The Secret Heart

"You'll share the intimate secrets of an amazing love affair!"

Dec 25 1946 Not Rated 1h 37m
Drama, Romance

Penny Addams lives in a constant state of depression stemming from the trauma of her father's death when she was just a young girl. Her brother, Chase, and stepmother, Lee, work to help Penny process her grief through psychotherapy and revisiting their past, but only the revelation of long-buried family secrets -- including her mother's secret lover and the true nature of her father's death -- can bring Penny out of her intense despair.

Plot

Brillant pianist Larry Addams allows his frustrated ambitions to ruin his life and commits suicide, leaving his wife, Lee, and two small children, Penny and Chase, under the stigma of disgrace. Lee takes over and devotes her life to paying off Larry's debts and raising her two step-children. Prior to her marriage, Lee had turned down the proposal of Chris Matthews, wealthy ship builder and college friend of Larry's, but he had remained as a true friend to both. On the night of the suicide, Lee and Chris had attended a dinner party together and, horrified and shocked at the death, Lee sends Chris away, and for ten years does everything possible for the children to make up for the loss of their father. Bewildered by some of the strange stories concerning her father, the grown-up Penny (June Allyson) questions Lee and her brother Chase. Later, Penny meets and falls in love with Chris, not realizing he is the man Lee gave up.

Written by

Whitfield Cook, Anne Morrison Chapin, Rose Franken

Directed by

Robert Z. Leonard

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Languages

English

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
729
Average Rating
6.5 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA