Underplayed Gems

My Son John (1952)

My Son John poster
Directed by
Leo McCarey
Genre
drama film
Country
United States
Runtime
2h 02m
Rated
NR
Rating
5.8 of 10 from 11 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A middle class couple grows increasingly worried that their college graduate son is secretly a communist spy. The film follows their attempts to uncover the truth and confront him about his activities.

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What happens

My Son John is a 1952 American political drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Helen Hayes, Van Heflin, Robert Walker, and Dean Jagger. Walker plays the title character, a middle-class college graduate, whom his parents suspect may be a communist spy. The strongly anticommunist film, produced during the height of McCarthyism, received an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Motion Picture Story. The nomination was later viewed as a possible attempt by the motion-picture industry to signal its loyalty to the ongoing anticommunist campaign. Retrospective reviews have characterized it as a propaganda film indicative of attitudes during the Second Red Scare. My Son John was Walker's final role. He died in August 1951 before McCarey could reshoot several scenes. The director had to make minor script adjustments, use a Walker look-alike, and mix in previous clips of the actor in order to complete the film. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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