Down-and-out Londoner Ernie Mott makes the best of things - finding love here, dabbling in crime there. Still, there's a core of decency in Ernie. But a world of poverty and despair has little use for decency. Cary Grant plays Ernie in a milestone work set just before World War II. Gone is the usual Grant elegance. Instead, wistful Cockney Ernie is closer to the star's 'umble roots and Grant took great pride in his performance, which earned him an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor. He also helped lure Ethel Barrymore back to Hollywood, and she responded vibrantly with 1944's Oscar-winning Best Supporting Actress portrayal of Ernie's dying mother. Let the moods of this masterwork wash over you. In its ebb and flow you'll find a moving eloquence close to the heart of the film's leading man.

Barrymore plays Grant's dying mother in this sentimental drama about family devotion in the face of poverty. Academy Award Nominations: 4, including Best Actor--Cary Grant. Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress--Ethel Barrymore.