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Emma
Directed by Clarence Brown
A housekeeper faces unexpected snobbery when she marries her boss.
1932 1h 13m Drama TV-G
Expires: Invalid date
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![Marie Dressler, Emma [Thatcher Smith]](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/MarieDressler.jpg?w=200)
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![Richard Cromwell, Ronnie [Smith]](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/RichardCromwell.jpg?w=200)
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![Jean Hersholt, Mr. [Frederick] Smith](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/JeanHersholt.85600.jpg?w=200)
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![Myrna Loy, Isabelle [Countess Marlin]](https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/MyrnaLoy.jpg?w=200)
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Inventor Frederick Smith's wife dies during the birth of their fourth baby, Ronnie, leaving the family in the care of their faithful housekeeper Emma. Twenty years later, after Smith's inventions have made the family rich, the affable Ronnie, who is Emma's favorite, arrives home from college, announcing that he wants to quite school and become a flier. The other Smith children, Bill, Gypsy and Isabelle, have all grown into spoiled adults, but Emma lovingly indulges them all, making excuses for their bad behavior to their father and everyone else. As Emma leaves for her first vacation in thirty-two years with the family, the absent-minded Frederick sadly takes her to the station. She gets cold feet and decides to stay home, but Frederick won't let her and decides to go along with her to Niagara Falls. Waiting for their train, Frederick proposes and Emma accepts, even though she is afraid that people will talk. When the children learn about the marriage, Ronnie is happy for them, but the other children are embarrassed by the blot on their social record. On their honeymoon, as the happy Frederick and Emma row on the lake, they are teased by some young vacationers, prompting Frederick to take the oars from Emma. The exertion causes a mild heart attack and they return home. As the contented Frederick listens to Emma sing to him, he dies, and a short time later, the family learns that he has left his entire estate to Emma. Though Emma wants to give the money back to the ch...
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

According to a news item in Hollywood Reporter, the prologue to the story, about the birth of "Ronnie," was shot and added to the picture after M-G-M executives saw the thought-to-be complete product in late November 1931. Marie Dressler received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the film.