I Remember Mama

A rosily nostalgic valentine to family life in San Francisco circa 1910, rather in the manner of Meet Me in St Louis, though cast (without the music) in the form of memories set down by a budding authoress looking back in gratitude and affection. The homespun philosophy with which these Norwegian immigrants face up to life's hard knocks makes it more sentimental than Minnelli's film. A charmer, nevertheless, directed and acted with real delicacy, not least by Hardwicke as the lodger, a broken-down old actor who pays his way with readings from the classics. Beautifully adapted by DeWitt Bodeen from the John Van Druten play (itself based on Kathryn Forbes' book Mama's Bank Account).