" is almost unknown today, but I consider it quite good, definitely worth seeing again.

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