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The Children's Hour ()

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A rebellious student at a girls' school accuses two teachers of lesbianism.
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Writers:
Stars:
Awards:
  • Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 1 win & 7 nominations.
  • See more »
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Photos and Videos

66 photos | 1 video

Cast verified as complete

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Karen Wright
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Martha Dobie
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Dr. Joe Cardin
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Mrs. Lily Mortar
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Mrs. Amelia Tilford
Karen Balkin ...
Mary Tilford
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Rosalie Wells
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Evelyn
Debbie Moldow ...
Student
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Student
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Mr. Burton
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Rosalie's Mother
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Agatha - the Tilford Maid
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jered Barclay ...
Grocery Boy (uncredited)
Paul Bradley ...
Parent at Piano Recital (uncredited)
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Mourner (uncredited)
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Mourner (uncredited)
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Taxi Driver (uncredited)
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Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
George Mayon ...
Parent at Piano Recital (uncredited)
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Parent on Visitor's Day (uncredited)
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Funeral Assistant (uncredited)
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Head of Hospital (uncredited)
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Parent at Piano Recital (uncredited)
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Little Girl (uncredited)

Directed by

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William Wyler

Written by

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Lillian Hellman ... (play)
 
John Michael Hayes ... (screenplay)
 
Lillian Hellman ... (adaptation)

Produced by

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Walter Mirisch ... executive producer (uncredited)
Robert Wyler ... associate producer
William Wyler ... producer

Music by

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Alex North

Cinematography by

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Franz Planer ... director of photography (as Franz F. Planer)

Editing by

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Robert Swink

Editorial Department

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Hal Ashby ... assistant film editor (as Wm. Hal Ashby)

Casting By

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Lynn Stalmaster ... (uncredited)

Art Direction by

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Fernando Carrere

Set Decoration by

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Edward G. Boyle

Costume Design by

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Dorothy Jeakins

Makeup Department

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Emile LaVigne ... makeup artist
Frank McCoy ... makeup artist
Joan St. Oegger ... hair stylist

Production Management

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Allen K. Wood ... production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Robert E. Relyea ... assistant director
Jerome M. Siegel ... second assistant director

Art Department

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Frank Agnone ... property

Sound Department

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Don Hall ... sound editor (as Don Hall Jr.)
Fred Lau ... sound
Buddy Myers ... sound re-recordist
Gordon Sawyer ... sound (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Robert Willoughby ... special still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Irene Caine ... wardrobe
Bert Henrikson ... wardrobe
Ruth Stella ... wardrobe

Music Department

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Richard C. Harris ... music editor
Alex North ... conductor
Victor Arno ... musician: violin (uncredited)
Israel Baker ... musician: violin (uncredited)
Frank Beach ... musician: trumpet (uncredited)
Herman Clebanoff ... musician: violin (uncredited)
John Clyman ... musician: trumpet (uncredited)
Don Cristlieb ... musician: bassoon (uncredited)
Vince De Rosa ... musician: french horn (uncredited)
Ossip Giskin ... musician: cello (uncredited)
Louis Kaufman ... musician: violin solos (uncredited)
Alfred Lustgarten ... musician: violin (uncredited)
Edgar Lustgarten ... musician: cello (uncredited)
Peter Mercurio ... musician: bass (uncredited)
Abe Most ... musician: clarinet (uncredited)
Richard Nash ... musician: trombone (uncredited)
Alex North ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Edward B. Powell ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Paul Shure ... musician: violin (uncredited)
Eleanor Slatkin ... musician: cello solos (uncredited)
Ann Stockton ... musician: harp (uncredited)
Urban Thielmann ... orchestra contractor (uncredited)
Raymond Turner ... musician: piano (uncredited)
Robert Van Eps ... musician: piano (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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John Franco ... script supervisor

Additional Crew

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Leon Charles ... dialogue coach
Clarence Marks ... assistant to producer
Wayne Fitzgerald ... title designer (uncredited)
Jean-Étienne Siry ... poster designer (uncredited)
Crew believed to be complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

Karen Wright and Martha Dobie have been best friends since college. Now, together they own Wright and Dobie School for Girls with twenty students. They are working hard as headmistresses and teachers to grow the school and make it profitable. Karen is engaged with the local doctor Joe Cardin, who is the nephew of the powerful and influential Mrs. Amelia Tilford. The spiteful liar Mary, who is Amelia's granddaughter and a bad influence to the other girls, is punished by Karen after telling a lie. While this is happening Martha has an argument with her snoopy aunt Lily Mortar in another room. Lily accuses Martha of being jealous and having an unnatural relationship with Karen. Mary's roommate Rosalie Wells overhears the shouting and tells Mary what Mrs. Mortar had said about her niece. The malicious Mary accuses Karen and Martha of being lesbians to her grandmother and Amelia spreads the gossip to the parents of the students who quickly withdraw them from the school. Karen and Martha lose a lawsuit against Amelia and have their lives destroyed. Further, Karen calls off her engagement with Joe when he asks her if what was said about Martha and she was true. The lie ends in a tragedy. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Keywords
Taglines One of Broadway's greatest hits...becomes powerful, adult screen drama! See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • The Infamous (United States)
  • Infamous! (United States)
  • The Loudest Whisper (New Zealand, English title)
  • The Loudest Whisper (India, English title)
  • The Loudest Whisper (South Africa, English title)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 108 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $3,600,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia Veronica Cartwright (Rosalie) said in an interview that she and the other children were told not to hang around with Shirley MacLaine on set because she "cursed a lot". They all did, however, because they thought she was "cool" and "very generous". She also became Cartwright's mentor throughout the making of the film. See more »
Goofs Upon learning that Mrs. Tilford is telling everyone in town she's a lesbian, Martha Dobie (a schoolteacher who should know the difference) threatens to sue her for libel (which pertains to printed defamation of character), rather than slander (oral defamation). However, later in the film, "slander" is used correctly. See more »
Movie Connections Featured in Homo Promo (1991). See more »
Soundtracks Loch Lomond See more »
Quotes Martha: There's always been something wrong. Always, just as long as I can remember. But I never knew what it was until all this happened.
Karen: Stop it Martha! Stop this crazy talk!
Martha: You're afraid of hearing it, but I'm more afraid that you.
Karen: I won't listen to you!
Martha: No! You've got to know. I've got to tell you. I can't keep it to myself any longer. I'm guilty!
Karen: You're guilty of nothing!
Martha: I've been telling myself that since the night I heard the child say it. I lie in bed night after night praying that it isn't true. But I know about it now. It's there. I don't know how, I don't know why. But I did love you! I do love you! I resented your plans to marry. Maybe because I wanted you. Maybe I've wanted you all these years. I couldn't call it by name before, but maybe it's been there since I first knew you.
Karen: But it's not the truth, not a word of it is true! We've never thought of each other that way.
Martha: No, of course you didn't. But who's to say I didn't. I'd never felt that way about anybody before you. I've never loved a man. I never knew why before, maybe it's that.
Karen: You're tired and worn out.
Martha: It's funny. It's all mixed up. There's something in you, and you don't know anything about it because you don't know it's there. And then suddenly, one night a little girl gets bored and tells a lie, and there, for the first time, you see it. Then you say to yourself, did she see it? Did she sense it?
Karen: But you know it could have been any lie. She was looking for anything to...
Martha: But why this lie? She found the lie with the ounce of truth. Don't you see? I can't stand to have you touch me! I can't stand to have you look at me! Oh, it's all my fault. I have ruined your life and I have ruined my own. I swear I didn't know it! I didn't mean it! Oh, I feel so damn sick and dirty I can't stand it anymore!
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