Secrets (1933).

Secrets (1933). Directed by Frank Borzage. With Mary Pickford, Leslie Howard, C. Aubrey Smith, Blanche Friderici.

The story begins when well to do William Marlowe, wants his daughter Mary, to marry Lord Hurley, but she is in love with John Carlton, one of Marlowe's clerks. Marlowe, finds the couple's love letters and fires John, who later tells Mary, that he is moving West and will send for her, but she insists on going with him.

 

They are married and soon begin their journey to the place that will become their new home. As time passes, they have a son. One day, while John and the Carltons' handyman, go to town while Mary stays home alone. It is not long, before cattle rustler Jake Houser, his brother Davey and their gang take over the house and threaten to kill them, and leave with the cattle. As John and Sunshine are on their way home, they see the men with their cattle. When John learns that the gang threatened his family, he leaves to gather the other ranchers, to form a lynch mob.

After John and Sunshine return home, they find that the baby is ill, and that Jake and his gang are making plans to attack the cabin, during the attack.. the baby dies from his fever. It is Mary, who shoots and kills Jake.

Years later, the Carlton family has grown and John is running for the post of governor of California. On the eve of the election, the Carltons throw a huge ball, when John's mistress, Señora Lolita Martinez, tells Mary that John wants to marry her, John tells her that the affair is long over. Will John be elected governor and will Mary forgive him?

Mary Pickford was in her 40s when she made this film, and it does stretch your imagination a little to see her playing a debutante in the beginning of the film. If you are a Leslie Howard fan, you may enjoy his performance as her lover/husband.

Blanche Friderici (January 21, 1878 — December 23, 1933). Between 1920 and 1934, Friderici performed in almost sixty films. Friderici's film début was performing as Miss McMasters in the film, 39 East (1920) and In Night Nurse (1931), she played a housekeeper too frightened to try to stop the murder of two little children. She played a chaperon in the film, Flying Down to Rio (1933). Her last film role was the wife of the motel owner in, It Happened One Night (1934).

Mona Maris (November 7, 1903 – March 23, 1991) was an Argentine film actress who was born in Buenos Aires. Her Hollywood film career began with the movie, The Apache(1925) and continued with the film, Camila (1984). It was her inability to speak English which nearly ended Maris' film career.