Full of Life

There've been a lot of movies with dumb blondes over the years.  One actress who specialized in them was Judy Holliday.  Whether in "Born Yesterday", or "The Solid Gold Cadillac", or "Bells Are Ringing", she more than any other actress had a real knack for bringing them to life.  So it was with some surprise that I watched one of her lesser-known films yesterday, and got to see her play it straight.  The film is called "Full of Life", and is about a young couple expecting their first child, and the accompanying joys and annoyances that come along with it. Judy plays Emily Rocco, a woman married to Nick (Richard Conte - another under-rated actor) an Italian man who has become estranged from his family and the church.  A problem with their house leads them to reach out to Nick's father for help, and thus begins the reconciliation between father and son, and Nick and his faith.  

It's a gem of a movie.  The biggest surprise was Judy, who was intelligent, loving, and sincere.  After all those years of dumb blondes, it was probably a pleasure for her to play a woman of some substance.

Apparently, the film was held back from distribution, because at the time, we weren't supposed to see a pregnant woman on screen.  How this movie could corrupt anyone is beyond me.  It's all about family, and faith, and what could be more valuable than that?