Of Human Hearts

directed by Clarence Brown
Category: "Drama"
Year of Release:1938
Date Added:04/16/2026
Date Watched:04/16/2026
Description:Preacher Ethan Wilkins (Walter Huston), his wife Mary (Beulah Bondi), and their son Jason (James Stewart) move to a small town in Ohio. Jason resents having to live in poverty and often quarrels with his strict father. He determines to be a doctor and takes off to Maryland. He only writes home to ask for money, which his parents can only afford by selling their belongings. His father sickens and dies, and Jason just barely make sit home before his last breath. When the Civil War begins, Jason becomes a surgeon in the Union Army. He asks his mother to sell her horse so he can get a fancy uniform, then he quits writing home entirely. Mary thinks he's dead and writes President Lincoln to find out where his grave is. Lincoln calls Jason to the White House and gives him a lecture in gratitude. Jason doctors a soldier who pays him with his mother's horse. Jason dashes home and reconciles with his mother.
My Rating:5

Reviews for Of Human Hearts

Review - Of Human Hearts

Nothing really wrong with it. There were a lot of recognizable actors who did a fine job. It just didn't seem like a story that needed to be told. Stewart's character was something of a jerk, so it was hard to root for him. I supposed Bondi's character of the mother was a symbol of love, and John Carradine's Lincoln was good in the couple of minutes he was on screen. I kept stopping it and doing other things, but I finally managed to finish.
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