I Remember Mama

"I Remember Mama" (1948) is a family drama from RKO you can watch online on iFILM, directed by George Stevens and based on John van Druten's Broadway play. Irene Dunne plays Marta Hanson, a Norwegian immigrant in San Francisco raising four children on very little, with no safety net and no illusions about it.

The story comes through the eyes of eldest daughter Katrin (Barbara Bel Geddes), who grows up to be a writer and traces everything she is back to her mother's example. Around Marta swirl Uncle Chris (Oskar Homolka), a loud man with a complicated heart, a pair of wealthy aunts, and a lodger who reads great literature to the family each evening. Every episode carries its own small weight.

The film picked up five Academy Award nominations in 1949 — Dunne for Best Actress, Homolka for Supporting Actor, and Barbara Bel Geddes and Ellen Corby both competing in the same supporting actress category. Stevens keeps the warmth honest throughout. Stream "I Remember Mama" online on iFILM.