One simple lie destroyed everything they had.

Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, James Garner, Miriam Hopkins, Fay Bainter, Karen Balkin, Veronica Cartwright, Mimi Gibson, William Mims, Sallie Brophy

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"You've always had a jealous, possessive nature even as a child. If you had a friend, you'd be upset if she liked anybody else. And that's what's happening now! And it's unnatural." - Mrs. Lily Mortar

Why watch this?  A child's lie can have devastating consequences, as we shall see.

Plot Summary: This drama centers on two women, Karen Wright and Martha Dobie, who run a boarding school for girls. When a problematic student, Mary Tilford, fabricates a lie about the two teachers, the resulting scandal threatens to devastate their lives and careers.

Dad's Preview: This painful drama is really a two-sided coin. On one, we have two lifelong friends who run an all-girls boarding house. Karen is engaged to a handsome doctor. Martha is still single. When a particularly devious girl, Mary, is caught lying, she decided to tell her wealthy grandmother several lies about Karen and Martha's relationship. This goes public and immediately destroys the business because people, believing idle gossip, don't want their children being schooled by "those women". The second side exposes the nature of homosexuality at that time period. It was kept quiet and was unfairly judged. However, it was (and still is) REAL. For someone gay, the concealment of this fact, this personal trait of your very being, often had devastating effects on those unlucky enough to exist in America during that era. This story was originally penned by Lillian Hellman, and here is brought to life by the amazing director William Wyler (The Best Years of our Lives, Roman Holiday, Ben-Hur). Perhaps this film will help some folks see humanity in all people.

Strike Ent., Hit and Run Productions, Toho-Towa; Universal Pictures