In 1856, Robert Eunson (Cameron Mitchell) and his pregnant wife, Mamie (Glynis Johns), are Scottish immigrants who just arrived in Wisconsin. The couple soon gains the generosity of their neighbors who take care of the couple and them help them to build a cabin. On October 12th, their eldest son, Robbie (Rex Thompson), is born; and on that same night, Rob, whose money is now exhausted, receives a job as a cutter at a logging camp located twenty-five miles from the cabin. Over time, Rob begins his own trade of boatbuilding, and in the following years, both he and Mamie have five more children, Jimmie, Kirk, Annabelle, Elizabeth and Jane. The family lives a happy life and continues to prosper, but when Robbie turns 12, tragedy strikes the family, and Robbie must make a decision which he handles as well as any adult could.
All Mine to Give is a 1957 drama from RKO Radio Pictures. The performances are good, but the story can be very affecting or, for lack of a better word, depressing. It is not an extremely unique film, but it is not the feel-good holiday movie that many may expect it to be. Rex Thompson does a fine job as the eldest son, Robbie. When he is suddenly forced to be an adult, you feel for him. The rest of the siblings, including Patty McCormack, playing the exact opposite of Rhoda Penmark in The Bad Seed (1956), are very cute. Cameron Mitchell and Glynis Johns are believable as the parents.
All Mine to Give is not exactly a predictable film (that ending certainly caught me by surprise), and it manages to produce a few charming moments, but the schmaltzy overwhelm. Though this is a heart-wrenching movie, I would not necessarily recommend it to anyone. It is not a bad film, but it is not a great one either, just passable.
- Directed by--Allen Reisner
- Produced by--Sam Wiesenthal
- Written by--Katherine Albert and Dale Eunson
- Starring--Glynis Johns, Cameron Mitchell, Rex Thompson and Patty McCormack
- Music by--Max Steiner
Comments