‘Bachelor Mother’ From 1939: New Year Surprises

Polly Parrish (Ginger Rogers), in “Bachelor Mother.” (RKO Radio Pictures)

NR | 1 hr 22 min | Comedy, Romance | 1939

Ginger Rogers is best remembered for her musicals with Fred Astaire. After making eight films with Astaire, Rogers was getting tired of  being just his musical partner, so she began making non-musical films.

One of the movies Rogers made solo in the late 1930s is “Bachelor Mother.” Also starring David Niven, this film is an enjoyable movie about a woman who becomes a mother in a very unexpected way and it begins during the holidays.

A Story of Misunderstandings

On Christmas Eve, Polly Parrish (Rogers) gets laid off from her job selling toy ducks in a New York department store because she was only hired for the holidays. During her lunch break on her last day, she sees a baby being left on the doorstep of a foundling home. Afraid that the infant will roll down the steps, she picks him up, just as an employee opens the door. Despite Polly’s insistence to the contrary, the workers assume that the baby is hers and urge her to keep him. She manages to leave him there and escape.

Polly Parrish (Ginger Rogers) and David Merlin (David Niven), in “Bachelor Mother.” (RKO Radio Pictures)

When Parrish gets back to the store, she learns from her employer’s playboy son, David Merlin (Niven), that she’s gotten her job back and been given a raise because the orphanage has claimed she’s a mother and needs the job. The baby was left at her apartment, so she drops him off at the Merlin mansion on her way to a dance contest with a persistent clerk, Freddie Miller (Frank Albertson). When she gets home that night, an angry Merlin is waiting for her.

Parrish realizes that she has to keep the baby if she wants to keep her job, so she becomes a “bachelor mother.” Despite the inconveniences of single motherhood, she quickly grows to love the infant. Merlin also takes a great interest in the infant’s wellbeing, and his frequent visits make Parrish grow fond of him. Meanwhile, his father (Coburn) hears a rumor that he has become a grandfather.

A Life-Changing Coincidence

This film takes a lighthearted approach to the topic of child abandonment and unwed motherhood, but the playful script is a clever presentation of important truths. Everyone who encounters Parrish’s dilemma with the baby assumes that she is an unwed mother who considers herself incapable of raising her child alone.

Both the foundling home workers and Merlin are horrified at the prospect that the young mother doesn’t want to care for her own baby, having been offered the financial means to do so. Compared to solutions for unwanted pregnancies, which are far too common today, her desire to leave the baby with a foundling home seems very caring.

(L–R) Polly Parrish (Ginger Rogers), J.B. Merlin (Charles Coburn), and David Merlin (David Niven), in “Bachelor Mother.” (RKO Radio Pictures)

Although Parrish has absolutely no connection or responsibility to the baby, she eventually realizes that the benefits of this unexpected situation may outweigh the inconveniences of sleepless nights and assumptions about her morality.

It starts because of a desire for job security, but the baby’s presence in Parrish’s life soon grows much more important. Parrish doesn’t have any family back home or any friends in New York. She’s alone, with few life goals. The chance responsibility gives her the family, stability, and purpose she desperately needs.

It also makes the irresponsible and reckless heir Merlin realize the important things in life. In spite of his previously selfish nature, he becomes deeply concerned about the welfare of his employee’s baby. As a surprise benefit, these two strangers also grow to care about each other.

Dancing in the New Year

This isn’t generally considered a holiday movie, but it does take place during the winter holiday season. It begins on Christmas Eve, when the heroine learns that she won’t be employed after the holiday. It’s also on Christmas Eve when she discovers the baby. One of the most important scenes takes place on New Year’s Eve, when Merlin invites her out at the last minute. As they ring in 1939 together in Times Square, they feel the first sparks of romance.

Polly Parrish (Ginger Rogers) and Freddie Miller (Frank Albertson), in “Bachelor Mother.” (RKO Radio Pictures)

Although “Bachelor Mother” is not a musical, it offers Rogers one opportunity to show off her hoofing. At the Christmas Eve dance contest, we see her and Miller doing the Big Apple, a popular 1930s dance, at the Pink Slipper. Their moves are very impressive, reminding us of Rogers’ dancing skills, besides the multi-faceted acting talent, which she displays in this role.

“Bachelor Mother” is available on Amazon Video, YouTube, Apple TV, or DirecTV. 

‘Bachelor Mother’ Director: Garson Kanin Stars: Ginger Rogers, David Niven, Charles Coburn Running Time: 1 hour, 22 minutes Not Rated Release Date: June 30, 1939 Rating: 4 out of 5

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