The False Madonna

The False Madonna is a 1931 American drama film directed by Stuart Walker and written by May Edginton, Ray Harris and Arthur Kober. The film stars Kay Francis, William "Stage" Boyd, Conway Tearle, John Breeden, Marjorie Gateson and Charles D. Brown. The film was released on December 5, 1931, by Paramount Pictures.

In a heavy rainy night 2 couples -Dr. Ed Marcy, Tina, Rose and Peter Angel - are brought to the station by a hotel bus. Alone in the cabin, they argue with the one of them, who cheated at cards and who to blame, that they were thrown out of the hotel. Sometime later the train conductor calls on Dr. Ed Marcy because a woman is seriously ill. Marcy refuses first, saying he didn't practice since long, but as the train conductor insists he goes to the cabin of the lady. He finds out, that she was going to see her son Philipp Bellows in New York, whom she hadn't seen for fourteen years and who inherited $10,000,000 from her estranged ex-husband. The woman dies in the train and Marcy takes her photographs and a necklace and convinces Tina to impersonate Philipps mother. Tina who has been longing an opportunity to quit the gang accepts. She meets Philipp at his Long Island New York estate, where he lives with his guardianship Grant Arnold and the nurse Alice. She soon finds out that he is blind due to an airplane crash two years before. He doesn't realize that she is an impostor and asks her to stay. She gets acquainted to Philipp and develops motherly feelings for Philipp and in general she's touched and moved by the affection of Philipp.

Philipp on his part is worried about leaving her something when he dies, knowing that through his will only an aunt will inherit. So he asks Grant to give her a cheque about $50.000 so that she can live better, but Grant tears up the cheque, as he knows about her. But he doesn't say anything to Philipp, as he knows how sick he is, and he'll soon have to die. So he warns Tina to avoid Philipp too much stress. Meantime Marcy is coming to the house to oblige Tina to do something, but in that night Philipp dies.