Skip to content

So Dear To My Heart-The Movie

imagesIn a list of significant movies of 1948, So Dear to My Heart hardly makes the cut, and doesn’t even merit a full page on Wikipedia, but for me, a girl living on a farm in northern Canada, it was spectacular. True, it was the first movie I had ever seen, so I had no basis for comparison, but I was an avid reader, and no stranger to character development and story line. What was new for me was having a glimpse into the homes and lives of strangers. It was amazing to view a setting and a landscape I had never seen before. Like many children growing up in remote areas of Canada at the time, I had never travelled beyond my community.

The Story
This movie was in color, which was surprising, given that most movies I saw during those years were in black and white. This was a Walt Disney film, and was given the full Disney treatment, beginning with excellent personality development—Bobby Driscoll as the main character, Jeremiah, an acerbic, cranky but warm-hearted-at-the-core grandmother, played by Beulah Bondi, and Burl Ives as Uncle Hiram, Jeremiah’s kindly ally. The central problem, always a starting point with Disney, was the birth of a twin lamb which was black, and rejected by its mother. Jeremiah wanted to adopt the lamb. Granny, with her mind on duty, and a historic loom piece she was weaving, thought it a foolish indulgence, and opposed it.

The Lesson
Jeremiah entered the lamb in the fair and lost the competition, but learned a valuable lesson about being honest, persevering in the face of difficulty, and accepting what is given. Ultimately, his grandmother learns something as well, and in the end, shows a gentler side to her character. Uncle Hiram, as a wise and lovable mentor, has his support of Jeremiah vindicated. Ives sang several songs throughout the movie, notably Lavender Blue, which became his signature song, and endures in my mind to this day.

The Context
The movie was produced mid-point in Walt Disney’s career, which spanned many years and produced hundreds of movies. He made movies that really worked, and were received with enthusiasm by an audience who was hungry for inspiration and entertainment. When this film opened across North America, the population was several years into recovery from WWII. Wartime shortages and rationing lingered only in memory. Men returned from war, and a surge in population began. People were optimistic and excited about the future. The full force of the entertainment industry—Broadway, movies and music, conspired to present an optimistic expression of America’s character, full of hope, confidence, and purpose. In his book, With Amusement for All, LeRoy Ashby put it this way:

“It was, however, Walt Disney who most effectively provided the narratives for the post war American way—sentimental, wholesome, innocent.”

This was, after all, the dawn of the biggest population boom in history, and the new wave of children were loved and treasured. It was a child-centered market, with 50 million children under fourteen by 1959.

It was our generation of the Lucky Few who formed the national consensus to glorify the American way of life—goodness triumphing over evil, imparting wholesome, home grown values of wisdom and strength of character. Their love and interest in their childen reflected a desire to alter the effects of the harsh experiences of their own childhood during the depression.

Just over the horizon, however, was a new threat to this illusion—the explosion of the atomic bomb by Russia in 1949—and that would bring another dimension to the entertainment industry.

2 thoughts on “So Dear To My Heart-The Movie”

  1. First, thanks for commenting on my blog which brought me to your blog and this post that makes me smile. The title sparked a sweet memory. It may have been the first movie I saw and was definitely forgotten until today….so thanks, again.

    1. Thanks, Susan! I enjoyed writing about the movie, and hope to add to my “Classic Movie” category. Meanwhile, thanks to your article on fashion for older women, I’m out of my sweats this morning, and going shopping!

Comments are closed.

© 2024 Diane Dahli All Rights Reserved | WordPress site by Quadra Street Designs