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Cast
Eddie Cantor
as Gilbert Jordan Thompson
Bonita Granville
as Doris
Judith Anderson
as Madame Granville
Rita Johnson
as Marian Edwards
Ralph Morgan
as Judge Joseph M. Williams
Martha O'Driscoll
as Janette
Veronica Lake
as Granville Girl
Nydia Westman
as Madamoiselle Cynthia Cliche
Diana Lewis
as Marcia
Esther Dale
as Mrs. Mason the Landlady
Movie Info & Details
Release Year1940
Runtime1h 30m
LanguageEN
CertificationNR
GenresDrama
Votes6
DirectorBusby Berkeley
WritersDorothy Yost, Jean Guitton, Ernest Pagano
TypeFeature Film
Rating6.5 out of 10
Cast10 credited
Also Known AsForty Little Mothers
About Forty Little Mothers
An out-of-work professor gets a break from an old college buddy to teach at an exclusive girl's school. But events conspire against him: he finds an abandoned child which he takes under his wing, despite the school's rules against teachers having a family; and the girls in the school resent his replacing a handsome and popular teacher, and do everything in their power to get him fired.
Directed by Busby Berkeley, Forty Little Mothers leans on a strong ensemble — Eddie Cantor, Bonita Granville, Judith Anderson — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.
The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1940.
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