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  • Life Begins (1932)
  • Passed
    71 min | Drama, Romance
Life Begins (1932)
Passed
71 min | Drama, Romance

At a maternity hospital, future fathers pace the corridors while their wives wait for their babies either anxiously or happily. Efficient and compassionate nurse Miss Bowers keeps the ward running smoothly. Things liven up when Grace ...See moreAt a maternity hospital, future fathers pace the corridors while their wives wait for their babies either anxiously or happily. Efficient and compassionate nurse Miss Bowers keeps the ward running smoothly. Things liven up when Grace Sutton is transferred from the prison where she is being held for murder. Most agree that the man she killed deserved to die, and Nurse Bowers sympathetically allows Grace's concerned husband Jed unlimited time with his wife. On the ward, the women have varied feelings about motherhood. Mrs. West, mother of six children, thinks babies are what give meaning to women's lives. In contrast, Florette, a showgirl, just wants to get rid of her twins as soon as possible. Miss Layton has decided opinions about child rearing and has no intention of being a doting mother. While the women debate their various theories, a woman who wants a baby so much that she has become demented wanders in from another ward. An Italian woman quietly sobs when she learns that her newborn has died. After a touching farewell with Jed, Grace, whose health has suffered from prison conditions, is taken into the labor room. While Jed waits anxiously, Florette is appalled by the plans that the prospective adoptive mother of her twins has concocted. She cradles one baby herself and discovers mother love. Miss Layton has also given up on her progressive plans for her baby. Down the hall, things are going badly for Grace. When the doctors ask Jed to choose between saving Grace or the baby, he chooses Grace, but she herself insists that the doctors operate and save the baby. After she dies, Jed refuses to see the baby girl, but wise Nurse Bowers places the child in his arms, and as with the mothers, he cannot resist her charms. Written by Daniel Williams See less
Read more: Plot summary
Directors
James Flood | Elliott Nugent (co-director)
Writers
Mary M. Axelson (by) (as Mary McDougal Axelson) | Earl Baldwin (screen adaptation by)
Cinematographer
James Van Trees (photography by)
Editor
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Status
Edit Released
Updated Sep 4, 1932

Release date
Sep 10, 1932 (United States)

Contacts

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Cast

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29 cast members
Name Known for
Loretta Young
Grace Sutton Grace Sutton   See fewer
Eric Linden
Jed Sutton Jed Sutton   See fewer
Aline MacMahon
Miss Bowers Miss Bowers   See fewer
Glenda Farrell
Florette Florette   See fewer
Clara Blandick
Mrs. West Mrs. West   See fewer
Preston Foster
Dr. Brett Dr. Brett   See fewer
Frank McHugh
Ringer Banks Ringer Banks   See fewer
Walter Walker
Dr. Tubby Dr. Tubby   See fewer
Hale Hamilton
Dr. Cramm Dr. Cramm   See fewer
Vivienne Osborne
Mrs. McGilvary Mrs. McGilvary   See fewer
Dorothy Peterson
A Patient A Patient   See fewer
A.S. 'Pop' Byron
First Druggist (uncredited) First Druggist (uncredited)   See fewer
Marjorie Campbell
Baby (uncredited) Baby (uncredited)   See fewer
Frank Darien
Harry (uncredited) Harry (uncredited)   See fewer
Donald Douglas
Medical Student in a Business Suit (uncredited) Medical Student in a Business Suit (uncredited)   See fewer
Helena Phillips Evans
Mrs. Riggs, the Prison Matron (uncredited) Mrs. Riggs, the Prison Matron (uncredited)   See fewer
Paul Fix
Anxious Expectant Father (uncredited) Anxious Expectant Father (uncredited)   See fewer
Esther Howard
Mrs. Tubby's Friend (uncredited) Mrs. Tubby's Friend (uncredited)   See fewer
Reginald Mason
Dr. Lee (uncredited) Dr. Lee (uncredited)   See fewer
Herbert Mundin
Mr. MacGilvairy (uncredited) Mr. MacGilvairy (uncredited)   See fewer
Elizabeth Patterson
Mrs. Tubby (uncredited) Mrs. Tubby (uncredited)   See fewer
Mary Philips
Miss Pinty (uncredited) Miss Pinty (uncredited)   See fewer
Terrance Ray
Medical Student Who Shrugs His Head (uncredited) Medical Student Who Shrugs His Head (uncredited)   See fewer
Gilbert Roland
Tony, Rita's Husband (uncredited) Tony, Rita's Husband (uncredited)   See fewer
Gloria Shea
Gladys Banks (uncredited) Gladys Banks (uncredited)   See fewer
Ruthelma Stevens
Rose 'Rosie' Laughton (uncredited) Rose 'Rosie' Laughton (uncredited)   See fewer
Dorothy Tree
Rita (uncredited) Rita (uncredited)   See fewer
Bobs Watson
Edgar, Harry's Son (uncredited) Edgar, Harry's Son (uncredited)   See fewer
Jack Wise
Medical Student (uncredited) Medical Student (uncredited)   See fewer
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