Blossoms in the Dust

Blossoms in the Dust
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Mervyn LeRoy
Screenplay by	Anita Loos
Story by	Ralph Wheelwright
Based on	Life of Edna Gladney
Produced by	Irving Asher
Starring	Greer Garson Walter Pidgeon Felix Bressart
Cinematography	Karl Freund W. Howard Greene
Edited by	George Boemler
Music by	Herbert Stothart
Color process	Technicolor
Production companies	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Mervyn LeRoy Productions
Distributed by	Loew's Inc.
Release dates	June 26, 1941 (1941-06-26) (New York City)[1] July 25, 1941 (1941-07-25) (US)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1,112,000[2]
Box office	$2,658,000[2]

Blossoms in the Dust is a 1941 American biographical drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Felix Bressart, Marsha Hunt, Fay Holden and Samuel S. Hinds. It tells the story of Edna Gladney, who helped orphaned children find homes and began a campaign to remove the word "illegitimate" from Texas birth certificates, despite the opposition of "good" citizens. The screenplay was by Anita Loos, with a story by Ralph Wheelwright. Some of the important aspects of her life fictionalized in the film are the fact that it was Edna herself who was born out of wedlock; she and Sam eloped on the eve of her marriage to someone else, and they had much more time together before his death (26 years) than given them in the film.

The film was one of the biggest hits of 1941 for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and began the rise of Greer Garson as one of the largest stars of the decade.^[3] Blossoms in the Dust won an Oscar for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color, and was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Garson), Best Cinematography, Color, and Best Picture.