LIFE BEGINS (1932)

A slice-of-life melodrama set in a maternity ward; it's based on a play and it often feels rather stagy. Aline MacMahon presides over a ward of "problem" cases. When a police matron brings convicted killer Loretta Young in, we see that MacMahon acts all tough, but is a softie inside. Young's boyish husband, Eric Linden, is nervous and a bit hysterical at times--he comes off like a grown-up Dead End Kid. We never learn much about the couple's circumstances (she claims to have killed in self-defense, though the jury didn't seem to buy it), but we do see Linden hock his overcoat to buy her a scarf, so clearly they are both in tough straits. Other expectant mothers in the ward include Clara Blandick, an old pro at childbirth with six previous kids, and Glenda Farrell as a tough cookie who is expecting twins and is trying to "sell" them to a good mother. She puts gin in her hot water bottle and drunkenly (and callously) sings "Frankie & Johnny," a racy song about a murderess, to Young. However, before the end of the movie, we see Farrell get all nurturing and decide to keep the kids. Dorothy Peterson is a psycho case who wanders through the wards, stealing babies. Frank McHugh is a nervous father sent off on a fool's errand (to buy more ether for the hospital!!) to keep him out of the nurses' hair. Preston Foster, Elizabeth Patterson, and Gilbert Roland also appear. Linden and Young have chemistry together; we know that, one way or another, their story will not have a happy ending, and we're not disappointed in the tear-jerking conclusion. Good soap opera movie. [TCM]