Mamá
Cast & Crew
Catalina Bárcena
Rafael Rivelles
María Luz Callejo
Julio Peña
José Nieto
Andrés De Segurola
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Mercedes, a socialite who is married to Santiago, one of the richest men in Madrid, gambles with friends and loses 23,000 pesatas, which she borrowed from her friend Alfonso. Unknown to Mercedes, Alfonso is pretending to fall in love with her in order to leech off her husband's fortune. When she arrives home late, Santiago informs her that their children, José María and Cecilia, will be coming home from college the next day. She excitedly tells him that she will face her familial duties with zest on the day following their arrival, as she has several pressing social engagements. On the train, José and Cecilia chatter happily about their mother and the prospect of being a family for the first time in many years. That evening at Cecilia's debut ball, Alfonso propositions Mercedes. She declines his offer but pointedly promises to repay her gambling debt. Determined to swindle the family, Alfonso flirts with Cecilia and wins her affection. The next morning, after asking her father Fernando, who cannot help, for the money she owes Alfonso, Mercedes is forced to seek Santiago's aid. Assuming that the money will be spent on her father's escapades, Santiago refuses to give her any. She leaves his office and finds Alfonso waiting to speak with her. José walks in on them, which causes Alfonso to leave, and Mercedes then tells her son the truth about her debt. The next morning, Alfonso, arriving to take Cecilia out, is greeted by José, who gives him the money owed by his mother and asks Alfonso to stay away from the family. José is summoned to his father's office, where Santiago accuses him of stealing money from his office and, although he knows the money is for Mercedes, tells José he wishes never to see him again. When José comes home to pack, he tells Mercedes, who is touched by his act. On her way to confront Santiago, Mercedes spies Alfonso and Cecilia in the garden, and she exposes Alfonso's treachery, causing Cecilia to flee in tears and forcing Alfonso to leave. She then goes to Santiago's office and berates him for his behavior. She says that he has made all of the decisions in their marriage, including sending the children away to school, which she now realizes created a void in her life that she filled with a busy social schedule. Shocked by her outburst, Santiago asks her forgiveness, and when José comes in, he and Santiago embrace. Mercedes and Santiago both cancels plans to go out separately that evening, and Mercedes, desiring a "homey" atmosphere, has a servant light a fire. She happily proclaims that her new family life shall begin immediately.
Cast
Catalina Bárcena
Rafael Rivelles
María Luz Callejo
Julio Peña
José Nieto
Andrés De Segurola
Félix De Pomés
José Alcántara
Ralph Navarro
Rafael Calvo
Enriqueta Soler
Carmen Jiménez
Alma Real
Crew
Daniel Clark
Jack Dawn
José López Rubio
Gregorio Martínez Sierra
Benito Perojo
Bert E. Sebell
Dorothy Spencer
Sidney Wagner
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The onscreen credits were taken from a print, and the plot summary was based on a screen continuity in the Twentieth Century-Fox Produced Scripts Collection at the UCLA Theater Arts Library. According to a contemporary source, Bert E. Sebell took over as director after production began.
