Editing The Valley of Decision

{{short description|1945 film by Tay Garnett}}
{{about|a film|the Biblical place|Valley of Decision|other uses|Valley of Decision (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Valley of Decision
| image          = The Valley of Decision.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical poster
| director       = [[Tay Garnett]]
| producer       = [[Edwin H. Knopf]]
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[The Valley of Decision (novel)|The Valley of Decision]]''<br />1942 novel|[[Marcia Davenport]]}}
| screenplay     = [[Sonya Levien]]<br />[[John Meehan (screenwriter)|John Meehan]]
| starring       = [[Greer Garson]]<br />[[Gregory Peck]]<br />[[Donald Crisp]]<br />[[Lionel Barrymore]]<br />[[Preston Foster]]<br />[[Marsha Hunt (actress, born 1917)|Marsha Hunt]]<br />[[Gladys Cooper]]<br />[[Reginald Owen]]<br />[[Dan Duryea]]<br />[[Jessica Tandy]]<br />[[Barbara Everest]]<br />[[Marshall Thompson]]
| music          = [[Herbert Stothart]]
| cinematography = [[Joseph Ruttenberg]]
| editing        = [[Blanche Sewell]]
| studio         = [[Metro-Goldwyn Mayer]]
| distributor    = [[Loews Cineplex Entertainment|Loew's Inc.]]
| released       = {{Film date|1945|05|03}}
| runtime        = 119 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $2,165,000<ref name="Mannix">{{Citation | title = The Eddie Mannix Ledger | publisher = Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study | place = Los Angeles}}.</ref>
| gross          = $9.132 million <ref name="Mannix"/><ref>Domestic take see "All-Time Top Grossers", ''Variety'', 8 January 1964 p 69</ref>
}}
'''''The Valley of Decision''''' is a 1945 American [[drama]] film directed by [[Tay Garnett]], adapted by [[Sonya Levien]] and [[John Meehan (screenwriter)|John Meehan]] from [[Marcia Davenport]]'s 1942 [[The Valley of Decision (novel)|novel of the same name]]. Set in [[Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania, in the 1870s, it stars [[Greer Garson]] and [[Gregory Peck]]. The film was nominated for two [[Academy Awards]] for [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress in a Leading Role]] (Greer Garson) and [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture]]. This was Garson's sixth nomination and her fifth consecutive, a record for most consecutive Best Actress nominations that still stands (tied with [[Bette Davis]]). 
The [[Allegheny, Pennsylvania|Allegheny City]] railroad station is misspelled as Alleghany City.

==Plot==
In Pittsburg, 1873, Mary Rafferty, an Irish immigrant, lives with her crippled father Pat and her sister Kate Shannon. Mary tells her father that she has been hired as a house maid for William Scott, a steel mill owner. Pat disapproves of her daughter's decision as he became crippled while working for William's mill. On Mary's first work day, William's son Paul arrives home from London and is greeted by his mother Clarissa and his siblings, Ted, Constance and William Jr. 

Later that evening, the Scotts host an evening dinner, where Mary becomes acquainted with Paul. At the steel mill, Paul expresses interest in modernizing the furnace to produce more finer steel. Paul's friend Jim Brennan shows him a model of the furnace at Mary's residence, but Pat forces him to leave. Angered at her father, Mary steps out and begins to fall in love with Paul. One night, Constance attempts to sneak out of the house to elope with Giles, the Earl of Moulton, but is prevented by Mary. Impressed with Mary's loyal servitude, Clarissa invites Mary aboard a cruise to William Jr.'s wedding in [[Boston]]. There, Mary and Paul kiss on the decks. 

After several months, Paul loses sleep after failing to modernize the furnace. Having fallen in love with Mary, Paul proposes to marry her, much to her concern as she is a housemaid. As Mary proposes to vacate her job, Constance soon reveals her marriage to the Earl of Moulton to her parents, and with Clarissa's permission, Mary accompanies them to England. As she leaves, she bids her farewell to her family but not to Paul. Two years later, Mary receives a letter from Paul, stating the steel mill workers have gone on strike and his father is stricken with pneumonia. Knowing her affection towards Paul, Constance proposes that Mary replies to Paul's letter, but Mary is unable to write back.  

Back in Pittsburgh, Paul is in a loveless relationship with Louise Kane. Clarissa divulges to her husband that Paul is in love with Mary, to which he sends for Mary to return to Pittsburgh. As they return home, he gives his blessing to their marriage, and Mary and Paul resume their romance. Meanwhile, Paul learns the strike led by Jim has turned violent. With the strike left unresolved, William plans to recruit [[strikebreaker]]s. The next morning, Mary visits Jim and arranges a reconciliation meeting between the strikers and the Scotts. At the meeting, William decides to recognize the union. 

