These Three

Performed to perfection by a top-flight cast, the first of William Wyler’s two adaptations of Lillian Hellman’s controversial stage play THE CHILDREN’S HOUR sidesteps the story’s then-explosive lesbian themes but nevertheless remains a powerful study of the ruinous effects of rumor and gossip. Martha (Miriam Hopkins) and Karen (Merle Oberon) are lifelong friends who together manage a girl’s boarding school and whose lives are turned upside down when a student (a delightfully wicked, Oscar-nominated Bonita Granville) accuses Martha of carrying on an affair with Karen’s boyfriend (Joel McCrea).