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No Man of Her Own

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No Man of Her Own DVD
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No Man of Her Own on DVD


A woman is torn between a comfortable lie and the painful truth in this drama. After she is abandoned by her unfaithful boyfriend Stephen Morely (Lyle Bettger), Helen Ferguson (Barbara Stanwyck) discovers that she's pregnant, and she has no choice but to go home to her family. Shortly after boarding the train, Helen meets Hugh and Patrice Harkness (Richard Denning and Phyllis Thaxter), a recently married couple who are travelling to visit Hugh's parents, who have yet to met his bride. Patrice, who is also with child, strikes up a conversation with Helen, and allows her to try on her beautiful wedding ring. Moments later, the train becomes involved in a terrible accident in which Hugh and Patrice are killed; because she was still wearing Patrice's ring, Helen is mistaken for the late Mrs. Harkness by Hugh's parents (Jane Cowl and Henry O'Neill), and is taken home with them as she recovers and has her baby. Helen begins to feel a part of the family until Stephen arrives, demanding money to keep her true identity a secret. No Man of Her Own was remade in 1996 as the comedy Mrs. Winterbourne. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
  • Sound By: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • Released By: Olive Films

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  • No Man of Her Own DVD
No Man of Her Own DVD

Editorial Reviews

As befits a film derived from a Cornell Woolrich novel (although written under a pen name), there's an aura of impending gloom and fatality that hovers over No Man of Her Own, a sense that Fate is bound to deal a blow to happiness -- it's merely a question of when the blow will come and in what form. This makes the contrived happy ending -- a definite departure from the book -- all the more ludicrous. Truth to tell, No Man's screenplay has more than its share of hard-to-accept moments. Some of these are the inventions of screenwriters Sally Benson and Catherine Turney, but some also come from the original Woolrich source. Detached from his distinctive literary voice and without the rich atmosphere that he brings to the printed page, the plot twists come across as devices -- and just will stretch credulity too far for some. Fortunately, No Man has a dazzling star and an assured director to help it over these bumpy patches. Certainly no one could ask for a better Helen than the luminous yet down-to-earth Barbara Stanwyck. Seemingly incapable of giving an uncommitted performance, Stanwyck makes her character live and breathe, and one is ready to accept absolutely anything that happens as long as Stanwyck is around. For his part, Mitchell Leisen brings a confidence to his direction that belies the fact that most of his films were not as "tough" as this one eventually becomes. Jane Cowl provides solid support, but Lyle Bettger comes across as a bit much, while John Lund comes across as a bit dull. No Man can't overcome all its flaws to become a great film, but Stanwyck makes it more than watchable. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi