The Great Lie
Sometimes there's a terrible penalty for telling the truth.
1941 | 108m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Edmund Goulding |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Lenore J. Coffee, Polan Banks |
| Staring: |
| After a newlywed's husband apparently dies in a plane crash, she discovers that her rival for his affections is pregnant with his child. | |
| Release Date: | Apr 05, 1941 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Edmund Goulding |
| Writer: | Lenore J. Coffee, Polan Banks |
| Genres: | Drama |
| Keywords | baby, married couple, seclusion, pregnancy, adoptive mother, missing person, newlywed, biological mother, expectant mother, concert pianist, missing husband, believed dead, invalid marriage, secret arrangement, bad attitude |
| Production Companies | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $689,253
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 09, 2025 Entered: Apr 15, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Bette Davis | Maggie Patterson Van Allen |
| Mary Astor | Sandra Kovak |
| George Brent | Peter 'Pete' Van Allen |
| Lucile Watson | Aunt Ada Greenfield |
| Hattie McDaniel | Violet |
| Grant Mitchell | Joshua Mason |
| Jerome Cowan | Jock Thompson |
| Charles Trowbridge | Senator Ted Greenfield |
| Thurston Hall | Oscar Worthington James |
| Russell Hicks | Colonel Harriston |
| Virginia Brissac | Sadie |
| J. Farrell MacDonald | Dr. Ferguson |
| Addison Richards | Mr. Talbot |
| Sam McDaniel | Jefferson Washington |
| Gino Corrado | Concert Hall Reception Waiter (uncredited) |
| Sam Harris | Club Patron (uncredited) |
| Doris Lloyd | Sandra's Maid Bertha (uncredited) |
| George H. Reed | Senator Greenfield's Butler (uncredited) |
| Cyril Ring | Harry Anderson (uncredited) |
| Ernestine Wade | Singing Extra (uncredited) |
| Herschel Graham | Club Patron (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Lenore J. Coffee | Screenplay |
| Polan Banks | Novel |
| Ralph Dawson | Editor |
| Carl Jules Weyl | Art Direction |
| Perc Westmore | Makeup Artist |
| Jack Sullivan | Assistant Director |
| C.A. Riggs | Sound |
| Ray Heindorf | Orchestrator |
| Leo F. Forbstein | Music Director |
| Edmund Goulding | Director |
| Max Steiner | Original Music Composer |
| Tony Gaudio | Director of Photography |
| Orry-Kelly | Costume Design |
| Byron Haskin | Special Effects |
| Robert Burks | Special Effects |
| Hugo Friedhofer | Orchestrator |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Henry Blanke | Associate Producer |
| Hal B. Wallis | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Actress | N/A | Nominated |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 5 |
| 2024 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 5 |
| 2024 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 4 |
| 2024 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 5 |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 5 |
| 2024 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 3 |
| 2024 | 10 | 8 | 23 | 4 |
| 2024 | 11 | 6 | 12 | 3 |
| 2024 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 2 |
| 2025 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 3 |
| 2025 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 2025 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Trending Position