Edward, My Son (1949) on Netflix
After World War I, Arnold Boult goes into business with Harry Simpkin, who has just left prison after a fraud conviction. Five years later, his son Edward needs a costly operation abroad.
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- Netflix3.3/5
- IMDb6.5/101,623 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
Arnold Boult and his wife Evelyn are marking the first birthday of their son Edward in their London home, with their friend, the physician Larry Woodhope, there as a guest. Arnold is about to begin working in finance alongside Harry Simpkin, who has served a term for fraud. Five years on, Edward is found to have a serious illness that needs an operation abroad and the money is not there. Arnold's retail credit business is faring badly, so he chooses to burn the building down and pay for the surgery with the insurance money. Simpkin goes along with the scheme despite his doubts.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Edward, My Son (1949)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- George Cukor wanted his close friend Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy's lover, for the role of Eileen, but the couple were wary of working together too often, and Cukor thought a major star in the small part would unbalance the picture and overshadow leading lady Deborah Kerr.
- Edward, the title character of the film, is never seen on screen: George Cukor chose to keep him unseen in the film adaptation, just as he is in the original play.
- The screenplay stuck closely to the original script, its only major change making Arnold Boult Canadian instead of British so Spencer Tracy would not have to struggle with an accent. Tracy initially resisted playing so unsympathetic a character, but told George Cukor it was disconcerting how easily he played a heel.
