Review of Watch on the Rhine

The movie held my interest, but there were few things that bugged me. First, the family is German, but only the dad has the slightest accent. I mean, other than his wife Sarah (Bette) pronouncing his name as Khoot instead of Kurt. It also irritated me that the kids were never less than perfectly outfitted--the oldest boy always in a suit. I also did not like that Kurt was double his wife's age. However, the youngest boy was adorable, reminded me of young Danny Bonaduce. I also liked the matriarch, played by Lucille Watson. No nonsense but with a sense of humor. Kurt Muller is an anti-fascist, but with WWII taking a firm foothold in Europe it is no longer safe for the family to be there, so they come to the US to stay with her mother and brother, the well-known and well-to-do Farrellys. For some reason there is a Romanian count and his wife staying there already. The wife is falling for David Farelly (Sarah's brother) while the count quickly figures out that Kurt's whereabouts would be greatly rewarded by the German embassy.

When a leader of the anti-fascists is taken hostage in Germany, Kurt decides he must return to save him, leaving his family in the states while he returns to Europe.