Child Bride (1938)

This movie was made as a sort of social statement against men marrying girls, which was apparently common practice in some places. The story takes place in a hillbilly community up in the mountains somewhere and the local teacher who was born to the town but went away for school, Ms. Carol, is determined to stop child marriage.

We are first introduced to Jennie and her family. Jennie is a young girl around 9 or 10 years old who lives with her mother and father. She does her chores, likes school, and plays with her childhood sweetheart Freddie whenever he happens around, which is often. Jennies father is a good man who runs a local logging or milling business. His partner Jake on the other hand, is a mean sort and bullies those weaker than himself. One day, Ms. Carol goes around a little too vocally trying to convince people that child marriage is bad and Jake gets together some of the other men in the village to send her a message. They kidnap her at night and drag her into the mountains to what I assume would be tar and feather her, but Jennie's father steps in and stops them. Ms. Carol has a fiance back in the big city who happens to be a lawyer and though he desperately wants her to marry him, she will not leave this town until her mission is complete, and she asks him to try to get a bill passed that will end child marriage.

In the meantime, Jake cooks up something to get back at Jennie's father. He gets some of the other men in town to say that Jennie's mother had been fooling around with Jake. The father of course gets drunk and mad and goes home to beat his wife and pass out. Jake slips in and out when the ruckus dies down and stab's Jennie's father, killing him. Jennie comes home to find her mother huddled in a corner and her father passed out, but when she goes to put him to bed she finds that he's dead. Jake walks in at that moment and says that he'll blame Jennie's mother for the murder if she doesn't let him marry Jennie. Will Jennie have to marry the man? Will Ms. Carol be able to do anything to stop it? Will Freddie be forever without Jennie?!

This movie was pretty good. The acting was alright, the message was clear and the story was plausible. It was made in the 30's so it's not as graphic as something that might be made today, but the movie doesn't even suggest any sort of sexual harassment. It's more ideological than physical in making it's statement. I mean there is still the engagement between Jake and Jennie and it's suggested that the two will have relations when they marry, and that others have before them. And there of course the domestic abuse, but there is no suggested man on girl action taking place, so there's no worry on that account.

 

This is the trailer but the whole thing is actually on youtube so you can watch it there.