Forty-three years before Patty Duke starred in The Miracle Worker, Helen Keller starred in the first film version of her life story. It is told in three parts, the first showing Keller as a seven-year-old girl, played by Etna Ross, with (Edythe Lyle) as her teacher, Anne Sullivan. A fictional character, a little girl named Nadja (Tula Belle), is added to give the section some dramatic interest -- Nadja, influenced by her own mother's bitterness, is blind to the goodness in life. In part two, Keller is played as a maturing girl by Ann Mason, and is shown as a college applicant. In the third part, Keller and Sullivan play themselves and Keller's good works are depicted. This potentially pretentious film was given solid entertainment value by director George Foster Platt. In addition, it was well cast, with Roy Stewart and Betty Schade playing Keller's parents in part one (the real Ma Keller played herself in part three), and Elmo Lincoln featured in a small role.
by Janiss Garza
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