However, the strikebreakers arrive and violence breaks out, which kills Pat and William. Mary, filled with grief over their deaths, decides she can never marry Paul. Ten years pass, and Paul marries Louise Kane and fathers a young son. Clarissa, now elderly, decides to sell her business share to Mary, trusting her to preserve the mills. Shortly after, Clarissa dies. At a meeting, Paul's siblings vote to sell their shares, but Mary persuades Constance to keep hers. Paul decides to leave Louise and returns Mary back home. 

==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Greer Garson]] as Mary Rafferty
* [[Gregory Peck]] as Paul Scott
* [[Donald Crisp]] as William Scott
* [[Lionel Barrymore]] as Patrick "Pat" Rafferty
* [[Preston Foster]] as Jim Brennan
* [[Marsha Hunt (actress, born 1917)|Marsha Hunt]] as Constance Scott
* [[Gladys Cooper]] as Clarissa Scott
* [[Reginald Owen]] as McCready
* [[Dan Duryea]] as William Scott, Jr.
* [[Jessica Tandy]] as Louise Kane
* [[Barbara Everest]] as Delia
* [[Marshall Thompson]] as Ted Scott
* [[Geraldine Wall]] as Kate Shannon
* Evelyn Dockson as Mrs. Callahan
* [[John Warburton (actor)|John Warburton]] as Giles
* [[Russell Hicks]] as Mr. Laurence Gaylord
* Mary Lord as Julia Gaylord
* [[Arthur Shields]] as Callahan
* [[Dean Stockwell]] as Paulie
* Mary Currier as Mrs. Laurence Gaylord
}}

==Casting==
Actor [[John Hodiak]], who was born in Pittsburgh, was cast in the lead role during pre-production in 1943.<ref name=bio>{{cite book |author1=Gary Fishgall |title=Gregory Peck: An Autobiography |date=2002 |publisher=Scribner |isbn=9780684852904 |page=102}}</ref> However, Gregory Peck replaced him before shooting began. Additionally, actor [[Marshall Thompson]] replaced [[Hume Cronyn]] as Peck's onscreen brother due to the height disparity between Peck and Cronyn. <ref>{{cite book |title=Motion Picture Story Magazine |date=1945 |publisher=Macfadden-Bartell |page=85 |edition=Volume 69}}</ref> Actor [[Dean Stockwell]], who was eight years old during filming, made his cinema debut in ''The Valley of Decision''.

==Production==
The film was shot at [[Culver Studios|Culver City]] with a large steel mill set designed by [[Cedric Gibbons]] and [[Paul Groesse]]. The Lot Three sets used for Pittsburgh street scenes had been originally built for ''[[Meet Me in St. Louis]]''. Production was briefly interrupted in July 1944 when Peck's first son Jonathan was born.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Michael Munn |title=Gregory Peck: A Charmed Life |isbn=9780709062653 |page=45 }}</ref><ref name=bio/> Principal filming wrapped in December 1944 with some reshoots in February 1945.

==Reception==
Bosley Crowther wrote, "the early phases of the picture are rather studiously on the 'cute' side" and "the middle phases are also somewhat artificially contrived...but the final phase...does have authority and depth;"<ref name="auto11">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/05/04/archives/the-screen-in-review-the-valley-of-decision-with-greer-carson-and.html|title=The Screen in Review; 'The Valley of Decision,' With Greer Carson and Gregory Peck, Makes Its Appearance at the Radio City Music Hall ...|first=Bosley|last=Crowther|work=The New York Times |date=May 4, 1945|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

''TV Guide'' said it is "huge (and) sprawling{{nbsp}}... the realism of the sets is a tribute to the art directors and set decorators...three out of five stars."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-valley-of-decision/review/121965|title=The Valley Of Decision &#124; TV Guide|website=TVGuide.com}}</ref> The film was a massive hit, earning $4,566,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $3,530,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $3,480,000.<ref name="Mannix"/><ref name="scott">Scott Eyman, ''Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer'', Robson, 2005 p 365</ref>

==Awards and honors==
*[[Academy Award for Best Actress|Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role]] - Greer Garson, Nominated
*[[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture]], Nominated
*''[[Photoplay]]'' Gold Medal for film of the year, Won

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0038213}}
* {{TCMDb title|1188}}
* {{AFI film|24645}}

{{Tay Garnett}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valley Of Decision, The}}
[[Category:1945 films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:1940s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Tay Garnett]]
[[Category:Films scored by Herbert Stothart]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1870s]]
[[Category:Films set in Pittsburgh]]
[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Sonya Levien]]
[[Category:1940s historical films]]
[[Category:American historical films]]
[[Category:Photoplay Awards film of the year winners]]
[[Category:1940s American films]]
[[Category:Films shot at Culver Studios]]
[[Category:English-language historical films]]