THE CHILDREN'S HOUR, 1961/SHIRLEY MACLAINE

Based on Lillian Hellman's 1934 play, The Children's Hour is set in a girls boarding school run by two women, Karen [Audrey Hepburn] and Martha [Shirley MacLaine]. Both the school and their lives are destroyed when a mischievous pupil accuses the pair of having a lesbian affair.

Director William Wyler first tackled a film adaptation in 1936, but was forbidden from making any reference to the lesbian storyline. With the 1961 relaxation of the Hays code, allowing homosexual references if treated with care, discretion and restraint, Wyler returned to the subject, shocking everyone by offering the risqué part of Karen to Audrey Hepburn, explaining The reason I chose Audrey is that she is so clean and wholesome. Having remained close to Wyler since he directed her in Roman Holiday, Audrey had complete confidence in his vision and was enthusiastic about the project. However, Wyler remained reticent in his treatment of the lesbian narrative and the resulting picture was criticised as unrealistic and priggish. MacLaine later explained that Wyler felt it was too much for middle America to take, declaring I thought he was wrong, and I told him so, and Audrey was right behind me. But he was the director, and there was nothing we could do.