The Valley of Decision

1945 Greer Garson, Gregory Peck, Donald Crisp, Lionel Barrymore 119 minutes

Mary Rafferty's (Garson) father, Pat (Barrymore), blames his former boss William Scott (Crisp), owner of Pittsburgh's Scott Mill, for the accident that left him in a wheelchair, a fact that makes Mary's accepting a job as a maid in the Scott household all the more bitter.

The same day Mary starts her new job, Paul Scott (Peck) returns home. The entire Scott family quickly and warmly accepts Mary (she becomes especially close to Mrs. Scott and the only daughter, Connie) and soon she and Paul fall in love. Mary, however, is unwilling to risk Paul's standing in the community with an inferior match. Mrs. Scott, aware of and very sympathetic to the situation, tries to help Mary by taking advantage of a sudden opportunity: Connie eloped with an English nobleman, and as a wedding present, Connie can take Mary back to England with her.

Two years later, Mr. Scott, after urging Paul to marry their neighbor Louise, finds out about Paul and Mary. He sends her a telegram to come home, and she arrives at the height of a labor strike that has shut down the mill. Just after Mary agrees to marry Paul, the strike trouble comes to a head. Mary tries to put an end to the dispute between the Scotts and the union, but can peace be achieved in time for Mary and Paul to live happily ever after?

"The Valley of Decision" is based on the novel by Marcia Davenport, who was the half-sister of Efraim Zimbalist, Jr. Greer Garson was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Mary, but lost to Joan Crawford for "Mildred Pierce." Watch for a young Jessica Tandy as Louise. Her husband, Hume Cronyn, was originally cast as one of Gregory Peck's brothers, but lost the part when the director decided the eight inch height difference between the two seemed unlikely for siblings. This movie was Dean Stockwell's feature film debut.